Outings with girls and boys
Voices and images: Mayan Ixil women of Chajul
Chapter Four: Association of Maya Ixil Women (ADMI) – New Dawn
3. Outings with girls and boys
If the boys and girls haven’t been taken for an excursion outside town for awhile, they insist on getting out because they have so much fun in the countryside playing various games, and learning about things in nature with the help of their teachers, and sharing their experiences with each other. A good lunch is prepared for them and each boy or girl helps out by contributing some vegetables for the stew. The boys and girls feel happy and proud because their photographs were taken.
We’ve seen a change through our work with the children and their level of participation. When we began to work with them at the beginning of the school year, the girls or boys who were new in the Center didn’t participate much at all. They were shy and afraid. The girls didn’t play with the boys because it embarrassed them. They didn’t want to hold hands with the boys. But gradually, as we began to play with the children, we explained to them that boys and girls are equal. No, they weren’t going to be harmed and nothing bad was going to happen to them by touching hands. Rather, it makes no difference. We are all human children. So little by little they lost their embarrassment. Since we were then in the middle of the year, by the end of the year, where we are now, they no longer are afraid or embarrassed. They play together and participate. Since the children are the ones who choose the subjects that are taught to them, they participate even more. This is the difference that we have observed.
Our hope is that the boys and girls, and the Center for Maya Ixil Education and Child Development, have a bright future in terms of learning and development, the children’s health and education, and with regard to their respect and esteem for Maya Ixil culture.
