We at Academia Cuauhtli are having a fundraiser right now and ask that you please consider donating in order to help us continue with this amazing program that has been strengthening the cultural identity of our community. No gift is too small. Donations will help us pay for food, Danza outfits, and much-needed materials for classes.
*****PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOAND DONATE HERE*****
Our mission is to honor our community’s cultural heritage, foster a social justice consciousness, and reclaim our identities in pursuit of educational freedom.
Mrs. Santa Yanez-Montemayor y sus estudiantes- December 2018.
Academia Cuauhtli (Eagle Academy) is a language and culture revitalization project for 4th and 5th-grade students from Metz, Perez, Sanchez, Zavala and Houston Elementary Schools in the Austin Independent School District (AISD). Academia Cuauhtli offers instruction in Mexican American Studies and Tejano Studies curriculum in Spanish. Our Saturday classes are completely free and taught by AISD master dual language teachers. We envision this curriculum as not only providing the academic support that these children need in preparation for their STAAR exams and improving their general academic performance but also providing enrichment that we anticipate will have an enduring impact on them.
This is the first year we were able to offer dual-language classes for the parent's thanks to a partnership with the SEED under the direction of Cameron Allen (https://www.theseedaustin.org/). During these lessons, the parents also have a chance to engage in pláticas (or conversations) with AISD administrators, community practitioners, and researchers regarding topics they are interested in.
Mr. Alejandro Martinez and his students reviewing pre-hispanic map-October 2019
Academia Cuauhtli is a collaboration of Nuestro Grupo, the Austin Independent School District, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and within it, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. Nuestro Grupo is a community-based group organized by the Texas Center for Education Policy and the Tejano Monument Curriculum Initiative, both at the University of Texas at Austin and the National Latino Education Research and Policy Project [NLERAP].
Why We Do What We Do:
The volunteers at Cuauhtli show up every Saturday at 8:30 am as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as can be. Most of them come after a week of their primary responsibilities as students or faculty members in classes and work. Yet we show up without fail.
At the same time, each Wednesday we sit and discuss logistics of the program until 9 pm with community members. On Thursdays, graduate students meet to go over final details and lessons for the kids. Each week, our dedicated volunteers and coordinators meet during lunch, in between classes, or after class outside of the meetings to make sure we have all the details ironed out.
We do all this because we believe in the spirit of Cuauhtli: it's our home. We aim to create a place where students of Mexican and/or Latino heritage can learn about their roots. A place where they can embrace their culture without fear of prejudice or judgment. A place where they can unabashedly express the dual nature of their identities and be understood.
Rosa Tupina Yaotonalcuauhtli and Academia Cuautli students right before danza con el Grupo de Danza Azteca Xochipilli- December 2018
We show up without fail because we see how important these aspects are for creating good and kind citizens. We see how this knowledge and these experiences would have made a difference in our lives and know that we're doing right by the next generation.
Academia Cuauhtli is a product of love, effort, and compassion. Thanks to the University for making this "Hornraiser" possible. Please donate here today so we can keep our home running and open its doors to even more students in the coming years.
THANK YOU! GRACIAS!!!
-ANGELA VALENZUELA, Co-founder
Academia Cuauhtli
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