Marianela: YPN 2008 Participant (Argentina)

Argentina YMCA meets First Nations

Marianela is in the middle (white shirt)

Since 2001, young volunteers from the Argentina YMCA travel 1761 km. in order to meet aboriginal peoples. This program takes place in Salta, which is a province located in the north of the country.
The aim of this project consists of an exchange between two different cultures in the same country.
Last January, it was my second time taking part of this wonderful experience. I have the opportunity to go there with 3 other volunteers who were eager to do some community work and to share experiences with the native community called “Wichí”.
For an entire week we facilitated some workshops on legal aspects to the adults and we tried to make children smile and learn through popular education techniques, recreation and art.
We insisted on creating an atmosphere which allowed them to improve their self-esteem, communicative and creative skills.

It´s important to mention that one of the main obstacles could have been connected to communication, because the Wichí children only speak their own language (Wichí), however, we realized that everywhere kids understand the idiom of game and enjoy playing, jumping and drawing.
From my point of view it was a great opportunity to grow as a person by sharing and getting to know another way of living and thinking.

To read more about it:
http://www.ymca.org.ar/liderato-nota.shtml?sh_itm=3de9768ec26f8acfa71b820f7308247a 

Highlights of 2009

I know that it's already March 2010 but due to the delay in launching this blog, some of the stories from previous YPNers and YPN staff did not get told. It's exciting to see what amazing things these individuals were a part so I wanted to share their adventures with all of you.

Rainbow: YPN 2008 Summer Staff (Canada)

Rainbow and her Peace Education classmates at UPEACE

After my awesome summer with the YPN 2008, I went to Costa Rica, to study at the University for Peace, the United Nations-mandated graduate school for international peace and conflict studies. I did an MA in Peace Education, and spent the year learning about strategies, pedagogy and philosophies about learning and teaching for peace. After I finished my coursework, I went to Guatemala to study Spanish and also worked with a rural literacy project funded by CAUSE Canada. I helped to create a literacy program on the theme of conflict, violence and peace which was implemented in October, and they are hoping to expand it in the new year to a sister project! I am now back in Canada, working on finishing my thesis on Literacy and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Societies, focusing on Sierra Leone in West Africa, enjoying the snowy winter, and looking for what I might do next!

Literacy class in Guatemala

Monica: YPN 2008 Participant (Colombia)

A team of 6 people , 3 artists, 2 teachers and a psychologist, have been doing community service in Cali – Colombia (South America) since November 2008. Unfortunately, sometimes people think that to build peace there is necessary to have guns but for this team “the only gun they got is art”.

Masks hand made using recyclable paper. Theatre helps them to do a Catharsis.

There is always hope, a chance to smile and create new things even under the hottest sun.

Thorough music, theater, art crafts, recreation and other strategies, they encourage people to get together in a place where normally there is no chance to do it, because everyone is afraid of their neighbor, they are afraid of the person next door to steal their belongings. This is a place where most people don’t have a job; where there is just a low possibility to get one, people tend to become violent and hopeless.

These youth instead of having guns they are building a soccer field.

They have no job and no money to go to school.

These women are creating new things based on old clothes. They are looking for a sponsor

who can trust them, so they can start selling their products in a store.

That’s why art is becoming a hope for near 300 people (children, youth and adults) who every week are part of this artistic process, which is trying to give them the chance to rebuild hope and to insist that even under the worst conditions we should take care of the environment; thinking that violence is not the only way to live as a community, thinking that if they get together they can do better things to overcome their needs.



Richard: YPN 2008 Participant (Zambia)

Once completing the YPN program, Richard went back to Zambia to start a program called Youth Soccer for Peace Network Programme (YSPNP).

Youth Soccer For Peace Network Program (YSPNP) was formed, which in my view I thought that it could be used as a conduit to propagate peace amongst youths in my country/community. I tried to bring this program to light as away of making youth’s develop a heart of brotherhood and sister hood despite their different cultural diversities and also make them refrain to vice that could lead them to Drug abuse, contracting HIV/AIDS and other Sexual transmitted diseases STIs. The program is also aimed at resuscitating the vulnerable youths by creating programs that will serve young people through the provision of facilities and activities designed to further their spiritual, cultural, education and physical development. To transcend all division and barriers of sex, class, race, nationalities as well as religious and political opinion. Despite so many challenges with my program. I have now three communities were my program is running which are YMCA,Vision of hope for orphaned youth, and Chengelo association which l started three weeks ago,l really want to help these youth with this program.

Recently, local companies donated items to YSPNP but some of the items were not necessary his my group and so Richard decided to donate them to Vision of Hope Home Based care (Orphanage Center) in John Laing community on 28th January 2010 after the opening of their school.

Children from the Orphanage with their new school supplies.    

   

Richard donating a soccer ball to help strengthen sport activites at the orphanage.