The Pulsera Project

Hurricane Iota batters Nicaragua, especially its Caribbean coast

Our thoughts are with our entire Central American Pulsera family as they deal with the devastating impacts of Hurricane Iota this week. Some of you may have seen in the news that Nicaragua was hit particularly hard — for those looking to contribute to the relief efforts there, we can recommend a donation to Cruz Roja in Nicaragua (their chapter of the Red Cross) through this link:

https://cruzrojanicaraguense.org/campaigns/operacion-humanitaria-huracan-eta/donate/

We have partnered with Cruz Roja on past emergency relief efforts and know that any funds sent their way will be put to good use.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1248132

nbcnews.com “The hurricane came, it destroyed my house, my daughter’s house, it destroyed five houses in total,” said Filimon Wilfred, 72. “Where am I going to live?”

Pulsera sales are in full-swing right now at a handful of schools, and we just wanted to post a quick reminder that we are still accepting sign-ups for the fall semester! For those schools that are able to safely host a sale or have space in their busy schedules, we’ve implemented some changes making pulsera sales safer & more accessible in the COVID-19 era. Those include new display boards, lengthened sale blocks, digital payments via Venmo, and more.

See all of the changes we’ve implemented at www.pulseraproject.org/covid19 and as always please feel free to shoot us an email with any questions or for help setting something up — in the meantime we hope everyone is hanging in there!

(Thanks to Shining Mountain Waldorf school for this great pic!)

We’ve created a simple new display for this school year that should help a bit with socially-distanced Pulsera sales. The idea behind these is that sale leaders can tape up to eight Pulseras on the posters and then hang them up so that students can quickly view and select what Pulsera they’d like from at least six feet away. We figured having people say “I’ll take Pulsera #6” could be a better option for many schools where gathering around a table and shuffling through pulseras just isn’t feasible right now.

We’re starting to add these displays to each box that goes out, and we hope this helps a bit in adjusting your Pulsera sales to the reality of this school year!

As you settle into distance-learning or in-person classes this year, remember that we have a wide range of free materials available to all teachers looking for authentic cultural lessons to add into their curriculum. These are open to all teachers during the 2020-2021 school year regardless if you’ve led a Pulsera sale or not; the materials can be found at www.pulseraproject.org/freematerials

New for 2020 we're offering the option to pre-purchase a Pulsera "classroom pack" for those schools that may not be able to lead a traditional pulsera sale during this uncertain school year.

For each classroom pack you'll be able to select the quantity and styles you'd like, and as usual each pulsera will cost $5. The main difference is that instead of sending us back any materials or funds raised, you'll keep all of the proceeds as a reimbursement for your purchase, and nothing will be returned to us. Shipping will be a flat $5 for all orders.

We're offering this option to schools that are looking to continue their involvement but who may have barriers in place to a sale as they navigate the COVID-19 reopenings. We envision it as a way for teachers to gauge interest from their students on how many and what style they'd like to buy and then order accordingly.

Check out www.pulseraproject.org/shop for access to this new option, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!

For schools that still want to lead a pulsera sale this year, we've implemented a few big changes to our service-learning program this year to make the project easier & safer for you:

1.) Safe Practices - in accordance with CDC recommendations, pulseras will not be handled prior to shipment - boxes will be pre-packaged, and Pulsera staff will wear appropriate PPE when sending boxes.

2.) For the time being, The Pulsera Project will accept digital payments through Venmo at all pulsera school sales in addition to cash. Students will still pay $5 per pulsera and when a sale leader has seen a student's payment verification screen, that student will then receive their pulsera(s). Venmo payments can be sent to @pulseraproject, and the memo line must list the only the name of the school.

3.) For teachers who don't want to worry about a whole pulsera sale kit, for 2020-2021, we'll offer new pulsera "classroom packs" that will work differently from a normal sale. Instead of us sending pulseras upfront and you sending money at the end of the sale, teachers will have the option to pre-purchase pulseras for their club, class, grade, etc. At this point teachers can sell pulseras directly to the students who have expressed interest in them and will not have to worry about the sale timeline or about sending excess materials or money back to us. Any money collected on your end would be kept as a reimbursement for your purchase of the classroom pack. The classroom packs will be available to order starting September 1st.

4.) For 2020-2021 we'll be extending the timeframe for all pulsera sales. Rather than the normal two-week period, we're extending this to a default four-week sale period for all schools that want to lead pulsera sales. Schools still of course have the option to do a normal 1-2 week sale, but we hope this default extension will give you some breathing room in adapting a pulsera sale to the new reality.

