Bucerias Bilingual Community Center

History

Welcome to the history of the Bucerias Bilingual Community Center otherwise known as the BBCC, where challenges are merely opportunities in disguise.

Who would have thought that the loud music coming from a nearby bar could have led to the development of a center where children and adults, nationals and foreigners would come together to share knowledge, culture and learning?

When Judi Conrad, founder of BBCC, retired from a career in educational management, she knew that her next goal would be to teach English in Bucerias. She loved the interaction with the Mexican children and their families. However finding a suitable place to teach was difficult. Finally, after teaching her classes across the street from a bar with very loud music, she asked her students to assist her in finding a more suitable location.

They did!

In August of 2006, Judi purchased a small house with a large backyard, high walls and a covered patio with a kitchen area and an adjoining bathroom at the back of the property. She proceeded to landscape the yard, rewire the house and back patio, add another patio, fix the roof, purchase a water tank and make some very minor renovations. By late January of 2007, she and her team hosted an Open House!

Over 200 people attended the Open House which was advertised as a party and registration for classes in English for Mexican Nationals and Spanish for foreign nationals. Seventy people registered that day, and all were tested to evaluate their language skills. Needless to say, the turnout far exceeded Judi's wildest expectations. The building was there and the people had come. Now to find the volunteers to teach! Amazingly enough volunteers were located to offer three Spanish classes, three English classes for children under 12, two English classes for teenagers and two English classes for adults! In February 2007, the first six week session began, concluding just prior to Easter holidays. A second session was offered immediately following the holidays, and shortly thereafter the "school" evolved into a community center.

Other classes and resources were added. Yoga, meditation and a story hour on Saturday mornings for the younger children and their moms were initiated. It was hoped including the moms would encourage them to read to their children at home. A modest lending library was created offering about 200 books, most of which were in English and written for young children. Also some excellent bilingual books were donated and used to read to the children (more bilingual books are still needed). In the summer of 2007 BBCC offered a four-week summer school for children under 12 which ran from 9:00am-1:00pm five days a week and the program offered daily English and handicraft classes; music twice a week, drawing and painting classes twice a week; and swimming instruction at a local pool on Fridays.

The center is founded on the premise that classes for foreign nationals such as Spanish language instruction, yoga, belly dance etc, should subsidize the English classes for the Mexican nationals and hopefully cover maintenance and utilities. It is center policy to "carry" any child who really wants to come but does not have the necessary 10 pesos (1 US dollar) per class.

The Center's budget must also pay for part time staff, a housekeeper/gardener, the internet and utilities. Virtually all the teachers are volunteers. The basic problem is that there are a lot more Mexican students than were anticipated and it is hard to say no!

The center is in place, some volunteers have been found and the people are coming. However there is much left to be done. Increasing the teaching pool is an ongoing endeavor and a major goal. There is an internet connection at the school and the BBCC Web Site is just evolving. A brochure is in the making and will be widely distributed this fall, but the center could use a volunteer marketing specialist to help develop these things. An e-pal (pen pal) program with children from a school in Great Britain was initiated last summer. The children love this and it helps build their English and writing skills, but an "E-Pal Coordinator" is needed to keep this going. With five donated computers that are functional and plans for computer literacy and internet classes in the works, a computer teacher and guru is also much needed. Adult handicraft courses have been added and it is hoped that social/folk dancing classes for both foreign and Mexican Nationals will be added. Plans are in the works to offer a cooking class for foreign nationals in Mexican cuisine as the center has a specially designed "demonstration" stove and a refrigerator now. With donated sound equipment, song books, two keyboards and a limited number of children's percussion instruments all that is missing is the volunteer music teacher. Additionally, there is an amazing donation of 60 boxes of TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) materials donated by a teacher from Canada and awaiting a means of transport to Bucerias. These will be an invaluable addition to the teaching program. The material donations have been astonishing as people have showered the center with gifts. However, the primary need now is cash, because the BBCC is going to need a full-time staff person and part-time assistant to handle the increasing schedule and escalating daily operations.

The Center has acquired Asociación Civíl status in Mexico and non-profit 501(c)(3) status in the US. Donations received from caring and interested individuals are greatly appreciated and may be tax deductible in the US. All donations are used to accomplish the BBCC vision which is "to create a community where people share the joy of developing new skills, and learning their neighbor’s language and cultural background".