Garabito had the honor of hosting one of the seven Civic Centers for Peace which will be fully equipped with a library, being the first one built. The ex-president Laura Chinchilla Miranda was there for the building’s dedication which concluded successfully with cultural events such a fair for children, with face painting, ice cream, balloons, and lots of surprises.
This activity was organized by the Municipality of Garabito.
This new community center will house activities that the Ministry of Peace deems important to foment a peaceful philosophy across Costa Rica. Not having an army and participating in peaceful and diplomatic conflict resolution are not enough; the Ministry of Peace thinks that peace should start at the family and community levels. To this end, the new Civic Center for Peace in Jaco Beach will house the following:
- School of the Arts
- School of Music
- School of Dance
- Public Library with literary works that promote peace
- Justice Center and Court for resolution of cases related to domestic violence, child support and neighborly dispute cases
- Green areas
- Kindergarten
- Community child care center
- Skateboard park
- Basketball half-court
- Art exhibit space
The idea behind these centers is simple: If the community is involved in activities such as dance, music, arts, reading, playing basketball, and even perfecting how to transition from a 50/50 ollie to a nose grind on a skateboard, they will be more attuned to living in peace another day so that they can continue doing the same the next day. The idea of housing a family court division that solves minor conflicts is that plaintiffs and defendants going to hearings will get to see children playing in the forest and learning about the arts and thus be inspired to settle their disputes through reasonable mediation.
