COLORING THE WORLD IN 2023-2024: THE PULSERA PROJECT'S YEAR-END REVIEW
Welcome to The Pulsera Project's 2023-2024 Year End Review!
Please Note: This past year we changed our fiscal year to align with the school year, so our year-end is now June 30th, rather than December 31. This Year End Review covers the period from July 1 2023 - June 30 2024.
The last school year was one of ups and downs for the project – we worked with more returning schools than ever, started exciting new collaborations in Central America and the U.S., and deepened the connections we have with the artisans and communities we work with. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of teacher and student volunteers, the project’s mission continues.
However, this year also brought its share of challenges – for the first time in the project’s fifteen-year history, schools struggled to sell as many pulseras. This was true even after, following feedback from a number of students and teachers, we lowered prices back to $5.
After conversations with a number of schools hosting sales, we sympathize with a few common problems schools have faced since the Covid pandemic – student participation in clubs is down, there are more obstacles to hosting sales, and in general many people are simply burnt out from the last few years.
While none of these problems are simple to resolve, we maintain our “siempre adelante” spirit and look forward to a new school year with a multitude of new resources for classes and schools, including an updated website, promotional materials, cashless payment, and much more.
THE PROJECT MISSION
The Pulsera Project continues to focus on developing our three core components:
1) Creating meaningful employment for Central Americans
2) Educating U.S. students through pulsera sales
3) Investing proceeds in Central American communities
OUR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE MODEL
The Pulsera Project’s social enterprise model is unique because our project is based on solidarity and mutual benefit – U.S. students help create opportunity in Central America through pulsera sales while also learning about the artisans and communities whom their sales benefit. Teachers travel to Central America to learn from the leaders of the groups we collaborate with and those artisans also learn about the U.S. student enthusiasm and where their pulseras end up.
By weaving pulsera sales into an educational program we can provide opportunities for Central Americans while also educating thousands of U.S. students about fair trade, Central American culture, and global citizenship.
We encourage students to open their hearts to care about others but we also encourage students to open their minds to the amazing diversity of ideas and perspectives in our world. This win-win model is the magic of The Pulsera Project.
The Artisans of Guatemala & Nicaragua
It has been another wonderful year hanging out with and developing meaningful relationships with Pulsera Project artisans. Prior to the pandemic, we had long standing friendships with artisans, some as long as 10+ years. Over the years, we saw them mature, become parents or grandparents, and we accompanied many of them through life's joys and challenges.
This changed during COVID, driven with the transition to becoming more rooted in Guatemala. New relationships replaced the old, and so, initiated a process of getting to know one another, sharing fresh smiles, tears and laughter. Much of this year was spent learning through workshops, inventing new pulsera styles, exploring nature and eating lots of ice cream together!
We’ve also, sadly, bid farewell to dear artisans who’ve migrated to Costa Rica, Germany, and the U.S. - all for different reasons. We wish them the best of luck as they struggle to build new lives as immigrants in foreign lands and cultures. Meanwhile, other artisans have left the project upon graduating college and have begun careers as doctors, social workers, merchants and artists. We wish them all the best too!!!
Even with those losses, the number of artisans has grown to an all-time high of 217 people who received a total of $235,375 in income and benefits such as housing projects, writing workshops, seed capital, emergency support, etc. in 2023-204.
Educational Program in the U.S.
NEW CHANGES
After hearing feedback from dozens of teachers, students, and volunteers, we made the decision to lower our prices back to $5 after a year of selling them for $7. Though various factors influenced our decision, the biggest was that more students could participate in the project at the $5 price point while also generating maximum employment in Central America.
Despite this, for the first time in project history the average number of pulseras sold per school dropped. We know there are many reasons driving the lower averages – teacher and student burnout from COVID, restrictions on outside fundraisers, smaller club sizes, the rise of cashless transactions, and more, but we are working on new resources for this next school year that will hopefully help make sales easier and more fun for everyone involved.
As we focus more on the quality of our educational program, we released a new Pulsera101 professional development unit that explores all the ways to maximize the project’s impact in classrooms. We plan on expanding our resources for teachers in the coming year, to provide yet more tools to make pulsera sales engaging for students.
NEW COLLABORATIONS
We’re excited to announce new collaborations with organizations that share our values and mission to expand language and cultural education around the US. Here’s a short list of some of our newest partners:
JNCL-NCLIS – as of 2024, we are proud to be members of the largest language education advocacy group in the country. Project co-founder Chris Howell worked with others in the educational space to lobby members of Congress for language education support, and we look forward to contributing to their mission for many years to come. As part of JNCL-NCLIS’s programming this year, pulsera team member Jillian Bonner participated in a great panel discussion about the value of language learning and cultural exchange.
