This is one of the most exciting moments for the beneficiaries of the Augustinian Recollects’ socio-educational project: after months of work, they present their proposals to the public, evaluated by an external jury made up of professionals and technicians.
On Wednesday, August 21, the VIII edition of the Boys’ Town Technology Fair was held, a socio-educational project that welcomes young people between 12 and 22 years old from disadvantaged backgrounds from all over Costa Rica so that they receive a formal and technical education that allows them to break the cycle of poverty by integrating into society as qualified professionals.
The comprehensive training offered by the Boys’ Town does not only address technical or theoretical issues, but also includes strengthening ingenuity, creativity, problem-solving skills and anticipation of challenges.
Participants in the Technology Fair gain a significant amount of new knowledge that is not acquired in classrooms, workshops or books, but rather through the defense of their own projects and the use of the most up-to-date technological tools.
In this way, when they go to integrate into society, they will not only take with them their professional skills and abilities, but also their attitudes and values that will benefit their work environment and their emotional and family environment.
At the inauguration, the director of the institution, the Augustinian Recollect Jesús María Ramos, indicated that it was a celebration “of ingenuity and effort, a reflection of the long work and dedication of everyone.”
He recalled that it not only reflected the academic and technical effort, but also the deepest lessons learned about teamwork, responsibility, transformative ideas, creativity, and especially the “most important project of all, the project of our own life.”
He compared how life requires the same things as the projects presented at the Technology Fair: a clear vision; a challenging and difficult original idea. “In the same way, our lives are guided by aspirations and dreams. Our task is to define and work to achieve those goals and achieve them.”
The students were motivated by encouraging them to apply in life what they had learned when creating their projects: overcoming obstacles, adjusting solutions, learning from mistakes, tolerating failure, adapting to circumstances, strengthening the desire for improvement and success, and teamwork from a spirit of collaboration.
“Let us adjust our path and strengthen our project,” he advised all those present.
“We feel proud, proud of our institution, proud of our boys, proud because we can make it. Thank you because today has been an excellent day and what we have seen is the success of each of the things that you organized for so long and with so much effort,” said the assistant director of the socio-educational center to the young people at the end of the event.
The VIII Technology Fair awarded three honorable mentions for the best prototype, solution or product and another three for the best collaboration for the environment. Next, there were first, second and third prizes for the categories of Science Fair, Projects presented in English and Expotécnica.
The first prizes will go on to the next stage of the circuit, competing with projects from other Technical Colleges in the region.
