The Educational Initiative "Patio 13":
From the Streets to the Platen Press
According to estimates by UNICEF, more than 100 million poor and
orphaned children struggle to make a living on the streets of
metropolises worldwide, with nearly half of them in Latin America.
The German-Columbian educational initiative "Patio 13 -
School for Street Children" offers them the chance of a
life with dignity. For instance, by teaching them how to print
their own self-written texts on a Heidelberg platen press.
Apprentices at the Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG factory in Wiesloch, Germany overhauled the time-honored platen press to make it fully-functional again. A group of future Columbian educators was invited by Heidelberg to come to the Wiesloch location so that they could familiarize themselves with the platen press on-site with the personal help of trainer Peter Kollenz. "The support from Heidelberg is very important for our project," says Elisabeth Ramirez Rivera, who has been active at Patio 13 for many years already. "With the printing press, the street children have the chance to produce something independently - an experience, which most of them have never had in their lives."
The trend-setting and unparalleled initiative "Patio 13" was started in 2001 by Heidelberg's college for education - the "Pädagogischen Hochschule Heidelberg" - the Escuela Normal Superior "Maria Auxiliadora" and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. The goal of "Patio 13" is to offer homeless children and adolescents unable to attend school a solid basic education, so that they may one day pursue a self-designed life.
"Patio 13" therefore designs educational offerings that are specially tailored to the abilities, interests, and learning difficulties of street children. In addition, teachers are trained in interaction with street children. "In the last six years, our initiative has helped more than 1,200 street children learn to read and write, as well as attend math and physics courses," Simone Wessely, Director of the center of excellence for the education of street children at "Patio 13", reports proudly.
Apprentices at the Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG factory in Wiesloch, Germany overhauled the time-honored platen press to make it fully-functional again. A group of future Columbian educators was invited by Heidelberg to come to the Wiesloch location so that they could familiarize themselves with the platen press on-site with the personal help of trainer Peter Kollenz. "The support from Heidelberg is very important for our project," says Elisabeth Ramirez Rivera, who has been active at Patio 13 for many years already. "With the printing press, the street children have the chance to produce something independently - an experience, which most of them have never had in their lives."
The trend-setting and unparalleled initiative "Patio 13" was started in 2001 by Heidelberg's college for education - the "Pädagogischen Hochschule Heidelberg" - the Escuela Normal Superior "Maria Auxiliadora" and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. The goal of "Patio 13" is to offer homeless children and adolescents unable to attend school a solid basic education, so that they may one day pursue a self-designed life.
"Patio 13" therefore designs educational offerings that are specially tailored to the abilities, interests, and learning difficulties of street children. In addition, teachers are trained in interaction with street children. "In the last six years, our initiative has helped more than 1,200 street children learn to read and write, as well as attend math and physics courses," Simone Wessely, Director of the center of excellence for the education of street children at "Patio 13", reports proudly.
Impressions and Information on
"Patio 13"
