Oscar Mireles, a longtime educator, former city of Madison’s poet laureate and the current principal/executive director of Omega School, recently spent a week in Cofradia, Mexico, working with Project Amigo to help 30 middle school students in their journey to learn English and empower them to dream big.
Project Amigo helps disadvantaged and marginalized children from the state of Colima, Mexico, to promote literacy and to pursue higher education beyond elementary school. The week-long program, designed in a summer camp style, provided a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a new language and culture.
“This is the first time, for me, to do a service project like this. I have done a lot of other things, but not like this,” Mireles tells Madison365. “Project Amigo is truly making a difference in the lives of these students and it was inspiring to see firsthand their dedication and enthusiasm for learning English and exploring new possibilities for their futures.
“It was really inspiring to me, too, working with the kids who were ages 13-18. That’s a very important age,” he adds. “We were able to do a lot of cultural things with the young people, too, including making a pinata and making tamales. It was just rewarding to be around kids who really understood that this was changing their life.”
Cofradia, Mexico, is located about two and a half hours away from Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco which has about 1.5 million residents. The origins of Project Amigo started in this little village in 1984 when Project Amigo founder Ted Rose, a California businessman at the time, first visited the state of Colima and was coming down to climb a volcano. But he took the wrong bus and found himself in the poverty-stricken village of Cofradia de Suchitlan.
“There’s a big volcano in the area and the founder of Project Amigo wanted to see this volcano but then he ended up in this little village, and he saw these kids walking around in this village and asked why they weren’t in school,” Mireles says. “They were like, ‘Well, school costs money.’ When you think of how much everything costs — books, supplies, full year of uniforms and after-school meals … if you don’t have money, that can be a lot. So he decided to create this program.”
Project Amigo has grown over the years and now offers students comprehensive scholarships for formal education, school supplies, access to educational assistance centers, homework clubs, enrichment activities and health care services not otherwise available to them.
During his time in Mexico working for Project Amigo, July 7-14, Mireles and the students shared stories about their families, experiences, and dreams for the future. Through interactive activities and engaging lessons, the students were able to practice their English skills in a fun and supportive environment. They also visited a local art museum and a nearby university where Project Amigo not only provides scholarships but also on-campus housing for students from impoverished rural communities.
“These are students that aren’t going to come to America. They’re going to get educated. and they’re going to stay there … that’s where their families are. That’s where they want to stay,” Mireles says. “This provides them an opportunity to earn some money.”
Mireles found himself in Mexico working with these middle students because of his lifelong friend, Dora Zúñiga, the former CEO for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and former director of leadership giving at United Way of Dane County, who serves as the donor guidance director for Project Amigo.
(Photo: Oscar Mireles)
“Dora introduced me to the program and she wanted me to come down and work with the kids helping them speak English,” Mireles remembers. “Each student has a sponsor that pays for their schooling and stuff, and they have their own dorm. It’s quite the place.
“We created a little storybook with the kids while they were learning to speak English. So we did that, and then we did a video. For a lot of those kids, it was the first time they’ve been away from home,” Mireles continues. “And the organization is used to hosting 20 or 30 Rotarians. It’s in a small, small town. So they have housing for people to come and stay.”
Project Amigo’s vision is to break the cycle of poverty and transform lives.
“They were just some really good kids coming from impoverished backgrounds. They sort of get what this opportunity is all about,” Mireles says. “I think sometimes when you get an opportunity, American kids don’t take it as seriously as they should. These young people really took it seriously.”
Many of the students in the program are the first in their families to graduate from junior high, from high school and from the university.
“I am grateful to have been a part of this incredible experience. The young people were really inspiring to me,” Mireles says.
