RCE Borderlands Mexico-USA - 2018

CURRENT PROJECT 11. Interactive Library, Community Center and Living Lab in Collaboration with the Municipal Presidency in Bachíniva, Chihuahua México
Basic Information
Title of project : 
CURRENT PROJECT 11. Interactive Library, Community Center and Living Lab in Collaboration with the Municipal Presidency in Bachíniva, Chihuahua México
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Borderlands México-USA
Contributing organization(s) : 
1) Municipal Presidency of Bachíniva, Chihuahua
Avenida Zaragoza S/N
Barrio Centro
Bachíniva, Chihuahua
31660 México

2) Municipal Library "Jesús Antonio Almeida"
Calle Zaragoza S/N
Col. Centro
Bachíniva, Chihuahua
31660 México
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Honorable Municipal President Viviana Altamirano Cárdenas
Organizational Affiliation: 
Municipal Presidency of Bachíniva, Chihuahua
Name: 
Honorable Alderwoman Linda Lizette Avitia Acosta
Organizational Affiliation: 
Municipal Presidency of Bachíniva, Chihuahua
Name: 
Librarian Valeria Enríquez
Organizational Affiliation: 
Bachíniva Municipal Library
Name: 
Prof. Dr. Carolina López C.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación Inc.
Format of project: 
Library restoration, conversion to a Living Lab, Demonstration Site, and Social Center, PPTs, Workshops, Publications, Policy Recommendations Studies
Language of project: 
Spanish
Date of submission:
Monday, October 22, 2018
Agenda 2030
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
UN Sustainable Development Goals
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Ley Estatal de Bibliotecas - Congreso de Chihuahua
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Subnational
Ley de desarrollo rural integral sustentable para el Estado de Chihuahua
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Subnational
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Americas
Country: 
Mexico
Location(s): 
Bachíniva, Chihuahua México
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Municipal Library "Jesús Antonio Almeida"
Calle Zaragoza S/N
Col. Centro
Bachíniva, Chihuahua
31660 México
Target Audience:
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Bachíniva is one of the 67 municipalities of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico. The municipal seat lies in Bachíniva town. The municipality covers an area of 1,691.9 km².

The 2010 Census notes a total population in the municipality of 6,011, down from 7,242 in 2005.
As of 2010, Bachíniva town had a population of 2,109. The municipality has 13 smaller communities, with the largest being El Porvenir, which registered a population of 1071 individuals in 2010. The Bachíniva Municipality is classified as rural.

Founded in 1660 by the Order de San Francis of Assisi, the town was originally named Santa María de Nativitas de Bachimba; the name was later changed to the current Bachíniva.
Bachíniva is self-named the Apple Paradise, as it is home to many apple orchards. A large number of the jobs in the municipality come from these orchards (WP. Accessed 9-11-18).
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
° Economic revitalization
° Attention to local children and youth
° Creating quality jobs in licit economic activities
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
September, 2018
Rationale: 
As in many rural areas worldwide, Bachíniva, Chihuahua would benefit greatly from attention to the children, the youth, the families and the elderly living in the Municipality. The current local government aims to re-design the Municipal Library in order to attend to the aforementioned and to all segments of their population.

Among the myriad development challenges, we intend a) to provide holistic human development and, b) to work toward local economic revitalization through workshops, courses and other activities designed to train and support entrepreneurship throughout the various communities in Bachíniva Municipality.

Through the two-pronged approach of a) holistic human development and, b) local economic revitalization, Bachíniva is set to evolve day-by-day into a fully sustainable and inclusive community.
Objectives: 
Through this Project we aim to:

