On Thursday, September 25, 2014, three young people, Jackie Forgie, Hannah Clark and Craig Shreve, representing the YMCA Project Guatemala spoke to the Rotary Club of Wallaceburg about their program.
YMCA Project Guatemala is a youth leadership project involving youth across Chatham-Kent. This project involves youth in leadership development experiences focusing on community service and philanthropy.
After a year of training, service, fundraising, research and planning, the group will travel to Guatemala for three weeks to work with the program in San Cristobal Verapaz.
While there they will be building an eco-friendly and self-sustainable multipurpose room in a school with community members.
When they return they will do a series of community presentations to share their learning and experience.
The main purpose of YPG is to develop future leaders in our community. YPG team members have been participating and volunteering in local events such as Youth Fest, Healthy Kid Run and others. Throughout the year they work together on fund-raising event to raise the $140,000 needed to fund the project and trip to Guatemala.
The team meets at the Chatham YMCA every Tuesday to work on leadership skills as well as learning Spanish and planning YPG events.
The benefits of YPG include: building better leaders for the future; learning leadership and philanthropy skills; gaining self-confidence; teaching community service and volunteerism; learning more about their own community; and experiencing and learning about another culture.
To learn more about YPG, visit their website: www.ymcaprojectguatemala.ca
The photo shows Rotarian Henry Boley, Hannah Clark, Craig Shreve, Jackie Forgie and President Sussan Londry.
