Michoacán Final Update
July 31, 2008
Greetings from Michoacán once again. It’s hard to believe that the summer is coming to a close already. The final weeks of the project have been exciting and full of activity for our Volunteers and communities. On Monday July 28, Volunteers and their youth counterparts from all 24 communities traveled to La Piedad for the 3rd Annual Environmental Fair to present the projects that they had been working on for the past 5 weeks.
Projects ranged from presentations about water contamination and the benefits of composting to jewelry and clothing made from recycled items found in the community. One community installed garbage cans throughout their community, painted a mural educating about proper trash disposal and petitioned their local government for regular trash pick-up.
Other communities planted trees and community gardens or made handcrafted soap from natural ingredients, stationary and journals from recycled paper and even a statue out of garbage. The winning project was a short play about industrial pollution written, directed and staged by the youth of Tarimoro. The imagination and innovation of all of the projects was a sight to see and definitely called the attention of bystanders and passers-by in the center of La Piedad. The event was even featured on the local news and in La Piedad’s local newspaper.
Volunteers returned on Monday night for their final week in community. This week, they will be putting the final touches on their community projects, celebrating the summer’s accomplishments with community members and saying their goodbyes to new friends and family. On Aug. 2, the group will travel to the beautiful lakeside town of Patzcuaro, known for its pottery and weaving, for a despedida (farewell party) hosted by the Governor’s wife and for debriefing. Volunteers will have an opportunity purchase some of Michoacán’s renowned arts and crafts as mementos, take a boat ride around lake, and visit the ruins of Tzintzuntzan, as well as take time to reflect on their experience and prepare for the transition back to life in the United States.
On Monday, Volunteers return home, impacted and changed, we hope, by the full experience of their summer in Michoacán. This has been an impressive group of young leaders to work with and we wish them the best in all future endeavors and adventures!
