Casa Juan Bosco: sowing the seeds of the future through education in Puerto Rico
The “Free time, time to grow” program offers young people a safe space where they can get off the streets
Current Project
In the Aguadillas province in Puerto Rico, many young people grow up surrounded by violence, a lack of family support, and few opportunities to change their lives. The street often becomes their only source of education, increasing the likelihood of them dropping out of school, falling behind in their studies, and engaging in risky behavior that shapes their future from an early age.
Faced with this harsh reality, the goal of Casa Juan Bosco is to prevent crime and promote the comprehensive development of children and teenagers growing up in this high-risk environment. Its commitment is to create a safe, educational, and transformative space where these young people can strengthen their resilience and self-esteem and foster values that will enable them to achieve a dignified life free from violence.
To achieve this, the program implements prevention through education during free time, offering healthy and educational alternatives that change lives. In the afternoons, when the risk of exposure to the streets increases, students aged 6 to 20 receive support to:
- build good study habits, reinforcing reading and writing skills and offering support with schoolwork from first to eighth grade;
- promote personality development, interaction and peaceful coexistence experiences, self-esteem, emotions and self-improvement workshops, and training in values;
- show them how to generate appropriate social behavior by developing artistic, athletic, and cultural talents and organizing cooking and agroecology clubs, celebrations, parties, outings, and walks; and
- develop responsible parenting skills and implement effective parenting tools through workshops with psychology professionals and encourage the participation of parents and/or guardians in scheduled activities.
At Casa Juan Bosco, 148 children and young people from areas with high rates of violence and marginalization now have the opportunity to rewrite their stories, marked by hope for a better future.