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It’s hard to believe we are already on day 7 - half way through our trip! What a great way to mark the day than by engaging with some of the young people here.
We had the great fortune to have a morning session with about 32 boys and girls, ranging in age from 12 to 20 to talk about their hopes and dreams, what makes them special and what it means to be a good friend.
We were joined by 4 young people from the area to serve as our translators. All siblings, there were 2 sisters and 2 brothers.
It was decided to split the youth in to two groups with Deb, Gillian and Sara with the girls and Barb, Jackie and myself with the boys.
For the young girls, they believed they could be whatever they wanted, with some sharing dreams of being a doctor or a policewoman. But the older girls struggled to say what their dreams were, and when asked what they did for fun, said only that they enjoyed cleaning.
For the boys, many had dreams of being a football (soccer) player, to travel and to build a home and live in peace. Being a good friend meant being trustworthy, kind, a good neighbour, helping one another and keeping a promise.
We then busted out the art supplies so the kids could each create a dream board to always be reminded of their dreams and how special they are. We then asked the kids to write a word or draw a picture on a paper leaf that was glued on to a tree Debbie had drawn that would be left at the centre to always remind the kids of our time together.
After high-fives from the boys and hugs from their girls, we were treated to an afternoon of tourism, with a lovely lunch, a little shopping and a drive to an amazing viewpoint to take in the breathtaking beauty of this country.
Patty
