Initiatives
Honduras
Here's just a small sampling of the initiatives that
are ongoing with your support.
CHARLAS CON EL GRUPO, CHATS WITH THE GROUP
An important part of the Youth Across Borders mission is to establish deep meaningful connections between the Youth Ambassadors and Youth they have traveled to see. During our trips, the team splits up into smaller "grupos" or groups for a "charla" or chat. It is during this time that the youth can get to know one another on a person to person level and share their personal experiences of living with HIV as well as share questions, answers, and laughter.
“Speaking to the group I had the opportunity to share my story of discovering I was positive while pregnant with my first child. I saw light bulbs flickering on as it hit them, positive mom, negative baby. I wanted them to know a family can be theirs; they can and will and are loved regardless of their HIV journey.
— Youth Ambassador
Workshops
We utilize our volunteers’ unique talents to create activities throughout the trip that convey
messages of diversity, hope, healing, bravery, openness, strength, learning, and community.
The “Box of Crayons” project was inspired by wanting to show how we can not only be creative as individuals, but even more so when we include everyone and work together. The book “The Crayon Box that Talked” (by Shane Derolf) beautifully fables how without others, our world is not as beautiful or complete. Derolf highlights that it is because of our diversity and our differences that a “completed picture” involving inclusion is richer and more fulfilling.
While we are in Honduras we engage in workshops that have been designed by our Youth Ambassadors. Here we work on making a bracelet with patience, discussing the Honduran and English negative words used around HIV and AIDS and how those make people feel, a puppet show centered on exclusion and misunderstood facts surrounding HIV and AIDS, and seeking out the good in ourselves and others.
Creating vision boards to imagine and plan for life outside of the group home.
Group Projects
During the week we will work on projects with the children we traveled to see
to enhance the environment where they live and play.
One of our service teams after completing a shelter for raising pigs and breeding them for meat. As a result of this project, the group home can save money on their food costs.
Our service team and youth from the group home at Montana de Luz transformed a wall covered with graffiti to one with words and images of inclusion. Six years later the wall is still being respected and has not been destroyed.
The YAB group, or YABers, as we call ourselves, complete needed projects as determined by the staff of the home.