Youth Event a HUGE Success

We often talk about our CTC’s (community transformation committees). They are elected representatives in each community that we meet with on a regular basis to hear their dreams and goals and help them find ways to achieve those.  One of the dreams/goals of our La Laguna CTC was focused on their youth…….they wanted their youth to be taught some vocational skills so that they could find work that wasn’t cutting coffee (the main job in the mountain). They also wanted their youth educated on the dangers of drugs and alcohol (this is a big problem in the mountain).  EA, together with the CTC, planned an all day youth event that was a huge success.

The event was held in the community at their school. The CTC members cleaned and reserved the school beforehand. They also bought the bread and coffee for the snack break. During the event they helped set up, clean up, prepare the lunch plates and were an extra hand to support the teachers.

50 youth (ages 14-20) showed up for the event!

Some ice breaker games were played, followed by a devotion. Then the students were divided up into guys and girls and each group was able to attend 2 workshops.

3 of the 4 workshop presenters were taught by skilled people from our local community who volunteered their time.

The girls attended a sewing workshop, where they were learned to shorten a skirt and a pair of jeans. They also learned how to take in a t-shirt. Each girl was provided a t-shirt to take in and each were able to take their project home, along with a needle and thread. Next they attended a nail/hair care workshop. They learned the importance of sanitation and cleanliness for manicures and pedicures and learned how to use the necessary tools. They then got to practice on each other. They also received a demonstration on hair cutting and were given strategies and tips.

The guys attended a workshop on welding where they learned about safety, different types of metals and different types of welds. After watching several demonstrations, students got to try their hand at measuring, cutting and welding. Their next workshop was on electricity, where they learned to wire a circuit for a light switch and for an outlet. They learned about safety, proper tools and procedures. After their demonstration, each group had to wire a fake wall for both a light switch and an outlet. The big test came when they had to flip the light switch on and when they plugged in a hairdryer. Each group was successful and their excitement was contagious!

The day ended with a presentation on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The kids were open and receptive and it was a great way to end the day. All in all, the day was a huge success. We were encouraged by the awesome attendance. The kids were super engaged with all the hands on learning and it gave us a chance to speak into their lives from a Godly perspective. We love partnering with our CTC’s to achieve the dreams and goals that they have for their communities.