Starfish Students elected as part of the Guayaquil Student Council!

This week we are featuring a blog post from Luiggi Pluas, a Starfish student from Flor de Bastion, who, along with Itaty Morocho, were 2 of the 12 students elected to represent District 8 in a city-wide student council. The selection of Luiggi and Itaty demonstrates their academic success and leadership abilities, and we are incredibly proud of them. Being chosen as a representative is a great honor and accomplishment. Congratulations, Luiggi and Itaty!

 

The Youth and Adolescents Advisory Council of Guayaquil 

In the first council, the Guayaquil officials had to elect 12 youth representatives from a previously selected group of 24. During this meeting, Itaty and I were fortunate to be elected as 2 of the 12 representatives from District 8 (our district). There are a total of 10 districts, and each district sent 12 youth representatives to the large, city-wide Student Council, which totaled to 120 children that attended the council. 

At the first meeting [that Itaty and I attended], only members of District 8 participated, but at the second meeting, we joined all of the districts representing the entirety of Guayaquil. To accommodate  such a large group of youth representatives, the meeting occurred in the Multifunctional Town Center (Zumar). When we arrived, they gave us purple shirts, the purple signifying that we were representatives of District 8. The other districts had various colors to differentiate themselves.  We began with icebreakers, then we created some small representations (sketches) of the social problems present in Guayaquil, such as drugs, alcohol, human trafficking, and pollution. 

Itaty and I truly enjoyed the activities. After the group discussions and activities, we then went to eat, and once we finished, it was time to choose the 12 representatives of the entire Guayaquil and 12 alternates from the 120 students present at this council. Truthfully, choosing 24 students from 120 proved to be very difficult; therefore, the 120 candidates had to participate in many exercises, such as speaking, socializing, etc., and during these activities, we were evaluated and had to pass certain criteria. As they were determining the 12 representatives and 12 alternates, I was incredibly nervous, since I didn't know what was going to happen, or if I was going to be chosen. When they gave us the final count of the votes and informed me that I didn't qualify, I felt a little sad that I wasn't chosen to represent Guayaquil as part of that small council. However, there will be another opportunity soon, and I have to keep faith that I could be a representative in the future. 

The purpose of this Council of Students is to gather ideas from the adolescentes and present them to the mayor, so that the city government may come to understand what the youth of Guayaquil wants, which is: for our city to become a better, safer place. 

~Luiggi Pluas

Luiggi Pluas 

Itaty Morocho 

(en español)

Consejo Consultivo de la niñez y adolescencia de Guayaquil

Primero nos mandaron a citar en al primer reunión, en la cual se debía escoger a 12 niños entre aproximadamente 24 niños del distrito 8, ya que los demás distritos (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) ya habían tenido anteriormente otras reuniones en la que también escogido a 12 niños mas, es decir, entre todos los distritos tenía que haber aproximadamente 120 niños escogidos, desde hay ya quedamos como representantes del distrito 8.

Posteriormente a esa reunión, nos citaron a otra, pero esta vez era para concursar ya no solo los que estábamos del distrito 8, si no contra todos los distritos para que representemos a Guayaquil entero, y asi fue, la reunión se realizo en el Centro Municipal Polifuncional Zumar, cuando llegamos nos entregaron una camisa de color morado, el cual nos representaba como distrito 8, los demás distritos tenían otros colores para diferenciarlos, entonces eramos como 100 niños que estábamos concursando, primero hicimos dinámicas, pequeños sketchs sobre problemáticas sociales como las drogas, el alcohol, trata de personas, contaminación ambienta, etc…

Nos divertimos mucho, luego fuimos a comer, una vez que terminamos, ya había llegado la hora de comenzar a escoger 12 representantes de Guayaquil y 12 mas de suplentes, de entre todos los aproximadamente 100 estudiantes, al verdad es que estuvo difícil, y aunque teníamos que dar diferentes criterios, hablar, socializar, etc, pero cuando ya fueron los votaciones yo estaba nervioso ya que no sabía de que iba a pasar, pero cuando ya dieron los votos finales, me dijeron que estaba descalificado, me sentí un poco triste ya que no pude alcanzar a representar a Guayaquil, pero para una próxima oportunidad será, hay que tener fé de que se va a poder.

