PulseraCon 2020
WHAT?
A three day professional development conference to share resources, best practices, and new ideas for expanding The Pulsera Project’s educational mission in the U.S. There will also be an optional extension trip, where we’ll visit project artisans and partners.
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Attendees will learn directly from the teachers who create our educational materials and walk away with practical, engaging lesson plans and activities to take back to their classes and schools. The conference will be an ideal venue to share new resources, hear from educators and project partners in Central America, and meet the people behind the pulseras. Our goal is to listen, learn, collaborate, and strengthen the network of teachers working towards a more just and colorful world.
WHERE?
The conference will take place in the beautiful city of Antigua, Guatemala
WHEN?
The three day conference will take place sometime between July 6th - 12th, depending on event space availability. Immediately following the conference we will offer an optional 2-day extension trip. See our Sample Itinerary for more info.
WHO?
#xx-#xx of the hundreds of teachers that have volunteered their time, expertise, and efforts to making the world a more colorful place with The Pulsera Project.
HOW?
Invitations will go out once the event space is secured in early January. Spaces will be filled on a first come, first serve basis, but we’ll contact teachers who’ve expressed an interest (and availability) in going first. After all available spots are filled, we will open a waitlist in case of any cancellations.
FAQ
How much does the conference cost?
The conference will be $XXX for a double (shared room) or $XXX for a single and will include registration, hotel accommodation for three nights at the iconic Posada de Don Rodrigo, breakfast, and lunch during the conference. It will also include transfer to and from the Guatemalan International Airport to Antigua. Each attendee will be responsible for paying for their flight and dinners.
Where will the conference take place?
The conference is slated to take place at the Spanish Cooperation building, a two block walk from the hotel. Due to their reservation system, we won’t know until January 2020 if we’ll have access, which is why formal registration will open up then.
Why the range of dates?
In order to maximize our chances to reserve space at the Spanish Cooperation building, we’re expanding the dates as much as we can. If there are any dates in this range that you can’t make, please indicate in the Conference Interest Form.
Will I have a chance to submit a proposal?
Most of the session presenter spots have been filled, but we’re considering options for a few extra sessions. You can submit session proposals here.
What will the extension trip consist of and how much will it cost?
The trip will cost $XXX for a double room and $XXX for a single. We’ll spend two nights in Panajachel, visit with an artist group in El Triunfo (Sanik), and visit several project partners. The trip cost will include all meals, transportation, and lodging, ending with transportation back to the Guatemala International Airport.
What will the days look like?
Each day of the conference will consist of four different types of professional development/discussions - Pulsera Presentations, Sessions, Roundtable Discussions, and informal talks.
Pulsera Presentations will be 30 minutes and look at each of the project’s four main philosophical values. They will be led by US and Nicaraguan staff.
Sessions will be 50 minutes and will be similar to sessions at normal professional development conferences. Some preliminary session topics are listed at the bottom of this page.
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Roundtables will be panels with selected teachers to discuss how to teach the projects to different ages of students, how to get the entire school (or even district!) involved in the educational program, and new ways of engaging students in international service and solidarity.
Informal Talks will happen after ‘official’ conference hours between teachers, project staff, board members, and artists. These will be great opportunities to meet the people behind the project and talk about potential collaborations, make new connections, and connect with educators around the country.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
8:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am - Session 1
10:00 am - Session 2
11:00 am - Coffee break
11:30 am - Session 3
12:30 pm - Lunch (at the Spanish Cooperation building)
1:30 pm - Roundtable discussion
2:30 pm - Pulsera Presentation
3:00 pm - Free time
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PRELIMINARY SESSION TOPICS
Authentically Connected: Empowering Students by Embracing Fair Trade
Embrace the ACTFL Core Standards with the Pulsera Project, a fair-trade, non-profit organization that educates, empowers, and connects Central American Artists with US students. Learn about the free resources sent around the country for students to experience the culture firsthand and have the opportunity to share what they learn with others. “Color the World” and your classroom with ready-made lessons that you can incorporate into your Spanish classroom at all levels! Learn to cultivate an environment of empathy and compassion among your students and leave the session with the tools needed to introduce the concept of fair trade through this unique, authentic learning experience.
What Does Education Mean to You?
Using the Pulsera Project's "A Day in the Life" video as a focal point, this session will present a three week curriculum that will provide novice low level students with the tools necessary to discuss what education means through a variety of cultural lenses. Our activities and vocabulary lists are designed so that students can investigate, understand, and eventually reproduce what education looks like in various "corners of the world."
Spanish vocabulary skills included in this curriculum are numbers, interpreting graphs, and enough basic Spanish vocabulary to provide cultural discussion, movie talk, and presentation of data . The final project will be a museum exhibit (PBL style) in which the students design a gallery installation representing education through the cultural lens of their choice. We believe that this interactive installation will allow students to showcase their understandings of education not only by the reproduction of facts, but also by telling the story of education as well.
Making a Module
Together we'll explore how the pillars and lesson components come together to form the Pulsera Project lesson modules. After investigating each of the pillars, we will take a look at the lesson components using the popular "Color The World" module as an example. Later, participants will have a chance to share their ideas and workshop materials to share with the group!
Sparking Solidarity: A Collaborative Effort to Engage School Communities on their Journey to Empower the Global Communities of Central America
The “pulseras” that students, teachers, staff members and parents wear as a result of the Pulsera Project represent more than just products. They represent the stories behind the products - stories about which the students learn and reflect. They represent the personal connections that are made with the products and the artists that craft them. They represent the positive global impact that is made on these artists and their homes throughout Latin America.
In order to raise consciousness about the symbolism behind the colorful “pulseras,” it is essential to educate the local community about the distinction between the Pulsera Project and other fundraisers so that it understands the significance between the differing concepts of charity versus sustainability - between working for versus working with. By educating and empowering the school community, we are able to “spark” the concept of “solidarity” at a local level, which in turn enables us to carry out successful, collaborative sales that ultimately educate and empower the communities of Nicaragua and Guatemala at a global level.
Using the Housing Project Lesson
This session will explore how to use the Housing Project lesson in your classes to get students to confront housing stereotypes and availability, and compare the housing situation in the U.S. with real life examples from artists in Nicaragua.