I am assessing needs, solving problems, creating budgets, managing projects and evaluating outcomes.
I am a compassionate person who can think critically, communicate effectively and lead a team.
I will be an adult who actively works to improve myself and my community.
Empowerment is helping others to help themselves. Your donation provides the tools and programs that empower youth to build up their own local community through civic engagement activities, such as vocational training, school repairs and substance abuse workshops, while learning valuable skills that will impact their future employability.
(These are only a few examples of our youth service projects from last year.)
Problem: Youth have few opportunities to participate in recreational, educational and personal development activities.
Solution: CI youth leaders understand that building knowledge and skills in a variety of areas will increase their odds of pursuing personal, social and financial growth. They identified three in-demand jobs that teens in their community can learn.
The project includes two key components:
This project benefits 600 people, including 500 sponsored teens.
Problem: Drug use among Indian teens — especially boys — is on the rise, due to easy accessibility and peer pressure. Drug use can negatively impact school attendance, kids' motivation and their self esteem, which hurts their chances of ever breaking out of poverty.
Solution: CI youth leaders are organizing a series of substance abuse workshops facilitated by local professionals. Following the workshops, participants will share information with young kids, teens and adults in their communities through plays, rallies and puppet shows.
These demonstrations will cover:
Once all the events have taken place, a team of CI teens, CI staff and professionals will survey participants to evaluate the project’s effectiveness. This project benefits 15,408 people, including 8,895 sponsored teens.
Problem: Impoverished families typically are unaware they're throwing money away by not using energy-efficient light bulbs or recycling their trash. It's also common to see communities littered with garbage, which can be harmful to their health.
Solution: Because the teens have learned how environmental stewardship is beneficial for both individuals and the community as a whole, they've created a two-step plan:
In total, this project benefits 3,000 people, including 300 sponsored teens.
Problem: Pollution from garbage is a concern in many Filipino communities. Recycling could greatly decrease the amount of trash that makes it to the streets, but residents lack awareness of proper waste disposal and recycling.
Solution: After learning that 56.7% of solid waste, such as kitchen scraps, yard waste, paper and cardboard, glass and plastic, come from residential sources, CI youth leaders in Quezon City decided to develop an environmental awareness program.
This large-scale campaign includes a seminar, community-wide cleanup event and education about how families can create and sell crafts made from recyclable materials.
This project benefits 2,077 people, including 1,577 sponsored teens.
Problem: Low self-esteem and a poor self-image make it easier for teens to fall into harmful and negative behaviors, which could inadvertently affect sponsored kids’ grades, health, employability and more.
Solution: CI teen leaders believe taking care of one’s appearance and being respectful increases self-respect and helps a teen become a more productive member of society. So they launched a weeklong campaign called Respect My SWAG to teach peers how to dress appropriately and be respectful of others. (SWAG stands for “self-worth at a glance.”)
The project benefits 2,500 children and teens, including 1,000 sponsored kids.
Problem: Many classrooms in Lusaka’s poor communities are in bad shape due to vandalism. Without a safe learning environment or decent furniture, children find it difficult to study and concentrate.
Solution: CI teens in Chibolya are using funds to fix a community school’s doors and windows, rehabilitate and paint classroom boards and provide desks.
This project benefits 822 people, including 522 sponsored kids and teens.