Este proyecto, tiene el fin de recolectar ideas de los niños, adolescentes para asi los directivos, alcalde, tengan una idea concisa de que es lo piensan los jóvenes y así ser de Guayaquil un lugar mejor. 

Luiggi Pluas

My dream, Scholars' dreams, and refugees' dreams

So, if you're connected with world news at all in the past week, it's been a tumultuous week to say the least. Paris, Beirut, Baghdad, and Japan all made world headlines within a few days' time. But, sadly, another recent news headline started a long time ago (and has progressed): Syria's refugee crisis.

I'm not writing this blog to take a political stance -- but I'm actually reframing this situation for you with a different perspective. For our Scholars, they are blessed to not currently be living in a war-torn country. Their country has not been attacked by terrorists. They are not traveling thousands of miles to a potential new home - hoping that someone will care for them along the dangerous journey.

The sad reality is, though, our Scholars do face very real challenges. They face extreme poverty, lack of food, lack of clean water, violence in their community, gang and drug pressure, and more. The difference I am grateful for is the opportunity for our Scholars to receive an education.

Here is our "Goals" or "Dreams" wall. Each Scholar put his/her dream on the wall, next to a photo of him/her in school uniform. We believe this motivates them to keep focused on their dreams!

We also like to celebrate students' academic achievements and efforts. Here, Maria Belen congratulates Luiggi, one of our Scholars that we recognized last month!

Pamela, one of our work-study volunteers (who will be starting as an educator for us soon!) dreams of becoming a flight attendant. At her Starfish graduation celebration earlier this year, the Starfish educators and Scholars made her a card that reads, "Congratulations, future Flight Attendant!"

So far, Starfish has had 8 graduates (2 in 2014 and 6 in 2015, four of whom are pictured here). 6 more students are expected to graduate this coming year, in March!

I write all of this to share with you how grateful I am that our Scholars and tutor-only (mentee) students live in a country where there is peace. The challenges for many of these families are large, but the opportunity that these students receive is incredible, and I'm proud we can welcome them to receive their education. 

Throughout my time in Baltimore, I've also met many refugees - people whom the U.S. has welcomed into a land of peace, opportunity and education. I am grateful for these refugees, for all they have taught and brought us, and for the kind compassion they have been shown in times of hardship. 

Most importantly, I pray for the people who are not experiencing peace right now, that they find peace and compassion soon in their journey. 

So, tell me - what are your dreams? Share them here, or email me at beth@thestarfishchange.org. I'd love to hear your dreams!

Our educadoras write about leadership!

The past few weeks have been exciting for both the students and educadores of Starfish!
Our educadoras participated in a technology workshop, in which they refined communication skills, such as professional emailing and blogging. They divided into groups and composed blog posts about different topics. Here is what educadoras Cynthia and Lissette have to say about leadership!

Leadership and I

(( Examining the importance of leadership in our daily lives )) 

Implementing our leadership skills enables us to both achieve our aspirations and resolve our problems.

Asking the question, "what do the people want?" helps to guide us in being effective, efficient, and caring servant-leaders. Leadership plays an essential role in our lives. We know that if we use our talents, we will be able to endure any obstacles and effectively lead a group by incorporating everyone's different skills and gifts.

As a leader, one must have an intense internal drive to be able to motivate, inspire, and encourage others. Doing so will enable us to be effective in the workplace, to inspire others to work hard, and to ultimately reach our goals both in the workplace and our daily lives. Furthermore, we strive to continue to develop our communication skills in order to be a good leader (educator) at the Starfish Foundation, which has helped us acquire and refine our own leadership abilities.

Collaborating with others in a group makes completing tasks easier, since everyone is using their unique talents to work towards a common goal. Group work pushes us to make decisions, to delegate tasks, and integrate each group member's input.

"The success of a leader resides in understanding what the people desire and demand."

Lissette Loor, Guasmo educadora 

Cynthia Gurumendi, Guasmo educadora 

// be sure to check in next week, as we will be featuring blogs from two of our Starfish students who were nominated to be members of the Guayaquil Student Council //

en español: 

El liderazgo y yo

En un futuro podremos solventar más el liderazgo! 

