The YES Alumni Suriname wanted to spend Global Youth Service Day (April 26th 2013) doing something they have never done before. In the past they have organized campaigns for keeping the environment clean and have spent a day at a children’s orphanage. Something they had not done was a project concerning the elderly of the community. So they decided to pay a visit to the Ashiana Elderly Home, which has been a part of the local community for many decades. Its residents are some of the most interesting and influential people you could ever meet, which made the alumni even more excited.

"It is not every day that you come across people that can tell you so much about your own country, about things which are unknown to you, within 5 minutes. Whenever that happens, you have to pay attention and enjoy that experience," said one alumni.

One of the things that the alumni found very special about this group of elderly citizens was that each of them had a unique and different background. While one was of mixed race, the other was one hundred percent Hindustani. One was Javanese and another was Creole. Because of Suriname’s multicultural history, it was very interesting for them to see that this diversity also existed in the older generations as well.

The alumni enjoyed finding other similarities between themselves and the residents of Ashiana. Especially with one woman, Ms. Anson, who lived in Wisconsin 45 years ago. The alumni enjoyed sharing their experiences with the YES Program and hearing her memories of the U.S.

"We wanted to show our elderly friends a good time by bringing them to one of Paramaribo’s most frequently visited places, the Hermitage Mall. A mall, being a place where everyone comes to relax and have fun, was the perfect place for us to go to," said another alum. The entire group enjoyed talking about how society has changed over the years and how differently people interact when they are at places like the mall.
 
This was such a special way to celebrate Global Youth Service Day 2013 and to learn more about their own community.