For those of you who read this blog regularly......
I managed to twist up my ankle whilst referring the football tournament last week, and now have won a cast on my leg, and the opportunity to walk for two weeks on crutches.
This unfortuantely means I need to be taking some time off work, and so for those of you expecting updates, I'm afraid you might have to wait a little longer. I would write about my life hoping around my house and Managua on crutches, but I guess that might be a bit boring!
About Me
- Simon Walters
- My name is Simon Walters - I work for Casa Alianza Nicaragua. Casa Alianza Nicaragua is a non-profit NGO, working to protect, support and rehabilitate children living on streets, victims of abuse, violence, abandonment, commercial and sexual exploitation and human trafficking. I work as a specialist member of staff, coordinating healthy and sustainable activities for the kids in our protection, and on the international development side of things - working with all the Casa Alianza sites in Latin America. I hold a MA in International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations University for Peace, and a MA in History from the University of Edinburgh. I am very involved in the Model United Nations, and in 2009 served as the Founding Secretary General of Mostar International Model United Nations, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I also have experience in English teaching, coaching public speaking and debating, acting and radio presenting.
Monday 28 February 2011
Saturday 19 February 2011
Trying to find a healthy sense of belonging, away from drugs and gangs
For most people (well by that I mean me) Valentine's Day is possibly one of the least anticipated days of the year. It is either one which involves spending excesses amount of money, or defending yourself to your friends as to why you are single.
For the kids at Casa Alianza, Valentine's Day is, howevert, a different matter. Many of the kids, when they become residents at Casa Alianza, have been forced to leave behind loved ones who weren't willing to follow in their recuperation process, or many even have been forced to leave behind their own kids, while they try to get their lives back on track. In this context, Valentine's Day - or the Day of Love and Friendship as it is known in this part of the world, can be a very tough one for many kids.
As such, this year at Casa Alianza Nicaragua we planned a whole day event to give all the kids and members of staff the sense of the love and friendship that nearly all have lost in their lives. The day started with a special ceremony in which those who had managed to get through certain lengths of time without taking drugs were rewarded for their efforts.
In the afternoon we planned a big sports day event with various team and individual athletic events. The idea was that through sports, healthy competition and the power of team work, we would be able to provide the kids with the sense of belonging which many of them desperately crave, and as such previously looked for refuge in drugs or in gangs.
............
Yesterday we also held another major event, again with the intention of using sports and culture to help kids find healthy and sustainable solutions to give them that sense of belonging, instead of turning to drugs, being forced into the sex industry, or gang membership.
We held a big national football tournament right by Managua's Old Catherdral, where teams participated from Casa Alianza and other recovery centers across the country, as well as teams formed by members of some of Managua's poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods.
I was referee for the whole event.
I have no doubt that many of the kids I was referring are robbers and possibly worse, recovering or still addicted consumers of drugs. They are basically kids that are easy to forget or deemed best to be ignored and left alone, so they don't rob you.
But through events such as these, it is firstly possibly that these drug addicts and gang members are just normal kids, in need of normal things. Little events like a football tournament gave them the chance to behave the way a normal teenager should, being seen as equals, and not robbers and drug addicts.
...........
What both of these events have shown to me, is that like any kids, the kids of Casa Alianza and Nicaragua need a sense of love, friendship and belonging. The easiest way to find this was on the streets, the gangs or in drugs.
Through events such as these two have I described, bit by bit, we can go about giving kids a healthy alternative, providing them with the values that they need, in a healthy and sustainable way.
For the kids at Casa Alianza, Valentine's Day is, howevert, a different matter. Many of the kids, when they become residents at Casa Alianza, have been forced to leave behind loved ones who weren't willing to follow in their recuperation process, or many even have been forced to leave behind their own kids, while they try to get their lives back on track. In this context, Valentine's Day - or the Day of Love and Friendship as it is known in this part of the world, can be a very tough one for many kids.
As such, this year at Casa Alianza Nicaragua we planned a whole day event to give all the kids and members of staff the sense of the love and friendship that nearly all have lost in their lives. The day started with a special ceremony in which those who had managed to get through certain lengths of time without taking drugs were rewarded for their efforts.
In the afternoon we planned a big sports day event with various team and individual athletic events. The idea was that through sports, healthy competition and the power of team work, we would be able to provide the kids with the sense of belonging which many of them desperately crave, and as such previously looked for refuge in drugs or in gangs.
............
Yesterday we also held another major event, again with the intention of using sports and culture to help kids find healthy and sustainable solutions to give them that sense of belonging, instead of turning to drugs, being forced into the sex industry, or gang membership.
