Ko’ox Kambal means Let’s Learn in Mayan language. This 3 month program is directed to artisans in Mexico and their social and business development. These courses aim to work the artisans soft and hard skills. At the moment there are over 180 artisans registered in the pilot program. These programs are held in three different villages through the Yucatán state in Mexico, this to ensure access to artisans that live in different areas and have a greater reach and impact. The three villages are Izamal, Valladolid and Teabo. Each village has an attendance of 60-80 artisans. One of the courses is given in the native Mayan language, to be inclusive with the artisans that can only speak Mayan (there are translators on site to guide them and ensure their learning throughout the process in the rest of the courses).
To work on their personal development we include soft skill courses that involve nutrition (due to the fact that Yucatán has the highest index of obesity and cardiovascular diseases in Mexico), team work, effective communication and empowerment (due to the high index of domestic violence in the state and specifically in indigenous populations.) and personal finances. The inclusion of these courses comes from observation and their necessities that we have found by working with them over the years.
In the hard skills courses, we are offering specific design, tendencies, semiotics, tailoring, confection among others in an effort to perfect their skills and give them a better understanding on how to build their own garments and to better the quality of these so they are able to have a higher income.
We believe that in order to have a social and economic development, it is crucial to include both soft and hard skills in the program, this way artisans can learn valuable skills that enhance their communication and social interactions and ease their daily life and development.
For the pilot program of Ko’ox Kambal 2020 the Secretary of Government (SEGOB) through the Casa de Artesanías de Yucatán (House of Artisans) is involved by the facilitation of transport to the artisans of nearby villages to the official village venues for the courses and the distribution of supplies and materials needed for some of the courses.
All the courses are given by leading professionals in their respective area to ensure that learning takes place.
The Ko'ox Kambal 2020 program has been postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
