The children of San Pancho gather daily at the Entreamigos community center for activities and classes.
Early in 2016, the
Entreamigos community center in the fishing village of San Pancho, north of Nuevo Vallarta
on Mexico’s Pacific coast will celebrate its 10th birthday.
And what a decade it has
been. What started on a kitchen table on a sidewalk where founder Nicole
Swedlow taught arts and crafts and invited local artists to sell their wares in
a tiny storefront she had rented has evolved into a year-round center. It now
includes a massive recycling center for the town of 2,000; a college scholarship
program that recently celebrated its first graduate student (with a degree in
social work); theatrical performances by the children of San Pancho; the making
of a video that highlights the environmental practices learned in educational
classes; a screenprinting shop set up by the Entreamigos students; and an
organic farming project to learn the ins and outs of a productive farm-to-table
enterprise.
The facility's education center, Centro Communitario
Educativa, sponsors community shows, runs a lending library, offers sewing workshops,
an after-school center and a thriving thrift store.
Cirque du Soleil is an active participant at Entreamigos, which means “Among Friends”, donating used lighting, costumes and camera equipment for student shows.
As news of the center has spread over the past 10 years, it has attracted tourists who visit Entreamigos while in San Pancho, also known as San Francisco, which is known for its small-town appeal, cobblestoned streets, boutique properties, beaches and a growing arts community of galleries and events.
The recycyling trucks at Entreamigos collect recycled items on a daily basis from the bins in San Pancho.
Tourists can volunteer at the center for an afternoon or a day or longer, working in the store where local arts and crafts are sold or helping students with various projects.
As news of the center spread over
the past 10 years, Swedlow encouraged arriving visitors to bring an extra
suitcase with them and fill it with donations of used clothing, school supplies
or toys.
“I want to help build a
strong San Pancho, and this is the right thing to do at a pivotal time for this
growing community,” Swedlow said at the time of its launch in 2006.
Her message has not changed
over the years, and today Entreamigos stands as an example of a community
forever changed when people pitch in, work together and come together in a
common cause.