Arecibo
Arecibo is on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, 80km west of San Juan. In March 2022, Arecibo became the first club incorporating Semilla curricula, starting with the mindfulness-based stress reduction program followed by the SEL implementation. Some of the milestones of the program were the establishment of the fish tank as the center of the implementation room for all the club to see, as well as the participation of Semilla's students in the Showcase where the team shared experiences within the BGC's community. Semilla aspires to build adaptative skills to overcome stress centered in childhood in a nurturing and safe space for club participants as individuals and collective basis.
Members
participating BOYS & Girls Clubs
Aguas Buenas
Aguas Buenas is a rural municipality in the mountains of Central Puerto Rico. Semilla's students ranged from 10 to 12 years old and live in the communities near the club. For this first year, Aguas Buenas reached the SEL Showcase with 9 students and continued the Mindfulness implementation until the end of the summer programming. These students shared experiences and real-life anecdotes that helped enrich the interactions as a scientific community. Alongside, Aguas Buenas was the club with the largest amount of fish as the study model known for stress understanding. Fellows and Semilla team members helped develop strategies and collaborations with active club members through a mindful approach so the community may be responsive to the children's need for academic socialization.
Las Margaritas
Las Margaritas is located within a mixed community of long-term inhabitants and a broad immigrant community, built from rescued lands in proximity to the waterways of the Caño Martín Peña. During Semilla's comeback to the club where the first pilot was implemented, Las Margaritas reached to complete the first curricula, the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to 5 participants. Fellows and staff members gathered in an accomplishment to celebrate the students’ completion and desire to continue Semilla's offering. Las Margaritas and their participants have been an example of willingness to pursue their interest in being part of Semilla by engaging in the science of their own well-being and becoming agents of change for themselves, their families, and their community.
Participation Criteria:
-Register at the Boys and Girls Club.
-Be between 9 and 12 years old.
-Fill out the registration form to then complete the Semilla enrollment process,
which will take place in person at your Boys and Girls Club.
Meet are Fellows
Here you can learn about our seed fellows.
Who we are
Semilla Puerto Rico is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program whose
The objective is to awaken interest in science in children between nine and twelve years old. The goal of this project is to develop future scientists. To do this, it uses the model of experimentation with zebrafish to teach children about managing toxic stress and understanding the implications it has on their health. Semilla is a strategic collaboration between the School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico, the Integrated Science Education Outreach (InSidE Out) project of Mayo Clinic and the Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico. These partnerships seek to address community challenges from different angles, integrating scientific education, clinical support, and the promotion of emotional well-being. The Public Relations Plan presented is based on the communication needs of Semilla. This proposal is a collaborative work of the students of the RPU 230 course of the 2023-2024 academic year of the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón.