Sitting on a red velvet upholstered couch in the back of a mobile therapy van, we braced ourselves as the vehicle made its way up a narrow and winding road in a neighborhood of Tijuana called “the canyon.” We were not far from the beach and the border wall that juts out into the Pacific Ocean separating Mexico and the United States, Tijuana and San Diego, relocation limbo and a desired destination.
The van, a project of Centro 32, was our primary mode of transportation for the week, as we visited local organizations and shelters across Tijuana that support and house many thousands of people forcibly displaced by conflict from within Mexico and from South and Central Americas. This iACT trip had an added sense of urgency amidst new executive orders and immigration policy changes that are resulting in less assistance but more uncertainty and trauma for so many.
I was with iACT global programs manager, Felicia Lee, and two iACT early childhood education advisors from Toronto Metropolitan University. We came to Tijuana for what we, at iACT, call a listening trip. It was a first step in hopefully co-creating and adapting our Little Ripples early childhood education program for displaced children and families here. One of our main purposes this past week was to learn how people came to be at the border and how they are doing. We wanted to hear from and learn about the work and experiences of local humanitarian actors, and begin to understand what the priorities and values are for mothers and caregivers for an early childhood education program.
An iACT listening trip is just what it sounds like. We spend time meeting with as many different people as possible who have a stake in the future of children at the border. We ask questions, and give space and time to truly see and hear what people have to say. We hold one-on-one semi-structured interviews, casual conversations over meals, and listen to presentations. One unique thing on this trip was that we added facilitated interactive focus groups with the mothers. We presented each group of women with a stack of approximately 20 cards containing images and text describing a typical early childhood education learning outcome or activity (ie. outdoor play, storytelling, numeracy, nutrition, mindfulness, etc.). We also gave them blank cards to add their own ideas. Groups were asked to sort through the 20-plus cards and decide what they felt were the most important to least important priorities for their children’s early learning program.
From this exercise (and with a translator in the space), we got to witness and hear incredibly thoughtful conversation about child development, child and parent experiences, and insight into decision-making, values, culture, and daily life. Each group exercise lasted more than one hour. Once the TMU team analyzes these focus groups, we will publish and share the findings and how the findings will shape the adaptation of our curriculum.
The experience of sitting, witnessing, and listening to mothers talk through their needs and aspirations for their children was, for me, a profoundly insightful and rewarding experience — and this is an adapted methodology we plan to integrate into all future listening trips.
What comes next for our work in Tijuana is the co-creation process with local partners, mothers, and families. In Tijuana, Little Ripples will look different than the program in Chad or how it was in Greece. Little Ripples-Tijuana might be offered in a retrofitted/renovated, mobile coach or bus, or within different shelters. We might be hiring both local Mexicans and shelter residents, and we might be integrating family workshops for the first time. These are all the program design details that will be determined in partnership.
The next trip in our process is typically my favorite part of the work because we get to go back. Back to all the people who shared their time and experiences with us and who were open and vulnerable; and we get to show them they were listened to. We start to work with them to bring to life an early childhood education program that is what they want and imagine for their children. And together, we create the world we want children to live in.
This trip and our work in Tijuana is made possible by the CSJ Ministry Support Fund and by the love of people across the country who donate to iACT in support of people at the border.
If you’d like to join us in bringing early childhood education to children and families displaced at the border, leave a comment or donate today.
Note: Out of respect for the dignity of people, we did not take photos inside shelters or of shelter residents.