We serve more than 600 children, adolescents, youth and their families through educational programs in music, dance, theatre, and sports, in addition to community action campaigns for social and environmental justice. We employ a methodology of popular education, focusing on the integral formation of participants in their emotional and spiritual growth, as well as their growth as citizens able to analyze their reality and act for positive change
On Sunday, October 17th, Cantera's dance program organized, hosted, and performed in the 3rd 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.
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!
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!
Yesterday, August 23, Cantera celebrated International Day of People with Disabilities (August 25) at El Guis, a home here in Ciudad Sandino for people with mental and physical disabilities. With spaces for music and dance, drawing and painting, and piñata-making, organizations, families, and friends came together to celebrate the creativity of disabled persons.
Specifically, Mojuv, Cantera's youth movement here in Ciudad Sandino, organized the music area, bringing percussion instruments and a sound system and celebrating the day through music and dance. While children, teens and adults were given the opportunity to create rhythms with the instruments and participate in the many activities offered, families and friends of these disabled persons were able to celebrate their forms of expression and stand in solidarity with them.
The World Health Organization defines “disability” as “an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.”*
Cantera will be acknowledging and reflecting on International Day of People with Disabilities throughout the week, celebrating the diversity of humanity and pushing to give disabled persons more rights within society. We here in Ciudad Sandino encourage our friends in different parts of the world to observe and celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities with us.
Heavy rains in Ciudad Sandino this week have caused a lot of destruction, and several families have lost their homes. Members of our Youth Movement and Communications Team created this slideshow, which contains more information on the situation: Afectacion Por Lluvias en Ciudad Sandino
This past Sunday, August 8, Cantera hosted the second annual Theater Festival here in Ciudad Sandino. With five groups participating from Cantera and Movitep in Managua, the audience of around 250 enjoyed performances, written and performed by the groups themselves, on different themes such as adolescent pregnancy and sexual health, HIV/AIDS awareness, and the environment. People of all ages participated in the festival, whether performing or watching, with theater groups comprised of children, adolescents, teens, and adults.
The Theater Festival at Cantera and the groups that perform are based around Popular Theater, or Theater of the Oppressed, a methodology that uses theater as a means of delivering social messages to the audience according to their specific reality and creating a space for critical thinking, reflection, and dialogue.
This week, we are finishing up the mural about environmental protection, and a clean and green municipality. The green part in the center is a map of Ciudad Sandino, with a recycling symbol, surrounded by some animals native to the region. The message of the mural is that together, we can live in harmony with nature and save our community. When we protect the environment, we promote our own well-being, and the well-being of future generations.
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. 
