For the past 15 years, the municipality of El Retiro and its surroundings have had a laboratory where, every day, life, culture, education, and hope are explored. The Laboratory of the Spirit is a place where, through the promotion of arts and culture, complementary education, and the constant and tireless work of its collaborators, efforts are made to build a sustainable rural environment with greater capacities and opportunities.

Convinced of the enormous potential of rural areas and of the possibilities of discovering, through art, education, and culture, different stories, techniques, and forms of knowledge that strengthen traditional learning, the Laboratory of the Spirit promotes reading and creative writing workshops with rural schools, brings books to remote farming families, and works to improve school libraries in rural communities. It also develops children’s, youth, and adult reading clubs. In addition, it offers a full music training cycle where children, young people, and adults can develop their musical abilities by participating in introductory music classes, guitar, piano, bandola, tiple, saxophone, and choir. It also provides drawing and painting workshops, library services, and, annually, organizes a trip for rural children to see the sea, allowing them to discover the vastness of Colombian territory and strengthening their sense of belonging.

The Laboratory of the Spirit is one of the 116 entities supported by Fraternidad Medellín, strengthening quality education and serving as a lasting model of dedicated work for rural communities, life, and culture. Today, as it celebrates its 15th anniversary, we wish it continued strength to keep building hope and to continue writing stories of Fraternidad.