Ascential Language and Arts School (ALAS) Nicaragua

Ascential Language and Arts School (ALAS) is beginning our FOURTH season on Nicaragua’s amazing Isla Ometepe. Our unique curriculum offers a creative and collaborative way for learners to immerse themselves inside a new language. In 2016 (October – December) we served 252 students in four villages offering before and after school arts-immersion courses in Dance, Martial Arts, Music and Art to local public schools as well as our very own sites! Through our programming, students receive TUITION FREE fusion classes in English, Spanish, Math, Science, History, Geography and Literature through the performing and visual arts. Burners Without Borders made it possible for us to pay for housing for three teachers for one month in 2016!

In 2013, ALAS started with one class and eleven students. The following year we expanded to two communities and we just kept growing and we now offer classes in the villages of Altagracia, EL Congo, Merida and San Ramon.  100% of the marketing is word-of-mouth and personal invitations.  We provide guest artists, individualized classes, performances, venues an unique experiences for our students. Ometepe is a rising tourist destination and although many areas are very poor, the communities on the island are thriving and intelligent, benefiting greatly from volunteer driven language classes. Bilingual employees are extremely rare, but making 70% more than their peers.  ALAS is the ONLY arts program of its kind in all of Nicaragua, although several other schools are swiftly trying to duplicate our syllabi. Visiting in several three to six month stints, and now with three years experience creating and developing our vision in Merida, Jen Archer and ALAS now have students of all ages who are cross training while attending our GRATIS (free) school. We gratefully exchange services and accept donations of food, drinks, Wi-Fi minutes, transportation, animal care/feed, gasoline, labor and homemade meals, etc. as trade for classes. The teachers are not yet paid for their time and contributions.

With the assistance of our teachers, donors and community members, we are excited to break ground on new ‘Casas De Profesores’. (And by ‘new’ we mean dirt block or cob housing embellished with recycled materials.)  The most important space ALAS occupies in Nicaragua is that of appreciation, partnership, respect and contribution to our local friends and the academic arts community we are helping to perpetuate. The Archer family are seasonal residents, partners and donors to the area. It truly takes a village to be successful with ventures such as these. We are always accepting easily transportable school supplies, art supplies, athletic equipment, athletic clothing (dance, yoga, biking, shoes, etc.), camping gear, dry foods, spices, gift cards, cash and Bitcoin donations. 

 

Visiting the island is the #1 thing you can do to support this project! We can help you arrange ALL of your travel, accommodations and activities. 🙂 If you are not able to visit, we could sure use your support in other ways. Immediately we need one-way plane tickets (six at $200 each), Jen‘s TOEFL-60 hours course certification ($600) and to apply as an NGO in Nicaragua ($400). Any help or support for these next steps in appreciated.  Saludos!