5.) For 2020 we'll be sending an extra display board that you can pin pulseras to. We think this will be a great way for students to be able to look at pulseras from afar and select which one they want without touching a bunch of bracelets on the table. The numbered poster board will come with a pre-drawn grid on it and a corresponding cell # drawn in each block, so for example a student could be looking from six feet away and say "I'd like pulsera #7."

We will continue to look for ways we can make the project as accessible as possible this year, and we are always open to feedback on how we can do the best job possible implementing these types of changes to the service-learning program.

(See www.pulseraproject.org/covid19 for this full list).

Hi everyone — we miss you all, and we hope everyone has been doing okay throughout this crazy year!

As some of you may have noticed, we’ve pretty much been on pause since March when pulsera sales came to a grinding halt at schools across the country due to the widespread COVID-19 closings. Since then we’ve been continuing to work in the background to get our bearings, communicate with teacher leaders, and fully understand how we can best move forward with the project during this unprecedented time.

We wanted to officially announce that we are indeed still up & running, and open for pulsera sale sign-ups for the Fall 2020 semester. We know that the situation in every state, district, and school is different right now, and we know that a pulsera sale may be the last thing on people’s minds as they adjust to the new reality of this school year.

For those schools that would like to lead a sale, we’ve made a few small changes to the sale program to ensure an easier and safer experience for you this year, such as extending sale lengths, accepting digital payments, and offering new displays to showcase pulseras from a distance. Info about these changes, as well as the new “classroom pack” offering can be found at www.pulseraproject.org/covid19

Throughout this whole process, our solidarity and commitment to furthering the project’s mission of a more just and colorful world remains unchanged, and we want to thank every single person that has helped us grow this project from a homespun idea into a movement that has touched communities in nearly 3,000 schools.

Though uncertain days lie behind us and uncertain ones remain ahead, we are doing everything we possibly can to make sure that the Pulsera Project’s partnership with U.S. schools and its social impact programs in Central America can continue to thrive long into the future.

Thanks for reading, and we’re wishing you all well as you head into this new school year.

As we head into the final weeks of the socially-distanced school year, just a reminder that we have a number of dedicated free distance-learning activities for those looking to fill their curriculum out — you can find all of them at www.pulseraproject.org/freematerials, including an awesome Pulsera-themed digital escape room We hope everyone is hanging in there!

Join our Webinar tonight at 7 PM about teaching social justice and the Pulsera Project housing unit - we hope you can join us!

Register at https://forms.gle/BPd61tYmHBcq7DUd6. A link will be sent to participants ahead of the meeting.

MayaMam Weavers

Happy Mother’s Day to the wonderful women that fill our hearts❤️💐

A quick reminder that we'll be hosting our first distance-learning webinar tomorrow evening.

*****

As we continue to navigate the new educational reality due to COVID-19, the Pulsera Project will host our first educational webinar on Monday May 4th at 7pm EST. We’ll be talking about distance learning, online resources, and best practices for online education. The webinar will be geared towards Spanish teachers, but educators of all types are welcome!

You can register at https://forms.gle/gX4zrC6FNNWPhDdZ9!

An email with the video link will be sent out to all participants ahead of the webinar.

Pulsera Project Webinar Sign up

As we continue to navigate the new educational reality due to COVID-19, the Pulsera Project will host our first educational webinar on Monday May 4th at 7pm EST. We’ll be talking about distance learning, online resources, and best practices for online education. The webinar will be geared towards Spanish teachers, but educators of all types are welcome!

You can register at https://forms.gle/gX4zrC6FNNWPhDdZ9!

docs.google.com Please fill out this short form if you're interested in attending our first webinar on Monday May 4th. Professional development certificates will be sent out after the webinar for all attendees!

Found yourself with some extra time on your hands in the midst of everything going on?

This could be a great chance to brush up on your Spanish while also supporting an amazing Nicaraguan organization, La Mariposa Spanish School & Eco Hotel.

They’re currently offering Spanish classes via Skype for just $12 an hour. We absolutely love the work that they do in Nicaragua (take a glance at their page for some of the incredible projects they have in the works) and this would be an excellent time to support them while investing in your own language skills development.

It's time to learn Spanish 👩‍💻👨‍💻📚

La Mariposa Spanish School & Eco Hotel
Offers Spanish lessons vía Skype💻
☑KIDS+ADULTS👧👦👩‍🦰👨‍🦰
☑ALL LEVELS $12 USD per hour

Contact us on:

📲WhatsApp 75375213

☑Instagram
lamariposanicaragua
https://www.instagram.com/lamariposanicaragua?r=nametag

☑Twitter https://twitter.com/LaMariposaSpan2?s=08

Every year we have immense gratitude for being able to partner with so many organizations that put a focus on programs that put the Earth first. From the renewable energy education of Grupo Fenix, the earth stewardship of coffee cooperative "La Hermandad," and the sustainable agriculture of DoSelva, on top of social enterprises we collaborate with through Thriive and artisans that use recycled materials in their pulseras.