~ Sabes lo que la gente quiere? ~

El liderazgo es muy importante porque nos conlleva a que nuestras habilidades las podremos sobrellevar y mantener a un grupo con la finalidad de tener capacidad de motivar, convocar promover e incentivar y evaluar para para que dicho trabajo sea eficaz y así lograr alcanzar las metas y objetivos propuestos en nuestra vida cotidiana. Por lo tanto, también desarrollamos mucha comunicación para poder ser un buen líder en la fundación.

Por lo que, el trabajo en equipo simplifica las cosas y aporta nuevos conocimientos que nos permite lograr la toma decisiones e integrar una propuesta para que los integrantes del equipo toman conciencia de sus tareas que deben cumplirlas en un tiempo determinado por su líder.

“La habilidad de un líder reside en entender fielmente lo que la gente quiere o demanda.”

      

The Top 5 Reasons We Started Starfish

Happy fourth birthday, Starfish! I'm so excited to celebrate this day - I remember when Jenn and I began, I had the thought, "It might last one year, and that's great! Or, it could last 5, and that's awesome. Or maybe even 10 or 20!" Look - just one year out from my next 'mile-marker' -- we've come so far!

I thought it might be fun to share with you a little bit about why Jenn and I decided to start Starfish.

1. We knew we had to give back to those we love, who had given us so much. We had just returned from a powerful year serving in Guayaquil, Ecuador with Rostro de Cristo. We had met these incredible families that had opened their homes to us through offering us food, love, hugs, a listening ear, and so much more. Even if we weren't in this neighborhood specifically (which Starfish isn't), we wanted to support that beautiful culture of hospitality, faith and service.

Some of the children from some of my favorite families, in a neighborhood behind the one where I lived, called Elsa. 

2. Carpe diem. We had to sieze the day! What a better time to do something really crazy then when you just finished doing something else really crazy?! In all seriousness, Jenn and I both knew it was a little nuts -- we were told we shouldn't make any big life decisions during such a powerful transition, but ya know... sometimes your heart just speaks louder than your head. Neither of us had many serious commitments at the time, so it seemed like a reasonable time to take a leap of faith.

3. To put our faith into action. Jenn and I are both dedicated to our faith. We are both Catholic, but we're on the same page that faith is faith -- and it means doing good works when you are able to serve those most in need. We both love the Jesuit traditions (Jenn having gone to Fairfield - me now studying at Loyola, plus spending time at a Jesuit parish in Baltimore). The notions of serving those most in need rings loudly in our hearts, and it's something we take seriously.

4. "She who sees is responsible." Taken from the motto of Notre Dame Preparatory School, we knew we had to do something about what we had witnessed. We had seen (and still see) so many families struggle to make ends meet with food and shelter alone, that education seemed to be a daunting task for our loved ones. We had seen the challenges with finding income, maintaining health, and working for justice - and we knew we couldn't sit still.

5. Because of Hugh, and Dr. Albert Schweitzer, and Villanova. Hugh O'Brian started the famous HOBY Leadership organization, one that I'm quite involved in. Dr. Albert Schweitzer inspired Hugh to start HOBY after a trip to Africa, where Schweitzer asked, "Hugh, what are you going to do about it?"

My family and I with Hugh O'Brian himself!

Around the same time we returned from our year in Ecuador, Villanova (my alma mater) had just started their Ignite Change, Go Nova campaign. The entire campaign focuses on supporting Villanova community members to do things just like this. What perfect timing! I remember visiting campus for the first time after I returned back to the U.S., telling professors and friends that I wanted to start a nonprofit. No one even doubted it -- the common answer was, "Great! Tell me more."

So, Jenn and I decided to ignite some change... and look where we are today. :)

The banner that really inspired my passion to go forth with this project.

We hope you enjoy celebrating this 200th blog post and this 4th birthday with us today -- and here's to many more!

Con cariño,
Beth

Guest Blogger: Danit Lieberman

Danit Lieberman, a sophomore studying business at Boston College, reflects about her experience this past summer, when she served at an orphanage in Argentina. Danit grew up in Mexico City until she was 11 years old, and now she and her family live in Denver, CO. Danit is bilingual, and her passion for mastering languages continues in her university studies, as she is minoring in Chinese. Thank you, Danit, for your honest and raw reflection about service, different realities, and gratitude.

During my time in Argentina, I was simultaneously haunted and comforted by the thought, “I have the luxury to return home.” I have the luxury to return to a clean, spacious house. The luxury to return to my family. Not a perfect family, certainly not, but a family who gives me personal attention and love. What I leave behind is a world with few “Me” and “I.”

