Kids’ Books Bolivia: A Reciprocity Project
Start Date
9-8-2010 10:30 AM
End Date
9-8-2010 12:00 PM
Description
Ayni is a Quechua concept meaning reciprocidad in Spanish and reciprocity in English. It is one of the most important characteristics of Andean cosmovisión, or worldview, and has defined and shaped relationships between individuals and communities in the Andes for centuries. In this presentation I describe and discuss Kids’ Books Bolivia, a project which aims to engage our students in ayni with their host country through the production of bilingual children’s literature as part of their Independent Study Projects. I describe how 15 students over the past two years have used their research to contribute to a collection of affordable children’s books celebrating Bolivian reality and raising international awareness about Bolivia’s diverse cultures and pressing social issues. I discuss the research and writing process; collaboration with local writers, artists and children’s libraries; how these books have been used to develop public school curriculum and activities for after-school reading programs; and finally, practical challenges such as fundraising and publication. Books from this collection will be available at the presentation on topics including daily life and customs practiced within some of Bolivia’s thirty-six ethnic groups; how migration affects Bolivian families; children who work in the streets; public care of the elderly; labor movements in the mines; and how modernization and global warming are changing the traditional cultivation of quinoa, the ancient grain of the Incas.
Kids’ Books Bolivia: A Reciprocity Project
Ayni is a Quechua concept meaning reciprocidad in Spanish and reciprocity in English. It is one of the most important characteristics of Andean cosmovisión, or worldview, and has defined and shaped relationships between individuals and communities in the Andes for centuries. In this presentation I describe and discuss Kids’ Books Bolivia, a project which aims to engage our students in ayni with their host country through the production of bilingual children’s literature as part of their Independent Study Projects. I describe how 15 students over the past two years have used their research to contribute to a collection of affordable children’s books celebrating Bolivian reality and raising international awareness about Bolivia’s diverse cultures and pressing social issues. I discuss the research and writing process; collaboration with local writers, artists and children’s libraries; how these books have been used to develop public school curriculum and activities for after-school reading programs; and finally, practical challenges such as fundraising and publication. Books from this collection will be available at the presentation on topics including daily life and customs practiced within some of Bolivia’s thirty-six ethnic groups; how migration affects Bolivian families; children who work in the streets; public care of the elderly; labor movements in the mines; and how modernization and global warming are changing the traditional cultivation of quinoa, the ancient grain of the Incas.