jasibe violin cropped

San Juan Children’s Orchestra

The Dec 13 presentation at Open Circle was performed by San Juan Children’s Orchestra and Chorus: Música de Mis Amores.

Our ChangeMaker Jasibe is a member of Música Para Crecer and she felt blessed and honored to celebrate another holiday season with Open Circle. The children’s orchestra presented a program of Mexico’s all-time favorite songs, called “the soul of the people,” songs acquired through the mother’s milk. The students have heard these songs all their lives and they are in their blood.

The program was carefully arranged to challenge the students musically and technically without departing from their musical roots.

Jasibe, who plays the violin, has demonstrated her devotion to music and feels it gives her a sense of community.
changing families 3

ChangeMakers-Changing Families

ChangeMaker participant Jasibe is an amazing 16-year-old, a talented musician, a cheerleader, weight lifter, and enthusiast for environmental change.  She dreams of becoming a marine biologist and volunteers at the dolphinarium in El Chante while studying Aquaculture in CETAC in Jocotepec (Technical Studies of Intercontinental Waters Center).

We asked Jasibe to bring her mother for an interview about her perception of the ChangeMakers program which began operating in San Juan Cosalá in March of this year.  In spite of Covid with its necessary precautions, the program has 12 young women participating in a variety of activities to help them achieve success in finding their own paths to the future. 

However, Jasibe was unable to come for the interview because of her work schedule.  Instead, Teresita Garcia Sánchez, Jasibe’s mother, arrived, along with her four other children, two nieces, and one of their young children because of her own essential family-caring duties.  Obviously a dedicated, loving single mom, Teresita is raising five children with the help of her sister.  Jasibe is her oldest child.  Teresita herself attended the University of Guadalajara and has a degree in Graphic Design.  She works full-time in Guadalajara.  

In describing her daughter Jasibe, Teresita called her determined, a person who  goes full-force to get what she wants.  She described Jasibe as intelligent, a dreamer, a hard worker, and an achiever.  Jasibe won a contest for playing the violin and received a grant to participate in a three-week music program in Silicon Valley. 

When asked how Teresita feels about Jasibe’s choice of Marine Biology for a career, she smiled and dropped her head.  She realizes that this career will take her daughter far away from home and family, but she wants first and foremost for Jasibe to be happy and successful and independent.  She wants what is best for Jasibe.  

Teresita feels that ChangeMakers, even in the first few months, has already impacted both Jasibe and their entire family.  She said Jasibe is more responsible, more considerate of the needs of her younger sisters, and in turn has brought the family closer together.  

Teresita believes the best part of ChangeMakers is that the program makes the young women participants feel special.  They have been selected to be part of a first-class program to help them make better choices, dream bigger dreams, and achieve greater goals.  “They are the chosen girls,” she said.  

Teresita also thinks ChangeMakers is beneficial by providing speakers and mentors in a variety of career paths, to expose the participants to many different career options.  She suggested that CM explore the possibility of providing tutors in subjects where individual participants may not be excelling in school.  Any tutoring assistance that can be provided to assist the girls to achieve higher scores on entrance exams to enter a university would be helpful.  Teresita also stated that she felt the English classes were vital and every participant should be encouraged to learn English — after all, “It is free!”

Finally, we discussed the possibility of forming a group for the CM Moms.  Teresita thought it would be great if the mothers could meet as a group with Mónica, the ChangeMakers Program Coordinator, every 4 to 6 weeks to learn about program plans, share their ideas, and provide their feedback on what they have seen to have the most impact on their daughters.  

To help support this new program and assist with expansion for a second group of young women in Ajijic and San Antonio Tlayacapan, click here and become a Changemakers contributor:  www.changemakerslakechapala.org/donate 

We could use your support to assist more girls.  Changing the way a girl sees herself changes everything.

Jazmin video featured

Our New Awakening-Jasibe

Each of the Girls admitted to the ChangeMakers program during the past two months was asked to express her feelings by creating a personal historic record of this pandemic process. The Girls chose to name this project “Our New Awakening”.

Jasibe created a video to express her personal views. She feels strongly that we have brought about many of our planet’s problems by our own actions and neglect. The vivid photos and the story she relates demonstrate both her talent and her passion for change.

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Jasibe Replies:

“How to start this? I have learned so many things and I have had beautiful moments.

Starting the activity of the garden created by Dawna and Rodrigo in San Antonio, I found it super interesting and fun. I learned a lot of things.  I realized that I like plants very much, something that without ChangeMakers I would not have realized. That activity relaxes me a lot and I learned things both about myself as well as gardening activities.  Then we opened the Coxala Garden in San Juan Cosalá which I am really enjoying and I have learned even more and more things.

