Safe Passage | Camino Seguro

Programs at Safe Passage center on a nurturing philosophy of love, respect, honesty, structure, fun and laughter.  As opposed to the much-accepted view that education’s main purpose is to provide skills for future careers, Safe Passage strives to prepare children for LIFE.

Safe Passage is respectful of how family, culture, ethnicity, language, class, and special needs influence and shape the nature of a child's learning. Fully aware of the impact that family and community have on a child, we look for ways to include parents in the educational process, and involve the community in meaningful ways.  And we understand that parents are the child’s first teachers and most important role models.  Giving them tools to create nurturing environments for their children, enhance parenting skills, and further their own education are critical components in breaking generational cycles of poverty.
 

Each human being, first and foremost, must feel a sense of self-worth, “I am unique" and “I am valued for who I am”. It is only then that one is able to reach out to others forming caring relationships that lie at the very heart of our ability to learn.  If Safe Passage is to create a nurturing community in which children and families flourish, our staff and volunteers must also serve as positive role models for loving, respectful relationships.  By truly listening to our students and their parents, valuing their ideas, honoring their feelings, and recognizing each one's personal gifts, an essential bond of trust is established among students, families, and staff, including volunteers.

Committed to the idea of holistic education, we design programs that meet the needs of the whole person physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, creatively and spiritually. We acknowledge that students of all ages are intelligent in many different ways. Human beings learn through all their senses. Some students are visual learners, others are auditory and some are tactile. Our primary responsibility is to create and preserve a learning environment that is responsive to the needs and the abilities of all students; one that encourages independent discovery and exploration and equips all of them with a powerful sense of competency and self-worth.

The main role of the Safe Passage teacher and staff is that of guide and facilitator of the learning process, assisting students of all ages in their acquisition of new knowledge, skills, understanding, and self-confidence. The process of discovery and active learning is often more important than the ultimate product. We encourage students to think and to problem solve, and provide an enriching, supportive program that enables them, ultimately, to learn how to learn.

“The new hope of Guatemala's future rests with its youth. We continue to believe that the only way this world is ever going to change is by teaching children to love themselves and care about others from their earliest possible years. They need to become critical thinkers and creators, so that one day they may lead their generation into a whole new way of being in this world…a way of freedom…a way of peace…and a way of love.”    -Planting Seeds 2002
Safe Passage is committed to this dream.