The HAZLO program is designed to help students build life and academic skills through project-based learning with mentor support.
The overall process for the HAZLO Program works like this:
- Students propose a program through a paper form available at their school or through a digital form available at https://forms.gle/LVwyLXH3QfYM5ycM9.
- The board of the HAZLO Foundation reviews the proposals and makes a funding decision.
- Student projects are matched with a community mentor whose expertise can support the proposed project.
- Mentors go through background checks and training for their work with the HAZLO Program.
- After successfully passing the background checks and training, mentors are approved to work with students. Students and mentors collaboratively develop a work and learning plan, describing what the students plan to do and what the students expect to learn.
- Students and mentors meet at least once weekly at a supervised site—either the student’s school or Cruces Creatives makerspace—to work on the student’s project.
- After finishing their project, students write a one-page report or create a short video describing their project, how they made it, and what they learned.
- Students, mentors, and the students’ parent(s)/guardian(s) complete program evaluation forms.
- Students have an opportunity to present their project at a Maker Fair, which is like a science fair focused on making—it’s a chance for students to share what they made and what they learned.