Newsletter April – June 2022

Women entrepreneurs

Thanks to the partnership with the donorsee.com platform, this year we have had the opportunity to support a total of 12 women entrepreneurs from the communities of Cartagena, Hatillo, Portegolpe, Belén, La Garita Nueva and Matapalo.

These brave women dared to go after their dreams and CEPIA is supporting them!

This project is possible with the support of our volunteers: Majo Abugattas, Luisa Reyes, Stephanie and Arianne Lippens, Nathalie Salazar.
As Annabelle says: “CEPIA has been of great support and assistance for many women like me who have to maintain their home alone. This project is of great help for our businesses, helping us get ahead and to better provide our services.”

We had around 150 people participate in this event to raise awareness on the issue of gender violence and address the issue as a community.

Women’s Circle

Our Women’s Circle keeps growing, new members are joining all the time and the energies are renewed with each meeting. During this trimester we touched on many topics of growth and learning. In these 3 months we connected with the following themes: the connection of women with the 4 elements of nature – water, air, fire, earth, the importance of knowing who we are and the place we hold in relation with the people with whom we share and socialize.

We also had a workshop to learn to enjoy pleasure and then we worked on the archetype of the Goddess, to understand our value and the strength that resides within us.

We learned to make macrame bracelets and discovered the valuable world of medicinal plants in La Senda, with the guidance of Victorija, not only to heal our bodies, but also our souls. With the help of musician and teacher Rodrigo Fonseca, we enjoyed a beautiful Sound Journey that allowed us to travel through sounds and foster relaxation. We appreciate the collaboration of Larissa Gandara in these processes and Michelle McCluff for the family constellation workshop.

Love for the Environment – World Tree Day

Planting a tree means wellness and wellbeing for the present and the future, not only for our planet, but also for all the living beings that inhabit it. On June 6th, we had our annual commemoration of the Day of the Environment and Tree Day, distributing 80 trees, since trees are the ones who purify the air and help regulate the climate, especially in the dry tropical climate. All the people who were interested in receiving this donation approached the Community Center and got their trees.

This was possible with the donation of native trees from the Nandamojo Association and the work of the volunteers who collaborate with us.

International Yoga Day

On Tuesday, June 21st, we commemorated the International Yoga Day. An important part of CEPIA’s holistic approach is to integrate yoga into our actions and daily work at the center and with the people we interact with. Again this year, we dedicated a special time to celebrate this ancient practice with yoga classes in the Community Center and outside of it.

We organized 3 classes that were open to the public free of charge and were held by excellent professionals, Marian Paniagua with Hatha yoga, Margarita Elizondo with a holistic yoga class for beginners, Marilu Caravaca with a gentle yoga class and asanas to connect with our present, Wendy Abarca with yoga for kids and Laetitia Deweer with meditation for teenagers. We want to thank all of them for their dedication and commitment to this cause.

Youth Program

In the months of April, May and June, the group of youngsters continued acquiring artistic, musical, computer, second language and reading-writing skills, thanks to the contribution of teachers Dimitri Kyriakoulis, Rodrigo Fonseca, Alejandra Parody, Belquis Gutierrez, Graciela Gómez and Karla Marín.

Regarding the topics we discussed during the workshops in this trimester, the group of youngsters had the opportunity to work in areas such as teamwork, building who they are, conflict resolution, comprehensive sexuality, body care and project development.

We also had the collaboration of Laetitia Deweer, who created workshops about the reality of our everyday lives, world religions and yoga poses; volunteer Ivonne Valderrama worked on the topic of wellness and tools to build a better life; Tami created spaces for learning self make-up and skin-care techniques; and finally, Vesna Todorovic has created sound therapy workshops for the minors.

On the other hand, thanks to the collaborations and connection we have with the community, the group of youngsters had the opportunity to visit the facilities of the Civic Center for Peace (Centro Civico por la Paz) and learn about gender issues and snakes, giving them the opportunity to be safe in different environments; in addition, through the connection with nursing students from Universidad Latina, we organized workshops on sexuality and sexual care; and together with the Leatherback Trust, the youth group had a session where they learned about turtles and they also had a tree planting day.

During this time, each and one of the minors were able to learn and grow; highlighting the collaboration and contribution of Jan Alberth Acosta and Tifany Medina, who participated in the webinars on the rights of children and adolescents and the environment organized by the Defense of Children International (Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional).

Representatives of the CEPIA Association

Tiffany Medina: “It was a very nice experience, because I was able to share what we do all the time at CEPIA.”

