At the beginning of the week we ran a Canva workshop. Canva is a graphic design platform frequently used to create presentations, posters, Instagram posts and other digital content. We tasked the children to create a digital version of the poster they used to introduce themselves with back in week 2. They learned how to upload images, use different graphics and create beautiful posters.
This was also the week we finalised SORA’s website and Instagram. We created a simple website using Google Sites covering SORA’s story, contact details for collaboration, and a photo gallery- SORA had originally hoped for a programmer to do this, so we hope that now the website we made will increase outreach, as it can be found on Google Maps, on Instagram and through Google search. For Instagram, we used Canva to create a pinned post with all the key information summarising the work of Fundacion SORA. We included photos and content about the who, what and where of the foundation.
On Thursday we planned to host a “Carousel Workshop” in which we would run four different workshops working in a cycle with four groups of children. However, when we arrived to SORA with our four UPB volunteers, our plans quickly changed. We learned that Ryan Castro, a rapper from Comuna 13 would be performing a surprise concert that evening and most of the kids would be attending. This meant we had a much smaller group of kids than expected, and they were keen to finish early to secure a good spot. Plans changed fast and rather than panicking or scrapping the entire session, we decided to run one of the four workshops as a large group instead. After one hour of very patient paper-folding we ended up with a floor full of origami jumping frogs (“ranas”) and flowers. It was a good learning experience of flexibility on the job and it worked out very well.
On Saturday we attended a SORA workshop run by other volunteers. First, we participated in a graffiti workshop where a local graffiti artist taught us to make art with 3D words. Following this we learned to make paper cranes out of origami. The rest of the weekend consisted of the Feria de las Flores parade where locals carry huge flower arrangements strapped to their backs down the street. It was a beautiful (and very full!) parade.
Hi! I’m Sophie Kleina, a Psychological and Behavioural Sciences student at the University of Cambridge.
I’m passionate about language learning and preservation, which is why my Laidlaw research project focuses on the Kashubian language- a regional and Indigenous language of northern Poland, and a heritage I’m proud to be part of.
My academic interests span sociology, linguistics, psychology, and education, and I’m especially drawn to work that supports cultural diversity, educational access, and meaningful social change. I care deeply about doing work that helps people, strengthens communities, and protects the richness of human language and identity.
I’m always eager to learn from others and collaborate on projects that make a difference- feel free to connect!
