YOUTH AMBASSADORS COMING TOGETHER AND GIVING BACK

Youth Ambassadors with Food & Friends' staff

WASHINGTON-Partners of the Americas, as part of the Department of State’s Youth Ambassador Program, brought together 16 youth from Ecuador and Peru to join Americans in the remembrance of September 11. These youth volunteered at Food & Friends, a non-profit organization in Washington DC, to prepare food for people living with life challenging illnesses. They learned about the importance of volunteer service in American culture and how they can integrate service into their home communities. Although Ecuador and Peru have a tumultuous history between them, these youth found that joint volunteer initiatives can help create mutual understanding.

 

Youth Ambassadors during their volunteer service

“No force for change is more powerful than that of Americans who are making a difference in their communities.” With these words, President Obama called Americans to honor September 11, for the first time, as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The initiative began with the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that was signed by Obama in April. The act asks Americans to increase their participation in community service.

 

The Youth Ambassador program offers Latin American youth new international opportunities and experiences to broaden their knowledge of US culture, society, and education. “It was really important that the youth got a chance to take part in remembering September 11 not only by learning about how to give back to their communities, but also by serving with Americans,” said Melissa Golladay, Director of Youth Exchanges at Partners of the Americas.

Michelle Montenegro, from Ecuador, said that she was surprised by the happiness and commitment of the American volunteers. She told us that “the work environment was very cozy; I almost felt like I was in Ecuador.”

Christian Chapoñan and Paulo Herrera, from Peru, were also surprised by the commitment of the American people to volunteer service. Christian felt that through the experience he learned that by “helping others, we help ourselves, becoming better people.”

 The group agreed that when they go back to their communities they will increase their efforts to educate others about the importance of serving the less fortunate. Some of them, such as Silvana Muñoz, from Ecuador, even envisioned the possibility of creating a large Ecuadorian and Peruvian joint volunteer initiative so that together they can create a force of understanding between these two countries.

 Youth Ambassadors will stay one week in Washington DC to visit important landmarks and meet with various representatives from embassies and other institutions. Then, they will travel to various US states for two weeks where they will live in home-stays with local families. During the home-stay, Youth Ambassadors will attend school with host family members, participate in community events, and learn about their host state. Once they go back to their countries, each of these youth will develop a community service project with the support of Partners of the Americas.