LigaMAC

One of Liga MAC’s first supplemental programs, Alas (Wings in English), was designed for young women to help prevent teenage pregnancies. At the time, Baja California Sur had the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the country. Premiering in 2006, the successful Alas program addressed only half the problem.

In 2015, a complementary program for young men called Águilas (Eagles in English) was introduced. Originally led by professional psychologist and sexuality clinician Heddy Villaseñor, the program expanded to include therapist Tomás Llamas.

In October 2019, Tomás and Heddy made a presentation based on their work with Liga MAC’s Águilas program at the 24th World Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health and the XII Congreso Nacional de Educación Sexual y Sexología and received recognition for their work from the Department of Psychology of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

This year the Águilas program represented the first of Liga MAC’s student programs since the COVID lockdown to be held in person in a rented facility large enough to maintain social distance. Unfortunately Tomás was unable to attend but Heddy proceeded with help from Liga MAC staff, Elva and Consuelo.

Being the first in-person event in 14 months the course required special parental approval and received unanimous support from the parents of all 24 grade 10 and 11 students. One of the reasons the parents were so supportive of the program, is that the subject of sexuality in Mexico’s male dominated culture is still very much taboo. Parents have difficulty broaching the topic openly with their teens and in many cases lack the knowledge to properly handle the information.

Over 5 consecutive Saturday mornings starting April 17, Heddy, in a non-confrontational manner, introduced such topics as: the socio-economic consequences of teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, gender rights, societal and domestic violence, and the legal rights of children in Mexico. Participants explored topics through role play and were encouraged to ask questions. Heddy emphasized the importance in these transitory times of taking time to get to know their partners. She invited them to become responsible not only personally but to lead by example in all their relationships.

May 2021
Dear Friends of Liga MAC,
After more than a year of uncertainty the veil of COVID is lifting and we are finally able to dare to look ahead. For Liga MAC’s students, that means assembling the pieces of a shattered school year so that they can move on with their education.

For Liga MAC the organization, it means taking the next steps towards non-virtual fundraising and volunteer activities, and strengthening support mechanisms so that we can best assist our students in finding their way forward.

Rather than profiling a student this month, we are going to highlight a program that best exemplifies how Liga MAC is serving one segment of our student body. And, we will take a peak at preparedness during the summer months with Dr. Deneb Poli’s words of advice in Doctor’s Corner.

Active COVID cases continue to decline in numbers in Los Cabos and we are seeing fewer hospitalized patients.

As of April 27, there were only 32 hospitalized cases in Los Cabos which represents 20% of available acute care hospital beds.
At the same time vaccinations continue at a steady pace. The rolls have opened up for those aged 50 to 59 years. In addition, teachers will start to be vaccinated in the next couple of weeks with the hope that schools will be able to reopen. Good news for Liga MAC students and for Los Cabos!

Sign up for the vaccine continues online at https://coronavirus.gob.mx/vacunacion-covid/. Once registered, you will receive a call back to book a vaccination appointment or you can also just show up early at the vaccination location with a piece of ID and a proof of local address. PCR and Rapid antigen tests continue to be available at the airport daily and are still offered at hospitals, clinics and private laboratories.

Keeping kids on track during this pandemic year has been a monumental task for Liga MAC’s staff but through their perseverance, 57 grade 12 students will matriculate this June. Unfortunately, as State restrictions require, there will be no live graduation ceremonies. The more pressing matter for the graduates now is: what’s next?

Elva, Consuelo, and Karen at the Liga MAC Centro de Apoyo have been working with those graduates who qualify, roughly 43 students, to prepare applications for university scholarships from 3 local organizations. The 3 groups, Building Baja’s Future, Green Scholarship, and Grupo Questro, require in addition to a well written application, evidence of students who have clear career goals, a good work ethic, community involvement, and good personal skills. Liga MAC’s staff help to groom Liga MAC students to be both physically and mentally interview-ready.

Elva, who sits on the community advisory board for ITES (Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios de Superiores), reports that one of the concerns of post secondary institutions in Los Cabos is that schools prepare students to be ready to learn, but not ready to work. To that end, over the past few years, Liga MAC has been ramping up its programs to deliver supplemental Math and Spanish educational instruction and personal development courses to better prepare students for the world beyond school and encourages parents to take an active role in their children’s education.

Josue’s (his real name) academic story began not as a result of Liga MAC’s influence but with inspiration from his father. In almost every respect, Josue is not a typical Liga MAC student. He does not come from a severely impoverished family; both his parents are present and involved in his life; and he is self motivated.

During Hurricane Odile in September 2014, Josue’s little brother was a newborn who suffered from the heat and high humidity. To relieve the baby’s discomfort, Josue’s father jerry-rigged a fan from a car battery. Fascinated by his father’s ingenuity, Josue who was only 12 at the time, began to explore alternate forms of energy. In fact, he became passionate about creating clean energy solutions.

