In our community, we are committed to protecting children and adolescents. Guided by the motto: “We say NO to the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents,” every member of the Poder Joven foundation marched through the city center to raise awareness about the urgent need to safeguard childhood and eradicate abuse and exploitation once and for all.
During the month of May we held a workshop for teenagers called “Visualizing our future.” The objective of this activity was to help the children understand the importance of setting relevant goals in life, and then create a plan of specific actions/decisions they must carry out daily towards that goal. Furthermore, we invited the kids to become aware of unhelpful habits that could divert them from their plans.
In our efforts to offer meaningful activities to the children, we created an alliance with one of the main public libraries in the city of Medellín. Through it, children learn science in many fun ways. Children get access to computers, watch documentaries, play games that stimulate their creativity and intelligence. Through activities like this, we make sure that Poder Joven is more attractive to the children than the “the street activities” which they are exposed to such as begging, crime,
As part of our constant search for alternatives to provide well-being to our children, we held a crafts workshop with therapeutic purpose. Through an activity called “the hugging kitten” the children created rag dolls to their liking, using their personal designs and favorite colors; Then, they wrote a story to relate themselves and their rag friends and reflect on their fears and challenges in life. The kittens symbolize those people such as friends, teachers, and family whom they can trust
Teenagers in our program received basic Barber training during the second semester of the year. The goal is to provide these young people with means to provide financial support to themselves in the future. All students were highly motivated and learned many haircutting and techniques put to test with family and friends!
During the month of June, we took the children of Poder Joven to a cookie factory and learned about all the logistics and coordination that go into the production of the delicious items. The kids had the opportunity of making their own cookies and reflected on the importance of making efforts at school to earn a degree and be able to run a factory or accomplish any other worthwhile job.
