Weaving Community Between Para la Naturaleza and the Instituto Nueva Escuela

On May 15, 2025, a deeply inspiring collaborative gathering took place between Para la Naturaleza and the Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE). This meeting fostered an exchange of knowledge and wove new possibilities for integrating Montessori pedagogy into educational practices within Para la Naturaleza’s offerings.

The workshop included participation from interpreters across all regions of the organization, as well as coordinators, tree nursery staff, the Ecological Culture Unit, Ecodetour, and the Executive Office. This rich diversity of perspectives nourished a space for collective reflection, in which key principles of the Montessori method were explored—such as profound respect for childhood, autonomy as an everyday practice, and the role of the adult as a guide rather than a transmitter of content.

The gathering was accompanied by wellness dynamics, group agreements, presentations, and working groups, where conversations emerged about INE’s history and mission, as well as the development of its new 2025–2028 Strategic Plan.

Currently, Para la Naturaleza collaborates with 23 of the 60 public schools supported by INE. The encounter generated palpable enthusiasm and planted a collective conviction that education—when meaningfully supported—can be a powerful tool for social and ecological transformation.

This project has been possible thanks to the generous support of donors such as the National Recreation Foundation, Oriental, Fundación Flamboyán, Fundación Colibrí, Fundación Plaza del Caribe and Fundación Ángel Ramos.

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