In these days the project has been filling the bus with youth and went camping. The youth has been divided in two different groups with around 20 youth in each, and while the first group finished their camp last week, the other group took of from Emmanuel yesterday, and will be spending three days in the camp.
The theme for these camps is “dreams for the future,” and during the camp, the project leadership are facilitating workshops and discussions related to this theme. Besides working directly with their dreams for the future, we have talked about different faces of life, conflict resolution and worked with a movie about gangs and illegal emigration to the states. We have been trying to make them plan their lives and dream big, but we also felt the necessity to present the bad choices that are sadly present themselves to a number of youth who leave Emmanuel, and that is why we chose to work with gangs, crime and illegal emigration.
Anther activity, that might actually have made the biggest impression on our youth, was the time we spend doing “high ropes.” At the campsite they had several activities involving climbing or jumping from things, in the canopy, and after doing the activities, the camp staff would share some thoughts on self-esteem, trust and overcoming your fears or difficulties, which also are important lessons for the youth.
Camping is a great opportunity to spend time together and grow in our relationships; both between the youth, but also between them and the project leadership, and we believe we can benefit from that in the future. Living most of their lives inside the orphanage walls, the youth are very excited to gain experience on the outside, and we feel they are far more open to receive the knowledge we try to put in them, when they are going camping. Different surroundings somehow make us open up about our past, which gives us the opportunity to leave it behind, and follow our dreams for the future.
In these camps we have tried to put dreams for the future in the minds of our youth, and we will keep on assisting them in their dreaming, and try to help them realize those dreams.
- We are building leaders to change the society
The theme for these camps is “dreams for the future,” and during the camp, the project leadership are facilitating workshops and discussions related to this theme. Besides working directly with their dreams for the future, we have talked about different faces of life, conflict resolution and worked with a movie about gangs and illegal emigration to the states. We have been trying to make them plan their lives and dream big, but we also felt the necessity to present the bad choices that are sadly present themselves to a number of youth who leave Emmanuel, and that is why we chose to work with gangs, crime and illegal emigration.
Anther activity, that might actually have made the biggest impression on our youth, was the time we spend doing “high ropes.” At the campsite they had several activities involving climbing or jumping from things, in the canopy, and after doing the activities, the camp staff would share some thoughts on self-esteem, trust and overcoming your fears or difficulties, which also are important lessons for the youth.
Camping is a great opportunity to spend time together and grow in our relationships; both between the youth, but also between them and the project leadership, and we believe we can benefit from that in the future. Living most of their lives inside the orphanage walls, the youth are very excited to gain experience on the outside, and we feel they are far more open to receive the knowledge we try to put in them, when they are going camping. Different surroundings somehow make us open up about our past, which gives us the opportunity to leave it behind, and follow our dreams for the future.
In these camps we have tried to put dreams for the future in the minds of our youth, and we will keep on assisting them in their dreaming, and try to help them realize those dreams.
- We are building leaders to change the society