Help me sell a Mexican children's program

August 1, 2024 7:45 PM

I've taken on the task of fund raising for a children's program in Mexico and I need to come up with a way to talk about it that won't cause big cultural stumbles for Americans. Help me be pithy inside.

Okay, I will try to lay it out with all the context that Americans need. I apologize for the length, but how to summarize it in less than 30 words is the problem I'm trying to solve.

We're working with children 6-12 whose families are the working poor. There's no such thing as latchkey kids here and the fact that all of the adults are working presents a real problem. For around USD $10 per week (less if the family can't afford it) this solves that problem and has other benefits as well.

Schools have the 6-12 year kids from 7am to noon. This program picks them up, feeds them lunch, gives them a place to do homework and take showers, teaches English and computer classes, and also teaches the attitudes and cultural knowledge necessary to move from the working poor into the middle class.

It's rare for a school at that end of town to have a computer (and even rarer for it to be in working order), and the families certainly don't have them. If the kids are even going to touch a keyboard this is the only place they'll do it.

Speaking English is an important status symbol here, even in jobs that will never deal with English speakers. Managers speak English, Directors speak better English, and right on up the chain.

Providing showers (and hygiene kits to go with them) is a cultural/practical thing. Temperatures here regularly reach 100°F all year round and there is no air conditioning in schools or homes where they live. It's common to take a shower three times a day.

I think that's it. Without the above context the immediate issues with an American audience are:

1) After school programs are an hour or so long and happen in the later afternoon. Among other things, why would you be serving them lunch?
2) Why are you teaching Mexican children English? Isn't that downright offensive colonialism?
3) Why are you asking for shampoo and toothbrushes for an after school program?
4) What's with the big focus on computers? Kids are smart, they'll pick them up on their own.

So. How do I present the program to an American audience without the long explanation?

To me it seems like part of it would be to cast it as something other than an after school program. Day camp? Expanded schooling?

We're still workshopping this, so any and all suggestions (or points of view for that matter) are very welcome.

posted by Tell Me No Lies to Society & Culture (13 answers total)

You just explained it and answered all those questions, very well, in about five sentences. I would just get used to repeating that information as needed.

You can certainly get a 30-word pitch-- "Our program for grade school children lasts X hours, allowing parents to work full time. We provide lunch, help with schoolwork, and teach English and basic computer skills"-- though I expect people will want a longer explanation before giving money.

I don't think there's a magic term to use, but the key point to get across is that these kids get out of regular school at noon, which is not what US people expect.
posted by zompist at 8:19 PM on August 1 [2 favorites]

"It's an afterschool program that tutors kids 6-12 in (Business) English and computer science, and serves snacks." Their parents are the working poor, so it makes sense the program a) offers pick-up from day school and b) lasts until quitting time.

Like, who are you pitching to? Are you looking for $$ donations or material goods?

I'd leave out the shampoo & toothbrushes, and just plan to buy them.

If you want tech/computers donated, lean on that aspect.
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:33 PM on August 1 [1 favorite]

I agree that "after-school" isn't quite the right fit from an American context. It is striking that the school day ends at noon and there is nothing afterwards - that's not something most Americans will be familiar with. I'll throw out a few ideas that from an American perspective that might be a better term, feel free to play with these:
extended school day, academic leadership program, youth leadership program, youth academic program, pre-college program, preparatory program, preparatory pre-college program, preparatory academic youth program, afternoon youth leadership program.

As for your questions, I think people will just ask those questions and you should have some canned answers for each. The American programs I'm familiar with that are called "youth academic" or "youth leadership" definitely do the things you describe, including hygiene, homework help, computers and lunch. That doesn't mean that all Americans will understand it, but more will if you choose one of those terms.
posted by Toddles at 8:56 PM on August 1 [1 favorite]

A couple of possible 30-word descriptions:

[Program] provides after-school care for kids with poor working parents, including a meal and education to help them move into the middle class – computers, English, new attitudes and cultural knowledge.

This doesn't explain the need for shampoo and toothbrushes, but if you're asking for money to support the program, donors don't need to know in detail exactly what supplies you need to run it, just what the benefits are. I don't think people will think it's that strange that you're feeding the kids. They may assume they aren't always well fed at home. I don't think most Americans would question the value of classes in computers or English. Many people around the world speak English in business situations. If anything, we Americans probably overestimate how important it is to know English. And it's easy for people to imagine all kinds of useful computer-related information kids could be learning.

After school ends at noon, kids of poor working parents come to [Program] for a meal, a shower, homework space and lessons to help them move into the middle class.