° Revitalize the Bachíniva Municipal Library, and to create a Living Lab and a Social Center to work with the children, youth, their parents, the elderly and other community members
° Create a legally binding agreement designed to protect the Library project after the current presidential period has concluded for the enjoyment and enrichment of future generations
° Give priority attention to children, youth and families in order to sensitize them to their locality and to their natural environment
° Instill values concerning family, community, environment, a love for the Bachíniva locality, history and culture
° Increase the Library’s holdings by adding a Virtual Library
° Create a Demonstration Site and a Greenhouse for Biointensive Organic Agriculture adjacent to the Library premises. People will learn to plant, care for, harvest and cook and conserve produce from the site. Families will be able to take produce home in exchange for volunteer time at the garden. Additional fresh and preserved produce will be sold to locals and tourists.
° Offer workshops for art, dance, English, computation, environmental science, as well as offering assistance with school homework for children and youth
° Instill a sense of belonging and community integration
° Teach children to socialize, and to learn the value of hard work and effort
° Develop creativity, sensitivity, psychosocial skills, interpretation and imagination in children, youth and adults
° Increase children’s self-esteem, sense of worth and sense of agency
° Create a setting which lends itself to healthy physical, mental and emotional development of all children and youth, motivating them to create a better tomorrow when they can live their dreams
° Change the vision of the Bachíniva children and youth, so they will envision themselves beyond the reach of criminality, vices and addiction
° Empower children and youth so they can transform their dreams into reality
° Encourage healthy interaction among children, youth, their families and their community; strengthen the values of work and family unity
° Create licit sources of employment for Bachíniva youth and adults
° Organize a yearly event, ‘The Bachíniva Municipal Fair’ to celebrate reading, where exhibitions and workshops will be offered; paintings, arts and crafts, fruits, vegetables, honey, cheese, candy, local wines and beers will be exhibited and sold.
° Procure yearly funding for these projects in order to replicate them in the smaller communities of Bachíniva Municipality
° Create a network youth and adult volunteers to help implement these projects
° Involve parents and relatives in activities dedicated to children and youth
° Enable mobile unit providing services to smaller communities in Bachíniva Municipality
° Develop and advertise a tour highlighting the historical, natural, cultural and economic richness of Bachíniva Municipality. This will help bring awareness and pride to the local population; it will show tourists the beauty of Bachíniva, and it will bring in revenue based on the tours and the local businesses that support it.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
° Utilize the Municipal Library as the central point from which to provide specialized attention to the diverse demographic segments making up the Bachíniva population
° Attend to the special needs of the elderly, and of families
° Provide holistic formative education, activities and opportunities for children and youth throughout the Municipality
° Offer formative courses, workshops and activities designed to aid in the holistic integration of children and youth
° Offer small business training to help residents create self-sustaining livelihoods
° Create a Biointensive Organic Agriculture Demonstration Site adjacent to the Library where community members will 1) learn about organic agriculture, about water issues and about the soils, 2) tend to the demonstration site from the onset to the harvesting of produce from the collective site
° Learn about nutrition
° Volunteers at the site will be able to take home produce to help ensure the healthy diet of their family members
° Participants will learn to conserve and to sell the products harvested from the demonstration. This will serve further serve as contextual material through which basic business skills can be taught and acquired
Size of academic audience: 
1) Approximately 13,000 people throughout the Municipality. 2) An unknown number of readers, teachers and others who will make use of the published materials arising from the project.
Results: 
° Hope
° Vision
° Community members know that they are attend to, heard and valued
° Small business plans are made by many community members and families
° Those launching small businesses know that they are supported by the Municipality and by the larger community as they embark on their business venture
° The sense of pride and belonging are increased through participation in the myriad programs and activities offered through the library, the social center and the Living Lab
° People learn about sustainable agriculture. They further learn how to convert the fruits of their work into money-making products to be sold locally and beyond
° The revitalization of the local economy will gradually provide more employment for community members. It will help to retain the youth in the region as they find more opportunities for gainful work
Lessons learned: 
° It is important for people to know the history of their community, to have a sense of pride, of belonging and of rootedness
° Holistic integrated psycho social development must be an integral part of sustainable development if we wish for our projects to succeed
° Economic revitalization at the local level helps to retain youth in rural areas
Key messages: 
° When holding political office, we must remember that attending to ALL of our people is of utmost importance
° Special attention needs to be given to ensure the holistic formation of our children and our youth
° Local economic revitalization is of primary importance for the wellbeing of all, and for the retention of youth in our communities
° Close attention must be paid to the needs of the elderly
° Instilling a sense of knowledge, pride and belonging increases the sense of psycho-social wellbeing of individuals and of the community in general, knowing that it is possible to have a bright future without having to leave the area.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
The Bachíniva Interactive Library and Living Lab Project is closely linked to 'CURRENT PROJECT 10. “Agriculture and Evolution” Bio-intensive Organic Agriculture Demonstration Site in Bachíniva, Chihuahua México'. In addition, both projects form part of RCE BMU's Sustainability Corridor, which runs through Western Central Chihuahua State.
Funding: 
° A small Municipal budget allotment
° Tours
° Sale of fresh and conserved local produce, manufactured products and arts and crafts
° Charge a small sum to children and families attending activities
° Bachíniva Municipal Fair (Annual- October)
° Obtain support from the business sector to cover the cost of materials
° Charge for training workshops and courses
° Seek funding support from the Mennonite community
° Apply for funding support from foundations, from the Rotary Club and other potential sponsors

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon 1. Vivi. Visita EEUU a Biblioteca. 14-11-18.jpeg (56.35 KB) Honorable Municipal President Viviana Altamirano Cárdenas presenting the "Interactive Library, Community Center and Living Lab Proposal" to distinguished guests from Las Cruces, New Mexico USA. Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación Inc.
Image icon 2. Liz. Visita EEUU en Biblioteca.jpeg (67.94 KB) Honorable Alderwoman Linda Lizette Avitia Acosta attending to distinguished guests from Las Cruces, New Mexico USA. Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación Inc
Image icon 3. Futbol. Bachíniva.jpg (88.64 KB) Healthy living! Municipal authorities at a children’s football-soccer game in San Blas, Bachíniva. Linda Lizette Avitia Acosta
Image icon 4. Asilo. Bachíniva.jpg (86.97 KB) Celebrating May 10 with the elderly at 'The Angel’s Cloister, Love without Limits Inc.' Linda Lizette Avitia Acosta
Image icon 5. With our distinguished guests from Las Cruces, New Mexico USA..jpg (36.12 KB) Group photo with the delegation from Las Cruces, New Mexico USA. Linda Lizette Avitia Acosta
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Direct
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Direct
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Direct
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Direct
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Direct
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Direct
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Indirect
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Direct
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Indirect
Theme
Disaster Risk Reduction 
Indirect
Traditional Knowledge  
Indirect
Agriculture 
Direct
Arts 
Direct
Curriculum Development 
Direct
Ecotourism 
Direct
Forests/Trees 
Direct
Plants & Animals 
Direct
Waste 
Indirect
Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development – Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Building capacities of educators and trainers 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 4 - Empowering and mobilizing youth 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
Direct
Update: 
No