Programs in Action
Volunteers Introduce SEGUNDO PASO Program to Eight Baja, Mexico, Schools
When two educators from Atlanta, Georgia spent a school break in Cabo San Lucas, they were doing far more than enjoying sunny Mexican hospitality. They were volunteering with a local foundation to help introduce the SEGUNDO PASO program (the Spanish-language version of the SECOND STEP program) into eight area schools.
Using three SEGUNDO PASO kits, Michael Carpenter, Ph.D., student assistance coordinator for Cobb County Schools, and his colleague, Luisa Resendiz, administrator at Campbell Middle School, introduced such topics as empathy, impulse control, and emotion management to more than 125 parents and 100 teachers. Cecilia and Ines Avalos, a mother-daughter team who reside in Cabo San Lucas, were instrumental in organizing the American effort and worked alongside Luisa and Mike to facilitate the training. Having been recently trained in SECOND STEP in San Diego, Cecilia and Ines hoped to offer ongoing training and support to the participating schools.
The American duo came at the behest of Patricia Green Pratt, a resident of Houston who owns several properties in Cabo and saw a strong need to address a high level of child and spousal abuse in the Los Cabos area, which encompasses the popular resort city of Cabo San Lucas.
Mrs. Pratt, along with her husband Arthur, recently established the Green Scholarship Program as a living memorial for her parents, Milton and Doris Green. Although the foundation’s priority is to offer college scholarships to students who will then remain in the South Baja Peninsula area, Ms. Pratt was aware that familial abuse can dramatically affect school success, and she wanted to do something to ensure that the students she was providing scholarships for would be able to take full advantage of their education.
The name “SEGUNDO PASO” means “second step” in Spanish. For these students, the SEGUNDO PASO program might also be a “first step” toward a college education.