This summer I volunteered at an orphanage in Cordoba, Argentina called Hogar Bethel. While reflecting about my experience, I realized that the kids were always clustered into groups; “These are the Hogar kids,” “these are the older girls,” “these are the babies,” “these are these siblings.” They are seen as part of a group identity, but they are rarely recognized for their individual identity. Yes, they each have a name, a personality, an attitude. But they share many of the luxuries I’ve had to myself.

They share a shower, which immediately takes away any sense of privacy. They share clothes: school clothes, weekend clothes…No one child has his or her own clothes, the clothes are the Hogar’s and they alternate in who wears what. They share rooms, toys, food. One other precious thing that they are forced to share is their time, their lives.  At home I spend time alone, I have the option to read quietly in my room or watch TV with my family. I can choose to hang out with friends, or I can choose to be alone. I have the choice.

At the Hogar the kids don’t have choice. They are always together. Always with the same people, who in many cases don’t treat them right. They share all of their time. They wake up next to each other, shower next to each other, eat next to each other, and go to bed next to each other. There is never any independence.  Never any healthy solitude. Their lives are all intertwined together under the roof of the Hogar.

I lived in the Hogar for one challenging month. I struggled with the lack of privacy, the lack of structure and direction, and the lack of attention to the kids. I slept in a room without a door, so everyday the kids came in and woke me up. I had to keep my belongings in a separate room with a door so the kids wouldn’t steal my things (because they would if they had the opportunity).  During that month, I longed for my private room at home. I craved my alone time that I take for granted. And I realized that I have the luxury to return to that. But at the same time, I felt guilty for needing that and wanting it.

For me, my experience at the orphanage was temporary. I voluntarily lived there for a limited time. However, these kids are taken there involuntarily and for an indefinite amount of time. This thought humbled me. These “commodities” that I take for granted every day, are unimaginable luxuries for these kids.

My experience in Argentina was hard. I missed home and I wasn’t peaceful in the Hogar. My days had no structure and I couldn’t find the means to have a bigger impact on the children. But as hard as it was, the hardest part was leaving the beautiful children and returning to my luxurious life.

Service trips wake us up to realities outside our experience. They make us be more aware of the struggles people face around the world, and the drastically different lifestyles that people lead. But these trips also open our eyes to the many blessings we have in our lives. So no matter what challenge we are facing right now, we know we are blessed with a life of luxury, and we need to remember to be grateful for that.

Are you interested in an experience that wakes you up to a new reality?  We are looking for volunteers in Ecuador!  If you are interested in volunteering, contact us at info@thestarfishchange.org  If you are interested in joining us for a shorter period of time as part of our annual Friends of Starfish trip, please fill out this survey!

Las Entrevistas (Interviews): Isis and Yesenia

Join us for another brief segment of las entrevistas (interviews) with our Starfish students! 

Today, two of our Starfish scholars from Guasmo, Isis and Yesenia, share some of their pensamientos (thoughts) about their motivation and inspiration for their educations. 

Stay tuned for more entrevistas with our scholars, coming next week, in addition to a blog post created entirely by our very own educadores as a part of their technology workshop! During this workshop, our Guasmo educadores learned about technology in the workplace, and practiced skills such as professional emailing, and creating blogs and powerpoint presentations All of these skills will provide our educatdores with valuable resources for their own careers and studies, as well as enable them to better develop the skills of our scholars. 

Isis Matias, 14 years old.

What motivates you to excel in your education?

-"My main motivation to excel comes from my parents, because each day, I see the daily sacrifices they make to provide me with an education so that I can better myself and truly become someone in this life." 

What is one thing about your country that you wish to change?

-"I hope that one day, society changes to create a greater level of respect. In this way, I wish that people can develop a different way of thinking." 

 Yesenia Guallo, 14 years old.

Tell us about a professor or educator that has helped you to discover your academic strengths.

-“One day, my professor Mercedes told me that there are always, and will always be, difficulties in live and that a setback is not synonomous with a defeat. Mercedes believes that I can overcome struggles, and she helps me achieve my goals. I’m grateful for this advice, for it has helped me realize that if I fail, it doesn’t mean I am defeated.” 

What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone younger than you?

