giving back
The fact that you can make others laugh, smile, and learn by just giving them some of your time is incredible to me. Devoting your time to your community does not only give you a sense of a different reality and open your eyes to the world around you, but allows you to meet extraordinary people that will teach you so many things. You go there thinking, “I have to make them happy,” but in the end, they fill your heart.
Juan David (the little guy with the cap) was always eager to learn English and loved playing soccer. His smile and fun personality always brightened my mornings. We shared a lot of laughs and memories that semester.
I joined Habla Roosevelt in 9th grade. Habla Roosevelt is a program that was created by FDR students to teach the staff’s children to read and speak English. This was my first time joining a community and service club, and I didn’t know if I was going to connect to the kids or if they wanted to spend time with us on a Saturday morning. However, the children were excited to see us, they loved playing sports with us, making origami, and they also liked it when you would break the rules a bit to run around the library playing hide- and- seek. It was my first time truly experiencing a happiness that comes by being part of other’s happiness. Habla Roosevelt is a great program if you want to use the skills you’ve learned as a privilege of being a student in FDR, and giving back to the families of the people who contribute to your community.
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If you asked me to tell you about one of my happiest memories, my mind would go to a day in Hogar de Gina where the girls had organized a talent show with the help of the administrators, and they were all dressed up and had spent hours practicing. Some girls danced, others sang, others recited, and the rest of us sat and watched. As I sat there surrounded by smiles, laughter, clapping hands, decorated walls, and the simplicity of the moment, I felt completely and undeniably happy. The pureness of these girls and the joy that they bring to each of the volunteers cannot be explained in words.
Hogar de Gina is a foster home for underage girls who have been abandoned or cannot live with their families due to economic or more complicated conditions located in Chosica. They all have a difficult background story to tell, but they will all receive you with huge smiles and a strong hug (even if you are still a stranger). The girls in Hogar de Gina have different personalities, and despite the constant fights about who chooses the song to sing karaoke, or what book will you read to them first, they demonstrate the meaning of family and unity. Every Saturday, I feel part of their family too, and I feel immensely grateful for that. |
hogar de gina |
PGC
PGC stands for Peer Group Connection. It is a club for juniors and seniors who demonstrate leadership skills and can guide freshmen students towards a successful high school experience. PGC requires a lot of commitment, responsibility, communication, and interactive skills to form connections with Freshmen and other PGC leaders.
When I first heard about PGC, I didn't think about applying because I thought my introverted personality would not adapt to this 'leadership culture' I heard PGC had. Once my friends convinced me to apply, I never even thought I would actually be selected as a PGC member. All new members went to a four-day retreat in Cieneguilla to get to know each other and to receive training. The retreat was one of my highights from 2019. Even though we were participating in activities for team-building for what seemed like forever, I believe each of us left the retreat knowing ourselves and each other a lot better.
PGC is a club in which I have grown as a person in many aspects. Being part of this club made me realize how easy it is to deny great opportunities (such as joining a club or meeting someone new or 'putting myself out there) when I let negative thoughts about myself come in the way. I've created lasting relationships with other members and with Freshmen. I feel like my time in PGC (2-hour meetings every Wednesday and 45-minute meetings with Freshmen every week) was truly valuable. I'm no longer afraid of talking to new people, teaching them what I know, or letting myself be taught by others.
When I first heard about PGC, I didn't think about applying because I thought my introverted personality would not adapt to this 'leadership culture' I heard PGC had. Once my friends convinced me to apply, I never even thought I would actually be selected as a PGC member. All new members went to a four-day retreat in Cieneguilla to get to know each other and to receive training. The retreat was one of my highights from 2019. Even though we were participating in activities for team-building for what seemed like forever, I believe each of us left the retreat knowing ourselves and each other a lot better.
PGC is a club in which I have grown as a person in many aspects. Being part of this club made me realize how easy it is to deny great opportunities (such as joining a club or meeting someone new or 'putting myself out there) when I let negative thoughts about myself come in the way. I've created lasting relationships with other members and with Freshmen. I feel like my time in PGC (2-hour meetings every Wednesday and 45-minute meetings with Freshmen every week) was truly valuable. I'm no longer afraid of talking to new people, teaching them what I know, or letting myself be taught by others.
por un perú mejor
Learning Outcomes:
Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
During this pandemic, education has been removed, not just altered, from the lives of thousands of people. Peruvian kids who can't access to high technology are not learning from their teachers. Por Un Peru Mejor began as a small project by Abril Nunez, a friend of a friend, aiming at teaching online lessons to vulnerable populations through accessible platforms. Being part of this great initiative, I've built presentations teaching basic English to primary students and recorded myself and my sister as an example. There are 100 members, meaning tutors, in this club and I'm very happy to be one of them, as I not only form connections with these kids, but improve Peru's damaged education. The members of Por Un Peru Mejor are constantly in contact through whatsapp and creating organizational documents or charts to arrange us to different classes and kids. This is an on-going project in which we are asked by real teachers to create and record classes for them, given that they cannot do this due to their lack of resources.
Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
During this pandemic, education has been removed, not just altered, from the lives of thousands of people. Peruvian kids who can't access to high technology are not learning from their teachers. Por Un Peru Mejor began as a small project by Abril Nunez, a friend of a friend, aiming at teaching online lessons to vulnerable populations through accessible platforms. Being part of this great initiative, I've built presentations teaching basic English to primary students and recorded myself and my sister as an example. There are 100 members, meaning tutors, in this club and I'm very happy to be one of them, as I not only form connections with these kids, but improve Peru's damaged education. The members of Por Un Peru Mejor are constantly in contact through whatsapp and creating organizational documents or charts to arrange us to different classes and kids. This is an on-going project in which we are asked by real teachers to create and record classes for them, given that they cannot do this due to their lack of resources.