Jan Acosta: “Being able to talk and share with others the cleaning experience and what we do was very good, I really liked listening to others talk about the same things.”

CIDAI Program

This second trimester has been of great benefit to each of the 111 minors cared for in the Children’s Comprehensive Care program. Every day minors are cared for and are provided with music, sports and health activities through a holistic approach from 7am to 4pm, Monday through Friday.

It is important to take into account that all the children had their eyes examined at the Asembis Clinic and in addition to that, the minors who required glasses received their respective lenses to their liking. This type of service is extremely beneficial for the vulnerable population.

We have completed six months of hard work and have achieved all the goals we set for ourselves. What is worth mentioning is that 100% of the children take part in mindfulness activities, 100% are being educated in a manner that is focused on values, 100% participate in workshops that support mental health, from ages 2 to 17 years, with different strategies for each age group.

This program is funded through government support from IMAS and PANI, who recognize the importance of safeguarding the best interests of minors. During the month of June, we surveyed several heads of household and these are some of the comments we got:

“I couldn’t ask for more, since as a father I am very happy to know that my daughter is in excellent hands, but if I had to ask for something, it would be for all this group of professionals to be blessed with very good health.”

“First of all, I would like to thank the institution for all the support it has provided and hope that they continue with this because it is very important for children, adolescents and all young people. Thank you.”

“Well, due to the fact that my son is attending the center, I am able to work, so I go to work with peace of mind knowing that my child is in a place where he is very well-cared-for and that reassures me and I am able to do my work well. May God continue to bless you all with abundance, so that you always help many families.”

“Thank you for all the support and advice you give us that helps us improve our lives.”

It is important to thank each one of our collaborators: Heyling Larios, Keyla Campos, Karla Marin, Julieth Ortiiz, Natasha Guerrero, Graciela Gómez, Ana Laura Zelaya, Eleana Alcocer and Juan Carlos Gómez, who do their best every day for the well-being of each one of the minors.

Program for Boys and Girls with Special Needs

In the last three months, the Girasol Group (The Sunflower Group – CEPIA’s Children with Special Needs) enjoyed music classes, trips to the beach and pool, and a special trip to the Diamante Eco Adventure Park. We want to give special thanks to Hacienda Pinilla Beach Club, Diamante Eco Adventure Park, Kellie Rich, Huiffen Dunn, and Rodrigo, our great music teacher. And also thank you, Paula Flores Vega, for committing to work with three of our children in speech therapy in June.

Extracurricular Classes Program

GIRLS’ CLUB

We started a new Girls’ Club in the community of San Jose de Pinilla with a large number of girls attending! Thank you Rythmia Life Advancement Center for the support and to Julie and Jeff Jummonville.

The Girls’ Club Program is a tool that allows CEPIA and the mentors to break stereotypes and empower the minds of the girls.

Stories have been told time and time again, where the woman was presented as a damsel who needs to be rescued, so, in a session we rewrite this famous story, incorporating themes such as sisterhood, friendship and self-love, which have been developed throughout the club.

The Girls’ Club of the Villarreal community got invited by Cala Luna Hotel to celebrate the Global Wellness Day, we want to thank Wendy Abarca and Andre Bazan for the activities they shared with the girls.

Twelve girls from the community of Santa Rosa have completed their formative-preventive process within the Girls’ Club Program. We want to thank the Seis Playas Hotel for their collaboration in carrying out their graduation walk.

SURF 4 YOUTH

In June, one of the members of the S4y group, Valeska Montoya, participated in Lola’s Cup competition in Avellanas Beach, finishing fourth. We congratulate her on this great achievement. The S4y team continues training weekly. We appreciate the help of our volunteer Juan Carlos Ríos Salcedo, for all the support provided to the team during all this time.

A new surf school in Tamarindo, River Wave, offers boys and girls the opportunity to start practicing this beautiful sport and they are super happy to start surfing.

SWIMMING

The month of June was also completed with swimming classes. We thank professor Leonardo Almanza for all his support and dedication during all this time, where more than 50 boys and girls have benefited from his classes.

SOCCER

The Trapiche community Soccer School was in an UNAFUT tournament (the National Union of Soccer Schools), in the canton of Nicoya.

I AM THE ANSWER

The “I Am the Answer” Program finished the first module of Conscious Living. The general objective of this module is to teach the steps that promote a conscious lifestyle. Living a conscious life means actively participating in this new form of evolution, becoming the person you want to be and creating the life you long for in harmony with the Earth. We teach this to 240 boys and girls in public schools in the canton of Santa Cruz: San Francisco, Hernández, April 27, Paso Hondo, La Garita, Cartagena, Potrero and Trapiche, through a weekly class per group. We want to thank the teaching and administrative staff for all the support provided all this time.

