Page 51 - NEWSPAPER MEDIA MONITORING DECEMBER 11TH, 2018

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Tuesday 11 december 2018

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You Can Help by adding some Happiness:
“Building Youth Resilient

from the Inside Out”

program was an initiative from Cooperating
Funds of The Netherlands and they carried it
out within the Caribbean part of the Dutch
Kingdom. We as foundation operated for
Aruba. Under that umbrella we gave the ACE
culture, the language and the environment. program. The absenteeism dropped and it re-
Kayla: “For example: Does the private situa- ally was affective.
tion prevent the child from going to school?
We had a teenager who actually had to work We Take Care
to provide for his family, sacrificing school for There is a group of youngsters that always
an income at home. There is where we could look for the foundation and have become
be of help and support and guide.” She ex- volunteer leaders themselves. Kayla: “They
plains that it is not a problems or an embar- feel it works for them. We also recruit youth
rassment to reach out. “We see that you leaders in schools and we recently started a
have the potential but you are not unleash- youth platform called Aruba Youth Impact
ing it. That’s how we try to turn it around.” where youngsters can share their ideas and
concerns and actually act upon them. That
Who Am I is how we get this group more involved. It is
“Our signature program is called ‘The Power a mix of youngsters of all levels, with all kind
Within Me’ and focuses on personal develop- of problems or none at all. They just feel com-
ment and most of all self-esteem. Topics are fortable with us as we are a family here. We
Kayla Rojas is Project Coordinator at the Heart- ‘How do you communicate’, ‘team work’, take care of them.”
Centered Leadership Foundation: “We are ‘what are your norms and values’, ‘answering
a foundation focusing on youth between 14 the question Who Am I’. When you know that Future Plans
and 25, empowering them by offering train- you build yourselves stronger and resistant “Young people are walking around with a
ings, programs, seminars. Our mission is to of- against peer pressure or bullying. It is most lot of baggage and sometimes parents and
fer young people the tools that can foster their about creating awareness and conscious- teachers do their best but it is not enough.
personal development and enable them to be ness.” Another training is ‘The Sky Is The Limit’ We want to continue working with underprivi-
sustainable.” The foundation believes in three concentrating on visualization and goal set- leged youngsters in individual and group ses-
R’s when it comes to sustainability: Responsi- ting. You could look at it as a guidance and sions and strengthening them. And we have
ble, Respectful and Resilient. “Especially resil- support for young people. our youth platform that is establishing firmly,
ient as we work from the inside out and give organizing also the Impact Café that is based
them the tools to stand firmly in their shoes Their Future on the World Café model where you bring
and that tomorrow –regardless of any obstacle Besides Kayla as the Project Coordinator, the youngsters together and discuss topics”, says
they may confront in life- they can continue on foundation is run by the director and volun- Kayla. q
without struggling or completely giving up. We teers. The director is a Facilitator of the train-
strongly believe in building strength from the ings and she has a lot of experience in this
inside out.” field. She worked and still does with the Edu-
care Foundation, they are based in Los Ange-
Lot of the time you can look strong from the les and they offer three days seminars called
outside while from the inside you face sad- ACE, standing for Achievement and Commit-
ness, traumas and struggle. There are several ment to Excellence. “We carry out that pro-
risk factors for young people: Individual fac- gram here, it is intense but has very good sat-
tors like a lack of motivation and relationship isfaction rates. We did it in 2012 for 100 youth
with peers. Than you have the family factor; leaders in Aruba, like members of Parlamento
how involved are parents with the school, the Hubenil, Circle K and so on. From 2014 to 2017
education level of the family and the social- it was repeated under the program ‘Their
economic situation at home. The last one is Future, Our Duty’, focusing on drop-out pre-
the pull-push factor, the school climate, the vention for underprivileged youngsters. The

If you would like to visit the foundation, please call + (297) 584 1211 and ask for Kayla Rojas. For more information visit their Facebook: Heart-
Centered Leadership Foundation. Thank You!