| It's the dream of every professor: a
classroom of kids who are open, spontaneous, always
attentive, and willing to answer and ask many questions.
This dream is a reality at the corner of Malecón and
Loja in Guayaquil where the School of Leaders of the New
Milennium functions. It is a project of the Movimiento
Mi Cometa (My Kite Movement), with financing by the
Avina International Foundation.
Each weekend this program brings together 50 kids,
from ages 9 to 14, to strengthen their leadership
skills, develop their abilities in thinking, creativity,
and personal skills. "Close your eyes and transport
yourself to the country of fantasy," said the motivator
of the motivation class this past Saturday. One by one
the 20 kids in the classroom put themselves in the shoes
of a person or animal that they most admire: pets,
mothers, grandmothers and even singers went up to the
scene in front of the gaze and open smiles of their
companions. "Go to bed early, you know that tomorrow you
have to go to school," suggested Juana to her companion
imitating her mother. The never-ending and resounding
laughter were part of this class.
But, what is a leader? At 11 years of age and 1 meter
10 centimeters of height, Sara Zambrano has a clear
idea: a leader is someone who helps, generates ideas,
and proposes goals. "I am a leader because I like to
help others, I get them to participate, without
obligating them to. I want to be a doctor, but I won't
be like every other doctor, but rather one who cares a
lot about poor people exercising leadership.She has
experience in these matters: she leads a group of 25
young people in the program "Children agents of change,"
whose heaquarters is in the cooperative Juan Montalvo,
at the 8.5 km on the way to Daule, to the north of
Guayaquil.
The experiences, gestures and words surprise those
who speak with these youngsters. They are convinced that
anything is possible if a good leader exists. They cite
Gandhi, a pacifist who moved thousands of inhabitants of
India in search of their independence without violence.
For these kids, he was the greatest leader of the 20th
Century.
For Jairo Villamar, motivator for the group of kids
from ages 9 to 12, if the project solidifies the
regional congresses of kids, teaching leadership to
those with innate aptitude will easily help them manage.
"The most difficult is not telling them where to go,
but to guide them along the path." César
Cárdenas, national coordinator of the School of
Leaders, explained that the idea is to mold an
educational proposal based on Aristotle's philosophy,
which poses the school as a space for the exercises,
practices, and gymnastics of knowledge.
The Movimiento Mi Cometa, which supports processes
such as the Congress of Boys, Girls, and Adolescents and
was named as a consulting body by the Commission of the
Child, Woman, and Family, of the Parliament, saw it
necessary to open a space to identify leaders with a
base of values and principles of democracy and justice,
beginning from infancy and adolescence. Those who are a
part of the school are selected from schools in
Guayaquil. The pedagogical proposal is based on the
principles of the Movimiento Mi Cometa: friendship,
happiness, togetherness, commitment, and solidarity. The
program includes eight modules that should be completed
within three years.
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