Volunteers Manun Duboc and Celia Soto visited the Linderos School, offering an educational workshop on bullying prevention. We thank them for this beautiful activity.

Psychological Care for Adults

The number of people who attended their appointments in the Adult Care Program in the first half of 2022 was 175, with ages between 18 and 75 years. It is important to add that the number of appointments that were scheduled during the first half of the year was 1101, out of which 617 were completed, with a total of 97 absences and 302 required rescheduling at a later date.

TESTIMONIAL of a 30-year-old man: “I am the product of a rape and that has given me anxiety attacks. After therapy I learned that my past does not define my present, and now I know how to apply conscious breathing techniques. I learned to forgive my past.”

Care for families in poverty

We are currently monitoring families in conditions of poverty and extreme poverty that require intervention and social assistance. In this period, 60 families have been assisted, through different donations of food products and furniture.

As far as Social Work goes, we issued 35 referals for socio-educational scholarships and 20 referals for assistance in the welfare program of IMAS (the Joint Institute for Social Assistance).

In the past weeks, we also made possible the donation of 33 bicycles to minors, who required them to be able to get to their educational centers.

Psychology for minors

This semester, we mainly assisted young teenagers, most of them referred to us by educational centers. Between April 5th and 8th, we visited schools and highschools in the area of ​​influence of CEPIA, with the aim of collecting information according to the needs of each center in order to be able to put together future workshops. These educational centers were: Villarreal Highschool, El Llanito School, Cartagena School, Cartagena Technical and Professional Highschool, April 27 Technical Highschool, Huacas School, Matapalo School and April 27 School.

Psychological care for minors from the communities (external cases)

• Total number of people assisted this trimester by the Psychology Department: 86 cases
• Total active cases in June: 67 cases (3 cases from 2021 and 64 from 2022)
• Closed cases this trimester: 19 (including cases from this year and last year)
• New cases this trimester: 46
• Cases on the waiting list as of March: 10 Cases scheduled for follow-up one month after the process has been closed: 5 (virtual – face-to-face)
• Cases in EMDR therapy (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing): 3
• Cases attended through telepsychology (virtual sessions): 1
• Cases of minors on the spectrum (autism) and psychotherapy work for parents, sensory work and diagnosis: 3
• Psychodiagnostic reports: 5
• Psycho-labor interviews: 3
• Psychology team meetings: 3
• Referal to CCSS: 3
• Referal to the Santa Cruz Court of Justice: 1

We organized a diploma training in systemic family therapy for the psychology team. We coordinated 7 visits to different public educational centers in the area of ​​influence of CEPIA: 3 visits to public highschools – C.T.P Cartagena, C.T.P. 27 Abril, Villarreal Highschool; 4 visits to public primary schools – Huacas School, 27 Abril School, Playa Grande School, Cartagena School.

We noticed that the most frequent reasons for consult this trimester in the Psychology Department were: behavioral disorders (16), anxiety disorder (9), sexual abuse (6) and domestic violence (6).

In the cases of sexual abuse, domestic violence and child sexual abuse, a complaint was filed with the corresponding Court of Justice by the parents or caregivers of the minors.

Compared to the first trimester of 2022, we noticed an increase in consultations regarding domestic violence, generally indirect and also child sexual abuse, and a significant decrease in cases of grief caused by death, therefore evidencing the need to intensively address and continue strengthening our work with various educational centers, parents, caregivers and communities on issues of domestic violence and child sexual abuse.

Once again, the need to continue working on these issues from a preventive perspective was made obvious.

Below are some comments that were written on the satisfaction sheet of the therapeutic process once this was completed.

Question no. 12 of the interview: What did I like the most about the psychological process?

• “That they could help me with my son.”
• “The attention.”
• “The attention was very good and we got the results we were hoping for.”
• “The way we were spoken to.”
• “The dedication, charisma and patience towards my daughter.”
• “The treatment towards my child, the approach and the technique used to manage the grief.”
• “The attention was excellent.”
• “The recommendations provided.”
• “The comfort that was given.”

Question no. 6 of the interview (Likert scale): Has the psychological treatment helped you in relation to the specific situation that led you to the consult?
The 10 people interviewed answered that they were very happy with the outcome.

