The students of the San Miguel del Tigre Educational Institution had another opportunity to engage with the radio experience, while the students of the Luis Eduardo Díaz institution had a new experience as the protagonists of the recording of two programs for the space ‘Paidópolis, the city and the country of children.’
After a journey of more than three hours by land, they arrived at the capital of the department of Santander, accompanied by their teachers, mothers, and chaperones. The fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade students came from both rural and urban areas of the municipality of Yondó-Antioquia.
“This effort is a synergy of support, one from the parents, the children, the teachers of the San Miguel del Tigre institution, which is a rural school, and Luis Eduardo Díaz, which is an urban school. They provide great support, and they manage everything, especially transportation, so they get the mayor’s office to support them with transportation and some travel expenses,” said Professor César Roa, director of the radio program.
On this occasion, the selected topics were:
Rural San Miguel del Tigre: Transforming Communities through Maps
Urban Luis Eduardo Díaz: Legacy of Afro-descendant Cultures.
“Social cartography is a practice widely used in both urban and local communities to make people aware of their spaces and environments, what exists, what doesn’t, what’s needed, and the state of things. This fosters identity construction and makes them active protagonists in the transformation or improvement of their environments. These are beautiful forms and educational and investigative tools with which people take ownership of their habitat,” added Professor Roa.
Additionally, the legacy of Afro-descendant cultures was discussed, highlighting how those who came from Africa arrived in our territory, the cultural riches they brought, and how they settled in different parts of the country.
Julieta Moreno, a Spanish Language teacher for the seventh grade at the Luis Eduardo Díaz institution, mentioned that the experience with Paidópolis in the classroom has allowed the development of communicative skills, reading, writing, and speaking. “The students’ creativity and autonomy, their leadership when they take ownership of their characters and work, is impressive. They become self-sufficient and stay on top of what needs to be done. It’s very interesting and exciting for me as a professional and an adult. It was my first time in a radio booth, which also allowed me to develop and strengthen all those reading skills.”
“It exceeded expectations; the children were extremely happy, as were the parents. We received a lot of support from the group. Thanks to the university for allowing us to be here, for welcoming us, and for providing us with warmth, which is important as we are far away. This project truly brings the distant closer,” she added.
Finally, José Antonio Villabona Vera and Luis Santiago Miranda from the San Miguel del Tigre Educational Institution mentioned that it was an enjoyable experience for which they prepared extensively.
Paidópolis, the city and country of children, will continue to open its doors to primary institutions, mainly with the intention of continuing to bring radio to schools every Thursday on 670 kHz, UIS AM, La Nueva Radio, at 7:30 AM and 2:00 PM, and on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM on 96.9 MHz, UIS Estéreo, the Voice of the University.
