Costa Rica Travel and Vacation

Teaching democracy to children CostaRica

Down to Earth Coffee witnesses democracy in the making. Costa Rican children are able to participate in mock elections that recreate the exact process that adults go through when voting. This activity is organized by the Electoral Council of Costa Rica and aims to empower children and let them understand the electoral process. After giving her personal information to one of the “delegates” overseeing the table, my 9 year old daughter Juliana was given a ballot that is an exact copy of what adults use to vote for president. She then went to the voting booth where she used a crayon to select her favorite candidate with an “X”. Juliana then placed her ballot in the box and was given a temporary tatto that said: “Votar es Pura Vida” (Voting is cool). To add more meaning to the activity, this mock election was held at the Children’s Museum, which is located in a building that once housed the old Penitentiary in downtown San Jose, a legendary place for the violence that dominated it and the medieval cruelty that was applied. It was closed in the mid seventies and turned into a museum in the early 1990s. Also, look for a companion video where I show the process that my wife went through to vote. Email me if you want to know more about the process ( matias@godowntoearth.org ). Have a ton of pictures from today.

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