Coming across the Omprakash Foundation has resulted in outbursts of ideas and motivational thinking to plan a project and make it a reality. Through partnerships with Omprakash, I discovered the Yachay Wasi Intercultural Community Center in Quito, Ecuador that sparked my interest greatly. The indigenous Kichwa community-program seems to have ideal characteristics that the International Club at Brunswick High School want to pursue, contribute, and benefit from- ranging from learning Spanish, teaching English, interacting with the Kichwa youth, and being productive helpful contributions to their institute.
A simple idea turned into an elaborate plan of forming a group of interested individuals to travel down to Quito for the month of July to serve as educational ambassadors. The results from this trip, the first of many in our minds, will help us develop a club at Brunswick High school that will continue to work with the Omprakash Foundation as well as interact/support students at Yachay Wasi. Students could learn to coordinate their own traveling adventures through relationships with Omprakash as well as support present projects, such as the current one with Yachay Wasi. This club activity will promote cultural awareness, cultural exchanges, and personal enlightenment from working with global communities.
Team members are: myself- senior, Maria Polky- junior Ari Kohorn- senior, Ceceilia Waite- junior, and Mrs. Nolan- a local Spanish teacher at BHS who has lived in Quito before. This team of five will work together to promote cultural exchange through both communities that will give us sustainable material to carry on this project for generations to come.
Constant interaction with people like Steven, and Willy from Omprakash has motivated me to find a committed group as well as thinking on a community level- getting support and publicity throughout our school and community.
The possibilities are endless and I am so thrilled to get this show on the road!