Psychological care provided to minors in the Comprehensive Children’s Day Care Center Program (internal cases)

• Total cases attended during this semester: 71 cases
• Total active cases: 40
• New cases this trimester: 19
• Closed cases this trimester: 6
• Cases from the exterior: 2
• Cases approached through systemic family therapy: 8
• Cases in crisis intervention: 5
• Psycho-diagnostic assessments: 10
• Referrals to the CCSS (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social – Costa Rican Social Security Institution): 1
• Cases approached with a PANI (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia – National Institution for Child Welfare) professional: 2

Below we present the data we compiled within the Psychology Department for minors of the CIDAI Program.

Preventive psycho-educational speeches or workshops for the CIDAI Program

Training to grow: Professional Training and Employability

The Professional Training and Employability Program started the second trimester of the year with a new basic onboarding course, taught by INA (Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje – National Intitute for Learning), which enables participants to receive a Boatman Certificate (Zafarrancho) for jobs related to the marine fishing sector.

During this time, other 3 new courses were opened; Hotel Receptionist, Basic English and Advanced Basic English, these last 2 being taught at Tamarindo Church. In this period, a total of 69 students started a new learning process (223 in all of 2022).

“The institution of CEPIA is very important for us, it helps us train better and improve the quality of our lives with its courses, get a better job and get ahead.” (Basic English course participant)

On the other hand, 16 students obtained their certifications in this period. Out of them, 6 people completed the food handler course and the other 10 completed the 4 modules of the basic boarding course. With these 16 students, there’s already a total of 39 participants who have completed their training since the beginning of 2022.

“Thank you so much for your attention and support in obtaining this certificate that is so important to me!!!” (Basic Boarding Course participant).

As far as the employability part of the program, now formally an Employment Office, 28 people have been assisted in the counseling program during the second trimester of the year, out of which 24 registered on the platform of the National Employment Agency. 5 of them have already been hired by a company, and 2 of these are working independently. Also, during this period, 5 students/ex-students have been hired through direct management of CEPIA, making connections between companies and candidates.

In addition to the employment management, we organized 4 workshops of 2 hours each, in which 49 people participated in their first employability workshop “Surfing the Labor Tides”. 97% of the participants agreed that the workshop has been relevant or very relevant to their professional life.

Some comments show that these workshops are: “VERY important because they are anchored in our everyday life and they provide tools to live better (…) what I liked the most was learning to communicate and the breathing training.” (workshop in May 2022).

As always, we give special thanks to our volunteer English teachers, Richard Ramírez, Montserrat Ruiz, María José Monge and Linneah Hauser, and to our the donors John and Donna Sommer and to the La Paz Community School for their support during the “Survival techniques” module. We also want to thank INA, for its work, teachers and administrative staff, and for all the support and commitment in the training area.

Going Local Project – The future of social businesses today

“Going Local” works as a social business that generates income for the project leaders, as well as for CEPIA’s social and environmental impact programs. Each family or company can make a donation in order to participate in this project of cultural exchange, volunteering and social integration. During the month of May, a group of 40 volunteers from the United States took part in cleaning and collecting garbage in the town of Huacas, as well as the river, the creek, the sports plaza and the main places in Huacas.

Additionally, we had the visit of 62 people from the New Relic company, divided into 3 groups, where we carried out the following projects: we painted the facade of the Huacas Community Hall, painted the two CEPIA early childhood classrooms, and desks were assembled and donated to different children in the community.

During the month of June, we were able to organize the Eye Health Clinic in Huacas and Villareal, with the participation of 5 doctors from the Optometry Department of the University of Chicago. An average of 320 people were attended and around 260 glasses were delivered, to both adults and children.

We also had the visit of 23 volunteers from the CPI Monteverde who came to share sports games and educational activities with the children of the Primary Classes 1 and 2 of CEPIA.

We want to thank Travel Excellence, DMC Award and Pioneer Travels for all their support.

Renovation of the San Jose de Pinilla Community Hall

Did you watch THE FIXERS TV show? This team arrived in San Jose de Pinilla in December. You can watch it here: https://bit.ly/FX3ccr.
Work continues on the renovation of the community hall! We have finished the roof repair! Soon we are going to start work on the sodita project, so that the association starts generating income and the hall comes to life through more activities. After the soda, we will start working on the store project. Step by Step!

Communication and Promotion. We are active on social media!

