Today, around 258 million children around the world are denied a basic human right: access to education. This means that nearly 10% of kids and teens do not attend school, something other children do almost every day. In fact, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created by the United Nations is titled ‘Quality Education’. However, although this goal hasn’t been fully reached yet, that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done. Here at ASB, the members of Healing Humanity, a student-led organization, are working to reduce that percentage in Barcelona. On October 13th, Healing Humanity visited the Fundación Braval, a non-profit all-boys organization providing children from over 30 countries with education and learning opportunities.
During the visit, members of Healing Humanity ran several workshops which combined both math and creativity. The engaging activities were equally enjoyed by students from Braval and ASB. Braval students rotated through four different STEM-based workshops led by ASB students, including an abacus-making station (math), an elephant toothpaste station (science), a balloon car station (technology), and a floating boat station (engineering). Each of these activities generated an interest in STEM in the foundation’s students through providing hands-on experience.
Aoife Stuhan, a freshman from Athena who joined Healing Humanity this year, discussed her experience of teaching the kids at the foundation. “It was very positive,” she explained, “the kids were all laughing and playing. Everybody was very happy. They also definitely enjoyed the activity [and] were very excited to have something so tangible.” Aoife also added, “the ultimate objective is to be able to better understand the world around us,” highlighting the goals and the importance of student organizations like Healing Humanity.
Overall, the members of Healing Humanity believe that this collaboration with Fundación Braval was a complete success and cannot wait until their next trip. In November the group is planning to collaborate with another local organization, with the same focus on STEM-related projects and activities for children between the ages of six and twelve. Although many kids in the world do not have access to education, Healing Humanity, a team consisting of ASB high school students, is determined to make a difference, and will continue to do so in the future.
Bibliography:
“Introducing Human Rights Education.” Www.coe.int, www.coe.int/en/web/compass/introducing-human-rights-education.
“Out-of-School Children and Youth.” Uis.unesco.org, 18 Nov. 2016, uis.unesco.org/en/topic/out-school-children-and-youth.