Sigma Delta Pi – founded in 1919, Sigma Delta Pi is the largest honors society for Spanish learners at the college level. We have worked with SDP to develop custom pulseras for their members, and look forward to other collaborations in the future.
AATSP – we continue to partner with the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, sponsoring several scholarships for the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica and the Sociedad Hispanica de Amistad. Chris Howell participated in an online forum about the future of language entrepreneurship in February 2024.
Vista Higher Learning – this past year, we partnered with Vista Higher Learning’s college division to sell over 5,000 pulseras. Additionally, Vista has sponsored two teachers for all-expense paid trips to Guatemala, bringing teachers down to Central America to meet and learn from our artisans and partner organizations. We look forward to continuing our collaboration, and are hoping to bring members of the Vista team down to Guatemala in the coming year to explore new ways we can collaborate.
NSE – We are extremely grateful to the National Spanish Exam, who through the direction of Lisa Greenman sponsored two slots on our summer teacher trip to Guatemala in 2023.
Language Connects Forum – Chris Howell participated in a panel for LCF’s student ambassador program in July and we look forward to working more with LCF in the future!
SCHOOL COLLABORATIONS
The Pulsera Project’s mission would not be possible without the volunteer efforts of thousands of teachers and students across the U.S. each year, whose pulsera sales create meaningful employment for artisans in Central America and raise funds that generate impact and support programs in Guatemala and Nicaragua, all while learning about social impact, solidarity, fair trade, and global citizenship in the classroom.
Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, we were extremely fortunate to work with 364 schools in the Fall/Winter semester of 2023, and 462 schools in Winter/Spring semester of 2024, representing a total of 826 pulsera sales, each one a labor of love brought to life by the enthusiasm and hard work of the classes, clubs, and school communities that dedicate their time to the project.
Some schools sold for the 14th time, while we also welcomed 255 schools that hosted pulsera events for the first time. We appreciate every single student, teacher, and volunteer that purchased a pulsera or helped in any form along the way.
In total, the Pulsera Project has now collaborated with 3,880 schools in all 50 states, and with the help of many multi-year school partnerships, 7,633 Pulsera Project school events have been hosted by students and teachers since 2009.
In the 2023-2024 school year, teachers and student volunteers raised a total of $657,516 through pulsera sales in 826 schools, which includes money from sales that took place in 2022-2023 but where payment was not received until the following school year. The Pulsera Project additionally received $5,678 in donations in 2023-2024.
Scenes from pulsera sales around the country in 2023-2024.
THE U.S. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
This year, we focused on providing more resources to teachers to better implement our educational materials in their classroom. Over fifty teachers took the Pulsera 101 professional development unit, and we look forward to providing more PD in the future as well.
We also were so excited to develop a reader with Jennifer Degenhardt, featuring both the life story and artwork of one of the project’s artisans. We’re looking forward to creating more content based on the lives and experiences of our artisans in years to come.
The "Raíces" Reader and our new professional development unit were highlights of the educational program this year.
TEACHER PARTNERSHIPS & CONFERENCES
Once again this year we were grateful to have the generous support of nearly a dozen teachers who represented The Pulsera Project at state & regional conferences across the U.S. to share the project with their colleagues.
There are no better representatives of the project than the people who have led their own successful pulsera sales year-after-year, and this year we’re immensely grateful to Hannah Joseph, Porsha Prudencio, Yajaira Diaz, Mara Malafronte, Colleen Vallin, Jessica White, Charlotte Lawton, Krista Wyrick, Maureen Holbrook, Erin McGovern, Heather Winkler, Carrie Grooms, Joy Vigil, and Olivia Bradley for taking the time out of their busy schedules to spread the word for us.
On top of state conferences where we were represented by teachers from across the country, our U.S. staff of Colin, Chris, and Jillian attended regional conferences at SWCOLT, NECTFL, SCOLT, AATSP, and Central States.
The Pulsera Project was also so lucky to collaborate with Jennifer Degenhart of Puentes Language, who wrote & published a reader based around the life of pulsera artisan Hector, who is part of our partner organization IMAP in Guatemala. The reader has been a hit with teachers, who can access it for free in both a PDF and audio version thanks to Puentes. Physical copies can also be purchased online anywhere books are sold.
