NOTE: The boys are minors, so any photos of them that will be used externally absolutely MUST NOT show their faces or reveal their identity.

• Title: Mural for Marcavalle
• Objective:
  • To alter/improve the community’s image of Marcavalle as a harsh prison by organizing and assisting the boys in painting a mural on the outside walls of Marcavalle. Additionally, it will provide the boys with a creative outlet.
• Timeline:
  • 1 month or more
• Spanish:
  • Part 1: None required, Parts 2-3: Beginner to Advanced

When working at MV, I realized that the community has a misperception that Marcavalle is a harsh prison. They don’t realize what opportunities MV offers the boys: an education, companionship, stability, and the chance to learn career skills that can change their lives. One reason for this misperception is the external appearance of Marcavalle. When driving past, all one sees are gray and navy walls with glass on top. This project is designed to give the boys an artistic outlet as well as to improve the image of the Center. This project could be divided into parts. The first part would be to attain funds for the materials, the second would be to plan the mural (design it on a small scale), and the third would be to actually assist the boys in painting the mural. The mural could cover topics such as community, culture, arts, history, or depictions of what goes on inside Marcavalle (Education, sports, etc.). Only boys in the higher programs (best behavior) with the most privileges would be able to participate in the final stage, as it requires them to be outside of the Center walls.

• Title: Career Options
• Objective:
  • To expose the boys to the various career options that are available to them.
• Timeline:
  • 2 weeks or more
• Spanish:
  • Beginner to Advanced

Many of these boys are having their first chance to see what career options are available to them from their morning classes (carpentry, shoe and clothes making, agriculture, chefs, etc). In addition to these however, there are many more. They could become tour guides, small business owners, teachers, hotel employees, artists, engineers, athletes, or masters in any of their morning studies. Locate people in these careers who are willing to come to MV and talk for an hour or two about what they do, why they chose that career, how they studied or got to where they are now, what they like/dislike about their career, and what they recommend for the boys to do the same. Ideal candidates are people who have overcome hardship in their lives, to give the boys an example of how they can overcome their pasts and be successful, but any person willing to talk to and encourage them to pursue their dreams can make a difference in their lives.

• Title: Newsletter
• Objective:
  • Produce a newsletter for the boys about the activities of MV to educate them about journalism, introduce them to another career option, and improve their confidence in their writing/photography abilities.
• Timeline:
  • 3 weeks or more.
• Spanish:
  • Intermediate to Advanced.

A newsletter provides positive reinforcement for the boys of the Center. The writers get a chance to learn how to conduct interviews, take and edit photos, write news articles, and design a paper. They then get to see their work in print. The other boys get to read about their activities and see their names and photos in a newsletter. Lesson plans can be found online to guide you through the process, but it is important to first educate them about journalism before starting their own paper. Discuss the purpose of newspapers, differences in target audiences, the importance of factual data and ethics in journalism, the difference in editorials and news articles, how to conduct interviews (Who, what, when, where, why, and how), the difference in primary and secondary sources, the different parts of an article (headline, column byline, lead, body, conclusion), what makes a good photo, how to edit photos, and what topics a paper should cover. Then discuss what they want to read about in their paper and decide who will write which articles. You will have to help them generate interview questions, correct their articles, and take photos related to their topics. Finally, you will have to help them design the paper and print it.

• Title: Collection of Myths/Legends
• Objective:
  • Put together a collection of myths and legends written by the boys from their respective hometowns, while educating them about the history of Peru.
• Timeline:
  • 3 weeks or more.
• Spanish:
  • Beginner to Advanced.

Peru has a rich and diverse cultural history with many indigenous communities still maintaining much of their historical traditions. Part of this tradition includes myths and legends passed on from generation to generation. The goal of this project is to capture these stories on paper and publish them in a small book for the students to share. This project could be in the form of a contest or as an every day class. This project will also serve to teach the students more about their history and perhaps serve to assist them in the tourism industry in the future. Trips to local sites such as Q´oricancha or Saqsyhuaman could be incorporated, as well as educational talks by tourist guides or historians.

• Title: Documentary/News Broadcast
• Objective:
  • Plan and film a documentary with the boys about the Center or broadcast a mock news show.
• Timeline:
  • 4 weeks or more.
• Spanish:
  • Intermediate to Advanced.

One way to change the perception about the Center is to make a short documentary or news piece about it and try to distribute it. Perhaps you can even contrast Marcavalle with other juvenile centers in your home country or other places. Use interviews of the kids and staff as well as footage of daily life and special events at the center. Alternatively, you could try to produce a daily/weekly news broadcast about current events, sporting news, or even funny occurrences at the center itself. You will need to have your own equipment (or get donations) and some basic editing software to create the short piece. The boys are very enthusiastic to learn about new technologies and are sure to love the art of filmmaking.

• Title: Photography
• Objective:
  • Develop their artistic eye while creating a photo collage.
• Timeline:
  • 2 weeks or more.
• Spanish:
  • Intermediate.

The boys love cameras (and especially modeling for pictures). Make a collage with them, hold a photo competition, or think of some other interesting photo project to do. You can teach them some of the basic principles of photography and how to edit digital pictures on a computer. A cheap way to hold a competition would be to provide each boy in the course with a disposable camera, then have him choose his favorite photos to enter into the competition.

• Title: Science Projects/Fair
• Objective:
  • Educate the boys about specific science topics.
• Timeline:
  • 1 week or more.
• Spanish:
  • Beginner to Advanced.

There are many educational science projects to be found online, ranging from dissecting a flower and identifying its parts to representing the planets in scale with foam balls to the ever-popular volcano. Pick a project that requires few and/or easy-to-find materials and with a group of students, teach them the theories behind the project and assist them with creating it. Then allow them to present their project and explain it to another group. A larger project would be to divide the boys into partners and conduct several science projects over a period of a few weeks. At the conclusion, you could hold a mini science fair in which each pair explains their project to a larger group of boys.

• Title: Foreign Language Tutoring
• Objective:

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