This better explains the need for the meal. It could raise questions about the showers but I think most people would assume that if you're providing showers it's because the kids need them and they wouldn't get too hung up on why that it is.
posted by Redstart at 9:29 PM on August 1 [3 favorites]

Instead of calling it an after school program, what about calling it a kid’s community center? It sounds like it has a lot of the resources American community centers often have, just with a more limited age range and transport services. I’d maybe focus on the location itself and helping the building be safe and full of things the kids can access and use (computers, helpful adults, hygiene kits, plumbing in good repair, quiet clean spaces) rather than the program which is less tangible. (Also, Americans freaking love getting their name on a brick or a plaque or something, lots of ways to appeal to the ego with a physical location.)
posted by Mizu at 10:28 PM on August 1 [1 favorite]

I like how you explained it to us by presenting the problem and then showing how you provide a meaningful solution. This lets potential donors see that you're not just offering a program because you think it would be nice; you're helping to fulfill a specific need that the community has. Something like: "School ends at noon in [city], and working poor parents have no safe place for their kids to go. Our afternoon program for kids 6-12 lets the parents work while we provide transportation, food, homework help, language and computer classes, and teaches the tools they need to move to the middle class."

There are some details eluded there, but that's fine for the initial general pitch. Specifics like the showers or which meal you're serving aren't important; the important part is that there's a problem and you're addressing it by providing kids with care, education, and tools they need to succeed in life.
posted by zachlipton at 11:13 PM on August 1 [5 favorites]

I work for a US-based nonprofit that does similar work. You've gotten good responses here so far, and I think it's valuable to hear from people who aren't hip-deep in our lingo. I'd be happy to review any materials you've developed so far (and help in any other useful way) if you'd like to MeMail me.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 3:13 AM on August 2 [4 favorites]

Yes, when you got to the part where it's called an "after school" program, I immediately understood why the whole set of those points would be issues even though technically it's an accurate term. My kid's school calls their program "extended day" instead of "after school" to emphasize a similar distinction, and I think that's probably more the vibe you're going for in terms of setting expectations. Since you're not directly affiliated with the school, perhaps just "day"? "School ends at noon, leaving families with no afternoon support. Our day program provides..." Individual things will still get debated, but hopefully by fewer people if visions of "an hour or two of lightly supervised playtime" aren't leading a bunch of them astray.
posted by teremala at 3:46 AM on August 2 [1 favorite]

I think you're overthinking this - I think you've already gotten a good script for describing it briefly, and then if people ask questions practice some brief answers:

1. "School ends at around lunchtime, and so when the kids arrive they are hungry - and we all know it's hard to learn on an empty stomach."

2. "English is a valued skill for many career paths within Mexico. Working class Mexicans who speak English are more likely to be able to enter the middle class, and that's our goal for these children."

3. "It's a very hot climate - it often hits 100 all year round! It's common to shower more than once here. Similar to your local gym, we want to make sure the kids have a place to rinse off if they need to." (I might not mention the toothpaste/toothbrushes - these can't be a big line item anyway)

4. "The kids in our program don't have computers at home - if they're going to learn about tech, it will need to be in this program."

You might consider putting together a little illustrated booklet/flier about the program.
posted by coffeecat at 6:22 AM on August 2 [1 favorite]

Have people actually asked you these questions, or are you assuming that they would? None of these parts raised flags with me. Snacks/meals, computer skills, hygiene supports are all pretty standard for these types of programs even in the US if even some of the kids are from poorer backgrounds. Unless you've had a lot of folks raise issues with this, I would assume that you could paint a (respectful) picture of the neighborhood you're working in and a description of your services and allow folks to connect the dots. Maybe you could include an FAQ resource outlining the need for these, but I don't know that I'd try to address all of this upfront.

Have you considered telling stories about some of the kids who have gotten a lot out of the program? ie 'Lucia didn't have a computer at home or at school but she was able to use one at our program and now she's gone on to university at xyz city. She is hoping to pursue a career in xyz' or 'Miguel used our program to learn English and now he's the manager at xyz hotel. He's so excited that this income has allowed him to pay for xyz improvements to his mother's home" Important to be thoughtful about this, easy to verge into poverty porn.
posted by ambulanceambiance at 6:40 AM on August 2 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I appreciate the advice on the wider pitch, but at the moment we are focused on the 30 words that are going to get people read the rest of it.

In fact, it would be better to describe the program in 10 words, leaving 20 to provide the hook.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:19 AM on August 2

A few more ideas:

School ends at noon. Your parents work but you need lunch and supervision. To move out of poverty you need computer skills, English and new ideas. You need [Program.]

School ends at noon. Your parents work. Where do you go? [Program] provides supervision, lunch, homework space, showers, even computer skills and English kids need to move out of poverty.

[Program] is an after-school space where kids of working parents stay for up to six hours, with food, showers, and education in skills kids need to move out of poverty.

posted by Redstart at 3:36 PM on August 2 [2 favorites]

I like Redstart's scripts. The program isn't just academic it's a social program, so it's important that this aspect isn't left out.
posted by mxjudyliza at 1:08 PM on August 3