Volunteering Hugs: The Youth Commission celebrates the International Day of Hugs in Callao

We celebrated the International Day of Hugs on Sunday, 17 October 2010 (as we do each year on the third Sunday of October). The Youth Commission of Coalition Callao was invited to participate in this event. The coalition youth shared free hugs with passers-by at the central plaza of Cercado del Callao (Av. Saenz Peña) and at the Malecón of the Marina Mercante School.

Why is this day important?

To share a hug not only brings love with those who receive it, but also to those that volunteer the hug. In a world where we are slowly losing the opportunity to interact with others, a hug is a way to maintain physical contact and to reaffirm the feeling that we are all part of humanity. Hugs do not cost anything and what we gain from them in return is an increased confidence in ourselves and a feeling of being secure of ourselves. Hugs sooth our emotions, show us why we are social beings, elevate our self esteem…and as Silvio Rodríguez says, hugs sweep away sadness.

When we hug, our bodies release endorphins, the neurotransmitters of happiness and love…and at the same time releases serotonin and dopamine, which stimulate and elevate our level of happiness in a natural way, without having to resort to other means that put our health at risk. We will never give up hugging…we will never forget to play…and we will never forget that we live in a community and need a connection and physical contact with those around us.

Click here to watch the video!

Happy International Day of Hugs 2010!!

Win the game against drugs!

Today, July 25th of 2010 is a day that all of us shall remember. Why? Because an incredible game is on. I’m not talking about Brazil vs. Portugal, nor am I talking about Ivory Coast vs. North Korea; I’m talking about the game that the members of the Coalitions are going to play against drugs: all the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of Lima Center and the Callao met at the Plaza de Armas to celebrate the International Day against Drug Abuse.

8.30 a.m.: our wonderful day is starting in the bus taking us from our areas to the center of Lima.

 

Families member of the coalitions, young people, adults, technical team,

we are all getting ready! Banderoles, balloons, painted faces and hats, we are all wearing the colors of the coalitions.

Joy and enthusiasm is the only thing visible on our faces while we are walking towards the Plaza de Armas, with the same message as always:

The only one missing is you!

In the meanwhile, the organizational team is preparing the activities in which we are going to participate.

It seems like we’re going to have fun!

10.00 a.m.: arrival at the Plaza de Armas, a LOAT of Coalitions are here. The Coalitions of Cercado del Callao and the Carmen de la Legua are not alone, Coalitions from Villa El Salvador, Los Olivos, San Juan de Lurigancho, José Carlos Mariategui among others are here too.

    

There are so much people! It’s truly incredible!

And guess who made an appearance on the giant screen of the Fan Fest?

Members of the Coalitions are famous!

Besides, a group of Batucada with harlequins, jugglers and stilts is here to make a bit of noise and give us a lot of energy!!

Our young leaders like Sandra or Claudia of North Callao are also here,

just like Alicia and her classmates

from the Santa Teresita Secondary School in the Ayllu.

And as we always say, age doesn’t matter when it comes to fight against drugs!

What we are doesn’t matter either; even dogs are members of the Coalition!

At the same time in the Salón de los Espejos of the Municipality of Lima, near the Palace of Government and a stone’s throw from the crowded Plaza de Armas, something extremely important is occurring:

Members of the coalitions, heads of various coalitions, and directors from NGOs backing the project (such as Gustavo Ascacibar from CRESER and Gabriel Montoya from SUMBI) are renewing their engagement towards the Coalition.

 In the guests of honor table are sitting four persons indispensable to the existence of the community coalitions:

- Gladys Castiglioni, president of the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of the Callao Consortium; she was elected to nationally represent the Coalition and she described the incredible progress of the coalitions during the last years.

- Alexandra Tenny, Official of the Demand Reduction Program of the NAS (Narcotic Affairs Section) officially renewed the engagement of the United States Embassy to keep backing the Community Coalitions.

- The Doctor Percy Janampa, representing the Central Municipality of Lima.

- The Colonel PNP Luis Rosas from DIRANDRO (Peru National Anti-Drug Department); 

- And Alejandro Vassilaqui, Director of CEDRO.

