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CBOB's student chapters tutor children from underserved areas on a weekly basis. by Jennifer Nicholas Children Within Our Borders Inc. strives to make a change in the local communities of Alachua and Orlando by providing opportunities for the at-risk youth from these areas. One way CWOB does this is by providing weekly tutoring services to the children in both of these at-risk communities. The tutoring services help the underserved children in the community with a variety of homework subjects. At tutoring, volunteers act as one-on-one tutors with the children to encourage them with homework completion and provide them with an empowering environment. The children that attend tutoring range in age from five to twelve years old. CBOB’s tutors are committed and energetic individuals who volunteer their time to work with these children once a week. Iman White, a CWOB tutor who attends the University of Florida, described her experience of being a CWOB tutor as one of her favorite experiences at UF thus far. “I really look forward to going to the church every Monday to see Jaime, the student I tutor, and all of the other children,” Iman said. “They get so excited to work with us, and it creates a really special environment. I help Jaime (her student) with whatever homework he has, but we usually focus on math in preparation for the FSA. Seeing him improve his skills and hearing from his mom that his grades have risen since tutoring began has been so rewarding, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.” Iman went on to describe one of her favorite memories as a Children Within Our Borders weekly tutoring. “Jaime once told me that he really liked looking at things under a microscope, so one time after we finished all of his homework, we spent the rest of the session looking up pictures of everyday objects magnified under a microscope! He absolutely loved it, and that is probably my favorite memory with him. All in all, tutoring through CBOB has been such a valuable experience, and I look forward to continuing to do it for the rest of my time here at the University of Florida.”  Iman and Jaime. Through Iman’s experiences, it is easy to see how tutoring is beneficial to both the students and the tutors. The children receive one-on-one assistance from the volunteers in order to help them with their school work, so they can better understand their subjects and succeed in school. The volunteers receive the satisfaction of lending a helping hand to those in need and seeing the positive impact they have on these children firsthand. If you are interested in becoming a tutor for Children Within Our Borders, be sure to keep up with our social media to find out when applications next open!
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March is the month of luck and CBOB takes a moment to reflect on everything we are lucky for. by Christina Mouttet  Happy March and happy spring! This month is all about celebrating luck and welcoming in spring. As you can see pictured above, spring is time to enjoy the weather outside with good friends! It is so important that amongst our March St. Patrick's Day celebrations we take a moment to step back and be grateful for everything we are lucky to have. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of the death of the patron saint of Ireland in the fifth century. What started as a religious feast day in the 17th century has evolved into a variety of festivals around the world celebrating Irish culture with parades, lucky charms, music, dancing, and a newfound appreciation for the color green. Shamrocks, a symbol of Ireland, are associated with luck which is why luck is such a huge theme of this holiday. So many things that we take for granted, like access to education and proper nutrition, are not available to many people around the world. Children especially, who have no power in bettering their situations, need our help.
These statistics are scary, but organizations like Children Beyond Our Borders Inc. are working to reduce these numbers to 0. It is times like this, surrounded by the energy of spring and festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, that we feel even more connected to our cause and the difference we are making in the lives of children. We believe that no child should be denied access to education and it our mission to provide these children with opportunities to find peace and prosperity with the proper educational tools.  Want to help? We ask that you make it our ~lucky~ day and donate to our cause! Visit www.chbob.org/donate to donate today!  Fun fact: For every “lucky” four-leaf clover there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers. Sources:
http://www.evileyeprotection.com/shamrock-four-leaf-clover https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-facts-about-education https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day by Brianna Ferguson Hello! My name is Brianna and this past spring break I was lucky enough to spend a week in the great city of Medellín. My experience was unforgettable because of the amazing people I had the pleasure of meeting. I was able to meet some of the scholars: Jose, Davian, Jason (Alex), Valentina, Luisa, and Andrea. They were each very pleasant and so interesting to interact with. The saddest part about the trip was having to leave the kids behind at the organization. Even right now, some of them are messaging me! The acceptance and positive reception that my group and I received from the scholars and the kids made this experience so amazing. This was my first time outside the country and I was never nervous or scared to be another country because I knew CBOB had our backs! We taught workshops on teen pregnancy, values, and social media. Each workshop was my favorite because we were able to interact with the students and teach them valuable lessons. To see how excited they would become over the activities we planned was pretty heartwarming. It made me feel great, especially when they would come up after the workshops and ask us additional questions. I encourage anyone with even the slightest interest in a trip to apply! The Medellin trip was so unforgettable that I already reapplied for another trip, and if that trip is even a fraction of the amount of fun I had, I will seek to go on at least one trip per year until I graduate :). To see more of the Medellin trip, visit our instagram @iamcbob. Check out a slideshow of pictures from her trip below! By Jennifer Nicholas For fifteen years, Children Beyond Our Borders, Inc. has worked to bring hope and change to the lives of internally displaced children in Latin America. CBOB believes that every child deserves a proper education, regardless of social status, race, or gender. This is why CBOB created the IAMCBOB Scholarship Program. IAMCBOB provides an all-expenses-paid college education to motivated students who have a strong desire to acquire a higher level of education after graduating high school. The program empowers young leaders to be equipped for success and gives them the opportunity to have a proper college education. IAMCBOB students put forth their best effort in their school work, while also giving back to their communities by participating in civic engagement activities. IAMCBOB students act as both role models and service leaders to their communities. On Wednesday, March 14th, Children Beyond Our Borders’ second IAMCBOB Scholar, Jose Martinez, will be graduating from college! Jose is one of CBOB’s internally displaced children who has been with the organization for over eight years. His CBOB family is so proud of all that he has already accomplished, and we are so excited to see what else his future has in store for him.
