After starting the morning with a delicious breakfast of strawberry juice, pears, and cheese sandwiches, we participated in our first Community Action Project (CAP) meeting. Ana and Melissa opened the meeting with an enlightening quote by Joel Barber: “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes time. Vision with action can change the world.” We then discussed the importance of having a sustainable project that engaged the community, learned the three D’s of the CAP–design, discovery, and delivery–and read about Casa de la Mujer, our community partners for the CAP and our speakers for the day. Further, we divided into three groups to brainstorm questions to ask members of the organization later, spanning background questions about why they were founded to ideas of projects in which we could help.

Then, after a fun round of “Evolution,” we walked to Casa de la Mujer, and met the inspirational women who participated in several hallmark movements for women’s rights– from Ana Maria, who was the first to fight for the rights of indigenous women and led a protest in 1991 with 30,000 fellow indigenous activists, to her granddaughter, Tamia, who fought for and won a voluntary vote for youth aged 16 and up as a member of the People’s Assembly in 2008 (when she was only 14)!

Later, following a delicious four-course lunch of salad, vegetable soup, shrimp and fish with rice, and banana cream desserts, we returned to the hotel for our second CAP meeting of the day. We shared the responses from the organization’s leaders regarding our project-oriented questions with the rest of the group, and came up with CAP possibilities. After voting and considering various factors such as need, community engagement, feasibility, and personal passion, we decided on four projects to present to our partners on Monday: patching up and repainting the walls, cleaning and replanting the garden, constructing wooden signs, and deep cleaning numerous rooms in the house.

We then went to a surprise dinner of pizza and Coke, which prompted smiles, cheers, and lines for seconds. Finally, after a Broadway-themed walk back with friends, we ended the day with our nightly meeting, the traditional passing of the torch and lei to the next Leader of the Day, and a lively reflection section!

I can’t wait for what’s ahead, and all the fun that Free Day will bring!