CEPIA’s social media pages have become a fluid tool, with each program bringing its contribution through content and promoting upcoming activities. During this time, more than 33,000 people have viewed our FB and IG accounts, and we were also able to get the support and joint promotion of activities and advice with other social organizations such as ADI Tamarindo, the Women’s Collective, the S4Y Project and the GAIA Foundation, with whom we have a fluid cross diffusion of our message that helps with promotion and awareness within the community.

New Annual Report 2021 available online

Download CEPIA’s 2021 Annual Report

Thank you, Bomba Huacas! (gas station)

We give special thanks to Las Ventanas de Playa Grande who is supporting CEPIA’s skateboarding program woth Happy Feet!

Thank you to our donors!

Thank you, WHALE Donors!

VOLO Foundation
Las Ventanas de Playa Grande
Bomba Huacas
SYNLAW
TIBCO Software Software
Alice Sullivan Charitable Foundation
Wayne and Judith Kreklewich
The Tony Robbins Foundation
Rocketgenius
Colette Cares
Nick Sondel
Todd & Mary Heistand Family Foundation
Troper Wojcicki Foundation
Kaplan family
Reserva Conchal
Jon & Lisa Reichlin
Jodi Gallant & Stuart Sheldon
John & Donna Sommer
Julie & Jeff Jumonville
FRAME projects
Mar Vista
Bart Van Vooren
Strachan Foundation
Bella Vida
Martyn & Debi Hoffmann
Fundación CRUSA
Daley Family Fund
Patricia Diak
Stephane Boivin
Ted Alexander
Arlene Kahn
Pavel and Kimberly Oliva Charitable Fund
Mariposa Homes
Jeffrey Christo
Huifen & Kirk Dunn
Automercado
Junta de Protección Social, IMAS, PANI

Thank you, SHARK Donors!

Marlin del Rey
Camino Travel
Travel Pioneers
Ken Sangha
Blue Water Properties
Clarke-Hook Corporation
Sagrillo Family Giving fund
Iguana hotel Nosara
Flamingo Realty
Super Masai
Jorge Alers
Luise Erdmann
Nicole & Christian Huet
Rythmia Life Advancement Center
Iguana Hotel
Erez Yarkoni
Chris Mahne.

We also thank:

Carla Rowlings
JSM
Brad cooper
Jorge Alers
Alice Friedenson
Boyd Lumsden
Pedro Fernandéz
Kiritharan kurysamy
Robert Perkins
Lee Oberlander
Andi Lineweaver
Manfred castro
Kassandra Churcher
Andrea Zweig
Claire Kadlecek
Sandra, Deborah and Bill Cini
Eleni Krystopa
Mary Rosema
Traverse journeys

Thank you for the in-kind donations!

Yorgia Garcia, Ashley Morgan, Petra Schoep, Sherri Hull, Kim Brownell, Emily Zhang,

Paulo Fernandez, Francisco Blanco, Rafael Sandoval Juarez, Juan Fonseca Bulgarin, Anja Kieft, Nathalie, Andrea Olivie, Lynn Miller, Central American Outditters, Elizabeth, Federico Fernandez, Marilu Caravaca Aguirre, Daniella Wilhelm, Carla Rowlings, Aya Natan, Nicole Ulaya, Ghenassia Nicole, Carol Gardner, Jason Ortiz, Lucia Charnelli, Paula Fernandez, Vesna Todorovic, Jonathan Cooley, Anginette Arroyo Arias, Jo, Carla Rowlings, Amanda Ker, Sophie Toyes, Robert Stubblefield, Antonio Sanchez, Paul Tabalh, Elisa Saucier, Shirral Shorstak, Luke Mayer, Luke Mayer, Luke Mayer, Victoria Core Zuñiga, Katerin Evans Leiva, Anelie Bizet, Wenceslao Mendioroz, Fabiola Quiros Rojas, Laurel Rooney Dimaggio, Dana Elarle, Rick Bauer, Drapes Bar, Sarah Spellmann, Karol Trejos, Jose Antonio Lopez, Sebastian, Shellie Pirie, Robin Berger, Wendy Clifford, Alejandro Cedeño, Paul Tarbath, Christine Parrott, Becky Clower, Norma Mendez Silva, Wilfredo Coronado Coto, Pilar Barba, Stephanie Alles, Andra Olinic, New relic y Travel expérience, Toni Henning, Pablo Rojas Robles, Elisa Saucier Bonilla, Samantha Geneau, Casey Simmons, Bahia Shop. Gracias a Carol Gardner, del Proyecto Fabricando mentes, diseñando hermosos vestidos para niñas de escasos recursos económicos, a Toni Henning por la donación de zapatos tenis a los jóvenes.

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