Day 5. COMMUNITY ACTION PROJECT (CAP DAY 1)

Hi guys, welcome to CAP day 1!!
Before we start our trip we want to present ourselves…

I’m your silly GG Leader of the day Shi Shi and I’m your proactive Leader of the day Jefesita!

Our experience as GG leaders of the Day:

Shi Shi -> Today me and my partner were the leaders of CAP day 1. CAP is a 3 day art based project spread across our time at Panama where we visit a community school called El Espinal, that focuses on nurturing Panamanian youth to best of their ability’s! Our art is tailored toward adding vibrancy and cultural duality through drawings and basic educational foundations, ranging from the sketching on walls to design reading corners, to writing ABCs in cursive, print, and English on walls to help improve the learning experience of the children while actively keeping them engaged in class! I had an absolutely amazing time being able to put my talents for art to use in such an impactful way getting to see each kid’s smile and being able to work with my GG peers uplifting them to greater heights and seeing them take their individual mantles as leaders has been absolutely captivating. Everyday I wake up with more motivation and an even bigger smile face, thank you parents for allowing us to have this opportunity its been an absolute thrill to us and I wish you all nothing but the best I can’t wait for you to hear the experiences your children are building day by day in this program!

Jefesita -> Through CAP we want to leave our mark within the community of El Espinal. Each smile, hug, and conversation with the kids is our why! It is the foundation of our inspiration and motivation; the cornerstone of what it means to be a glimpser. Intentionally pushing forward with 110% of our ability amidst the difficulties we face as a collective. Acclimating to Panama’s humid 90° weather, unique culture & customs, and yummy cuisine. We are grateful for the proactive, respectful, and accommodating collaboration we’ve been given by the community of El Espinal! Its been an amazing time at Felicia Castillero de Morcillo and we plan to make many more great experiences!

Our adventure begins at 6:30 a.m. with the sun shining on our faces—an early start to make the most of every single minute. After getting everything ready for the day, we headed off to enjoy a delicious breakfast prepared by Mayrodis and Tamara, who have made it their mission to fatten us up—serving us with that signature Panamanian love.

After a brief rest, we all headed to the Felicia Castillero de Morcillo School to get to work—busy as worker bees in a hive. We set to work presenting our ideas for the school, all of which were fortunately approved; naturally, there was plenty of laughter with the children during the presentations—personally, I’d say that was the best part. At the same time, it was incredible to see our peers step out of their comfort zones and develop their Spanish language skills while interacting with the kids.

With everything ready – ideas, paint, and brushes it was time to get down to business and start designing. We prepared all the necessary paint containers and arranged them so that everyone had enough to work with. It would be a lie to say that anyone sat idly by; we all pitched in – GG leaders, program coordinators, glimpsers, everyone. We took the concept of community very seriously and put it into practice wholeheartedly!

After a long day of work, we returned to the hotel and enjoyed the fruits of our efforts as a team.