Today met with the director of Federacion de Campesinos Esteban Polanco and some community members. They presented ideas for our CAP (Community Action Project). We split into groups and I was in a group with Charles and Jurelle. We asked them questions about their ideas and they explained to us why their project, we was important for the community. Our next step is to choose one project and afterwards we will have two days to deliver the project.

Today, my group learned that even if there is corruption in the government the communities unify to work together in bettering the environment and we saw that everyone who was working together was very determined and passionate about the environment and the community in which they live in. What surprised me the most today was that the people at the federation working together went through a lot of environmental problems in keeping there community together they did not give up in pursuing better opportunities for the community.

Today I was proud of my peers, which now I would call my family for the next 2 weeks, because we encourage each other and watch each other grow day by day. For myself I’m most proud of my growth as a leader. At the beginning of the day I was shy and then throughout the day I further understood my role as a leader.

I thought that Esteban Polanco from the Federacion de Campesinos was an inspiring person today. He stood up for the community and is a part of a huge role in the community by organizing for the rights of the rural workers.

I think that we are still in the middle of this journey and we have much further to go to reach our ultimate goal.