Enormous gratitude to all of the teachers who devoted time to representing The Pulsera Project at state foreign language conferences throughout 2023 and 2024.
TEACHER TRIP TO GUATEMALA
An absolute highlight of the year was our annual teacher trip to Guatemala which saw us bring down an amazing group of educators to see the artisan groups, social impact partners, and community initiatives at the heart of the project’s work in Central America, all against the beautiful backdrops of Lake Atitlan and Antigua where many of our partner organizations are located.
Not only do our teacher trips serve as an opportunity for teachers to see firsthand the work they’ve supported through their pulsera sales, but the trips also function as a think-tank of sorts, where new ideas are born through animated conversations & exchanges about improving the classroom experience. Teachers from a wide range of school communities share their unique perspectives throughout the trip in a way that always sparks new ideas for the new school year ahead.
We’d also like to specifically thank Vista Higher Learning and the National Spanish Examination, who both sponsored spots on this year’s trip — these sponsored slots are a game-changer in making the trip accessible to teachers who have poured their hearts into the project over the years.
Social Impact
This year the project invested $389,452 towards our Employment and Impact programs in Central America, including $84,180 in artisan benefits and donations to partner organizations achieving impact in the communities they work.
For the first time since COVID, we revived our long-standing Housing Program with new artisans in Guatemala. A group from the Cojolya collective in Santiago de Atitlan received as much as $2,800 apiece to make additions, improvements or repairs to their family’s home - one of the most immediate and integral ways to contribute to a family’s well-being.
Here’s a list of all inspiring organizations we supported in 2023-2024.
Asociación de Personas con Discapacidad de Santiago de Atitlán (ADISA) - An admirable organization dedicated to inclusion and integration of people with disabilities through capacity building, creation of job opportunities and increasing social awareness. This year we helped subsidize community services in mental health, physiotherapy and entrepreneurship, as well as, finance the purchase of new equipment and other general operating expenses.
Aj Quen - An extraordinary organization that for many years has promoted and practiced fair trade in Guatemala. We supported their operations and provided working capital for three groups of artisans in different parts of the country.
Artexco - A cooperative that supports artisan groups and fellow cooperatives achieving Fair Trade standards. We had the opportunity to support the improvement of the cooperative's infrastructure and artisan support.
Asociación Sololateca de Mujeres para el Desarrollo Integral (ASOMUJERDI) - A group of super inspiring young women who work tirelessly for the empowerment of indigenous women through the right to communication and access to education. We are pleased to support the improvement of community radio conditions, a scholarship program and part of the organization's administrative expenses.
Asociación Generando Equidad, Liderazgo y Oportunidades (ASOGEN) - A women's organization with a long history in defending the rights of survivors of gender-based violence. We supported a group of young women university students and helped with general operating expenses.
Circula - A one of a kind, alternative leadership program that is rooted in restorative practices and collaborative dialogue. Their mission is to facilitate the transformation of leaders willing to grow personally and professionally in order to increase their impact in Central America. This year we financed a leadership program and a series of workshops to benefit local artisans in Antigua, Guatemala.
Creamos - A community led project located in one of Guatemala City’s most precarious neighborhoods. Serving women and families that have historically worked in the informal economy of the municipal dump, their aim is to provide continued education and workforce development as a means to find more secure employment in the formal sector, as well as, provide emotional support and supplementary income through their artisan social enterprise. With the grant provided by us this year, they created a day care center to encourage and support mothers interested in participating in their various programs.
Cojolya - One of the most impressive and experienced fair trade organizations we have come across. They improve the quality of life of artisans through the commercialization of artisan products of extraordinary quality. We are delighted to contribute part of their operating expenses and fund a housing program for artisans and their families.
Institute for Central America Studies (ICAS) - Supports the management of 4 after-school educational centers that are recognized for creating young leaders, especially young women, who conduct themselves with admirable confidence and self-esteem. Our support funds scholarships and general operations.
Instituto Mesoamericano de Permacultura (IMAP) - Teaches and promotes sustainable agricultural practices based on ancestral knowledge and the empowerment of communities. This year we financed a community garden at a local primary school and contributed to the operating expenses and improvement of the organization's infrastructure.
Raiz Che - An emerging initiative led by young people who organized themselves to offer economic empowerment opportunities to women in rural Guatemala. We supported them with funds for the acquisition of equipment for their operations and sponsored team building activities for their group.
Waricha - A group of enthusiastic young people who learn and share about gender, migration and health topics. Together we developed a scholarship program for university studies, and we supported their administrative expenses and the development of a training program.
