During the summer of 2018 I had the opportunity to participate in one of Nurturing Nation's humanitarian trips to Ghana Africa. While visiting one of the orphanges I met a young woman named Stella Estar. Stella stould out amongst the other children because she would not look at or speak to anyone. It became my mission to get to know Stella. I sat with her but despite all my efforts Stella wouldnt even look at me. It wasn't until she pulled a rubberband from off her wrist & started to make shapes that we were able to connect. I praised Stella for her skill with the rubberband when suddenly a smile formed & with confidence she not only proceeded to make shapes with her rubberband but stated alloud what they were... "Gun, Butterfly, Apple, etc."
Stella's transformation stuck with me, she hadn't understood her self worth, so much so that she couldn't look me in the eye. But when she experienced even the smallest of achievments & was able to recognize that she had a skill, that she could do something cool, her whole demeanor changed. In that moment Stella believed in herself.
2019-2021 I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Micronesia. There I spent 9months on a tiny island called Kosrae. I came to know and love the people of Kosrae dearly, especially the youth. One of my favorite questions to ask the kids were, "what do you want to do with your life?" & "Who do you want to be?" Almost always their answer was, "work for the government." When asked why they'd explain that there weren't lots of jobs & working for the government paid better. Their expectations for the future were limited because they believed opportunities in their environment were few.
Eventually me and my companion started teaching an Art class on the island. While anyone was invited our class consisted only of youth, ages 14-18. Many of these kids were the same whom I'd previously asked about their life's ambitions. During class, they started to talk about the furture differently. As their artistic skills improved and they were able to see their own progress, their self confidence continued to grow as well.
Both these experiences helped me understand the importance of having a positive outlook on life & ourselves. We partnered with Nurturing Nations who's program meet essential life needs such as food, water, shelter & medical aid all through education. We started this program to compliment Nurturing Nation's, by focusing on quality of life. Deciding, "One Day" or "Day One" is not limited to those of us in America. This program was started to empower youth in developing nations by helping them determine a direction for their life then cultivating the confidence & determination to reach their desired destination. They too can decide to enjoy life and not just endure it.
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- Decide Day One