 

And look at that, almost all the members of the Executive Board of the Coalitions (among them Rocío Sosa from the Carmen de la Legua) came to the Salón de los Espejos to show their will to win this game against drugs.

12.00 a.m.: the final moment of this great day has come. The personalities of the Salón de los Espejos joined the members of the Coalitions to celebrate altogether this special day.

Dr. Carmen Masías, Adjunct Director of CEDRO, appeared in this very important moment. And as it is a Football World Cup period, foot balls are symbolizing our fight against drugs.

The giant ball, with the names of the different coalitions on it is going from hand to hand accompanied by the screams of happiness and the songs of the coalitions.

The day is almost over; we are all going back to our areas, happy to have participated in such an important day in the life of our Coalitions.

 

This day is another proof that

we are more and more numerous,

that more and more young people are joining us,

another proof of our engagement towards the coalition,

another proof of our will to fight, day after day, against drug abuse.

Opinion about coalition by Sergio Risco

About Community Anti-Drugs Coalitions of Callao… Where can I start?... Well for me being a C-boy has been one of the most beautiful experience of my life because I would never have imagined I would find people with a lot of enthusiasm to help others and with a lot of energy. It's a place to have fun, to be with flow and to know how to listen and to support people. So be a C-boy is a way to learn how to help people and also how to help ourselves because every time I learn something that maybe is not in me, for example: to know that I can trust in some people that could be great friends for me. In the coalition I learnt to share happiness and sadness and I will never forget that no one could be alone. Friendship has no price. I found real friends in the coalition.

COALI - HOP IN MINKA!!

Last Saturday, CACC organized a music show in Minka. During this event, we could see many young breakdancers who showed us their skills for this activity. The Show was opened by Dante and Axel singing their own hiphop themes like "Niño de la calle" and others.

People really enjoyed it, they were shouting and clapping all the time.

The surprise was Lil´Geden, a charming seven-years-old b-boy. He demostrated great talent and an unique style, performing some special steps of this kind of dancing. It was really amazing because nobody could imagine that someone so young was able to perform movements so complex and so fast (his "Moonwalk" was unforgettable!!!).

Our coali-girls (a.k.a, C-Girls) did a great job all day long. They are the basis of our project because their support is priceless for us.

They play a key role organizing cultural events, forums, communicating with people about the message and objectives of Community Coalitions Project.

Youth in Carmen de la Legua: Breakdance as a Lifestyle

Last Saturday, the youth of the Callao was honoured with the presence the French B-boy "Sully" who gave a master class and shared his long experience as a breakdancer.

He highlighted the key role of education in the construction of the human-being, as well as the importance for young people's health to practice sports. "School is very important because it teaches you how to be virtuous", he remarked.

He added: "If you don´t keep that in mind, you will never be able to practice breakdancing in a professional way. If you don't respect a serious training, anything you do can be a disaster, and it will be very difficult for you to make a good business of this sport".

On the other hand, he told the B-boys and B-girls about the importance of teamwork for the development of breakdance practice in the community. He talked about the fact that young people should put their hearts and minds together in order to work as a team. "If we do that, he said, we will work and dance much better than ever before". 

Then, he asked the people to show their breakdancing skills. He admited everyone has a good technic but he also said that the most difficult part of practicing breakdance is to get an own style. So, you have to put your heart and you mind in this. Only if you do that, you will become the best!

C - Girl is one of the 40 students of the first Cyberschool of Peru

Karen Maribel Saldívar Alarcón, member of the Community Antidrugs Coalitions of Callao (CACC) is one of the 40 students who have been chosen to belong to the First Cyberschool of Peru.

Maribel is a 16-year-old girl and she is one of the youngest members of the Coalition of Juan Ingunza. Last november, she participated in the Final Exam for applicants to the Cyberschool of Peru, being one of the students who will be able to sign up in the new school. This event took place in the School "General Prado", in Bellavista (Callao), where more than one thousand students applied for a vacancy in the new Cyberschool.

