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The Guiding Principles are as follows:

  • The interest of the child prevails over everything. Children and adolescents who are in CIMA need rehabilitation, in other words, they need help to overcome certain personal difficulties. The program is designed to accompany them in this physical, intellectual, emotional, psychological and social development.
  • The child is not an object, he is a human being with rights. Children and adolescents are respected as individuals and have all their rights.
  • The program has a Christian humanist base where the values of the Gospel are rescued. Children and adolescents receive a Christian formation. The CIMA team seeks to live the values of the Gospel, ensuring that the adults who work there are people who, in their personal lives as well as in their interactions with the children, reflect those values.
  • Deep and unconditional love is important for everyone equally. Love does not depend on behavior. A child or adolescent is never expelled for bad behavior. Many have been eliminated from schools, homes or from the family itself. It is not possible to continue repeating these situations of rejection, that would be to continue with the failures that have damaged the self-esteem of children and adolescents.
  • CIMA favors relationships with families, it does not replace the family. CIMA tries to be a warm and welcoming home but the staff is aware that it will never be able to replace the family. CIMA’s goal is to strengthen family ties to allow long-term reintegration of children and adolescents into their families.
  • The protagonist of the program is the child immersed in a group of which he is an active part. The child belongs to a group of a maximum of 16 classmates per household. The interaction between them is of paramount importance. It seeks to break the scheme that is limited to the interaction of an adult with a group of children. Each one is responsible for the smooth running of the group.
  • The entry to the home is of their own free will. The child must be aware that they have problems to solve and want their rehabilitation. CIMA does not receive a child who does not want to stay, because having him against his will would be counterproductive.
  • If the child or adolescent leaves the program, they are free to return. CIMA is aware that not everyone can achieve their rehabilitation at the first attempt. In the event that the abandonment of the home is repeated in a continuous manner, it is suggested to the family that they seek a more closed program for their child.
  • Constant communication with the child and adolescent is promoted. Communication is of prime importance. For this reason, in addition to psychological care and the intervention of tutors, all staff are insisted on taking advantage of every opportunity to talk with children and adolescents,
  • The child or adolescent assumes responsibilities. Community life implies that young people participate in the fulfillment of some tasks for the benefit of all: cleaning, kitchen support, hydroponics and beekeeping, etc. The smooth running of the group depends on the contribution of each and every one.
  • Values related to work are encouraged through participation in artistic and learning workshops. In each workshop an attitude of commitment is expected, a proactive participation with all that this presupposes of seriousness. Thus, the young person develops a behavior that will serve him a lot.
  • Mutual respect and freedom in the relationship between children and adolescents and the staff in their charge. CIMA is very demanding in mutual respect. There are always weaker children and there is a temptation to ridicule them from some peers. It is based on the principle that everyone has the right to be happy, to be respected and not to be humiliated. There is no contemplation to respect. As for the staff, obviously the educational methodology would not be possible without due respect.
  • Carrying out a multidisciplinary work raising the self-esteem and confidence of children and adolescents is necessary. Each member of the team has a perception, data or instructions that, when shared with others, allows each one to get a fairer and more complete idea of a situation, allowing them to better help young people. The approach of the tutor, the psychologist or the social worker may be different, enriching the mutual work.

“So many times in their lives, these children have suffered rejection and exclusion. The multiple failures, abandonments and disappointments have led them to doubt themselves and any adult who pretends to want to help them. The only way to bring about real change is to offer them deep, personal, unconditional love and a freely chosen alternative to the self-destructive existence they live on the streets. The child whose self-esteem was at level zero upon arrival believes in himself again, believes in others. Surgery or love therapy has caused what seemed impossible: a profound change that restores the possibilities of an adapted and happy life. This long and difficult process of liberation does not imply in any way weakness, lack of demands on the part of educators or lack of discipline. On the contrary, understanding well what the child is going through and their needs means offering them a framework of security, limits and discipline that they need so much to rediscover themselves. Everything consists in that through this laborious and demanding process of self-regulation, the child knows that he is accepted and loved.”

Jean-Louis Lebel – Founder President