As seems to be the way in Colombia, myself and Joni were up early once again on Thursday for a meeting of local community leaders discussing the theme of violence in Aguablanca. In view of the significance of violence in relation to community life and education, we thought it would be a good idea to go along, however 7.00am does seem an unholy time to start a meeting. We were picked up by Leonora, the founder and inspiration of a local foundation attempting to keep children engaged when not at school. She has been doing voluntary work in Aguablanca for most of her life and is one of those people that appear to have the energy and enthusiasm of someone half her age. Shes a tiny, gentle person yet strong and engaging, the children clearly love and admire her and I hope that I will be able to help her group myself in the future.
Whilst it was very useful to meet some of the significant personalities is the area, including the chairman Dr Roberto Navarro, teachers, padres, a former gang member and other community leaders, the meeting itself was largely a political discussion of the group constitution and objectives. Unfortunately, little of any real substance was discussed regarding the nature and potential solutions to the problem, though one director of studies did speak very emotionally about the reality and pain of violence as opposed to the dry definitions written in policy documents.
It was the directors eloquent words that were on my mind as we left the school. We shared a ride with Dr Navarro who was heading for America to raise money for a park project that he described to us. We discussed it in the context of the hole in the wall project and he said that he had heard of the work of Sugata and would like to know more. As we said our goodbyes, the reality of Aguablanca and my place in it was beginning to sink in. The generosity of the people thus far has had a profound effect on me afterall to them I may be little more than a relatively spoilt, uninformed, naive, western student who like many others has come here to perform his research, get his qualification and then leave the people behind. Its really important to me that this doesnt happen, that my efforts here are perceived as practical and beneficial and not simply another research paper gathering dust. Change wont happen overnight but you have to show commitment to the cause if the people are to trust you and then who knows, maybe one day you can deliver something of real worth. Today, I leave Aguablanca with an overwhleming sense of humility, mixed with optimism and responsibility. Its a really good feeling too.
We returned to Rodrigos house and spent a good while discussing the content of the meeting and the causes of neighbourhood division. Rodrigo tells me that violent attacks have been on the increase of recent, probably as a consequence of higher unemployment and the global financial crisis. With little hope or opportunity, the gang symbology of solidarity, brotherhood, status and drug money make for a compelling alternative. Aguablanca is largely divided by mistrust along the boundary lines of the neighbourhoods, meaning that children will not go to a school on the other side of the street if it means crossing the boundary. Naturally, its this kind of fear and division that the gang leaders forment and feed on and the significance of education and communication in this context can not be underestimated. However even for those that do well at school, hopes for a better future can remain distant and precarious.
Having obtained the school data from the local council earlier in the week, I found sometime to have a closer look at it and attempt to understand its significance in the context of my studies. On the advise of Jairo, I have limited the scope of the research to Communa 13 and have identified 52 small to medium size private schools and 6 large public schools in the area. Whilst I would have preferred to compare like with like, its not going to be possible and I am going to have to change my sampling strategy a little to fit reality. The picture is further complicated by the number of different levels within the school system, so far I have identified 6: pre-school, primary, secondary, medium, special and adult. Its gonna require some more carful thought.