Just a few of our amazing artisan partner groups in Guatemala -- Adisa, Asomujerdi, Asogen, and Artexco.
Pulsera Project Operations
At left, recipients of a Pulsera Project housing program grant and at right a student garden program at IMAP permaculture farm.
U.S. OPERATIONS
The Pulsera Project’s U.S. operations continue to be based in Charleston, SC, and we’ve now retained our original three-person crew for over a decade. We’re proud to have kept our team small throughout almost a dozen years of tremendous growth.
Together, Jillian, Colin, and Chris handle all the ins-and-outs of pulsera partnerships with schools, juggling everything from emails and educational content creation, to shipping pulsera boxes, accounting, meeting frequently with the team in Central America, social media, website design, counting through hundreds of thousands of pulseras each year, and envisioning plans for The Pulsera Project’s future.
CENTRAL AMERICAN OPERATIONS
Just when we thought we were due for a normal year, life and politics threw us another curveball. Guatemala held national elections in 2023 and things went awry. Between July 2023 and January 2024, the whole country was on edge while they waited to see if the president-elect would assume office or the country would diverge into crisis.
During that time, civic and indigenous leaders organized civil protests and blockades to demand that democracy was upheld. All the while, our team was unable to visit in-person with artisans and organizations in Guatemala, in part because limited transportation made it nearly impossible, and also, most of our partners were busy leading their communities in a time of peril. We have the utmost respect for these people, their continued resistance in the face of adversity, and their unwavering commitment to the cause of the greater good.
Nonetheless, we still made the most of our time in Guatemala once the dust settled. We also had a very productive year in Nicaragua - visiting with artisans, conducting workshops and sharing adventures together.
Jorge chatting with leaders from the weaving groups Cojola and Adisa
Skarlette and Evan, receiving a large batch of leather pulseras from Artexco.
PROJECT ADMINISTRATION & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
In 2023-2024, as in previous years, salaries were paid to Team Pulsera to operate the educational and artisan programs, but volunteer board members still dedicated substantial time to support the thousands of teachers and students who also volunteer their time and effort to the project.
A huge part of the board’s work this past year was continuing to navigate The Pulsera Project’s post-COVID financial situation, and working in tandem with the U.S. and Central American Staff to come up with actionable strategies that could keep the project viable & thriving into the future.
Board members meet monthly to handle general project administration, organize meetings and activities, discuss and provide guidance for financial decisions, and evaluate and recommend social impact investments in their work with staff and the Investment Committee.
ADELANTE IN THE COMING YEAR
As we look back on the last few years, one lesson stands above them all – the importance of making and building relationships that help us weather the storms. Though we can sometimes face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, as our teacher and artisan friends can attest, the spirit of collaboration and solidarity that has driven this project forward continues to benefit countless individuals across borders between the U.S. and Central America.
We are grateful for the partnerships that have sustained us for the past 15 years, and look forward to strengthening those ties of friendship as we forge new ones in the year ahead.
Lots of love,
The Pulsera Project Team
Nicaragua/Guatemala Staff
Evan Durand
Jorge Francisco Morales
Skarlette Bermudez
U.S. Staff
Chris Howell
Colin Crane
Jillian Bonner
U.S. Board of Directors
Cathy McCauley
Daniela Guerrero
Sue Patterson
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The Pulsera Project By the Numbers in 2023-2024
Artisans Employed: ~217
Artisans and household members: ~1,061
School Collaborations: 826
Pulseras purchased: 153,570
Total 2023-2024 Sales: $657,516
Total Donations: $5,678
Money spent on fundraising: $0
Total invested in artisan benefits, donations, and collaborations: $84,180
Artisan Income and Training: $235,375
Total invested/spent in Nicaragua/Guatemala: $389,452
Year, Number of Participating Schools, and Sales
2009.....27......$39,999
2010......61.....$108,960
2011.....183....$225,775
2012.....271....$332,400
2013.....470....$473,580
2014.....450....$463,460
2015.....566....$650,900
2016….594….$680,376
2017….837….$955,785
2018….909….$973,243
2019....1,035...$1,067,734
2020.... 343.....$283,703
2021.....369.....$323,277
2022.....692.....$787,092
2023.....481.....$539,560 (Jan 1 - June 30, half year due to change in fiscal year)
2023-2024 School Year.....826.......$657,516 (July 1st 2023 - June 30th 2024)
Total................$7,495,349
As a non-profit organization, The Pulsera Project's annual tax return is public information. You can see tax returns at www.guidestar.org.