Experiencing respect, tolerance, transparency, cooperation and freedom, as well as raising awareness about the rights and responsibilities of citizens, are some of the values that students and teachers have strengthened in the Citizenship Education Plans that are developed in municipal schools and high schools in Rancagua.

As part of this training process, 188 students and teachers from educational centers belonging to the Municipal Education Corporation of Rancagua made an educational visit to Sewell and learned about the birthplace of the Great Copper Mining in Chile, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2006.

Kiber Rodríguez, a history teacher at Colegio El Cobre, said that “visiting Sewell helps our students to recover part of our history, our way of life and to understand how mining has shaped the society and customs of our region.”

The Citizenship Education Plan, promoted at a national level by the Ministry of Education, is one of the fundamental pillars of teaching and learning for students by incorporating the necessary skills to cooperate with a plural, respectful, motivated society with ethical values, among other social components.

Viviana Bello, from the eighth grade of Eduardo de Geyter school, said that “I had a wonderful experience today. Sewell is a beautiful place that allows you to learn more about mining and how it developed in this place. I loved everything I saw in the museum.”

For Victor Ovalles, from El Cobre school, “the museum had an impact on me because it gives you the opportunity to see how society evolved in this place. The whole history is there and it was very interesting to learn how people lived in the middle of the mountain range.”

Among the participating schools and high schools, the following stood out: Manso de Velasco; Isabel Riquelme: Jorge Alessandri; Manuel Rojas; El Cobre; Manuel Rodriguez; Oscar Castro; Spain and Rene Schneider, among others.

“Connecting with Our Heritage”

Codelco El Teniente Division is currently developing the “Connecting with Our Heritage” program, an initiative that seeks to preserve, disseminate and enhance the mining heritage of El Teniente and the Sewell Camp.

In 2023, more than 4,500 people participated in 80 site visits. Thirty-three community organizations and 25 educational institutions attended.

This year, the program plans to have 12,000 people visit, mainly from neighborhood and community organizations; schoolchildren from the O'Higgins region; as well as employees from the program, collaborating companies and their families.

It highlights the educational activities for educational establishments that take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of each week, when weather conditions permit.