Good morning. We called this work "Opening Paths" because it is central to how the Nasa, an indigenous community in Colombia, walk, journey and begin collective processes. They open paths through spiritual work, with plants and by asking the spirits to allow them to begin and continue the path, the project, and relationships., The idea of this work was to territorialize the life projects of students in their final years of secondary education (high school) and the community educational projects of the local educational institutions., It was carried out by Lenny Chantre and me, and we worked for the Juan Tama Zonal Education Council of the Association of Indigenous Authorities in the municipality of Inzá., The municipality of Inzá is in Tierradentro, a beautiful area full of mountains in southern Colombia. Twenty years ago—well, more than twenty years ago—I arrived there and fell in love with the region., The inspiration comes from the "Talking Maps" created by Professor Luis Guillermo Vasco in the 1970s, accompanying the indigenous movement that was being born there in Cauca., So, based on maps that recreated their history before the conquest, after the conquest, and the current moment they were living, it was a way to remember—to have a memory of what had happened—in order to move forward and build what would become the indigenous movement in Cauca, in Colombia., Colonization left a deep mark on the community through the loss of language and culture. However, the strength of the Indigenous organization has enabled the community to develop projects that protect its culture and revitalize its language., The community also has autonomy in health and education. The Indigenous organization manages its own education system: it hires teachers, defines what content should be taught, and articulates that content with national requirements., It was within this process of constructing an “education of our own,” as they call it, that we carried out this work with young people and teachers., Although many students leave to study at universities in the city, in some areas of Tierradentro, university is not seen as a real possibility., Many young people do not know what kinds of life projects they can build, much less how to build projects connected to their territory. The aim was to help them imagine ways to contribute to the place where they grew up, rather than feeling that their only options were to leave for the cities or become involved in war., This is the connection between life plans: personal, family, community, and educational., We began with individual work., So they could recognize the skills they had inherited from their parents, grandparents, and ancestors. For example: they named abilities such as "I know how to weave," "I know how to cook," "I have good humor sense", "I analyse everything", "I have a big heart.", This allowed them to anchor themselves in the territory through their ancestors and feel part of it., We then worked with a methodology called "The River of Life" which helped them recognize their life stories—their sad moments, their happy moments and the places in the territory connected to those experiences., They also identified the knowledge they have acquired, from whom they have learned it, and what knowledge they have shared with others, and with whom., This allowed them, in some way, to relate their ancestors, their life, and their knowledge with the territory they inhabit., Later, in some schools, we went with them to explore the territory. We looked for a mountain with a broad view, and from there we talked together to recognize the places they could see:, sacred or culturally important places, crops, and areas affected by avalanches, landslides, monocultures, and other issues., When we returned, they worked collectively in groups and drew a large map of the territory, locating what they had observed and what they already knew: hills, lakes, creeks, rivers, crops, their school, and the soccer field, which is also very important to them., They then identified problems in the territory, such as drug trafficking, addiction, internal community conflicts, environmental issues, and loss of language, and discussed possible solutions., The solutions were very interesting because, in some schools, students showed a strong knowledge of the territory., This also reflected the effort of teachers and directors to connect the school to its context and environment, and to ensure that young people know the place where they live., The solutions focused on what students themselves could do about the problems they had identified, such as illicit crops, alcoholism, and internal community conflicts. For example, they proposed talking with the elders and creating educational campaigns in which they would be the protagonists., In other institutions, where knowledge of the territory was more limited, the exercise allowed teachers to reflect on this gap and propose alternatives so that students could get to know the territory better., Then, we placed different options throughout the space where we were working, showing possibilities for life projects connected to the students’ territories., Based on the problems, solutions, and discussions they had developed, they reflected on the life projects they wanted for themselves., Some of the ideas that emerged included studying tourism to make the place better known and create economic alternatives that would not continue harming the environment;, studying intercultural Indigenous law to support the struggle of the Indigenous movement and address legal problems in the territory; becoming a traditional healer to help the sick;, and becoming an environmentalist with knowledge of law and public policy in order to promote more sustainable development in the community, already to become a car mechanic or an organic peasant., After this work with the students, we decided to present the experience to the teachers. We told them what had happened with the students and invited them to map their territory, identifying problems and solutions just as the students had done., Their exercise went deeper because, just as they shape their students through classes and educational activities, they were invited to shape graduate profiles in clay., Through this activity, they identified the kinds of students they wanted the institution to form, the characteristics those profiles needed in order to respond to the needs of the territory, and what they, as facilitators and teachers, needed to do to support those profiles., These were some of the student profiles the teachers wanted to cultivate., They described students as respectful, hardworking, loving workers of the land, artists proud of their culture, leaders, entrepreneurs, happy, and critical., One idea appeared especially strongly: students should have a deep bond with the land and artisans who are not ashamed of their culture, collaborative people, athletes, warriors, and students endowed with wisdom., A major emphasis was placed on women being free, strong, respected, hardworking, and able to be leaders too., To conclude, this work revealed strong correspondences between the territorial knowledge