S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E

As we have written in previous posts, one of the conditions for receiving a scholarship in the BECA program is the commitment of each becado to conduct a social project. We give our students the liberty to decide where, when, and how they want to conduct their project, and in return we have some liberty of our own: To visit by surprise.

Without warning, we verify social projects throughout the duration of Course One. If our students are present and conducting their social project when we arrive (at the times they have told us), then we believe they have honored their commitment. If students are not present when we arrive, we assume the project is not being conducted, and those students are ineligible to apply for BECA Intensive, the vocational scholarship.











As you can imagine, we have had mixed results in this effort. Many times our students are not there, or have changed times and not notified us. Because we have mixed results, we are constantly searching for new ways to encourage participation and emphasize the importance of this project for BECA.











In our minds, a social project is more than giving back to a community; it is a way for our students to distinguish themselves amongst their peers.











So you can also imagine that when we do arrive, and see that our students are hard at work giving something back to their community, we experience a great sense of pride. I can only speak for myself, and say that my pride has little to do with me, and everything to do with the satisfaction our students feel - that their work is appreciated and bettering the community.


Whether it is cleaning parks, planting trees, working in health centers, or volunteering at church, social projects bring out the best of our students, and the best of the BECA Program: Doing something for someone else.

To view more becados at work, click here.

April Showers bring?

April showers bring . . . what else but more BECA students anxious to be sponsored.

Another "Course One BECA" starts in May and we have posted a few more student profiles for your consideration.



Soooooooo, let's shower those students with sponsorships. (Kinda corny but you get the idea, right?)

You can see who's available by clicking here.

Field Trips!

To us Westerners, field trips sometimes come in the form of a Museum of Science, a visit to the nation's capital, or a stop at an Aquarium (I’m from Miami…that’s what we do!). But for BECA, field trips come in the form of school visits.











Through our valiant effort to stimulate “outside of the box” thinking amongst our becados, we first created the Career Plan module, which provides our becados with the necessary training to develop a long-term plan for their studies. To compliment that module, we decided to organize field trips to schools in Granada and Managua that offer vocational careers.












Why do we offer these field trips? Because we are about giving opportunities! To do that, we want to show our becados that there are opportunities and possibilities outside of Masaya, and then have them decide…for themselves…what suits their interests best.











In addition to having fifty attendees on each trip, for many of our becados these trips served as a first-time visit to Granada and Managua.












So...will our becados apply to study at these schools? We hope so, but we'll have to wait and see.

Did we open their eyes…even un poquito? I’d like to think…YES!

Career Planning...BECA Style

Over the past four weeks my life has really consisted of one thing: The Career Planning Module. If you are unfamiliar with how this fits in to the BECA Program, please take a look at our Course One breakdown.

Module	Duration in Hours
BECA.org	2
Career Plan	6
Typing	30
Microsoft Word	34
Windows + Internet	48
Total Hours	120

The career plan module was designed to guide our becados through a process of self-reflection, as well as setting practical and achievable long-term goals that will lead to economically sustainable careers.

As you can imagine, developing any presentation the first time around is challenging, but given the fact that our Career Planning Module consisted of six hours of training for five BECA Course One sections, this challenge carried some heavier weight.

Luckily, we had a helper throughout this stretch - our very own Cristina, born and raised in San Jose, Costa Rica. Without her, our presentation would have definitely been less dynamic, our brainstorming sessions more stale, and our becados would have received a handout with gringo Spanish instead of Cristina’s native influence.

In terms of planning careers, by no means are we experts. But as administrators of the BECA program, we know what we are looking for when a student says, “I want to study X because of Y.” Even if a student’s plan has potential to change, we still want to see one – a set of ideas with reasons supporting it.

To spice up the ideas, participation, and presentation, we included the following in our Module: Guest speakers, group exercises, simulations, and discussions.

While our students rated the Career Plan Module favorably, we really won’t know just how successful our module was until we see what our students submit to us for BECA Intensive. And, even then, until we see how many of you decide to sponsor them!

What does "501(c)3" mean to you?

It probably doesn't mean a lot to you. It means a helluva lot to me, though, and it represents a milestone for BECA.

On February 23rd -- my sister's birthday! -- BECA received a letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) confirming our legal status as non-profit. 501(c)3 refers to the section of the United States Internal Revenue Code under which BECA obtained this exemption.

Here is the proof: IRS Approval Letter.

Why is this important to me? I can think of three reasons.

First, American taxpayers will now be able to deduct their contributions to BECA.

Second, this qualification by the IRS enhances the legitimacy of our organization in the eyes of American donors.

Third, and by far the most important to me, this moment represents a graduation of sorts for BECA. A little idea hatched in my (little?) mind sixteen months ago is now a recognized public charity. There is no turning back and the passion I feel for this project has taken on a whole new dimension. An objective party - not a friend, family member, or poverty activist - has given BECA the green light.

I'm thrilled.

BECA Website Now Speaks Spanish

Okay, I guess a website can't speak, but you know what I mean.

I've always thought BECA was missing out by not reaching out to Spanish-speaking surfers -- not only in Spain, but also to Spanish-speaking expatriates of Central America living in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.


Let's see if they respond.

Why are these people happy?

Introducing our first group of BECA Intensive scholarship recipients:


Top: Elvis (Yes, he is alive and doing well in Masaya, Nicaragua.)

Bottom (left to right): Manuel, Sorania, Francis, Kenia, Claudia, and Maribel.