After the applying process, all the students who could pass the final exam were rewarded by the Vice-Minister of Education, Ivan Vexler, and the president of the Regional Goverment of Callao, Alexander Kouri B. Each student received a laptop, books, and school materials.

The Cyberschool is an iniciative of the Regional Government of Callao, leadered by Alexandre Kouri B., and the ESAN University, and it has the Educational Quality improvement in Callao as its main goal.  It is also, a merits-based access school and it will consist in a educational long-distance virtual network that will benefit the most brilliant minds of Callao.

By this time, the students of the Cyberschool are competing against each other to obtain the first place in knowledgment, during the 2010; the winner will gain a full scholarship to study whatever it wants, in any University of United States.

Community Antidrugs Coalitions of Callao Project Life Cycle

Step 1: Identifying the Intervention Area

The CACC project started in 2005, after the creation of the first coalition in the neighbourhood of Juan Ingunza Valdivia,  in El Callao.

Before the execution of the project, it was necessary to perform a pre-project evaluation by making a diagnostic of the area chosen for intervention in order to develop a suitable intervention strategy, according to the needs and characteristics of the area.

This intervention strategy was a very usefull tool for us, because it allowed our technical team to evaluate and monitor the project. Also, it was a key instrument for the partnership and the achievement of our main goals: build a healthy community and prevent drugs consumption. This process was based  on CADCA quality standards requirements.

Step 2: Creating the Coalition of Juan Ingunza

The next step was the creation of the coalition. So, we had to identify the most important leaders of the community of Juan Ingunza. To achieve that goal, we used house by house interviews to recognize the community leaders. After that, we could identify:

- Young leaders: Ronald Espejo (member of the CAC of Juan Ingunza) and "the Carlos Phillips Association".

- Adult leaders: César Sánchez (member of "Juan Ingunza Valdivia Association"), Gladys Castiglioni, Micaela Ellis, Julia Saldívar, Eliana Roselló and Isabel Herrera (members of Bocanegra Neighbourhood Development Committee).

- Institutional Leaders: My. PNP Hugo Huertas  (Superintendent of Juan Ingunza); Dr. Jorge Santamaría Ortiz (Luis Negreiros Hospital) and Father Rosales (San Juan Masías Church).

- Hospitals: Luis Negreiros (Public Hospital),  and the National Police Health Center.

- Primary and Secondary Schools: Francisco de Zela, Jesús Divino Maestro, Juan Ingunza Valdivia, Nuestra Señora de Hualamita, San Ignacio de Loyola;

- Elementary Schools: Hualamito, La Casita de mis Sueños, Mi Futuro Mundo, Mi Pequeño Sol.

- Police Station: Cape Juan Ingunza Valdivia

- ONG: SIRWIQ

Step 3: Coalitions´ Model Management

Strategic Prevention Framework

It is used to modify the community social context focused on drug consumption and drug trading. To implement this framework, the constant support given by the CEDRO Technical Team is necessary.

Diagnostic: Analyzing information about problems, goals and so on. Setting the mission, vision and values of the coalition. SWOT diagnostic.

Resources: Organization structure and  check and balance mechanisms coalition setting.

Planning: Developing a strategic prevention framework; doing and using strategic plans.

Implementation: Supporting the drug-consumption prevention work.

Goals Measuring: Through suitable social indicators.

Step 4: Strengthening Coalitions

First of all, it was decided that the Coalition of Juan Ingunza had to be registered as an association. By this way, the coalitions could obtain legal powers to obtain funds and donations from publics and private actors. As an association, the coalition has two organs/agencies: the assembly and the directory.

The assembly approved the articles of the coalition of Juan Ingunza.

Then, it was conformed the directory of the coalitons and its members swore loyalty to the neighbourhood of Juan Ingunza and Narcotics Affaire Section (NAS) agents.

At the same time, the Coalition of Juan Ingunza, with the support of CEDRO technical team, proposed a plan to involve young people to Coalitions Project.

Step 5: Coalition In Action!! 

Since then, the Coalition of Juan Ingunza has been working hard to be a healthy, safe and drug-free community.