La Casa de las Nubes: A space where we can dream of something better…in a place that could all blow away tomorrow.
This morning I woke up contemplating development work and the laughable attachment we have with an “interaction-based” version of sustainability in situations of great need and instability. Sometimes the question, “Is it sustainable?”, is not easily answered nor perhaps the most important question to be asking… What can we learn and gain from situations, efforts and experiences that inherently cannot be long-lasting? As someone that dedicates a fair amount of her time, energy, heart and brain to working in developing communities and supporting programs that look to create a positive impact, the word sustainable is both friend and foe. We all want to SEE concrete, results-based outcomes of the work we do. It must be human nature. However, we are also reinforced on a societal level to produce this and to work in this manner. My concern is that “sustainability” as a concept has become fashionable and trendy…and therefore the underpinnings of what makes something sustainable or not have become muddled by the masses. And that is dangerous…
I also feel very deeply that we must have a psychological attachment to the concept. Because life and work and EVERYTHING has the potential to change, in an instant. So the idea that as change-makers, that we can impart something that has lasting relevancy is like putting a dog in the doorway of a butcher shop! We are literally drooling after the idea of being able to do this, to achieve this. But then…there is our reality. For those of us in the field, daily working with real people, with serious challenges on a community and often systemic level, its like we watch the butcher carry all the bones out the back door, so close we can smell them…but they are literally in someone else’s hands. The clash can be debilitating actually. At some point we have to decide; do we hang on to this longing…desperately trying to strategize how to get the bones, or do we turn around and face what is within our reach. Do we focus all energy on trying to understand our surroundings in this very moment and be as present and available to that reality as possible? We aren’t sure what the results will be. We are caught between the mindset of a larger picture, a future and….yummmmm results – and a space that can only deal with RIGHT NOW. So do we walk away because we are uncertain of how things will play out, of whether or not the effort will impart a positive impact? Or do we stay? Do we do it anyway, thoughtfully…and carefully but without any promise of meaty, delicious fruits of our labor…or proof that we did something meaningful?
This is where I my brain is this morning… And La Casa de Las Nubes is largely to blame. I know this is a long blog post, I apologize, but I do think it’s worth the read. Below you will learn about this complex and amazing community that Do Good as You Go works with in central Mexico. It is dynamic and challenging and full of amazing people…and there is yet there is no guarantee that it won’t disappear and dissolve back into the city at some point.
La Casa De Las Nubes is a community driven project that seeks support from individuals and groups that can bring educational and skill-based workshops to the youth and adults that live in the un-registered zone of Guanajuato. The people of this community refer to the zone as Los Angeles, but the rest of the city refers to them as the “squatters settlement” on the mountain top just beyond the colonia La Venada.
It would take years of investigation and thoughtful interviewing across the class and educational divide to understand Mexico’s land rights and the historical and societal role of “campamentos paracaidistas”, un-registered zones that are occupied until the land is legally their own. So for the purposes of this blog, we will sum it for you as best we can…in a couple of paragraphs.
Although global economic analysis has nothing but positive things to say about how Mexico is moving forward and competing in a global market. The reality is that the job market for Mexican’s is in a terrible state. Even college educated and highly trained individuals are forced to accept wages that are just above minimum wage. Therefore working class and uneducated workforce are in a dire situation, where the minimum wage is far below what the basic cost of living requires. Obviously, Mexico continues to be a very difficult environment for the poor and lower middle class. Many people live in grave poverty in the heart of Mexican urban areas, they cannot afford to rent or buy a home, they barely can afford to feed their families and keep their children in school.
Throughout history many of the neighborhoods that we encounter today in cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Oaxaca, and Guanajuato in our case…actually came to be formed “organically” through the process of an un-registered and unplanned settlement of people. These settlements range from fifty families to thousands of households. Each municipality has jurisdiction over these areas and will in the end decide to give the people titles to the land that they have inhabited after a period of years (determined by the local government). People live without running water and electricity in homes made of entirely recycled materials, yet are usually located within what appears to be a bustling and thriving urban center with a large population of middle class and upper class inhabitants.
