Empowering Young Lives

The month of August 2oo9, will be remembered both by teens and children
who participated in the first MacArthur Park Teen Club.

Today, was the end of the "first chapter of the book [we the volunteers]
are writing",as my awesome trainer Faye Estrada said. This project,which
was led entirely by youth in the community, gave young elementary and a
few high school students the opportunity to learn new subjects as well
as a space to meet other people and have fun.
The workshops in which the students participated on were: Theatre &
Music, Arts & Crafts, Arts & Comedy, Environmental Awareness,and Spoken
Word/Poetry.

Many volunteers saw this experience as a learning tool, a "quarter of
their" goals and dreams for the future, an opportunity to meet others
who seek change in the community too, a accomplishment in their lives,
and also an "opportunity to help the community."

This enrichment program was very successful at the end. We were all glad
& appreciated that volunteers took some of their summer to help make a
difference in the children's lives. It takes only one day to change a
person's life. This program could have changed a students or a
volunteers life.

This program not only allowed us to empower young lives,but also mentor
and be there for young students. "[A few volunteers could] tell
something about each student", their connection with this students gave
the volunteers the opportunity to get to know them better.

Some of the students touched the hearts of few volunteers. There was a
specific student whom really touched lives of both the volunteers and
the trainers. Their trust to the volunteers showed us the struggles both
their and their family faced.

When we heard such things, we automatically knew that this enrichment
program did make a change in the students life, it gave them a space to
forget what was out there: gangs, violence,domestic violence, sexual
harrasment, vandalism, and any struggles one can think the people of
McArthur Park face.

We just hope that this students will reach for their goals and dreams,
without having to fall into the misfortunes many other yout fall into.
It is programs like this that give youngsters that hope.

The end of the Summer program of the Teen Club is not the complete end.
We hope that we will be able to continue this program in order to have
contact with the students and parents, as well as continuing empowering
young lives.