Granito: A Call To Action

January 31st, 2012

Granito, BIFF, Call 2 Action, Skylight Pictures, Guatemala, Chajul“In a subtly powerful moment towards the end of Granito, we are allowed to share an intimate moment with a Mayan compañero as he rests against a tree in his mountain stand post. He tells us why he is there, why he chose to join la lucha. We learn that “granito” is a Mayan concept in that each of us has a tiny grain of sand – a tiny granito – to contribute to positive social change. As Pamela later said of her work to bring justice to Guatemala: “I alone can’t change things, but I have my tiny grain of sand to contribute. Granito the film is meant to inspire the next generation…what is my granito? What can I do for positive social change?””

The above excerpt is from a recent blog post by Philanthropiece’s Director of Programs, Katie Doyle Myers, about the documentary film Granito. The full post can be found on The Righters blog here.  Philanthropiece is thrilled to be a part of bringing Granito to the Boulder International Film Festival 2012 as part of the Call 2 Action program.  This film “is a story of destinies joined by Guatemala’s past, and how a documentary film intertwined with a nation’s turbulent history emerges as an active player in the present.”

Please join us at BIFF on Friday, February 17th, at 10am at the Boulder Theater for the Boulder Premiere of Granito.  We will have a follow up discussion in the Call 2 Action tent, on the Pearl Street Mall immediately afterwords.  We would love to hear what you thought of the film and what your granito is.



Photo of the Week: YGLer Earns First Place in Art Contest

December 15th, 2011
Last week, Philanthropiece Youth Global Leader Emily Robertson earned First Place honors at Monarch High School’s Art Contest in the photography division for this photo that she took en route to Laguna San Ignacio, Baja, Mexico. Emily is passionate about both photography and sustainable community development. She is combining her interests in her YGL Individual Growth Project, for which she is designing a program in which teen girls in Chajul create photo documentaries of their lives at the outset of their high school experience, and again upon their graduation. Emily believes that photography has the power to both share our stories and to empower us as individuals. Congratulations, Emily!


YGL Invites You to WINGS Celebration

December 1st, 2011



YGL at the Holiday World Market in Louisville, CO

November 17th, 2011

As part of the plan for sustainability of the Youth Global Leadership program, Philanthropiece’s crew of teen changemakers are engaged in meaningful entrepreneurship activity.  The YGLers spent six months developing an entrepreneurship activity that they felt was aligned with their vision, morals, and approach to community development.  They landed with a small business enterprise to sell fair-trade, hand-made crafts from women artisan’s in Latin America.  The YGLers had great success selling the goods and raising awareness at the Lyons Artisan Market in August.  They will be at the Holiday World Market this Sunday, November 20th from 1:30-5:30. Come check out their beautiful artisan goods from Guatemala and Ecuador, and spend some time speaking with them about the amazing change they are making in their local and global communities!

YGL at the Holiday World Market!



Health, Heat, and Shade

September 30th, 2011

by Chris Cottle, Community Liaison to Laguna San Ignacio, Baja

August was a month of health, heat, and shade! We tackled the Rural Health Promotion Program despite the worsening heat.  No surprise that the most consistent expressed need is for dehydration treatment, and information on how to keep from becoming dehydrated.  Thankfully, we finished building a palm-frond porch/shade on my own place that made a great difference in my own personal comfort, and attempt at keeping hydrated.

My girlfriend Diana, a nurse from Australia, arrived fresh off a three month tour of South America Read the rest of this entry »



Elton John said it best, It’s the Circle of Life

September 2nd, 2011

by Chris Cottle, Community Liaison to Laguna San Ignacio, Baja

July was highlighted by a visit from my mom to the lagoon.   This is one of the few places I have ever been where words and pictures truly do no justice, so it was great to have her here and to see and witness all that is daily life in LSI.   In just over a week she had a full dose of life in the lagoon, and immediately felt the welcoming and generous nature of the people here.   I think the local loan coordinator in El Datil, Minerva, indirectly (directly?) assured my mom that I am in good hands here when Minerva told me to shave my moustache and cut my hair…, then gave us an entire shark for shark tacos (it was a small shark, but large enough to give half away and have three shark-meals for two….).   Clearly mothers know best, regardless of nationality, when it comes to appearance and food…. Read the rest of this entry »



Summit Middle School 8th-graders supporting Jeremías education through Limitless Horizons Ixil (LHI)

August 29th, 2011

submitted by Stephen Goettsche, Spanish teacher at Summit Middle School

After a very positive experience in the 2010-11 school year, I am excited to continue supporting, along with my 8th-grade Spanish 2 students, the education of Jeremías, a student from Chajul, Guatemala.  Our collaboration with Limitless Horizons Ixil (Philanthropiece’s partner in Chajul) is a great example of kids rallying to help other kids.  With a little guidance, 8th graders can make a positive impact on the life and future of others.

Read the rest of this entry »



“Sí, se puede!” – Dream Town Documentary

August 22nd, 2011

Jordan Bailey, Philanthropiece Field Coordinator, comments on the Dream Town Documentary, the HOOP DREAMS of Soccer in Ecuador

I lived in the Valle del Chota town of Ambuqui as a Peace Corps Volunteer between the years of 2005-2007. This is when “La Selección de Ecuador” was electrifying soccer pride to an unprecedented level for their country. This was when foreigners were asking what African nation Ecuador belonged to. This was also when I was teaching English in six different schools in the Valle del Chota and I was able to witness what soccer truly meant to this area. Soccer is a sport that brings the community together. Read the rest of this entry »



Pen-pal exchange between LSI and Summit Middle School

August 15th, 2011

submitted by Stephen Goettsche, Spanish teacher at Summit Middle School

As another school year is right around the corner, I’m looking forward to renewing the pen-pal exchange between 8th-grade Spanish students at Summit Middle School and students in Laguna San Ignacio.   Thanks to Philanthropiece, I am able to provide my students with opportunities for authentic exchange and connection with Spanish-speakers from outside our immediate community.

The experience of sending and receiving letters to and from a remote town in Baja is one that brings the Spanish language, it´s speakers and their culture to life in the classroom.  The bustling excitement that characterizes my students as they are reading and writing pen-pal letters is a clear indication of their enthusiasm for making real-world connections with their friends in Laguna San Ignacio.  I´m looking forward to hearing my students inquire, with nagging frequency, “¿Cuándo vamos a recibir las cartas?”, knowing that the pen-pal exchange will manage to engage all of my students,  as they put their newly acquired language skills to use.

LSI students showing off their penpal letters



Photo of the Week: Nokero Solar Light Bulbs

August 10th, 2011

The photo of the week is back, after a little summer hiatus, with what might be my new favorite photo!  (Actually, the whole Philanthropiece blog slowed down a bit this summer.  Isn’t that how things should be?  I seem to recall something about the lazy days of summer but I think the last time I experienced that  was when I was a kid).

Executive Directors, Libby and Joanie, along with Director of Programs, Katie, recently traveled to Chajul, Guatemala to check in with our on the ground partner, Limitless Horizons Ixil.   They packed a lot of extras in their suitcases, including Read the rest of this entry »