We held a big national football tournament right by Managua's Old Catherdral, where teams participated from Casa Alianza and other recovery centers across the country, as well as teams formed by members of some of Managua's poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods.
I was referee for the whole event.
I have no doubt that many of the kids I was referring are robbers and possibly worse, recovering or still addicted consumers of drugs. They are basically kids that are easy to forget or deemed best to be ignored and left alone, so they don't rob you.
But through events such as these, it is firstly possibly that these drug addicts and gang members are just normal kids, in need of normal things. Little events like a football tournament gave them the chance to behave the way a normal teenager should, being seen as equals, and not robbers and drug addicts.
...........
What both of these events have shown to me, is that like any kids, the kids of Casa Alianza and Nicaragua need a sense of love, friendship and belonging. The easiest way to find this was on the streets, the gangs or in drugs.
Through events such as these two have I described, bit by bit, we can go about giving kids a healthy alternative, providing them with the values that they need, in a healthy and sustainable way.
Thursday 10 February 2011
Digging Deep
So instead of continuing a story about one of the kids, this time I thought I would write to share a bit about my personal feelings in this line of work.
The truth is, as I have already said to many people, there are many times when I feel I have the best job in the world, but there is an almost equal number of times when I feel it is all too much and I find myself longing for some of the comforts I had before. Due to the intensity of this work, there is very little in -between.
I am in contact on a daily basis with around 90 kids, between the ages of 12 and 18. Seeing as all of the kids come from very traumatic backgrounds of living on the streets, drug addiction, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, they are never going to be an easy group of people to work with. As such, perhaps the toughest thing I have had learn is to keep my patience. To learn how to encourage a kid to behave properly etc, but at the same not losing my patience when a kid is repeatedly rude, or when a kid repeatedly decides that they prefer finding a corner of the building to sleep in, rather than participating in sessions. Nearly every day I find myself in situations where at least one kid deliberately or unintentionally will do something which challenges me, or the other kids, or other members of staff. Keeping patient whilst dealing with situations such as this on a daily base is tough, it requires at many times for me to dig deep within myself, but it is possible.
The other area where I have had to train myself in this line of work is in terms of taking initiatives. Due to the how it is around here, a fixed and organised schedule doesn’t always work. If you want to organise something that would be of benefit to the kids, you have to take the initiative to do so. The trouble is, it can sometimes be very difficult to find that initiative. Sometimes it feels a lot easier to bow -out rather than break through all the challenges presented by the kids themselves. There are many times when I have had to dig-deep within myself not to look for an escape (in the same way we tell the kids not to escape by climbing the wall), but instead to stay there with the kids, to work through the challenges and do something that might really benefit this very vulnerable group of people.
I will keep digging deep to do all that I can. Mainly because I love doing what I do. Digging this deep on a daily basis is however very very tough. But the fact is when we dig deep to help these kids, we can really help them, so I will keep doing so!
The truth is, as I have already said to many people, there are many times when I feel I have the best job in the world, but there is an almost equal number of times when I feel it is all too much and I find myself longing for some of the comforts I had before. Due to the intensity of this work, there is very little in -between.
I am in contact on a daily basis with around 90 kids, between the ages of 12 and 18. Seeing as all of the kids come from very traumatic backgrounds of living on the streets, drug addiction, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, they are never going to be an easy group of people to work with. As such, perhaps the toughest thing I have had learn is to keep my patience. To learn how to encourage a kid to behave properly etc, but at the same not losing my patience when a kid is repeatedly rude, or when a kid repeatedly decides that they prefer finding a corner of the building to sleep in, rather than participating in sessions. Nearly every day I find myself in situations where at least one kid deliberately or unintentionally will do something which challenges me, or the other kids, or other members of staff. Keeping patient whilst dealing with situations such as this on a daily base is tough, it requires at many times for me to dig deep within myself, but it is possible.
The other area where I have had to train myself in this line of work is in terms of taking initiatives. Due to the how it is around here, a fixed and organised schedule doesn’t always work. If you want to organise something that would be of benefit to the kids, you have to take the initiative to do so. The trouble is, it can sometimes be very difficult to find that initiative. Sometimes it feels a lot easier to bow -out rather than break through all the challenges presented by the kids themselves. There are many times when I have had to dig-deep within myself not to look for an escape (in the same way we tell the kids not to escape by climbing the wall), but instead to stay there with the kids, to work through the challenges and do something that might really benefit this very vulnerable group of people.
I will keep digging deep to do all that I can. Mainly because I love doing what I do. Digging this deep on a daily basis is however very very tough. But the fact is when we dig deep to help these kids, we can really help them, so I will keep doing so!
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