"Trust your intentions to do something to help others and let your relationships with the community guide you to discover their most important needs.  Using your life gifts (your privileged assets) education, health, and financial to partner with those of the communities. " - Aldo Magazzeni, Traveling Mercies

Over the past seven years, the road to activism in Mexico offered opportunities for Aldo Magazzeni to create relationships with the community at the Tashirat Orphanage and Ixaya School in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico.  The road to Tashirat was guided by his friend, Esther Bissinger, who has been there for almost ten years.  Aldo knew her as a child and now, at the age of 30, she is the principal of the school, house mother to four Mexican orphans, and a leader of new programs to help the special needs children.  Aldo's work has included helping the school lunch program as well as designing and planning a water catchments system and showers for the school students.  Along the road, the need to help the most vulnerable children - - those with special needs - -became a priority.  Today, Traveling Mercies has coordinated a relationship with special education professionals in New Jersey to assist the school to develop a Special Education Program and curriculum.  The Mexican populations in this country are displaced, unable to travel back home and offer help.  So Traveling Mercies has tried to honor this need.

Travel this road with Aldo into Morelos, Mexico through the images, stories and video he has captured. See how you can discover your intentions and apply them somewhere in life to help others.  Everyone has the ability to travel the road to activism and make this world a better, more equal human experience.  

Videoconference Agenda

• Welcome/Introductions
• Presentation by Aldo Magazzeni
• Question and Answer Session
• Final Comments

Pre-Videoconference Activities

• Familiarize Students with the Country: Prior to the videoconference, familiarize students with the country of Mexico (especially the villages we'll be discussing) and Aldo's work there. There are several links under "Resources."
• Prepare Questions: Each site shold generate questions for Aldo prior to the videoconference. Questions should be related to Aldo's experiences in Mexico, his work, or activism in general. As a class, select five. Each site will be able to ask one question as part of the videoconference, but by preparing five we can ensure questions aren't repeated.