The District of Medellin and Ruta N, through the Horizons 2.0 program, began training for 100 children from various sectors of the population, who will participate for three months in extracurricular workshops on 3D modeling, sustainability and automation, chemistry and cosmetics for the production of shampoo and deodorants with natural products.
The Horizontes 2.0 training program will be held at the Francisco Luis Hernández educational institution in the Aranjuez neighborhood, which seeks to encourage the study of science and research, through the “learning by doing” methodology for indigenous children, Afro-descendants, migrants and for some other children with hearing, visual and cognitive disabilities.
“We want to improve the conditions of inclusion, generate training spaces in engineering and similar areas, and we want to have diverse human talent to face the global trends of the knowledge society”, said Carolina Londoño, director of Ruta N.
This year the program, which is carried out thanks to the financial support of the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation, also wants to include parents in the process, in order to offer greater learning opportunities for indigenous populations, migrants, Afro-descendants, or those with different disabilities.
“I'm going to build a rocket. I know that they take off upwards and shoot fire, I want to know all the planets”, said Alan Mosquera Gamboa, one of the beneficiary children of the Horizons 2.0 program.
Alan is 9 years old, he is in third grade and his favorite subject is mathematics because he likes to add and multiply. He is visually impaired and says that when he grows up, he wants to learn about the planets, even if he can't see them. He loves Spanish class because the books talk about them and he already has a plan to fulfill that dream.
Like Alan, there are 99 other children enrolled in the Horizons 2.0 program who, thanks to the Medellín District and Ruta N, have undertaken training to continue forging their dreams and become future talents in science and innovation.