Youth Speaks About Experience in Panama
A testimony by Sophie Yalkezian
On June 19, a group of individuals, all with the same hope for a peaceful world, set out to Panama City, Panama. Our group was made up of 16 youths, from different schools in the region, namely University of Toronto School and Trinity College School.
One of the co-ordinators of the trip was Jessica Farias from Horizons of Friendship, the organization that first developed the idea of conducting a delegation to a Mesoamerican country specifically oriented for youths. Jessica was wonderful with every aspect of the trip from planning, timing, and even some unexpected translating. The second co-ordinator was Tucker Barton, a World Issues and Drama teacher at Trinity College School. She helped share her views and knowledge about travelling to foreign countries, and issues such as foreign debt, free trade, and many more.
Our trip started out quite busy, because we were there for both learning and helping out wherever we could. We wanted to give back to the organizations that had let us into their world and shared their stories with us. Our hardest but most fulfilling task was the painting of the guesthouse for the educational organization Madres Maestras (Teaching Mothers). This organization sets up pre-school centres that provide learning for both children and a member of their family, and it provides education in many areas that have no access to schools, like the one we visited that was practically built into the side of a large hill.
Also among the numerous organizations we met with there was IDEMI, a youth group that promotes AIDS awareness in schools. Both our groups had the chance to interact with each other for the day that we all banded together and helped out at a local school. The school children were all giddy with excitement whenever they saw us walking about doing either tree planting, painting, or even helping out in the classroom.
We were well-taken care of by the organization Interamerican Cooperative Insitute (ICI) Panama, whose facilities we stayed at. During our stay, we enjoyed many slideshows and presentations put on by different staff members of ICI, all of which were about current issues that Panama or Latin America (or even the world) faced. The subjects included free trade, environmental globalization, poverty, etc. We also experienced the tourist’s view of Panama, with a tour of the Panama Canal, a national park, a marine center, a visit to the beach, and even a traditional dance performed by a group of local children. Getting to see both sides of Panama really made us feel a special bond to the country, and it’s something we will continue to apply to many more of our journeys in life. Our group got along great, and at the end of this experience we were all glad to have been a part of it. After all, “it’s not where you go, it’s who you go with” that makes the difference.
According to Jessica Farias, Community Outreach Coordinator of Horizons of Friendship and responsible for organizing the trip: “Global education programs like this, have a very powerful impact on a young person’s life. It is also thanks to the leadership provided by teachers, in this case, Ms. Tucker Barton from TCS, who understand the importance of exposing youth to issues of a developing country and who motivate them to participate, that these trips can take place.”
During the ten days, the youth participated in a series of seminars on topics such as: economic globalization, environmental issues and the social context of Latin America. They visited key non-governmental organizations dedicated to the fight against AIDS. Here, they learned about the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in Panama, which has the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in Central America. Through these visits they also learned about the struggle for treatment and strategies for breaking the stigma associated with the disease. The group also visited a women’s organization dedicated to the establishment of early childhood education centres in low-income communities and where mothers take an active and positive role in this process. Finally, the group spent several days working as volunteers alongside other Panamanian youth painting a women’s shelter and a rural primary school, planting trees and playing with small children at a local school.
“It was an incredibly meaningful experience. At the community level we learned of the impact of grassroots initiatives and we were able to see the real value of the support that Horizons of Friendship provides to these communities. I got a sense that this is a world that is very much connected – where a commitment to life, education and a sustainable future are not isolated concerns. It was about people coming together, sharing ideas and parting with a motivation to continue to work for social change.” said Ashlea Hegedus-Viola, a Cobourg youth and one of the participants in the program.