-"One piece of advice that I would give would be to set goals, and to achieve them, for this is the best thing to have done. However, only set goals that benefit yourself and those around you."

En español: 

Isis Matias, 14 años. 

Que te motiva para sobresalir en tu educación?

-"Mi mayor motivación son mis padres porque veo como se han sacrificado en la vida para darme educación y que yo me supere y sea alguien en la vida."

Cual es una cosa de tu país que te gustaría cambiar?

-"Que esta sociedad cambie se forma de ser respecto a cómo tratar a las personas solo por tener una manera diferente de pensar."

Yesenia Guallo, 14 años. 

Cuéntanos sobre un profesor o educador que te ha ayudado a reconocer tus fortalezas académicas?

-"Mi profesora Mercedes un día me dijo que siempre hay dificultades en la vida y que por tropiezos no significa la derrota y que piense en superarme y que cumpla mi objetivo. Y gracias a este consejo me ayudo a darme cuenta que si fallo no significa la derrota."

Cual es el consejo que tu le darías a una persona menor que tú?

-"El consejo que le daría seria que se proponga un objetivo, lo cumpla y será lo mejor que haya hecho, pero siempre que lo que se proponga sea para bien de él y de los demás."

October Update from Flor

Our educadores in Flor highlight the recent events of the past month at Starfish. October has been packed with activities for our students! In the past few weeks, there has been a short vacation from school, in which the Flor Starfish educadores hosted a flea market to generate funds for Starfish. Also in the past month, our students have participated in several workshops, including a Sexuality and Gender Equality workshop, whose aims are to bring awareness, knowledge, and confidence to our students!

Words from our educadores: 

We began vacation time with a flea market that for us, was very successful! Many people came and bought large amounts of clothing, and other items as well. There was such a high demand for items that we sold out, and people had to wait for a second batch of items to come in. This in and of itself was very rewarding, as this was the first time that we had organized this type of event and, prior to executing our plans, we were worried that perhaps people wouldn’t be interested. Our fears weren’t realized, as all went well and many more people attended than we had anticipated!


The rest of our vacation time was very relaxing and chévere (cool, fun), and we were able to spend time with the children in different groups. The variety of activities brought us and the students a lot of enjoyment. For a few days, we were able to leave behind the monotony of everyday work activies and the daily routine, such as homework and other work-related activites, and instead focus on fun and friendships. Furthermore, we were able to see how the group team-building activities and workshops strengthened our bonds, both in and out of the classroom. The group activities included contests and other games, and we witnessed the students working together. More importantly, these activities were, in reality, a way to teach the students cooperation in the group setting. In these activities, the students share ideas and knowledge, and by doing so, they realize that they learn and achieve much more together than they do separately. Witnessing the students' infectious, enthusiastic energy brings us joy as educators, and being a part of this environment enables us to realize that each moment with our students in unique and special in its own way.

Successful flea market shopping^

Our community enjoys the flea market during their vacation time.

Members of Starfish and the Flor community wait in line to check out the flea market!

Our students work together during the Gender Equality and Sexuality workshops.

En español:

Iniciamos Los vacacionales con un mercado de pulgas en el cual nos fue muy bien ya que muchas personas llegaron y llevaron prendas en gran cantidad al igual que los diferentes artículos, que incluso esperaron a la segunda ronda, para continuar con la compra, esto fue muy gratificante ya que era la primera vez que hacíamos este tipo de eventos y tal vez no habrían muchas personas interesadas, pero no, tuvo buena acogida que incluso llegaron más personas que las que se había planeado.


El resto de los días fueron muy chéveres ya que pudimos compartir con todos los chicos de los distintos grupos y los cuales se alegraron de verse nuevamente; en las diferentes actividades que realizamos nos permitieron divertirnos más, dejando por unos días la monotonía de los deberes y dar cavidad a la diversión y el compañerismo, pudimos ver como el trabajo grupal en los concursos y en los talleres se veía fortalecer, eso nos entusiasma mucho ya que ellos demuestran que pueden lograr muchas cosas tan solo con proponérselo y eso hacía que ellos puedan lograr ganar, además que podíamos intercambiar conocimientos y adquirir nuevos, pero de maneras didácticas, ser parte de ese entusiasmo hacia que el momento se tornara diferente, que cada uno sea especial y ameno.