The DELTA heroes arrived in Antigua on the very day that the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration began. Our timing was impeccable to witness this colorful, elaborate and meaningful tradition. It was truly a gift to experience this important part of the Guatemalan culture.
At 2:30am the next morning, the heroes awoke to begin their Acatenango adventure. The heroes had looked at the volcano from afar all week long, imagining what the climb would be like. Now in the dark and cold it was time to see if they could all live up to their self commitment to summit it. For a few heroes the hike was easier than they had imagined it to be. For some, it was just as difficult as they imagined it to be. And for a few, it was the hardest thing they had ever done. Incredibly, every hero (and parent) made it to the summit! It was awesome to witness.
As we said goodbye to our host, he shared with us that in all his years and all the groups he had been a part of, there was only one other group that had a culture like ours. He asked the heroes to remember the togetherness, unity, care for one another and light that they have as a group. He stressed how rare and beautiful is the culture that they have created.
What happened back at school this week that represented the CHOICE culture we love?
In the Fire Studio there are moments every week when we look at the Heroes and think “These are some of the most amazing people I have ever known”. This week was no exception. We witnessed a hero off by themself because their feelings had been hurt in PE, another hero feeling overwhelmed by quest, and yet another simply feeling like an outsider looking in during free time. Inevitably, in each situation, another hero noticed them and immediately stopped what they were doing and went over to check on them and ask “Are you ok?” “What happened?” “Do you want me to sit with you?” “Want to come back over with me?” “We need you in our group.” CHOICE is a culture of inclusion and thoughtfulness.
CHOICE is a culture of growth. One hero was overheard saying, “Around here it’s ok to not get it right, you know. It’s ok to not know the answer.”
The CHOICE culture is one of problem solving and communication. There is a lot of disagreement in this quest as heroes are running businesses for the first time. Drumming up business, deciding prices, trying to pay back debt, earning and paying salaries, keeping ledgers… these are all very difficult challenges. And with money on the line (even if it is fake), there are strong opinions on every side. Watching heroes disagree (maybe even cry) and yet continually come back willing to listen to one another, share their ideas and compromise is incredible.
This week we had a few guests stop in during Quest to do launches for our Heroes. The guests were met with kindness, respect and intelligent thoughtful questions. It was a very CHOICE experience.
Heroes at CHOICE have a love for learning and an enjoyment of school that is getting difficult to find among young people. When asked why this week, some of the reasons heroes pointed to were their freedom to set their own goals and progress at their unique pace, their opportunities to dive into different passions, and the more flexible schedule they have for family time and hobbies. And of course, the best friends and all the fun they have at CHOICE!
The CHOICE culture involves getting messy! In the Spark Studio this week, heroes have gotten their hands very dirty! We have explored sprouting beans, planted radishes, and are observing several other plants. Heroes also planted grass in stockings to make little people. We are finding these “little guys” like accompanying heroes outside, during lunch, and as supporters during core skills.
Learning at CHOICE is a full body experience. Something that really resonated with us this week is how much a child learns when given the opportunity to touch, see, taste, smell, hear, and completely explore a subject. Rather than hearing “Don’t touch that” all day long, Spark heroes were eating pansies for snack, repotting plants to see what the roots look like, dissecting flowers to understand all the parts, and observing and waiting for caterpillars to turn into butterflies.
Our culture invites decision making and owning the responsibilities of those choices. Some of our favorite quotes from this week were, “I have kind inside of me.” “Look, Ms. Hannah! We’re thinking it through!” And after using their i-messages in a very heated disagreement, “we were mad and now we’re on a team!”
Exploring the Guatemalan culture was a trip of a lifetime – several of the heroes are ready to move there permanently – or at least for a few months. But living the culture that these CHOICE heroes are creating – no matter where they are geographically – is powerful. We are changed each day as we learn from the ups and downs and journeys and adventures of your brave and fun heroes!