Centro Educativo Pavarotti (translated as Pavarotti Education Center; abbreviated as CEP) is a

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

for children aged 12–16 located near

Lake Atitlán Lake Atitlán ( es, links=no, Lago de Atitlán, ) is a lake in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Sierra Madre mountain range. The lake is located in the Sololá Department of southwestern Guatemala. It is known as the deepe ...

San Lucas Tolimán San Lucas Tolimán is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. The town of 17,000 people sits on the southeastern shore of Lago de Atitlán. The population is 90–95% Highland Maya. There is a population of about the same size livin ...

, Sololá Departement,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. The center is an initiative of the

Rigoberta Menchú Rigoberta Menchú Tum (; born 9 January 1959) is a K'iche' Guatemalan human rights activist, feminist, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the rights of Guatemala's Indigenous peoples during and after t ...

Foundation (specifically the Utizal Tijonikel Program), which is an institution accredited for its contributions to the defense of human rights especially of indigenous peoples which impels educational programs, citizen participation, community development and combating impunity. The Utzilal Tijonikel program, which translated from Kaqchikel into English means “teaching to do the good thing”, offers also education complemented by a basic work orientation. The center serves approximately 150 Guatemalan children with 10 professors educating them. The majority of children attending this school live in poor circumstances, so that they receive financial support in order to attend this school. Without these benefits they would probably work on fields, like many of their parents do.

History

In 1999 the Italian operatic tenor

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

hosted a charity concert, which goal it was to collect funds in order to found an institution that would provide education for the indigenous Maya children in Guatemala, mostly victims of the passed civil war in their country. Due to the friendship between the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and promoter of indigenous rights, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Luciano Pavarotti they started a collaboration. Rigoberta Menchú Tum came up with the idea of a school and she got commissioned the organisation and construction of the school, which started in 2000. The education institute started in 2003. The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation transferred the building and the administration of the school to the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation, along with an agreement to finance it until 2005. After 2005 the school had to be self-sufficient, which led to the fact that the school is running some other services in the touristic sector (little restaurant, room rental, tours to discover the Mayan culture) to finance their school operations..

Curriculum

Students attend a variety of classes including Spanish, English, mathematics, science, weaving, carpentry, computing, dancing, and art. They are also taught the indigenous

Kaqchikel language The Kaqchikel language (in modern orthography; formerly also spelled Cakchiquel or Cachiquel) is an indigenous Mesoamerican language and a member of the Quichean–Mamean branch of the Mayan languages family. It is spoken by the indigenous Kaqch ...

and Kaqchikel math to preserve the traditional Mayan wisdom. The Utizal Tijonikel Program's purpose is to teach "doing good" " and this also means to teach the acceptance of gender equality and its implementation. The school´s vision includes sustainable education while maintaining respect for diverse cultures but also the respect and appreciation of their own Mayan culture. Their mission is to foster youth leaders who are pro-peace and pro-human rights and against racism.

Objectives of the Centro Educativo Pavarotti

* to give children a high academic level education * to promote human values and rights and interculturalism * to contribute to the sustainable devolvement of the rural communities around Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer opportunities

The Rigoberta Menchú Foundation promotes "Intercultural Solidarity Tourism", a program which gives college students and educational institutions the opportunity to interact with the Mayan people and learn about the indigenous culture. Volunteers have many options to assist the persons in power. They can volunteer in classrooms by helping with lessons, teaching languages, but they can also take action and establish courses with educational purpose like one about environmental issues. Another big part of volunteers would be their engagement in establishing a tourism program, to help the Centro to finance itself and to create better conditions for their students. They will learn about the Mayan calendar, Kaqchikel language, culture, rituals, and the

Guatemalan Civil War The Guatemalan Civil War was a civil war in Guatemala fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups. The government forces have been condemned for committing genocide against the Maya population ...

. The aim is interculturalism and solidarity between people of different cultures. Volunteers can also visit local communities and traditional tourist sites such as

Antigua Guatemala Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architec ...

and

Iximche Iximcheʼ () (or Iximché using Spanish orthography) is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandon ...

Gallery

Centro Educativo Pavarotti main building.jpg, Centro Educativo Pavarotti main building Side building of the centro educativo pavarotti.jpg, Side building and basketball court Mayan cult site in the CEP.jpg, Mayan cult site in the CEP Classroom in the Pavarotti Center.jpg, Classroom in the CEP

References