What Makes Us Different?
PASSION, KNOWLEDGE & COMMITMENT. - We've lived in the community we serve for three generations. This is where our heart is. We fully understand the complexities and the challenges facing our community. But most important we are 100% committed to creating better opportunities for the ones in need.
IMPACT SUCCESS. - We don’t just build a school or create a program and move on. We monitor and evaluate every project we undertake. Today our projects are fully operational and benefiting hundreds of people daily.
Our Non-Profit Projects
We currently operate projects that respond as a solution to specific issues from our community. All our programs are created & operated from a holistic approach.
Waldorf & Montessori School
El Jardin y La Selva (The Garden & The Jungle)
Where: Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico (Since 2013)
Offered to: Low-income kids from 3 to 12 years old (Preschool, Elementary & Middle School).
Our Purpose: To give all children in Chacala a holistic & quality education. Create a school that fosters creativity, promotes high academic values, nurtures human relationships & inspires a growing passion for learning.
Impact (Since 2013): 80 Children & their families per year.
EL Jardín is a non-profit school & scholarship program. Founded in 2013, it became the first independent school to offer a holistic & quality education for low-income kids in our community. Today nearly 70% of children in Chacala are benefiting from our preschool and primary program.
We are inspired by Waldorf and Montessori pedagogy, and we believe education should be centered on nurturing every child's potential to flourish.
SCHOOL PROGRAM
We developed a Holistic Education Program under 3 pillars:
SELF & SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE
Self-esteem • Awareness • Love & Gratitude • Empathy • Joy & Play • Collaboration • Willpower
ACADEMIC QUALITY
Practical Life • Language • Math • Cultural Areas • Arts & Movement • Science & Technology • English (ESL)
CREATIVE THINKING
Imagination • Openness • Curiosity Inventiveness • Intuition • Improvisation • Self-Expression
We believe a generational shift can take place in our community by creating a nurturing environment for the youngest members, a place where they can flourish and develop as WHOLE human beings (socially, emotionally, intellectually & physically).
trade School
TAO de Jade: Talleres, Artes, Oficios (Workshops, Art & Trades)
Where: La Cuata, Nayarit, Mexico (Founded in 2018)
Offered to: Young people (18 -29 years) who have dropped out of middle and high school due to economic hardship and early pregnancy.
Purpose: Empowering under-educated and impoverished youth through teaching practical skills and developing a mindfulness practice.
Impact: 45 apprentices per year.
TAO de Jade Trade School was launched in 2018 with a first cohort of 45 students. The 4th generation of year-long students is about to graduate!
THE PROGRAM
Our program is 100% free and will be offered 5 days per week, (12 month apprenticeship).
This comprehensive school will be modeled on 4 interdependent pillars:
1) Skilled Trades & Entrepreneurial Coaching offer young people the resources they need to create an economically stable future. Trades such as carpentry and upholstery will be taught, while creativity and innovation will be encouraged to provide original solutions for ever-evolving market needs.
2) Creativity & Design Thinking in their trade as well as provide inspiration and enjoyment of life.
3) Mindfulness program incorporating meditation and yoga as key practices for a balanced and vibrant life; increasing their ability for self-reflection, awareness of personal responsibility, and mental and emotional stability.
4) Formal Education taught through Montessori methodology and certified by INEA (National Institute for Adult Education) to earn a high school certification and acquire the academic skills needed to succeed.
Organic Farm & Micro-Industry
El Rancho (The Ranch)
Where: La Cuata, Nayarit, Mexico (Founded in 2008)
Offered to: Local farmers & struggling mothers.
Purpose: To provide a model of organic agriculture to our farming community, while teaching people about sustainable food processing methods.
Impact (Since 2008): Training & employment for 80+ ppl
El Rancho is a 17 acre farm where we provide opportunities of participating in responsible environmental leadership, growing organic food, & fostering a sense of community, while working together & enjoying nature. We grow abundant healthy, organic fresh produce to supply Mar de Jade Retreat Center and all community educational projects.
Some of the products: Mango, papaya, pineapple, cucumber, banana, jamaica, tamarind, passion fruit, carrots, citrus fruits, lettuce, arugula, kale, herbs, corn, beans, peanuts, eggs...
Our mission is two-fold:
- To provide an experience that educates our local farming community, which is dependent on mono-culture crops, pesticides and chemical fertilizers, on how to return to self- sufficiency and abundance by cultivating a wide diversity of nourishing foods with non toxic farming methods.
- To create employment and skill training for struggling women through an environmentally and economically sustainable process: transforming our locally grown food into market-ready products such as marmalade, peanut butter, dehydrated goods and in the future beauty products.
Well-Being Learning Center
Raíces (Roots)
Where: La Cuata, Nayarit, Mexico
Offered to: Teachers and staff of all other projects, parents, community change agents and leaders.
Purpose: Fostering community-led sustainability by developing, supporting and inspiring local leaders through high impact training, workshops and conferences on meditation, yoga, education, leadership skills and community well-being.
Projected Impact (with new Community Well-Being Center): 800 - 1,000 people per year
We are applying for funding to build a new Well-Being Learning Center at our Organic Ranch. Once the building is completed we will hold within the first year: weekly Yoga & Meditation for students, parents and teachers of the projects; a Mindfulness-in-Education training for over 200 teachers, as well as continual training for local teachers, program staff and community leaders. In the second year, in addition we will host a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training for 40 local instructors to extend yoga into their communities; and 6 weekend family retreats on yoga and meditation for 200 people.
Past Projects:
After School Program
Club de Amigos (Friends Club)
Where: Las Varas, Nayarit, Mexico (Operated from 1994- 2016)
Offered to: Children at-Risk (6- 14 years old), from homes with absent parent(s), drug or alcohol abuse, sexual victims, teen pregnancy and delinquency.
Purpose: To provide children a supportive & nurturing environment and give them the right tools to develop the resiliency to thrive in the face of adversity.
Impact (From 1994- 2016): 1,200+ Children and Their Families.
Club de Amigos (Friends Club) was one of our longest running projects, 1994 until 2016, we provided a safe place, meals, tutoring, mindfulness, yoga, art, sports, psychological assistance to children of distressed families. A parenting circle lead by the psychologist has had great success in allowing mothers and fathers to naturally move from authoritative and often violent parenting habits toward more communication and support in their relationships with their children. The club operated 3 days per week and was completely free. This program evolved into our newer educational efforts: El Jardin Primary School & TAO de Jade Young Adult Trade School.
PROGRAM & SERVICES
Wellness: Nutrition, Psychological Assistance, Yoga, Mindfulness & Meditation for Children and Parents.
Art & Creativity: Art, Music, Dance & Theater classes.
Social & Academic Skills: Cooperative Games, Sports, Tutoring & Homework assistance.
Thanks to our Partnership with TIDES Foundation your Donation is 100% Tax-deductible.
