YUGA meets US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse!

Above, YUGA members Luis, Angie, and Rachel stand with Plan USA's interim CEO, Audrey Bracey-Deegan and US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse at Plan USA's Warwick office.

While many middle school and high school students were gearing up for the start of school yesterday, several YUGA members ended the summer on a slightly different-- and more political note!

Yesterday, YUGA members Luis, Angie, and Rachel spoke with US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act. Having been an original cosponsor of the bill, Senator Whitehouse talked with the YUGA members about child marriage and how we can all work together to get this important legislation passed.

Child marriage, defined as marriage before age 18, affects more than 60 million girls worldwide. In some countries, half of the girls are married before they turn 18. For some girls, they don't reach age 10 before being married, often to a man they have never met.

While this harmful practice exists worldwide, YUGA members took action to protect girls and help them reach their full potential. At YUGA Camp, a workshop was held about the international crisis of child marriage. At the workshop, YUGA painted a 'Thank You!' sign to RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, an original co-sponsor of the bill, and presented him with our banner, pictures from the workshop, and a YUGA t-shirt!

Above, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sits with Angie, Rachel, and Luis in the YUGA Hut!

Above, the pictures presented to Senator Whitehouse show the
Child Marriage workshop at YUGA Camp and the presentation of 11,000 signed letters
in support of the Child Marriage Prevention Bill at Congress.

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Angie shows Senator Whitehouse a picture of the young girl who her YUGA Chapter helps to sponsor in Benin.

Check out the YUGA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/yugacentral to see more pictures from the meeting!

YUGA CAMP 2010!

YUGA campers took on global and local issues this year at Camp

Idalis sporting her YUGA Camp 2010 tshirt

Having fun at YUGA Camp!!

From July 18th to July 24th around 40 youth from across the United States and abroad came together for an exciting week at YUGA (Youth United for Global Action and Awareness) Camp! This year, YUGA Camp was held at Camp Aldersgate in scenic North Scituate, Rhode Island. Throughout the week, our campers learned about various global issues (including fair trade, refugees, child exploitation, genocide, HIV, and more) through interactive workshops, daily "World Cup" family challenges, and some wonderful guest speakers.

Luis sketching scenes during a documentary-making workshop

This year at camp, we also had a delicious international dinner night (featuring food from Liberia, Thailand, and Norway), learned to dance Capoeira, tie-dyed tshirts, went swimming, roasted marshmallows, walked a high ropes course, sumo wrestled, and made some great memories.

Paola, Deona, and Priyanka took on the high ropes at camp

Daniel demonstrating Capoeira

Heidi presents her traditional Norwegian dish at international dinner

Picking up trash, making a street beautiful, giving residents hope

Some of our YUGA campers planting flowers in South Providence

Our fantastic group also participated in a street clean-up in South Providence, packed lunches for Crossroads of Rhode Island, and wrote letters to congressmen advocating for an end to child marriage. It was truly and inspiring week for our campers and counselors alike.

Oscar, Maura, Arisa, Allegra, Samir, and Clare at Camp Aldersgate

Flora advocating for an end to child marriage

Sumo wrestling during our international carnival

Back in Estados Unidos

Though our trip to El Salvador has ended, I thought I should end with a blog post...

I have traveled before, taken trains to Boston and planes as far way as Paris, and every time the scenery grew familiar, I remember thinking of the comfort and pleasure I have in coming home. However, when the plane window began to frame pictures of Newport, I didn't feel the same feeling. During the trip, I met some of the most vibrant, animated, friendly and loving people and the energy they radiated and the atmosphere they created was gone with El Salvador. I was accepted in an instant and never once was I afraid to dance to Shakria or stutter out Spanish in front of fifty youth. And once I did, I was only met with smiles, laugher and praising. Perhaps, I can go back to Latin America, which I already prefer over Europe, but will it ever be the same? The food, the music and the culture will of course persist, but the atmosphere of the conference will not. I will never forget playing football (soccer) under a warm sun with just bathing suits, calling each other by our countries to pass the ball or exchanging thoughts through three different languages. Now the circle that was "Somos Voces, Somos Regions" (the name of the conference) has re-dispersed back to the thirteen American countries and settled back into routines. And knowing that I might never see my Plan peers again is saddening. We are still though, a region, and I want us to continue to work together as youth to keep this up.

I decided that once I captured a place full of this indescribable energy, I now know I need to find it again. Even if it's in small doses, playing football again or dancing to salsa will bring El Salvador back. I found that I need to be around more people like those in El Salvador, and that vibe is what I need. I think this need to recapture this energy, will inspire me to take more risks in the future, travel to Latin America again, work to help others, learn Spanish and find who I want to be. Someone once told me, find what makes you fly and go with it, this trip has given me the motivation and courage to do just that. Telling my dad this, he responded, "you have your whole life ahead of you," and he is right, I do. I can do whatever I want, and I already find myself itching to get out of here and into the sky.