We often think back to a hand-painted sign at the La Hermandad cooperative -- "What happens to the Earth Happens to the Children of the Earth." Today and every other day we're grateful for partnerships that really act on that saying.

We have another activity for everyone doing remote learning for the next few weeks -- this might be the most fun activity we've ever offered! This is a *digital* escape room, where students solve a series of clues as they learn about different aspects of the Pulsera Project, Fair Trade, economic poverty rates, cognitive biases, and more! We highly recommend this for anyone looking to spice up their remote learning this week.

Another massive, massive "thank you" to Hannah Joseph, whose brilliant mind came up with this one-of-a-kind activity!

https://bit.ly/pulseradigitalescape

We know that everyone is almost completely focused on everything happening with COVID-19 right now, and we will continue to be working closely with affected schools in the coming weeks.

In the meantime we didn't want to let too much time pass before publishing our annual year-end-review, this one covering a whole span of project happenings in 2019, from impact investments, school partnerships, benefit programs, the U.S. educational program, and more.

If you have some extra time on your hands as we all work on social distancing in the coming weeks, we definitely invite you to give it a look at www.pulseraproject.org/yearendreview.

A huge thanks to all of you for your ongoing support, and we're wishing everyone well in this difficult time!

We know that teachers across the country are scrambling to find activities for their students as many classes move to online-only. Yesterday we added six new ready-made distance learning activities to our Spanish Materials page -- those new activities along with our entire library of educational content is available free to all teachers, regardless of whether they've been involved with The Pulsera Project before.

We hope this is a small help to educators working to adapt their lesson plans. Please feel free to share with any colleagues who are looking for materials to add to their curriculum during this time.

We're wishing you and your students a safe & healthy few weeks as we all wait out this surreal situation.

www.pulseraproject.org/freematerials.

(P.S. A massive "thank you" to our friend and Spanish teacher Hannah Joseph for putting these new activities together and for so generously sharing them with us.)

Spanish Materials

As thousands of teachers head to online teaching due to the COVID outbreak, the Pulsera Project is offering all their educational materials for free through the rest of the school year. We’ve added three new activities perfect for distance learning, and will continue to add new materials in the coming days. Please share our lessons, videos, and activities with your colleagues, and if you have any questions about any of the materials contact us at [email protected]

We hope everyone stays safe and healthy during this difficult time.

pulseraproject.org Explore the Pulsera Project's free Spanish language activities, projects, lesson plans and curriculum for Spanish teachers

The Pulsera Project is actively monitoring the situation around COVID-19 and we understand that schools across the nation are closing through the coming weeks.

If you expect that your upcoming or ongoing pulsera sale will be affected by school closings or other circumstances, please reach out to us via email and we will work to coordinate with your school's specific closing scenario.

Given the current situation, we will do everything we can to make sure that schools can still hold pulsera events when they return to school if they’d like, and as such we’re extending the normal pulsera sale period to allow for this.

If you currently have a pulsera box and would like to hold onto it in the hope that you can host your pulsera sale later in the year, just let us know and we'll gladly accommodate that.

Please reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions or updates, and we'll do everything we possibly can to help out as we all weather this period of uncertainty together.

Cultural Connections Get Personal for Fairfax High School Students

We were super excited to see that the students of Fairfax High in Virginia made it onto the NBC nightly news and Telemundo for their pulsera sale! We love seeing students and teachers get recognized for their hard work and volunteer efforts!

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/cultural-connections-get-personal-for-fairfax-high-school-students/2226744/

https://www.telemundowashingtondc.com/noticias/local/proyecto-pulsera-busca-ayudar-a-artesanos-en-centroamerica/1973613/

nbcwashington.com Spanish students sell bracelets for the Pulsera Project.

Beyond Fair Trade

When schools raise money from Pulsera sales, we do everything we possibly can to make sure that those funds are invested in Central America in the most high-impact way possible. We made this video to show the ways that we strive to not just meet the standards of Fair Trade, but to substantially exceed them.

5 things to know about acrobat's high-wire walk across active volcano

Awesome chance to see Nicaragua in the international media tonight! Aerialist Nik Wallanda will be tightrope walking across the active Masaya volcano at 8pm EST on ABC. We’re excited to see this slice of Nicaragua’s culture on TV!

goodmorningamerica.com Five things to know about acrobat Nik Wallenda's high-wire walk across Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua.