Providing at-risk Guatemalan children with the inspiration, mentoring, empathy, confidence and real skills they need to stay in and succeed beyond school.

Problema

WHY GUATEMALA? “Fewer than three out of every ten Guatemalan children entering primary school make it as far as 6th grade. The problem is more serious in rural and indigenous areas.” --Unicef Report, 2008 A message from our founder, Arlaine Cervantes… Some of you might ask, “…Why Guatemala…, why should I get involved in helping the children of Guatemala?” A 36-year civil war, called the internal conflict in Guatemala that was ignited by a USA-led launch of Operation PBSUCCESS (1953–54) to halt Guatemala's “communist revolt", as perceived by the corporate fruit companies such as United Fruit and the U.S. State Department. The CIA chose right-wing Guatemalan Army Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas to lead an "insurrection" in the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état. This prolonged conflict devastated an entire generation of Guatemala’s children, leaving many of them orphaned, abandoned and out cast without a sense of purpose or hope and with no vision of a future. Many of these children live in dangerous urban environments or poor and remote rural villages where there is little opportunity for safe outdoor recreation, play, creativity or activities that foster dreams and positive social development. Compounding this every day, thousands of children are abused, molested, starved, and abandoned, and every day more eight children die a violent death on the streets of Guatemala City. We are all aware of these tragedies and we also know that these crimes against children are on the rise in Central America and are spreading throughout the Americas, but what can we do? Dreams begin with hope. Without hope, there are no dreams of a better future. With dreams, these children have little motivation to remain in school, little inspiration to stay away from gangs, drugs or street crime. Without the ability to imagine a better future, it is nearly impossible for them to escape the cycle of poverty and violence. We all share the same dream. We really no longer live in separate worlds – worlds separated by culture, language and geography. Our worlds are intertwined in many ways and we can no longer isolate ourselves from the problems others face on our continent, in our hemisphere and on our planet. We are all Americans, Europeans, Africans, Asians – all global world citizens, and we all share the same hopes and dreams for our children. If we don’t all work to help find solutions to the serious problems in poor Central American countries, especially in Guatemala, we will continue to face the fallout in our own communities. Indifference leading apathy. Apathy leading to tragedy. You can make a profound difference. Please Join With Us! Join us and choose Guatemala as a place that can be healed and a place that can become a model for change. This beautiful country, with its soaring mountains, mysterious volcanoes and 8 million native American Mayan people is a magical place rich in history culture, beauty and spirit. We can look beyond our feelings of helplessness or cultural differences and see that we are one people and one family on our planet and we can affect the lives of the innocents and empower the agents of change – youth them with the skills and confidence they need to help build brighter futures for their own lives and country in the future.

Solución

Our Journey to the Forest Program Creating a path beyond poverty Niños del Lago will plans to receive more than 100 children a week for a total of over 3,000 children a year. Our high-impact program has been is designed and refined by a clinical psychologist and a team of educators and social workers with the principle goals to encourage our children to: 1) Stay in school 2) Dream about and Develop a sense of self-esteem and self-determination towards their full potentials 3) Gain the strength, skills and resilience to move beyond and overcome their challenging circumstances Niños del Lago gives children the opportunity to learn, to play, to imagine a better future as they experience the protected natural environment of the camp, free of the dangers and stresses of daily life. Children are invited to return to Niños del Lago camp every year from the age of 7 through 15, as long as they stay in school. After “graduation” at the age of 15, they may apply for positions as Junior and then later as Senior Counselors. Every child who passes through Niños del Lago will have the opportunity to become an official members Club Niños del Lago, with an opportunity not only to become counselors in the future, but also the potential the ability to earn a scholarship to a university or trade school. Join Our growing network of La Cadena Partners If your organization is an NGO registered in Guatemala with and you have funding responsibility for primary school education for 25 or more at-risk children (ages 7-11), and your operation is located in western Guatemala, we would like to hear from you and explore how we might offer a life changing experince to your children! Please email us at LaCadenaPartners@ninosdellago.org. The University Counselor Program offers opportunities for growth The majority of the Senior Counselors will be registered students at the Universidad del Valle who be screened will pass through a screening process by NDL and the provided within the University’s social service and community outreach programs. For more information regarding the University Counselor Program and other volunteer opportunities, go to Donate/Volunteer

Ejemplo

THE NATURE CAMP PROGRAM MODEL – Our Three unique, integrated and dynamic programs work in conjunction to create positive and permanent change in the lives of the children we serve and to foster long-term change in for their families and communities. The programs are designed to create a powerful impact upon the life of every child we receive. Studies have shown that even one encounter with a caring adult as role model can change the direction of a child’s life. At Niños del Lago, at-risk children will receive a powerful mentoring experience by strong role models and the children will be informed that they were individually chosen for the Niños del Lago program from out of a pool of thousands of other children. I. Journey to the Forest Program “I have a conviction that a few weeks spent in a well-organized camp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal school work.” Charles Eliot, former president of Harvard University in his treatise on education ~Building self-esteem, confidence and skills for future success The educational and recreational programs are based on research and best-practices for programming conducted with at-risk youth. The research demonstrates how organized camp experiences can help a child develop a positive self-image as well as self-esteem and other skills that leads to improved attitudes, social skills and behaviors and real impacts. II - The La Cadena (link) Partner Program – Working together to succeed in our mission Our La Cadena partners are selected from a growing group of more than 35 registered child-welfare organizations based on their stability and the quality of primary school education they provide to the poorest children in Guatemala. The children (ages 7-11) will come to us from many challenging situations including well-established orphanages, rural schools for indigenous youth and other institutions that shelter and educate some of Guatemala’s poorest children. The ongoing link to success ~ NDL Staff will maintain a working connection with each Cadena Partner in support of the progress of students in school and their return visit to camp in succeeding years. III - The University Student Counselor Program – Skilled Mentors and role models with heart and Guatemalan roots ~ The Niños del Lago program model ensures providesone trained camp counselor for every six children to encourage an intensive and rewarding mentor-child experience. The majority (90%) of the camp counselors and role models are select Latin American university students in the fields of education, social service, medicine, as well as native artists and artisans. Creating bridges between cultures and communities - ~ The primary role of the Senior Counselor is to build trust with the children in their charge through their focused and caring attention and to act as strong, positive role models and sounding board. In many cases, the Niños del Lago University Student Counselor will be the first positive adult role model that a child may have encountered in their lives. ~ Offering opportunities for growth The majority of the Senior Counselors will be registered students at the Universidad del Valle whom pass through a screening process provided within the university’s social service and community outreach programs. For more information regarding the University Counselor Program and other volunteer opportunities visit our website www.ninosdellago or facebook http://www.facebook.com/NinosdelLago

Mercado

Gangs, drugs, homelessness, despair, lack of opportunities and self-esteem, persistent poverty, crime, family breakdowns, etc. are our our chief peers and competitors in Guatemala. We need positive disruption for at-risk youth and a national network of partners to extend the reach. Imagine a generation of young, Changemakers for Guatemala!