The inspiration behind the project:
The What: "From 12/09/2019 to 12/13/2019, Platte County High School's Spanish and ELA classes with Vanessa van Bleisem and Mary Martin will be selling hand-woven bracelets, or ‘pulseras’ in Spanish, to empower the artists who make them in Nicaragua & Guatemala and students in the United States. The sale was organized through the Pulsera Project, a Fair Trade nonprofit organization that empowers and educates people in the U.S. and Central America through pulsera sales.
The How: Student and teacher volunteers raise funds that benefit fair trade jobs, worker rights, sustainability, and education, while learning about the culture, lives, and struggles of Central Americans. Students have created a unique marketing strategy with their team to sell bracelets.
The Why: "The Pulsera Project’s goal is to create a more just and colorful world by encouraging conscious consumerism and social enterprise. I had done some research and decided I wanted to provide students the opportunity to learn and understand different perspectives from Hispanic cultures and identify commonalities within their own culture. I wanted students to have an experience where they could celebrate diversity and gain empathy while supporting a great cause. This is a real, authentic experience that empowers students and develops global citizenship. It was a no brainer for me that this would be meaningful and enriching for our students! The more we can connect with people and understand one another, the better!" - Ms. van Bleisem, PCHS Spanish Teacher.
There's a multitude of reasons this project has resonated with PCHS students and turned into more than just another grade. Here's just a few:
New Insights
As high school students, we're often living inside our own reality. Participating in the Pulsera Project has expanded our horizons to see not just what surrounds us, but also the issues that different parts of the world deal with every day.
A Solidarity, Not A Charity
The Pulsera Project is a non-profit, but that doesn't make it a charity. Instead, the Pulsera Project operates as a solidarity. This means the Pulsera Project gives their partnered artists the means (consistent salaries and familial benefits) for bettering their situation while also giving them the freedom to learn how to take care of themselves in their country's environment.
Cross-Class Work
The idea of this project was created from the collaboration of two teachers in two completely different fields: Spanish and English. Through the teachers conjoining their classes to work on the Pulsera Project, we students have also had the opportunity to work with others who we usually wouldn't and break down the barriers of "upperclassmen vs underclassmen."
The Pulsera Project is a solidarity that has streamlined the process of supporting their cause, and that's amazing. Dually, without our equally amazing teachers, we would have never been able to dream about making this much of an impact in our global society as high school students.
Vanessa van Bleisem
"I believe that any time we can celebrate culture and diversity, it's very powerful and impactful to me and my students."
Ms. van Bleisem is a Spanish teacher at PCHS, teaching Spanish I through Spanish IV. She fills her classroom with a welcoming environment every day and is constantly pushing both herself and her students to strive for greatness. As shown by the Pulsera Project, she strives, and achieves, to make her teaching impactful.
Mary Martin
"I see this as an opportunity for Platte County students to change the world for the better by supporting people in a tangible, meaningful way."
Mrs. Martin is an English teacher at PCHS; she teaches many classes, one being Critical Discourse. Critical Discourse, an ELA class dedicated to exploring the social workings of America, is where Mrs. Martin truly shines. Her empathy for her classes and their views is only overcome by how encouraging she is of open minds and a better understanding of our fellow humans.
