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Guatemala Project: Youth Helping Youth Project
In February 2006, youth from the Provincial Aboriginal Youth Council (PAYC) will be traveling to Guatemala for a cultural exchange with Mayan youth. PAYC is partnering with
MOJOMAYAS (Movement of Mayan Youth), to work together on strengthening Indigenous youth leadership. Mojomayas has regional youth councils, similar to the Friendship
Centre’s local youth councils, and a national council as well. PAYC will be meeting with representatives of the national youth council in the capital, Guatemala City, and will then
travel to some of the surrounding regions to meet with youth at their local councils. PAYC will be sharing information about how the Friendship Centre movement supports youth
councils, and what our successes with youth councils have been. PAYC will also be learning about how Mojomayas works and what their youth councils’ goals are.
Two youth from PAYC, Megan Clarkson (Victoria Native Friendship Centre) and Soren Poulsen (Nanaimo Tillicum Lelum Friendship Centre) will be going on the trip in February.
This trip is the first in a series of three exchanges. If the funding is continued, Mayan youth from Mojomayas will be visiting BC next year—maybe you will meet them at your local
Friendship Centre! And, on the final stage, a larger group of PAYC members will travel down to Guatemala to help Mojomayas develop their youth councils, making use of the
knowledge and experience we have achieved with youth councils in BC. For more details about the project, and for regular updates, check out:
http://drumbeat.bc-payc.com/ezine/db001/article02.html
Here are some pictures of Mojomayas in action.
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