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| Location: | Veraguas, Panama |
| Length: | 8 Weeks |
| Dates: | June 11, 2008 - August 6, 2008 |
| Project Type: | Youth-to-Youth Community Development |
| Restrictions: | None |
Description of Project:
Volunteers will promote healthy social development and group leadership skills of young people through an eight-week school-based program of educational workshops and group-led community improvement projects. Two to three AMIGOS Volunteers serving as program facilitators with local youth co-facilitators will carry out experiential learning activities with children and adolescents ranging in age from 7 to 15 years. Program activities will focus on social development and self-esteem, including group leadership, teamwork and group problem solving skills, health and environmental education, communication skills, and creative expression.
In addition to the workshops, a key component of the program will be the implementation of community improvement projects with youth and adult community members. Projects may range from the construction of parks and sports fields to the formation of service clubs and arts groups.
Five of the AMIGOS Volunteers on the Veraguas project will be Volunteers from Casa de la Juventud, an AMIGOS partner agency in Costa Rica. There will also be several Panamanian Volunteers from Panama Verde, a partner agency on this project. These Volunteers will participate for the full 8 week project in Panama and be partnered with Volunteers from the US.
Project Area:
Panama is an amazingly diverse country with natural beauty and a strong indigenous culture. The province of Veraguas is about four hours west of the nation’s capital, Panama City. When Christopher Columbus sailed off the coast of Panama, he was so impressed with the vegetation that he called the area Veraguas, meaning “green waters.” Veraguas is the only province in Panama that has shores on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
The region is home to the Guaymi indigenous group, but Volunteers may also run into Chinese, African, Arab, and European-Panamanians. The majority of its population is dedicated to agricultural and cattle-raising. This year’s project headquarters is located in Santiago and many of the host communities are within a two hour drive from the city. Others are within minutes of the city limits.
Project History:
AMIGOS first worked in Panama in 1981. When U.S. Marines invaded Panama in 1989, AMIGOS suspended its project and did not return until 2004. That year, the Youth-to-Youth Community Development program was introduced successfully to the Veraguas region with the support of the Ministry of Health.
Partner Agencies:
Ministerio de Salud de Panamá
Panamá Verde
Further Actions:
“This is an organization that gives people, at a very young age, exposure and opportunity to understanding and serving people that brings about greater understanding and compassion on all sides of national borders. I believe that if all young people were to do AMIGOS, or something like it, they’d be off to a more educated and enlightened start as they pursue their callings in life.”
–Catherine Araiza, Organization Development Consultant, The Methodist Hospital
