By Marissa Loterina | International Coordinator
Thank you for your generous contributions that enable us to continuously improve our programs for indigenous youth and their families in Chajul. Today we’re pleased to share recent developments in the Youth Development Program that will better support our 60 scholars as they strive to achieve their educational and personal goals.
A little earlier this year, our team created a plan to regularly provide individual counseling to scholars in need of extra support. The variety of reasons includes difficulties in school, specific classes, and/or concerns regarding family matters. In addition to meeting one-on-one with the scholars who need support, our counseling system also includes meetings with parents to keep them informed and involved. Managing Director Verónica and Program Coordinator Edilma, both of whom have received extensive counseling training, lead this work and it has been making a positive difference for the scholars who are participating.
We have also begun a monthly “fun hour” to engage our scholars and get them excited about everything Limitless Horizons Ixil has to offer. Scholars participate in activities like dance classes, art classes, sports, and reading club. We held our first “fun hour” in June with 30 scholars, where we played board games like Scrabble, Jenga, and chess. To celebrate our scholars and all their hard work during the first part of their school year, we hosted a field day at a local recreation center where we had team- and community-building exercises, including obstacles courses, swimming, and sports. All the scholars (and staff!) had a wonderful time.
Our Youth Development Program alumni created an alumni association, Triunfadores Sin Límites (Limitless Achievers) last year, and recently the association voted in an executive board of 7 members. These members, along with the support of other alumni, facilitate an alumni network and work together to find jobs and professional training opportunities. They also strive to foster community and connections between alumni and current scholars, and recently organized a special trip for current scholars.
In our Internship and Training Initiative, we made the positive decision to offer university scholarships to interns after successfully completing their 13-month internship. Our wonderful 4 interns for 2016 are all extremely motivated, are high academic achievers, and have strong skills that they’re bringing to their new roles with Limitless Horizons Ixil. We have Antonio serving as Operations Intern, Cecilia and Elisa serving as Library Interns, and María serving as Artisan Intern. We are also extremely proud of our previous Operations Intern Salvador, who was hired to serve as the Assistant to the Director of at our partner middle school, Colegio San Gaspar after his experience with our program. Current interns Antonio, Cecilia, Elisa, and María all participate in weekly professional development workshops and have one-on-one support and supervision provided by our full-time staff. Some of their favorite recent workshops include goal setting, financial management, learning styles, positive communication, and computer skills.
In another update about Limitless Horizons Ixil alumni, we are thrilled to share that 3 Limitless Horizons Ixil graduates completed university degrees this spring. Dominga and Josefina studied social work and Elicia studied mathematics. They received scholarships from our partner organization Philanthropiece, and these three young women are the first of our alumni to earn university degrees. We are incredibly proud of them and their hard work!
Without supporters like you, it would not be possible for our team to make these impactful improvements to the Youth Development Program and see the positive results we’ve seen so far. The changes that we make create more opportunities for success stories like Dominga, Josefina, and Elicia, and to show our scholars that their educational dreams are achievable with persistence and dedication. Thank you.
By Marissa Loterina | International Coordinator
By Marissa Loterina | International Coordinator
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