Josue was referred to Liga MAC by the school social workers at CETMAR, a trade high school specializing in ocean technology. By the time he reached Liga MAC, Josue already knew what he wanted to do with his life: save the planet, his country, and his community, not necessarily in that order, from the ravages of climate change through the development of alternate clean and renewable energy sources.

In his quest to learn more by starting small, Josue fashioned a small solar system for his family home from discarded parts. In his spare time, Josue has honed his self discipline through the practice of martial arts and placed 9th in a recent national tournament. Josue recognized that his dream of becoming an engineer in clean technology meant he would have to attend a large university on the mainland, something that was beyond his parents means.

Enter Liga MAC! When asked by Liga MAC’s Executive Director, Elva Haro, what he had hoped to receive from Liga MAC, Josue answered, two things: the discipline, commitment, and personal skills he knew he needed to realize his dream; and, the ability to learn to speak English from non-judgmental, empathetic native speakers through Liga MAC’s volunteer run English as a Second Language program.
Josue graduates from high school this June and with Elva’s help has applied for a full university scholarship for which he is a virtual shoe-in. Josue has displayed all the attributes which will allow him to succeed in life: perseverance, hard work, and the ability to capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves. Ultimately, Josue hopes to become an environmental entrepreneur. Look out Elon Musk!!

Not all students come to Liga MAC preprogrammed like Josue. In fact most don’t. But Josue knew he needed guidance to fulfill his dreams. He knew he needed to be in an environment of learning and discipline. We have no doubt that Josue will achieve success and Liga MAC is grateful to have played a small part in his quest for excellence!

Dear Friends of Liga MAC,

While parts of the world are reeling from 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th waves of the Coronavirus, we here in Los Cabos are seeing declining numbers (please read Dr. Deneb Poli’s Doctor’s Corner at the end of this update). The State “Sistema de Alerta Sanitario” (Health Alert System) remains at Level 3 yellow but if numbers continue in a positive direction, we may see a drop to Level 2 soon. At Liga MAC, spring programs are underway albeit with caution and one program has resumed in person.

Our profile this month highlights a student who would be regarded as a “teacher’s dream” and with Liga MAC’s help has been able to channel his energy in a rewarding direction.

he number of active cases in Los Cabos has maintained a steady level over the last couple of weeks, cases are no longer actively increasing which is a sign that we have reached a plateau and infection rates hopefully will begin to decrease.

Currently on the national “semaforo” we are at level 3 yellow on the semaforo system (50% occupancy allowed for recreational activities) with 3 square meters per person distancing required in BCS.

The first round of vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine started March 9th for those over 60 years of age. Sign up for the vaccine continues online here. Once registered, you will receive a call back to book a vaccination appointment or you can also just show up early at the vaccination location with a piece of ID and a proof of local address.

School classes continue online but the Secretary of Education has announced the option of opening Centros Educativos Comunitarios (Community Education Centers). These will be offered by each school for in person tutoring with 45 minute time slots for children in small groups. More details to follow.

PCR and Rapid antigen tests continue to be available at the airport daily and are still offered at hospitals, clinics and private laboratories.

The last weekend in March saw local Pilates instructor and “surfista” extraordinaire, Magdalena Briseño better known as Maggie, teach 8 young Liga MAC women about the wonders of surfing.

The 2021 Eagles or Águilas program (personal awareness program for Grade 10 boys) will proceed in a rental space large enough to safely accommodate 20 students. It is hoped that the same space can be used this summer for Liga MAC’s Spanish tutoring program.

Meanwhile, Liga MAC’s well regarded ESL (English as a Second Language) program conducted online via Zoom this year, has just concluded. Volunteer ESL leaders report that as well as providing an opportunity for students to learn English from native speakers, the classes provide a gateway for emotional expression which is often as important as learning the language skills (especially this past year)

Volunteer Nancy Wayne shares her experience in the ESL program…

This is my 14th year and each year brings new “gifts” from being part of this program, all with the underpinnings of giving back and making a connection to the kids. This year, with the students feeling isolated and worried about lagging behind academically, our program offered them a lifeline for interactions with others in a small setting and for learning opportunities. Improving their English and the concomitant confidence the students feel with working hard and having some success in a fun, safe setting serves them well as they think about their future plans. Our pre- and post evaluations have confirmed this belief that their level of confidence increases by participating in this program.

Improving their English and the concomitant confidence the students feel with working hard and having some success in a fun, safe setting serves them well as they think about their future plans. Our pre- and post evaluations have confirmed this belief that their level of confidence increases by participating in this program.

Traditionally applications for Liga MAC’s student support program are accepted in June for a school year start in August. With COVID protocols still in place and processes taking much longer than normal, Elva and her team at the Centro de Apoyo, have advertised a call for applications beginning in April and running through May. The review and screening process will also take much longer to allow for individual interviews in May and June. Applications are being received at a bespoke mailbox situated at the Centro entrance.