CESIK indigenous community school
A personal fundraiser by
Taku ChakravartiSupport indigenous education in Mexico! Help our project remain autonomous and community-sustained.
$1,575
raised by 12 people
$10,000 goal
20 days left
New leadership, new horizons
A lot has happened in the past two years. After the challenging period of the online and hybrid teaching in 2020-2021, we were eager to bring back the in-person aspects of the CESIK model that are so essential to our educational experience, such as hands-on learning, student collective self-organizing, and participation in local and regional community events. In 2022 we carried out a transition back to almost entirely in-person classes, while maintaining access and training in the online learning tools that are so important in today's world.
We also reactivated the student bakery and handicrafts cooperatives, and enlarged the CESIK store and services it provides to the community. These include photocopy and office services, student handicrafts and T-shirts designed by local artists, a thrift clothing store and more, which provide important income that helps sustain everyday school activities, the student cafeteria and more.
In August 2023 we welcomed in a new Directive Council, made up of three indigenous teachers, Totonaco and Náhuatl-speakers, two of whom are CESIK alumni. This exciting transition places the school's coordination entirely in the hands of local community members who are both personally commited to the project, and have the cultural competence that is very much needed to maintain the school’s identity and build its relationship with the community. We also have several new local teachers, in addition to social service volunteers.
Sustaining this team depends on their ability to meet their livelihood needs. To this end, we attempt to offer a modest stipend to compensate for travel to and from school, food and personal expenses. However, growing the local team has placed greater demands on the school's finances.
Your donation will continue to contribute to providing these stipends, meeting teaching supplies, maintenance and infrastructure needs, and strengthening and expanding local income-generation projects that are the cornerstone of the school’s self-financing strategy.
The Kgoyom Center for Indigenous Higher Studies (“CESIK” in Spanish), is an alternative community high school in Puebla, Mexico that focuses on the empowerment of the indigenous Totonaca (tutunakú) and Nahua (náhuatl-speaking) people of the Sierra Norte, a pocket of Central Mexico defined by its cultural traditions and ecological diversity as well as its history of economic and political marginalization.
Founded in 1994 by the Independent Totonaca Organization (OIT) in Huehuetla, Puebla, CESIK provides a community-based education that reinforces indigenous knowledge and practices alongside essential elements of the state curriculum.
The project is organized by members of the local community in collaboration with volunteers from different regions of Mexico. It is sustained through community-based fundraising, and the efforts of our team of volunteer teachers and administrators.
Students contribute a minimal quantity per family to cover essential administrative costs and supplies for the school cafeteria. Many teachers contribute from our own personal savings, if and when we can. However, this is never enough...
That's why we are reaching out to you!
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN NEED OF RESOURCES TO SUPPORT LOCAL TEACHERS, WHO STRUGGLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET and support their families in a full-time volunteer role. Many amazing teachers have had to leave the school in search of paid work elsewhere, although they would prefer to continue here.
ALSO, we continually need to buy TEACHING SUPPLIES and MATERIALS FOR MAINTENANCE of the building and infrastructure.
FINALLY, PART OF YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL GO TO LAUNCHING LOCAL INCOME-GENERATION PROJECTS that will allow us to become economically self-sustainable in the future. The idea is to provide necessary services to the local community, part-time employment to students, teachers and recent graduates, and at the same time generate funds for school activities.
The following projects exist or are in the works:
-Xerox and stationery shop (expand existing)
-Student cooperatives: bakery, carpentry, textiles and handicrafts (need to expand existing)
-Silk-screening and printing workshop (proposed)
-Video and media production workshop (proposed)
More information about the school:
Promotional video (default Spanish; for English, in youtube browser click on CC button and select English subtitles):
CESIK's Directive Council is made up of local educators who grew up in the community as well as volunteers from other regions who have been deeply involved in the community for years. As the primary foreign contact currently, I was asked to help with fundraising abroad. For this reason I have created this page as a personal fundraiser, however all funds received will go directly to the school.
The Directive Council will maintain full access to the register of donations at all times and will oversee the transfer of funds to the institution, as well as their use for the purposes outlined above.
A personal fundraiser by
Taku Chakravarti