If and when the settlement gains the recognition and registration by the local government, the process only begins there. Usually all costs for the development of shared walkways, streets, drainage systems and access to city water supply is shared between the city and the residents. The most common dynamic is that the city supplies the materials needed and the community is responsible for the building of all structural needs. It can take years for the community to gain access to services like electricity and water.
There are many aspects of this type of development that cause problems for those wishing to create change in a more systemic and progressive manner. The obvious complaints are the lack of concern for public safety and environmental affects of residential construction. Other societal ramifications are the concentration of poverty creating “slums” that even as they develop physically they continue to produce the same cultural problems, like high rates of alcohol and drug abuse, unemployment, teen pregnancy and domestic violence as well as delinquency and the presence of gang activity.
Why are we working here?
About Los Angeles: there are currently 146 households that comprise the community high up on the hill bordering the north side of the city. They have been there for nine years now. The community boasts an entire generation of youth that were born into this space and know no other home. The people live a very challenging existence because of the terrain, the lack of access to water and the tumultuous cultural dynamics of poverty. But they have incredible spirit and the children are full of life, curiosity and an insatiable desire to learn. The children attend local public schools along-side the neighboring community’s youth. Some of the young adults of Los Angeles are attending the University of Guanajuato. It is apparent that there are many families that strive to provide their children with hope for a better future and they see education as the foundation of that hope becoming a reality.
Many of our families are single-parent households that honestly do not feel that there is another viable living situation for them. We recognize that this is a reality for many families throughout the city of Guanajuato and even the Republic of Mexico. They are truly fighting to survive and feel abandoned or outside of the benefits of organized society and government, regardless of whether they are living in the settlement or trying to rent a space somewhere in the city. We know that they need a system of support on many levels and hope to help them foster this among themselves and connect them to people that can guide them through difficult situations.
Celebración del día de las madres en “Los Angeles” barrio de Guanajuato
We are working here because we believe that every child deserves the chance to succeed at learning, to connect positively to their peers and to live in an environment where they are not in danger. La Casa de Las Nubes, has been built from nothing, by the community and volunteers with the collective dream that educational and creativity-building workshops and get-togethers will help to develop community relationships and foster a positive environment with values that will support the youth in finding a path that leads them towards pursuing their dreams.
Currently in the fall of 2016 we are happy to be offering the community yoga, photography, math, literacy, homework support, English and philosophy to the youth as well as individualized support meetings for families. We are always looking to connect the community to more educational workshops and opportunities.
“They were completely and totally engaged in the activities we had planned, and even the most resistant troublemakers had turned around to be enthusiastic participants. There is so much human capital to be found within these kids – so much intelligence, so much imagination, so much kindness, so much enthusiasm and creativity – and it would be such a terrible waste should it all be lost due to lack of opportunity. I have talked to the other volunteers- these kids, with their smiles, and their hard work, their generosity with their love – breathe life into us.” – DGYG Volunteer Saya Des Marais
If you are coming to Guanajuato and would like to support existing programming or provide something new, please Join Do Good as You Go Today to learn more about how you can get involved.
When traveling we come across the question of language. To travel through an area without knowing the language offers a unique challenge, and a beautiful exercise in human understanding and universal communication. However, it is quite clear that without knowing the language of the area we are missing a piece of the jigsaw. Culture is tied up in communication, and so language learning is a key to a richer and deeper experience of the people and places we travel to.
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Gaila celebrates with Moto Soul Resort’s Chef, William Von Schniedau.
So here is Meagan and Jake’s list of 5 ways to enrich your trip around the captivating Lake Atitlan…
We rented a bungalow in San Juan la Laguna, a more traditional town known for its textiles and cultural preservation efforts, for the duration of our stay. The streets of San Juan are lined with colorful cooperatives, but one, 
Do Good as You Go 