Mixed emotions, sad goodbyes, packed schedule, and loss of energy. Today was a 2-in-1 due to the off schedule from the past few days. In the morning, we started to plan and brainstorm on what we were going to do for CAP, a community service project to help a mountain communiy in Rio Blanco. As a group, we decided that we wanted to finish what delegation 1 had started, a Recreational Center for kids. We found out everyone’s skills and strength and spilt into groups accordingly. After collaborating, we put what we envisioned onto paper. We decided to incorporate fun, education, and creativity into the room. For the fun aspect, we decided to have a merry-go-round. For education, an alphabet wall in both Spanish and English. And finally for creativity, we decided to add details to the mural on the wall. In the early afternoon, we planned and practiced our presentaions for the CAP project. We made visuals and made a rough sketch of what the room would look like.
When we went to Rio Blanco, we all presented our ideas to the panel of members of the federation, coordinators, our DR Country Director and the Global Glimpse Executive Director. We took the advice and suggestions that they all gave us. Luckily, they loved it and even gave us support for it by giving us more ideas on how to make this project possible. Having our group and the group at Rio Blanco come together for this project really made it a team effort. They offered their special skills in order to make this room even better. One offered to help weld metal, one offered to cut wood, and another offered to work with cement. Once the group showed us the room that we were going to be working in, we started to really see how the room would look like after we were done.
We took measurements and started to plan how exactly we were going to paint the walls, place the merry-go -round, and more. Esteban gave us suggestions on how to paint the wall the make the room more lively for the children. In the end, we decided to also add a see-saw and other more educational games so that the kids would have fun while learning. Being leaders today was really a fun experience especially since we learned from our mistakes from last time we were leaders. It has helped us realize that being good leaders means to make sure that everyone is included. Also, it has made the group realize that if we want to accomplish our goal in two days, we have to work together and have a strong bond. We hope to leave a mark in Rio Blanco and make a change for the better,