By Shaquille Bottse, YES Suriname 2009 - 2010

There is no doubt that in order to be fully healthy, a person needs to have a good combination of health and creativity. For Global Youth Service Day 2014, on April 12th 2014, YES Alumni Suriname wanted to achieve just this: to spread awareness about the importance of a healthy and creative lifestyle for children.

YES alumni, Youth Ambassador Students and local fitness and art mentors joined together to spend the day with the kids from the Sukh Dhaam Orphanage in Commewijne. The group consisted of 50 kids between the ages of 5 and 16. Everyone gathered on this sunny Saturday on the wide, open fields of Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, ready and excited to get the day started. Some of the main activities that day were: a tour of the fort with the kids, the painting of a "PEACE & YOUTH" art mural by ten kids from the orphanage with the best drawings, fitness exercises, sessions about dental hygiene with the kids (conducted by a dental hygienist) and a "Creative Hour," during which the kids created "Get Well Soon" and "Happy Easter" cards for ill kids in the local hospital. These cards will be given to the ill kids and elderly homes within the community.

While some activities were done so that the kids could have a fun time together, some were also educational. As we as alumni had learned during our YES experience about the importance of community service and giving back, so did the kids of the Sukh Dhaam orphanage learn during this GYSD 2014 how they too can give back to their own community.

The lessons we as alumni had learned, the activities, the kids themselves and many other factors all made this Global Youth Service Day a memorable day.