Recovery of Puerto Rico through Youth Leadership

Our first group of eleven Community Youth Leaders has finished their theoretical training of eight months. The training has provided each participant with the tools and knowledge to manage work and community partnerships.

Jóvenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo, Inc. established alliances with other non-for-profit organizations in order to connect our new leaders in training with causes which impact their communities. The month of June has been dedicated to service learning. Each leader has been matched with a community organization where they can put their new acquire skills and knowledge to practice through their active service. The service experiences range from working with children to promote knowledge about cultural diversity, to reclaiming abandoned public spaces to be used for preventing community violence, to essential services for the elderly.

This phase of service learning of the community youth leadership training focuses on integrating acquire skills by applying them through actual practice. As we conclude the first cycle of this pilot project, we plan to grow the program so that more youth from the eastern region of Puerto Rico can access theoretical and practical community leadership training. By promoting and solidifying the creation of community leadership alliances, we strive to strengthen the social capital of our youth and the communities to which they are linked.

We seek your support to guarantee the continuation and growth of our Community Youth Leadership Incubator: TIBOCO. Your contribution will enable more local youth to become the leaders they wish to be and the leaders their communities need. 

TIBOCO: community youth leadership incubator is the name the participants chose for the project because tiboco means "nest" in the arahuaco indigenous language. To them it represents the place where they are getting ready to become community leaders. Once they finish the training, they will leave the "nest" and work together to rebuild their communities.

We are excited to introduce some of the young leaders! By donating to our project you support the training which will enable these youths to take action within their communities.

Meet José

José lives in Ceiba, a town that has sparked his curiosity and interest in developing projects. He wants to be a leader with the ability to be an advocate and model for others, without losing humility. He decided to be part of our training in search of knowledge and tools to help and be an example for other young people. He is interested in working improve the environment in his community by developing effective recycling projects and by reclaiming public spaces which need cleaning, repairing, fixing roads and improving lighting.

 Meet Brian 

Brian lives in the town of Juncos. Through several of our programs, he has shown great interests in issues related to history and justice. He describes himself as committed and ambitious, characteristics that he associates with the possibility of being a leader in his community. He joined our program with the interest to learn more about how to be a good leader. Among the needs that he has identified in his community are the maintenance of public spaces, animal abandonment and homelessness. As part of the training he will focus on animal welfare issues.

Meet Delimar 

Delimar is from the town of Juncos. She decided to train as a community youth leader because she understands that it takes a lot to inspire and guide other young people. As a young leader, she believes empathy, respect and optimism are key elements to reach and work with others. Among the situations in her community, the number of stray animals stands out. She also finds there is a great need to design a recycling that fits the needs of her community, along with fixing traffic lights and general lighting in the town, an issue that has not been resolved since the hurricane. Her project will focus on the dealing with the situation of abandoned  animals.

Meet Adriana 

Adriana is from the town of Naguabo. She is interested in developing more skills as a community youth leader to help other people in her town. She emphasizes that central elements leadership are persistence and loving what you do, along with daring to live new experiences. Within her community, she highlights the needs to deal with abandoned dogs, waste management, elderly housing and homelessness. Her project is aimed at contributing to the quality of life of the elderly in her community.

Meet Greishell

Greishell is a young resident of the Luis Llorens Torres Project, the largest public residential complex in Puerto Rico. She describes herself as a committed, persistent and daring leader. She joined our program seeking an opportunity to contribute something to the community where she grew up. She is determined to work with her community from the heart, wants to be able to support her neighbors and family members, and work together to build a healthier and peaceful community. Some of the situations that affect the quality of life in her community, are the conditions of abandonment and lack of services for the elderly, homelessness, abandoned animals and drug trafficking. Her project will focus services for the elderly in the community.