BFP Cartagena

     Bound For Peace Cartagena was an experience unlike any other. Nine volunteers set out to Colombia in hopes of making a difference in the community. Alongside Fundación Granitos de Paz, our volunteers worked to create a curriculum that focused on issues that specifically affected the area and implementing positive traits among the children.
    Workshops focused on a variety of subjects from sexual education and gang violence to professional development and technology. Trip leader, Paola Escobar, explained,
“I had the privilege to teach children tips on how to make important personal and career goals,” she added “We encouraged children to think about these goals they had and how to put their dreams into action.”
    This is the foundation Bound For Peace was constructed upon: the importance of education. Education has the power to change people’s lives and empower them to achieve their desires. The workshops were constructed in order to empower the kids and show them all the opportunities that lay ahead of them. Another volunteer, Ashley Diodonet said, 
“Honestly one of the most memorable experiences was the look on the kids faces when they were writing down their goals and realizing that they really can accomplish more than they previously thought.”
    Not only did volunteers form bonds with the children, but each other as well. As Ashley also explained, “I met so many beautiful people with loving hearts that welcomed us with open arms and friendships that will last forever.”
    Besides conducting the educational seminars, volunteers also had the opportunity to explore Cartagena through excursions and other activities, which included a trips to Volan del Totumo and Playa Blanca. Our trips seek to not only help empower the young minds of the cities we visit, but to help everyone involved grow. Our volunteers immerse themselves in the Colombian culture, through the food, music, and just overall aesthetic of Cartagena.
           Bound For Peace will be returning to Cartagena this summer in May with the same vision and goals in mind. Empower children through education.

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