PASOS is a non-profit organization, located in Polanco, a rural area, in the north of Spain, where the population had limited access to formal and nonformal education. They aim to improve the community they live in and to protect the environment which hosts us, as human beings. 

As an organization, PASOS wants to offer their community new educational and ludic opportunities, to improve and develop their personal and professional lives and social inclusion. 

In that purpose, they design, prepare, and implement information meetings, training courses (also for trainers and educators), workshops, concerts, events, international exchanges or mobilities and debates on current relevant topics and different areas of learners’ interest (emotional care and education, integration, personal growth, digital education and innovation, environmental education, etc). 

They base their work in 3 main cornerstones: Enhance knowledge, embrace diversity, empower people. In all their activities, the contribution of the participants has a relevant role, since listening to their proposals, wishes and ideas is one of the central working methods, which generate exchange and debate. 

PASOS main objective is to become a platform for their community (including those with disabilities or marginalized), to discover the world and all it has to offer, as well as to discover their personal interests and values. The mission of the organization is to develop and support the use of non-formal education, to boost creativity, to support environmental consciousness, to foster entrepreneurship, healthy lifestyles, democracy, and human rights, and to develop solidarity and tolerance.

PASOS invites youngsters to be involved in youth policies development or to design and start their own ventures. They also encourage them to actively participate in initiatives for the general welfare of society, in social or environmental campaigns, in human rights defense, etc.

Some of their staff are teachers and educators, who have a special interest in pedagogy and the way human beings learn. Thus, they also belong to other local groups dealing with alternative schooling (like forest, Montessori, or Waldorf Schools), which respect the person’s rhythms and interests, recognize the different intelligences and the value of both learning by doing methodologies and not judging the learning processes.

They work, coach and train youth workers, parents, teachers, social organizations and public institutions (as they act as multipliers), to develop their skills and acquire new tools (from the non-formal education) to be used with their young learners. PASOS has strong relationships and partnerships with local authorities, and educational centers, and other relevant regional, national and international NGOs”.