The “Marist Special Groups” are 30 years old
The programme “Marist Special Groups” (GEM) was founded in 1990, as a response made by the Marists of Mexico to a need for educational attention for children, adolescents and young people with intellectual disabilities in Iztapalapa, a poor area of Mexico City, in the Province of Central Mexico. And this year GEM celebrates 30 years of education and social inclusion. The programme seeks to provide a response of attention and inclusion to those children and adolescents who have not been able to develop their skills to the fullest and feel fully loved and accepted within a school environment.
In 3 decades, the Marist educational model has been replicated in other communities in the province and there are currently 16 Marist schools that host GEM. There are an average of 32 groups from primary to high school and work, in both urban and rural areas.
The GEM programme is aimed at adolescents and young people with Down’s syndrome, autism, cerebral immaturity, among others, who are specially cared for through the GEM method which, in terms of development, seeks to guarantee the personal growth and independence of people with intellectual disabilities, recognises their dignity, respects their differences and provides them with spaces for acceptance and socialisation with their peers.
Through its school environments, the Marist Special Groups model provides its students with an “education for life” and promotes social inclusion. Its educational proposal is in line with the Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary and the International Day of People with Disabilities, which is celebrated on 3 December, the provinces of Central Mexico and Western Mexico have produced a video which collects the testimonies of the students who are part of GEM. You can watch the video here.
The two Marist Provinces of Mexico have also launched the “No one left out” campaign which promotes various awareness and social inclusion events among parents and teachers in the schools.