I've been a little frustrated lately... my jeep almost got hijacked while I was downtown Kitchener, work has been keeping me very busy, my school workload is nutso with midterms coming up, and last night, my jeep DIED on my home from work. I figured I needed something to take my mind off of all these things, and what's a more perfect way than thinking about this summer! ... a lot of what I say is better worded on their website, so check that out too!
As I've alluded to in past posts, orphaned children in Botswana is a hugely important issue. In fact, in Botswana, 64% of youth ages 10-18 have been left orphaned and vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I'll be working with such children in a community called Mochudi. Here, I will work with other volunteers to foster life skills (motivational skills, confidence and knowledge) so that they make the decision to get on the right path, leading them either back to school or into the workplace. 
As I understand, all these skills are passed along through discussions and activities (as opposed to classroom setting). For instance, one event that occurs is the Mochudi Initiation Camp. Here, the group spends a week at Mokolodi Nature reserve. This camp-out retreat is not only meant to allow the youth to see the amazing wonder's of their country (THE WILDLIFE), but also is meant to merge their traditional culture with their urban culture as they begin to plan for their future. At the same time, communication skills, developing a network/community and more are added bonuses of the retreat. At the end of the day, SSI is there to tell the youth to acknowledge that they have been through some absolutely horrific things, but it is important to take responsibility in making a better life for themselves. Moreover, in times where they have felt abandoned and unloved, they need to see that they are anything but unloved... they are important creatures on this planet and deserve to have a safe and healthy lifestyle.
I truly can't wait to get there and have such a personal impact on the future of so many young lives!!!!!!!!!!!
I see some interesting similarities between SSI and what happens at WASL. For instance, many of the volunteers working at Worth a Second Look are people who have previously been in jail, rehab or on assistance. WASL is a place where these volunteers can be re-integrated into society in a healthy way - it teaches them about their duty of being a responsible citizen. For many, WASL and St John's kitchen has played an important part in their lives in helping them have a meal or a mattress to sleep on. Now that they have been able to get a firm ground on their lives, this is a way for them to come back and help shape the lives of others who are currently in that position. When I think about it, that might be the best medicine/rehabilitation anyone could take part in.
I agree with you Matt. The best way to help is help these people understand they have to be responsible for their own lives. They cannot simply sit there and feel hopeless. If they need assistance or resources, they need to learn how to ask for them. These are such important life skills and it's the only way to re-integrate them back into the society, so they're no longer being left behind and forgotten. What's better is that it slowly puts them in a situation where they can OFFER help - and that's an incredible transformation for them.
ReplyDeleteps. hope you have better luck with your jeep next time :)