Shout outs to Kate and John, the best chaperons as well as Plan El Salvador for coordinating an amazing event and Plan International for bringing all its youth together and promoting our voices, our stories and our power, for hosting an incredible environment and never once doubting its youth.

This is it :)

Amazing no? We went to the Mayan Ruins in El Salvador. It took my breath away. I’ve never seen anything like it. I just couldn’t believe I was standing in a place so full of history and culture.
This whole experience has been amazing. I've learned so much and have met such amazing people who will always hold a place in my heart. I think that I've grown so much from this. I've got to admit that I was very nervous when I first came but I've grown to love this place. I'm sure going to miss seeing the mountain on my way to breakfast. I just can't wait to see how all the other countries are doing two months from now. Best of luck and thank you El Salvador for being so Awesome!

Somos Voces Somos Región 12 Country Tour [VIDEOS]

Spinning

My head is spinning with all the activity and ideas that have been generated during the first two days of the conference. A few of the thoughts swirling around are:

- How much I admire and respect the 4 YUGA members who are the ambassadors for the USNO at this conference. I know that they have struggled with figuring out their place as youth from a national office versus youth from program countries. From an outsider's perspective I feel that they done an excellent job of finding overlap and discovering new opportunities to move the mission of YUGA forward.

- Pupusas make a excellent breakfast food

- The view from my bedroom window in Providence is going to pale in comparison to waking up with a view of the countryside of El Salvador.

- ROA has endless songs and icebreakers to get the energy flowing...as a person who does not willingly participate in icebreakers, I find myself wanting to participate...and I think the songs will be stuck in my head for weeks to come.

- Police escorts make moving through morning traffic in San Salvador much quicker.

- El Salvador makes the best hot chocolate

- Youth involved with Plan's programs are some of the most dynamic, passionate, intelligent, caring and inclusive youth I have ever met...I am honored that I am invited to hang out with them.

- I wish that all Plan staff and supporters could experience what I am experiencing right now...this is what Plan is all about: a global network of youth leaders fully participating, shaping their involvement and their future, using their voice and their experiences to move Plan forward!

- If they keep giving us hot chocolate and pupusas I may never leave!!!

Yo quiero El Salvador

I haven't written in a few days, we've been so busy! Our conference started Monday, but we all ate dinner together on Sunday night. It's so overwhelming to speak a different language than everyone else; now we know how the international campers at YUGA camp feel. It's a great experience, but it's exhausting. We have two great translators, though, and we can communicate a little with gestures and the few words of Spanish we know. I wish I had taken Spanish in school! But, because it's difficult to communicate with each other, I think our bonds are stronger because we put a greater effort into communicating. Like last night, Sara and I talked to two Columbian youth, Jhon and Andres, through Google Translator. I am so amazed by what the youth here say and do. At first, everyone was laughing and being crazy and having fun, but then the conference started and we saw how intelligent and insightful they really are. They have a real sense of duty and responsibility to the world and their communities.
I don't know who is reading this, but I'd like to take this opportunity to thank El Salvador, their Plan office, and their youth. This is truly an experience that can not be replicated, and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

Follow the Live Video Stream Today

UPDATE: (7/14/2010) The Live UStream is up to almost 100% streaming capability today, Wednesday, July 14, 2010. Live Stream!

Sorry for the glitching on the Live Stream - they/we're working on it! Hopefully we'll get it re-uploaded later without the lag: http://yugacentral.blogspot.com/p/live-video-stream-somos-voces.html

Somos Voces Somos Región Facebook Page

[UPDATE] Both the Twitter feed and the Facebook Like Box have been embedded on the SomosRegion.org Website | http://somosregion.org/ ESO!

Somos Voces Somos Región has a brand new Facebook Page - Click the Like button below to Get Connected! Hopefully we'll get it embedded on the website tomorrow at http://somosregion.org/

"Somos Voces Somos Región!"

Today has been an such an amazing and overwhelming day. All the kids came in today and it has been so much fun meeting them. It's only our first day and we already seem like a big family. We just got back from a dinner full of laughter, food and translations. The different languages here are Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, and Creole to name a few. What blows me away is the fact that although we all speak different languages, a simple smile can bring us together. What really moved me however was seeing how Sara, Susan, and Allie interacted with the other kids although they didn't speak the same language. They were teaching each other Spanish and English with little phrases such as "nice to meet you," and "cuantos anos tienes?"
Basically an amazing time. Can't wait for tomorrow!!