We interviewed Jose to find out about his time at college and what his plans are. Q: “What area of study did you choose?” Jose: “My specialty, or the area I’m most interested in, is electrical energy transport. Electrical energy transport caught my attention because, through this, I can make an impact on thousands of people in a positive way, generally those who cannot enjoy an electrical system with dignity and confidence.”  Q: “What was your favorite part about college?” Jose: “My favorite part of university is the ability to discover new thoughts and ideas. I like being able to debate with my classmates and friends. On the other hand, I really liked the social networking and the amount of people I was able to meet throughout my years at university. One of my favorite memories is the satisfaction I feel finishing this semester. My days and nights of hard work were worth it. On the other hand, I remember the good times I shared with my friends and classmates, they were happy moments and have left me with many life lessons.” Q: "What was the most important lesson you learned during your years in university?" Jose: “The most important lesson I have learned (in university) was how to tolerate different opinions and respect ideas that I do not agree with. Overall, I learned to value every person and recognize that we are all part of a society and are all equally important.”  Q: "What are your plans for after graduation?"
Jose: “After graduation, I want to start developing a productive project, while at the same time I plan to learn English and learn different alternatives to study abroad in the near future. I would like to see new cultures and different ways of thinking.” Children Beyond Our Borders is anxiously awaiting Jose’s graduation. He is an inspiration to all of us here at CBOB and we are so happy for him! Jose has a bright future ahead of him and we are so grateful for the opportunity to see him grow into the admirable young man he is today. Please consider making a one-time donation to www.chbob.org/iamcbob-scholarship, and we will give 100% of the proceeds towards Jose’s graduation present. For more information about our IAMCBOB Scholarship Program, visit www.chbob.org/iamcbob-scholarship. by Madelyn Brenner Sometimes it’s overlooked as a nuisance; others it seems too complicated to understand. But it is important to note and learn how helpful social media can be when running a business or even just trying to spread awareness. Just take the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Events, fundraisers, and marches have been organized solely using social media tools! It’s easy to make an impact when the world is at your fingertips! Here are some helpful hints that CBOB uses for how and why to use social media to your best advantage in order to be the most successful individual, as well as business, that you can be!  It’s more than just having an account. Many businesses open accounts solely to seem relevant, yet rarely post or update their followers. It’s better to not open a social media account until you’re fully ready to invest the time and energy into posting on a consistent basis with information relevant not only to your business, but also to your followers (Hudson). CBOB aims to post every single day on each of our accounts in order to best engage our followers. Pictures are your friends! If you want to attract the attention of others it is key to use images in order to increase your chances of getting someone to share your post, which is the main way to increase your impact, which is the newest form of “word of mouth!” (Hudson). At CBOB, we try to add a picture to each of our posts in order to showcase what our events, fundraisers, and merchandise look like. Validate your brand with your followers. 33% of customers have claimed social media as the number one factor in how they identify and select new brands and services. Over sixty percent of consumers with an online presence say they are more likely to choose a brand with an informative social media presence (Why you need…). We do our best to match our posts with the brand we aim to represent.  Respond quickly on your platforms. Whether it’s to messages, comments, or wall posts, it’s imperative that your social media presence is active and responds quickly to any concern expressed by a follower. Nearly three quarters of consumers who received a quick response on social media say they would recommend that brand to others, so checking actively and often can be crucial (Why you need…). CBOB tries to respond as quickly as possible to any concerns expressed. Hone in on your community. Having a loyal following on social media creates a community that becomes a group in your corner. After establishing this base, you’ll be able to further expand the circle by inviting this group of followers to your events, and hoping they’ll do the same with their friends in order to merge circles (Fita). We try to invite anyone who has expressed interest in our organization to all of our events and ensure that they see all of our posts. While these tips and tricks are more specific to business, you can also apply them to your personal accounts as well to make sure you’re representing yourself in the best possible way. These are just some ways CBOB has attempted to achieve success with our social media bases. Hopefully you enjoy our social media presence! Keep in touch with us and receive updates by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!  Sources:
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-social-media-2890301 https://www.growthgurus.com/blog/business-brand-need-understand-importance-social-media/ https://www.brandignity.com/2011/03/4-reasons-why-social-media-is-more-important-than-ever/ |
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