The Il MOJOCA (MOvimiento de los JÓvenes de la CAlle) carries out a training process for the street youngsters, to defend their own rights, to find solutions to their own problems, to ameliorate their quality of life and to contribute to a fairer society. The movement particularly supports the girls and the boys who like to leave the street life without entering an institution.
Special attention has been given to health, food, education of the street-girls’ children (Mariposas), ensuring their habitual visiting with their mothers and fathers.
The training process of the girls and boys takes place:
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in the street
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in the houses: "of friendship", "8 March" (closed in 2023) and "of friends" (closed in 2016)
through activities of education, alphabetisation, primary schooling, professional schooling, external schooling. In the meanwhile it gives the participants food, care, physical and mental health, reinforcing the self-respect.
The steps of the educational process are the following.
As a first step the movement begins to grow up in the streets with several groups of boys and girls who live there.
We decide all together what to do to meet their vital needs: cleaning together the place where they live, taking care of their personal hygiene, facing emergencies, cold waves, death gangs or religious attacks, roundups.
In this friendly dialogue it is possible to discover values, aims and the way to live together.
The girls and the boys take profit of cures for physical and psychic health, legal assistance; they also attend education and alphabetisation courses.
As a second step the boys and girls who decide to join the movement enter in the friendship house.
They sign a contract that lays down their rights (the use of showers, meals, treatments for their physical and psychological health, legal aid, etc.)
the hygiene: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the physical health: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the psychical health: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
le juridical service: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen
the feeding: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
and their duties (they have to respect the life in common rules made by themselves, to clean the house, to take part to the other works in the house, respecting other people and attending post-alphabetisation courses).
the fatigue jobs: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
As a third step the girls and the boys of the movement attend education and professional training courses, art and handcraft laboratories, and take part to movement activities.
As a fourth step the girls and the boys of the movement become responsible of the movement, attend external instruction courses, have contacts and make exchanges with other associations, look for financial resources for the movement, take part to the work in the street.
In this step the girls and the boys of the movement become independent: they have their job and their house.
This step includes the self-managed groups:
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the Quetzalitas made up by the girls who left the street
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the Mariposas made up by the daughters and sons (bebes and children) of the girls who left the street
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Change Generation made up by the daughters and sons (youngsters) of the girls who left the street
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Nueva Generación made up by the boys who left the street
The activities developed to support the educational process are the following.
Education. the activities are organised in different areas:
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animation (alternate to study to develop creativity and condivision)
the animation: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
· sexual education (to live a happy sexual life, education to a responsible motherhood, prevention of undesired pregnancies, illnesses, AIDS, respect towards the sexual minorities)
· spiritual training of liberation and preservation of the cultural identity (in respect either of the faith or the atheism of each girl/boy and of the cultural identity of the native population)
Street school (alphabetisation). In the street the youngsters learn to read and write and the bases of mathematics.
the school in the street: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
House school (post-alphabetisation). In the friendship house the youngsters learn the bases of main school disciplines, such as languages, mathematics, natural environment, history, social environment.
the school in the house: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
Training, Apprenticeship, Production. In the three houses there are different workshops of professional training and production, which, starting from 2010, are part of the Solidarity Laboratories Mojoca.
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bakery-confectionery (in friendship house)
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cooking (in friendship house and in 8 March house closed in 2023)
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dress making (in friendship house)
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gaufrettes - Belgian wafers (in 8 March house closed in 2023)
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jewellery (in 8 March house closed in 2023)
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joinery (in friends house closed in 2016)
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mojocafé - selling Mojoca foodstuffs (in friendship house)
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pizzeria (in 8 March house closed in 2023)
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tee-shirts painting (in 8 March house closed in 2023)
bakery-confectionery: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
cooking: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
dress-making: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
gaufrettes - Belgian wafers: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen
jewellery: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen
joinery: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
mojocafé - selling Mojoca foodstuffs: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen
pizzeria: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen
tee-shirts painting: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen
External schooling. The movement, on the basis of its own financial means, gives scholarships to girls and boys who want to study in order to attend external professional or secondary schools or university
external school: cliccare sulla foto che si vuole ingrandire a schermo pieno
Reinsertion into society:
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Job. The best way to leave the street life is a job which could permit to have a worthy life:
- we are financing micro-business of street youngsters (autonomous and self-managed job)
- we are looking for jobs inside firms which respect the work laws
- we are looking for contacts with trade unions and with people who are against the exploitation of children
the job reinsertion: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
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Accommodations. The movement is concerned to find cheap rooms with social loans for girls and boys who definitely left the street.
the living reinsertion: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
Other activities:
the music: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the sport: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the relax: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the feasts: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the reinauguration feast: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the friendship feast: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
Communications and divulgation. The activities provide for the creation of places which allow the free expression of these youngsters through the writing of a street report, the organisation of press-conferences, articles in magazines, periodicals, radio programmes, interviews given to the mass media.
the events: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
the representations: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)
Relations. The movement of youngsters is inside the popular movement, in Guatemala and in the world, and is related to other countries organisations, representing an alternative of peace and friendship to the death project of the neo-liberal economy.
the manifestations: click on the photo to zoom it to full screen (to visualize the full mosaic click here)