Saint Joseph's Academy visits Nicaragua!

In the month of June, Cantera received two delegations from Saint Joseph's Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The two groups spent time learning about Nicaraguan reality through various facets of Cantera like the Cantera community centers, farm, and youth that participate. Spending days dialoguing and having cross-cultural interchanges, both the SJA girls and Cantera youth learned a lot about their different realities and were able to form beautiful friendships that are still maintained through the internet.

One of the delegations to come visit Nicaragua was a technical team comprised of 17 young women and their teacher, John, all trained in handing computers and other pieces of technology. Not only did they arrive with donations for all four Cantera community centers, they offered daily workshops during their week-long visit for youth from all four territories. Held in the Cantera community center of Ciudad Sandino, youth from the Communications teams of all four Cantera territories came to dialogue with the SJA girls and receive training on computer repair, video and photo editing, and multi-media programs. The girls from SJA also installed different learning programs onto the computers as resources for the youth of each community.

A major thank you to Saint Joseph's Academy and all of the students, families, and staff that helped bring the girls to Nicaragua and who continue to grow in their friendships with Cantera and Cantera youth!

Karate School places Third in Competition!

Cantera's Karate School Kay Kempo placed third in a competition this weekend against twelve other Karate schools from different parts of the country. With twenty-two athletes participating in the competition for kids ranging between 15-17 years, Cantera received 11 medals (many from the women athletes). Both girls and boys competed in solo competitions that require memorization of certain steps as well as sparring competitions.

Kay Kempo Cantera currently trains 135 children, adolescents, and teens in karate and many important life skills like self-discipline, leadership, and gender equality. These values are, for them and for Cantera, essential to personal and communal growth as well as co-existing with the earth and with others. To learn more about the Cantera's Karate School, check them out on facebook under Escuela Nicaraguense Kay Kempo.  

Cantera theater group performs at National Theater Festival

This past weekend, November 27-28^th, one of Cantera’s four theater groups in Ciudad Sandino, Panico de Risa (Laugh Attack), performed at the 13^th annual National Popular Theater Festival. The festival, which was put on by MOVITEP-SF (Popular Theater Movement Without Borders), brought 20 popular theater groups from around the country to perform in Matagalpa, a city near central Nicaragua. Popular Theater (or Theater of the Oppressed) is a type of performing that reveals an important social message according the reality of the audience in order to create a space for critical thinking and dialogue. Often times, popular theater groups will create their own plays based on a social justice issue like gender inequality or environmental destruction and perform in the streets so that everyone can have access to seeing and discussing them.

At this year’s festival, Panico de Risa, Cantera’s adult theater group, performed a self-written and directed play on the importance of recycling and taking care of the environment. The performance was received very well amongst fellow actors, organizers, and the communities of Matagalpa.

Cantera hosts IV annual Youth Gathering

On Sunday, November 21, Cantera Community Center in Ciudad Sandino hosted its fourth annual Convivencia de Jovenes (youth gathering) with the slogan, “I can and should make the difference to say no to violence.”  Every year, Cantera youth programs gather together in Ciudad Sandino for a day of expression, celebration, and formation. Coordinated and hosted by youth, the conviviencia creates a space for all Cantera expression groups to share their talents while joining together to discuss violence and create a culture of peace.

This year, youth from 4 Cantera community centers filled Ciudad Sandino’s main plaza to enjoy the day’s events of soccer, dance, karate, live music and theater. The day started with a soccer tournament for both men and women’s teams and ended with a concert put on by Cantera bands with all different styles of music. In between, the stage filled with spectators watching karate exhibitions, theatrical performances written, directed, and acted out by youth, and the many dance groups that performed folklore, Caribbean dances, and break dance. Emceed and run by Cantera Ciudad Sandino and MOJUV youth, the event’s theme of nonviolence and creating a culture of peace was a focal point of the day.

Cantera hosts 3rd Annual Cultural and Dance Festival

On Sunday, October 17^th, Cantera's dance program organized, hosted, and performed in the 3^rd Annual Cultural and Dance Festival, with the slogan, “Three years of galas and we continue leaving footprints on our culture. ” Dance performances ranged from traditional folklore to breakdance, including salsa, hip hop, and traditional dances from the Atlantic Coast, which have strong Caribbean and garifuna influences and roots. All of Cantera's dance groups as well as other local dance groups performed to a full audience in Ciudad Sandino's main plaza.

Cantera's dance program is run by Gema Gonzales, 30, who offers dance classes to children, teens, and adults, along with dance teachers Ali Calero, 21, and Marlon Saenz, 20. All three dance teachers began their dance careers at Cantera, learning at early ages and growing with the Cantera programs to begin their own dance groups. Cantera's dance program is rooted in Nicaraguan culture through the art of dance as well as promoting values like self-esteem, gender equality, and non-violent communication.  

Cantera hosts Ciudad Sandino's first annual Youth Concert

Celebrating the declaration of Ciudad Sandino as a municipality of and for youth, Cantera and MOJUV organized Ciudad Sandino's first youth concert with dance and music performed by Ciudad Sandino youth. With “Our voice can be heard” as the theme, more than 1,000 teens and young adults participated in the event as performers and/or spectators. Concert performances ranged from Nicaraguan folklore dance and music to breakdance, rock and reggeton bands. Many of the bands performed their own music, including music with social themes on gender and HIV/AIDS.

Among the participants were cabinet members of the mayor's office, who came to support their promises of making Ciudad Sandino a municipality for youth. Cantera, MOJUV, and many other organizations in Ciudad Sandino have been working together to encourage Ciudad Sandino's government to think and act more critically on the reality and rights of youth, teens, and young adults in the city. After months of work, a declaration from the mayor's office was created in which youth will have more participation in local government. Celebrating the declaration and taking the first steps of youth activism, the youth concert brought together teens and young adults from all different backgrounds, joining to better their municipality. Cantera believes in the strength and potential in youth, and that their participation is vital to maintaining a healthy and active municipality.

Below is a slideshow made by Cantera's communications team. Though it is in spanish, flip through to find great photos from the event!

Celebración DCSMJ

Cantera Karate School hosts and wins tournament

On Sunday, September 5, Cantera's Karate School, Kay-Kempo, hosted the second annual Karate-do National Championship with the theme as, “In order to have a better future, we must prepare ourselves today.” Using the basketball court of a local school, 7 Karate schools from all over Nicaragua participated, showing their skills to a crowd of about 500 people. With many MOJUV members helping to run the event, familes and friends came to watch Karate practiced by all ages, with both male and female categories for children, youth, teens and adults.

In the end, Kay-Kempo Cantera Ciudad Sandino won the tournament with 31 medals (second place coming in with 15), with 12 gold, 11 silver, and 8 bronze.

Along with Cantera's Karate school showing off their talents were three Cantera dance groups, performing dances for the crowd that ranged from traditional folklore to breakdance. Below you can find a slideshow about the event made by Cantera's communications team with tons of great photos from the event!

Cantera Karate School