Evaluations, Team building and 2010 planning

This week we closed down the OYE office in order to reinforce, re-examine and plan ahead. We invited local professionals who have worked within the Progresan community for many years within social services, education and youth outreach. With their guidance along with our director, Luis Paredes, the OYE staff examines all the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to our projects. It was uplifting to see the progress we made in 2009 and look ahead to the potential of 2010! Big things coming up in OYE!!!



OYE Team plus Juan Luis aka El Padrino (the Godfather)




We even took come time to celebrate Leo's 20th birthday!

Graduation season!

The Honduras school year runs from February to November meaning this time of year is full of graduations. Last weekend I attended four different graduation ceremonies. It was and incredible experience to see OYE’s 8 graduates cross the stage.

Each time I was filled with pride. These students, who I have come to know and love over the last year, have achieved the impossible, and with honors.

These students excel within OYE, their notes are high and they have become highly responsible young adults. So, it should not have been a surprise as I heard then called to the stage time and time again to be recognized by their communities. What and incredible thing! With the support of OYE these youth were able to achieve their potential.

Each of these students has demonstrated marked changes during their time in OYE. It was a powerful thing to realize that without the support of OYE’s scholarship there would have been one or two less seats in all of these graduations.

Here are our 2009 graduates, each graduated with Honors for GPA, best conduct or both:

Wendy Yessenia Cardona
Marleny Lizeth Romero
Iloany Josselin Eber
Gerald Omar Velásquez
Wendy Rivera
Keyla Esperanza Rosales
Leyla Castañeda
Neris Ávila

These are 8 excellent students, and we are so incredibly proud of their achievements and the leaders they have become.




This is Keyla with her diploma. She is graduating from El Perla, the largest public school in Progreso. It is also the only graduation ceremony that had robes. Look how proud she is!




Leyla, Kat y Kelya after the graduation in El Perla.

Graffiti Workshop

OYE was invited to a local Graffiti Workshop at La Fragua. A Mexican street artist named Pancho taught students basic stencil skills and spray techniques. A majority of the participants created aggressive political stencils or classic Che Guevara cut outs. OYE students separated themselves to push their techniques and create a four-color stencil. They created their own version of OYE's famous mayan design created in 2007 by David Otero.

Check out the video below to see them in action.






Click here for more photos.

For higher quality check out the Youtube Link

¡Oye el Ritmo celebra en grande!

¡Oye el Ritmo celebra en grande!

It seemed like a normal meeting in the OYE office…..but I opened the door and boom! All of the scholarship students from OYE el Ritmo united and ready to celebrate my birthday, which they have been planning for four weeks.

The office was converted into a party full of colors, a pinata, dancing, candy, games, cake and food that they made.

I want to say thank you to everyone for the love shown and tell them that the time spent with you has been my reason for being in OYE, you don’t know how you fill me!
Thank you for your smiles and daily lessons, I feel that, with you, I am learning many new things in my life! You are the best! And the party was incredible and inspired for me.

I am proud and satisfied with the work you have created and all that you have acheived in these months in OYE el Ritmo.

I am Melissa Quijada, OYE el Ritmo…adelante!

Check out the photos here


Parecía un día normal de reunión en la oficina de OYE…pero abrí la puerta y buum! Estaban todos los becarios del grupo Oye el Ritmo reunidos y listos para celebrar mi cumpleaños, que venían planeando cuatro semanas antes.

La oficina se convirtió en una fiesta llena de globos de colores, piñata, baile, dulces, juegos, pastel y comida hecha por ellos mismos.

Quiero agradecer a tod@s por el cariño mostrado y decirles que el tiempo pasado con ustedes ha sido mi razón para estar en OYE, no saben cuanto me llenan!
Gracias por las sonrisas y el aprendizaje de cada día, siento que estoy aprendiendo junto a ustedes muchas cosas nuevas en mi vida! Son los mejores! Y la fiesta fue increíble e inesperada para mi!

Estoy orgullosa y satisfecha con el trabajo que han desarrollado y todo lo que han logrado en estos meses de estar en el programa.

Yo soy Melissa Quijada, OYE EL RITMO…adelante!

Mira Los fotos a Aquí

Clip of the Week

Welcome to OYE's Clip of the week! We would like to share the sights and sounds of life in Progreso through the eyes of our volunteers, staff and students.

Check out the space that our students call home.

Welcome to OYE's offices.



The "OYE mural" was painted in 2007 by David Otero, brother of founder Justin Otero.

The "Mi voz es Poder" mural was painted in 2009 by James Madison University Students, designed by Kat Burdine

The Radio Sound booth was built and painted by George Washington students in 2009.

Look forward to next weeks Clip of the week!

OYE el Ritmo: Listen now.

As we promised you can enjoy OYE el Ritmo in your home. Our students have been working hard and are now broadcasting over the Internet. Due to the cost of airtime OYE el Ritmo is transmitting through the Internet. As you can see from their show they are working hard to uplift, educate and inform their peers. We are working hard to get them on local radio stations so tha ALL their peers and communities can hear this great message. Until then locals, high-schools, OYE international community and you can tune in and listen to OYE el Ritmo youth radio just click onto the link on our homepage

Today and tomorrow the newest edition will be playing every hour on the hour. Then we will be returning to our regular programming. Every week day a 10:00 am (central) followed by music and more fun updates from OYE!




Also, be sure to tune in fridays when we will be sharing all our past shows.

click on Join the movement to support OYE el Ritmo.