 Another activity that I loved is Monica’s teachings about our indigenous cultures to reconnect with them, with dances, songs, and new words. I felt very relaxed and more connected with nature and my roots.”

 In the few classes that I attended, Breathe and Balance seemed very nice to me but I can’t comment much because I almost don’t get along very well with Yoga.  I’m more active and it’s difficult for me to focus on just one thing, but the instructors are very nice and professional.

And most importantly our Young Roots workshop — In this workshop many of us tell about our experiences and how we had come to enter this program, and that we wanted to change some aspect of our personality and to become better people.  Because our first unit was learning to know ourselves to be able to know other people and to love them, I learned to value myself as a person and I feel very grateful with this project for everything that managed to change in me.  Many thanks to the ChangeMakers and Young Roots project.

For me ChangeMakers is a good project.  The only thing I would like is for us to start planning how to help the community.  I know that it is ourselves first but I would like that.

¿Cómo empezar esto? He aprendido tantas cosas y me he llevado hermosos momentos

Para empezar la actividad del huerto creado por Dawna y Rodrigo me pareció súper interesante y divertida, aprendí muchísimas cosas, me di cuenta que me gustan mucho las plantas, algo que sin ChangeMakers no me habría dado cuenta, me relaja mucho esa actividad y aprendí cosas tanto en ámbito personal y como tal actividades de un huerto.

Después abrieron el Huerto Coxala el cual me está gustando mucho y he aprendido todavía más y más cosas

Otra actividad que me encantó son las enseñanzas de Mónica con nuestras culturas indígenas para reconectarnos con ellas, con bailes, cantos, nuevas palabras, me sentí muy relajada y como Mónica menciono más conectada con la naturaleza y mis raíces

En las pocas clases que fui de Respira y Equilibra me parecían muy lindas pero no puedo comentar mucho pues a mí gusto casi no me llevo muy bien con el Yoga soy más activa y me es difícil concentrarme en 1 sola cosa pero son muy lindas y profesionales hasta cierto punto.

Y lo más importante nuestro taller de Joven Raíz, en este taller muchas de nosotros contamos nuestras experiencias y como es que habíamos llegado hasta entrar a este proyecto, y que queríamos cambiar algún aspecto de nuestra personalidad y ser mejores personas, pues nuestro primer punto fue conocernos a nosotras mismas para poder conocer a las demás personas y quererlas , aprendí a valorarme como persona y me siento muy agradecida con este proyecto por todo lo que logró cambiar en mí, muchas gracias a el proyecto de ChangeMakers y Joven Raíz.

Para mí es un buen proyecto lo único que me gustaría es que empezáramos a planear como ayudar a la comunidad, sé que es primero a nosotros mismos pero me gustaría eso.

Jasibe profile

Mi Introducción-Jasibe

Me llamo Jasibe tengo 16 años y soy la mayor de 4 hermanos.


Me gusta la música, estudié por 5 años en la OFIRC, gracias a eso tuve
oportunidad de viajar a muchos lugares, fui voluntaria en un Delfinario por un año
porque me quiero convertir en Bióloga Marina. 


Estudio en el CETAC (Centro de Estudios Tecnológicos en Aguas Continentales)
en el cual estudio la carrera técnica de Acuacultura, también tomo un taller de
Levantamientos y Porras, me gusta mucho el porrismo, soy muy activa y no me
gusta estar sin hacer nada.


También he participado en varias campañas para concientizar a la gente de la
contaminación y estuve en un programa llamado “Agentes de Cambio” por parte
del DIF.


Siempre intento buscar cosas nuevas por hacer, por eso quiero participar en este
nuevo Proyecto “Creando Cambios”, quiero poner mi grano de arena para mejorar
mi comunidad, y tal vez algún día llegar a mejorar el mundo.

Jasibe profile

My Introduction-Jasibe

 I am 16 years old. I have four brothers. I am older than them. I enjoy music a lot so I studied and played music on the OFIRC. Thanks to that I was able to travel to many places and meet a lot of people.

I dream of becoming a marine biologist so I volunteered at the dolphinarium for one year. Now I study the professional technical career of Aquaculture in CETAC (Technological Studies of Intercontinental Waters Center) in Jocotepec.  

Other things I love doing are weight lifting and cheerleading. I am very active and I don’t like to sit and not do anything. 

I have also participated in several campaigns to raise awareness among people about taking care of the environment, and I was part of a DIF program called Agents of Change. I always try to look for new inspiring things to do. That´s why I am very excited now to be part of ChangeMakers. I want to do whatever is in my hands to improve my community and maybe someday, contribute for a better world. 

ChangeMakers, for me, is a project to support each other as women and look for positive ways to change our society. I think, all together, we can make a difference here and now.