Co-Founders: Chagua Camacho-Olguín and Susan Osterhoff
Chagua Camacho-Olguín and Susan Osterhoff work with children from ages 8 months to 18 years in recreational gymnastics, capoiera, and movement programs. The two developed a strong friendship through their common practice of capoeira and studying the Feldenkrais Method in "Awareness Through Movement" classes. Their mutual dedication to their work with children and love for movement inspired them to enroll together in child development classes at City College of San Francisco, where they studied and gained volunteer experience in local child development centers before founding Project Commotion.
Chagua Camacho-Olguín
Chagua has worked for 6 years with over twenty children on the autism spectrum in one-on-one sessions and seen overwhelmingly positive results in her students’ abilities to understand their bodies and develop improved social skills. PC’s curricula is influenced by her studies and training with renowned child psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Perry and has been included in a study by UCSF Department of Physical Therapy and Rehab Science. She has led movement classes for severely emotionally disturbed children from San Francisco Burt's Children's Center.
Chagua holds a Certificate in Child Development and Family Studies at City College of San Francisco and completed the course of study in Economics in Mexico City, Mexico. She holds a Safety Certification and a KAT Certification, Kinder Accreditation for Teachers, from USA Gymnastics.
Susan Osterhoff
Susan has 8 years of experience with children of all ages and abilities in movement programs at recreational after-school programs as well as in the San Francisco Unified School District. She has also collaborated with physicians at UCSF's Mt. Zion campus as part of a workshop for children identified as at-risk for obesity and led movement classes for severely emotionally disturbed children from San Francisco Burt's Children's Center. Susan currently teaches youth capoeira at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, and is a faculty member at City College of San Francisco teaching non-credit Child Observation Classes for the Child Development and Family Studies Department.
Susan has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Michigan and a Certificate of Completion in Child Development/General from the City College of San Francisco. She holds a Safety Certification and a KAT Certification, Kinder Accreditation for Teachers, from USA Gymnastics.
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A Word from the Founders...
"Our understanding of the impact of our work stems from our studies of brain development, which show that children have the need to establish a strong foundation of physical and sensory awareness at a young age in order to enable higher learning. We devote ourselves to the continual study of the work of scholars such as Bruce Perry, M.D., Ph.D., neuroscientist and world-renowned researcher on child development and neurodevelopment; Jean Ayres, Ph.D., pioneer of Sensory Integration Theory; and Stanley Greenspan, M.D., who has written extensively on his experience working with children with special needs. The teachings of these scholars, fused with our own experiences participating in martial arts, dance, acrobatic, and body awareness programs, has allowed us to develop into the educators that we are today. The growth and development that we see in our students inspires us to continue learning and growing as individuals and professionals. Our personal experiences as teachers and the lasting relationships that we have with the children and families with whom we work inspire us and encourage us continue our work with great determination."
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