MIRADAS JUVENILES II
Young people in El Alto want to be seen and heard
The majority of El Alto’s population is young. Their parents or grandparents migrated from the highland’s mining and agricultural areas to seek a better living in the city. For the youngsters, life in the concrete jungle represents their daily life, but it still might be difficult for them to “find their way”.
Too many of them get caught up in drug abuse and problems related to crime. However, most people find a way to cope, and some engage in cultural or social activities. In El Alto, there are hundreds of youth organizations.
Miradas Juvenile’s young film team teaches young people how to use film to give young people a voice and ability to tell their stories. It gives them confidence and an opportunity to be heard.
There are many ways to make films. Miradas Juveniles is the first film project in Bolivia that teaches young people to use cheap cameras and smartphones to make film with messages that are easy to understand.
Fighting spirit in El Alto
Spor Media collaborates with the cultural organization COMPA, which is located in Bolivia’s second largest city of El Alto. El Alto is located close to the government capital of La Paz and it was here protests started when Bolivia’s former president wanted to sell the country’s vast gas resources. It is to a great extent El Altos residents’ merit that Bolivia got its first president rooted in the indigenous population. Read more on Spor Media’s teaching site Distant Neighbors under the theme package about Bolivia.
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When Evo Morales and MAS (Movement Toward Socialism) took power in Bolivia in 2006, changes to the school system were high on the agenda. In 2010, the Government adopted Law No. 070, the intention of which was to revolutionise teaching in schools by introducing a new pedagogy based on respect for indigenous cultures and languages and support the democratization of the society. However, making radical changes to an education system is a complicated affair. Many teachers in Bolivia had never learned about learner-centric education and pedagogy based on group work. Now they were supposed to introduce democracy to the classroom and to anchor their teaching in local realities.
COMPA and Spor Media’s project Miradas Juveniles II (Young Outlooks) (2013-2016) gave examples of how audiovisuals were useful in making teaching more participatory and connected schools with their local communities. The activities began at teacher training colleges in El Alto and the Highlands north of La Paz. But then the Bolivian Ministry of Education got so excited about the concept that the project was asked to spread the concept to teacher training colleges in the poorest parts of the country.
WATCH VIDEOS FROM MIRADAS JUVENILES II
