By Yasmine Hawa (YES 2018-2019, Cameroon, placed with AFS-USA in Thiensville, WI)

In late February, along with other YES alumni, I organized a handicraft workshop for youth in order to provide them with skills that they could use to make a living, including making flower vases out of cement and sewing napkins. The goal of the training, which was motivated by my passion for empowering youth, was to provide young people between the ages of 15 and 28 years old with the skills needed to create houseware items. This would then help them to earn a living and reduce poverty in their communities. A total of 30 participants attended the training, and two local high school teachers facilitated the event.

The project, which took place over a period of two days, was directed towards all youth—both male and female. The first day of the training started with learning how to make flower jars from beads. This part was conducted by a high school teacher in computer science and an entrepreneur who is passionate about design and arts. The second day of the training was the production of flower jars from cement and old clothes. The only challenge I had to overcome in organizing the workshop was managing the project while being in school. Fortunately, I was well surrounded by fellow YES alumni who could handle workshop activities when I was in school. This is why teamwork functions better than working alone. 

As mentioned above, this project was carried out to help empower youth and equip them with skills that they can use to gain some revenue to sustain a living. In our communities today, there’s an increasing number of unemployed youth; as such, there’s the need to help our government tackle this problem. The production of these housewares is relatively cheap and can generate a lot of profit. Along with other YES alumni, I realized the importance of providing youth with such tangible skills. I believe that the best way to reduce the ills of one's society is by providing everyone with skills, which they can put into practice to earn a living. Corruption, bribery, theft, underdevelopment, and other issues are caused by citizens who have not been equipped with these hard skills. If we start prioritizing hard skills, in addition to theoretical knowledge, then our society will improve.

As I always say, my exchange year served as the catalyst that enabled me to open up my mind. My family and friends were really surprised to see how open-minded I had become, and it is all thanks to the YES program! Indeed, there are so many people out there willing to be educated. All they need are the resources to learn and then put into practice what they’ve learned. Through this training, I was personally able to bond and create relationships with people whom I’ve never thought of before. I'm happy to say that my network of partners from the various projects I have helped organize keeps on growing!