In the Land of the Youth

When we first arrived in the village of Dahu we were given the task of starting a youth group. However it was unclear to us exactly how we were going to manage to do this. How could I convince the youth in this village that we had something to offer them and that it was worth their time to show up every week? However only 3 months later I am witnessing the youth gathering on their own time to practice a cultural performance for the festival of Loshar. However, before we get to that, lets me start from the beginning.

            Creating our youth groups has been no easy task. It has taken time and patience, which at times we had limited of both. We began by slowly meeting the youth and gathering them to play various games. After weeks of observation and establishing ourselves within the community as the youth development volunteers, we began setting specific times for the youth to meet us. Our first challenge was to find a space to meet. We found ourselves meeting at the community tap, however so many youths were coming to participate that there wasn’t enough space. One week we met on an empty plot we believed to be available, however half way through the activity we were chased off by a local farmer screaming at us to get off his land! After weeks of frustration we were finally granted permission to use a school building that was no longer being used. This would be our community center! It was really important to us to establish this as a place where the community could gather and eventually become their central meeting spot.

            Our first step towards doing this was by requesting permission to set up a volleyball net. During our time here it has become clear that the youth love volleyball! We believed that by bringing a volleyball net to the community center we would not only help our future goal of making this the official gathering place but also show that we have been paying attention to their wants and interests. This would then demonstrate to our youth that we are here first and foremost for them.          

All of this hard work has come together this week while watching the youth prepare a culture show for the upcoming festival of Loshar. Everyday after school the youth have been gathering at the community center to plan and practice for their performance. When we arrived we were amazed to see the amount of teamwork and collaboration that was happening. To our left we saw children in the corner choreographing a dance, to the right older youth were teaching younger youth, and inside they were more children practicing. We learned that this is the first time the youth have ever put on a cultural performance and that they are really excited to present what they have created for their families and the community. Watching them all come together and work so hard on something that is clearly very important to them has truly been a very meaningful experience. While at times it has felt that nothing has happened since arriving here, this event has made it clear to us that our time here has, and is, being spent well.