I have said it several times before but once again, “Lives of service depend on lives of support. Paul Farmer, director of Partners in Health coined the phrase and as I am nearing the end of my Peace Corps service, I have one last final project that I would like to share with you all. As mentioned in my previous blog, “stubborn as all hell” I wrote several months ago, I am thrilled to write that Peace Corps Panama approved this Gender and Development Youth Camp! Remember what I shared at the Peace Corps volunteers, it takes a village to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I need my village to support this incredible initiative.
The grant will help 40 under-served youth attend a phenomenal conference for 4 days. The camp will be located at Parque Omar Torrijos, a national Panamanian park and wildlife refuge. A thorough description of the camp can be found on the Peace Corps website at www.peacecorps.gov and then navigate to the “donate to volunteer project page.”
The ask: The Peace Corps was created to promote world peace and friendship. We have three goals: (1) To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. (2) To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served. (3) To help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans. These three goals are what my job entails in Peace Corps Panama. But for me, these goals also include capacity building. This camp provides 40 youth with leadership skills, tools, and attitudes to be active leaders in their community. They have an opportunity to meet other youth from places as far as Darien and Los Santos, Herrera and Cocle, Panama Oeste and Panama Este. This is such a rare and unique opportunity for Peace Corps volunteers to choose two youth from our communities that we want to succeed, two youth that we genuinely believe in to attend the camp. These youth will participate in lectures and activities about decision making, establishing goals, self-esteem, and improving self-image. Youth will be educated in reproductive health including STI and HIV/AIDS education. They will interact with 12 Peace Corps facilitators and work closely with one another.
Please, Please, Please help us fund this amazing project. Panama needs leadership and these youth are just the ticket!!! The project should be up on the Peace Corps website on April 1, 2013!!!!
Thanks for your un-yielding support. It takes a village to be a Peace Corps volunteer and I so grateful for my village!
In solidarity, Sonia