held by students and teachers. In some schools, teachers did not know the territory well, which was reflected in their students' limited knowledge of it., This generated an important reflection among teachers about the need to learn about the territory themselves in order to teach it effectively., We also found a strong connection between the life projects proposed by students after the territorial exercise and the graduate profiles teachers wanted to shape., Working from the territory encouraged students to imagine life projects that could improve the conditions of their people and their environment., Furthermore, it helped teachers and directors territorialize educational plans so they could respond to local needs through contextualized and participatory approaches., Social mapping made this knowledge visible, helped identify gaps as well as strengths, and supported schools, institutions, and communities in contextualizing actions to improve the quality of life., By knowing their context and territory, students developed a stronger sense of belonging and were able to imagine life projects rooted in living harmoniously with it., In broad strokes, this was the work we carried out. Both students and teachers continue to remember it, and it serves as a basis for building educational projects in several of these institutions., Good afternoon. I will present: Ethnoecology Intercultural Education for the Care of Territory and Its Beings., "To start, please think of a piece of knowledge, skill, or know-how that you learned during your childhood . And, on the other hand, think of something you remember teaching others when you were a child .", Decades ago (often sometimes today), childhood was viewed as 'virgin soil'—a stage devoid of knowledge, as Durkheim called it. Today, contemporary sociology views childhood as a social phenomenon deeply connected to its context., We now observe how boys and girls actively construct knowledge, recognizing their autonomy (otónomy) within their social and territorial environment, both inside and outside of school., Therefore, an ethical-political perspective must recognize the capacity and agency of boys and girls to construct their own knowledge., "As Lévi-Strauss wrote in Tristes Tropiques: 'Humanity installs itself in monoculture; it prepares to produce a mass civilization, like sugar beet. Its daily life will entail no more than that single dish.'", In a homogenizing world where local cultures are invisible or destroyed, children lose the roots that provide them with safety and trust., Disconnected, they enter an educational system to learn 'universal truths' that have very little to do with their daily lives., Therefore, we speak not of a single childhood, but of diverse childhoods. It is essential (essenshel) to cultivate biocultural diversity and ethnoecology across all educational practices—whether formal, family, or informal., Ethnographic research, like Mahecha's work on different forms of socialization, provides tools to integrate these perspectives. Finding their own ways of inquiring roots empowers boys and girls, building the self-confidence needed to participate in the collective construction of knowledge., As Aimé Césaire wrote in 1955: 'The harmonious integration of elements alien to a culture can only be achieved if the people are a free people, and freedom comes from self-confidence., Under these premises, interculturality and the social appropriation of territory are key tools. They plow a fertile ground so that boys and girls can become active subjects capable of transforming their environments, Historically, intercultural education was designed only for ethnic minorities, attempting to integrate isolated elements like language into standardized curricula. But how do we build an education that truly integrates cultures as active ways of life?, This approach must not be exclusive to indigenous, afro-descendant, or peasant populations. It is urgent for majority populations, in both (boz) rural areas and cities, to also receive this education to recognize diversity and reflect on structural asymmetries., All knowledge systems share a common starting point: observing nature to understand, adapt to, and modify our environment, Knowing a territory collectively drives children to transform their realities. Territory is not just space; it integrates all the beings that inhabit it—animals, plants, hills, and spiritual relationships—approached from different knowledge systems., This perspective strengthens local educational institutions by involving community elders and empowering youth (yus). For example, in Hant Comcaac—the territory of the Comcaac people in Sonora—groups of young people monitor species like turtles and birds alongside scientists, while others revitalize language, others, traditional songs., These initiatives weave external and ancestral knowledge, becoming true life projects and give purpose to their lives., This empowerment multiplies when educational projects articulate with social movements. Examples include the community schools in Cherán-K’eri, Michoacán, and the school of the Tosepan Titataniske cooperative in Cuetzalan, Mexico., These projects, born from social organizations, revitalize community culture, promote leadership through student councils, and instill a deep sense of responsibility and agency in childhood., Frantz Fanon stated that plunging into the immensity of the past is a condition and a source of freedom. Following Hannah Arendt, we form new human beings for action and responsibility in the public arena., This formation requires weaving local history—oral and written—to understand the territory, while opening minds to national and global contexts., Discovering and valuing our roots must go hand in hand with deep reflection to develop the capacity for doubt and meaning, preventing boredom and despair from trapping us., We cannot propose this from naivety: our territories face complex realities like violence, inequalities, and drug trafficking., In Inzá, Cauca, youth recruitment persists; in Baja California Sur, rural schools face depopulation due to migration; and in Hant Comcaac, methamphetamine dependency is severing the social fabric., Boredom and a lack of meaning are taking over spaces once occupied by spirituality and hope, Yet, it is precisely from the awareness of these crises that proposals for ethnoecological intercultural education are built (built). Through (thru) Natütama in Puerto Nariño, children discover underwater life and root themselves like ceiba trees., In Quiguanás, knowing their territory allows youth to reflect and become transformative actors. In Hant Comcaac, community teachers bring their culture into the classrooms, and monitoring groups provide purpose to the youth, In Toribío, territorial projects restore ecosystems and revitalize Nasa culture amidst violence., Every corner of the world has initiatives that strengthen self-esteem through the social appropriation of territory. We must find the cracks in formal education to unpave it, plow the fertile soil, and continue sowing interculturality

Catherine

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