They came to Quito to compete for a chance to attend an international conference in Istanbul. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for these kids as some of them had never even been to Quito, let alone on an international trip.
The subject of the competition is finance and centers around the long term goal of teaching these youth to develop the skills they need to save money, use their local bank and generally plan for their futures. A skill that American youth have innately built into their life through long term trust of the banking system and adult role models throughout their lives that use and benefit from these systems. But, Ecuador is a very different place with a tumultuous history that includes banks that have not always been so trustworthy and generations of poverty that is an incredibly difficult cycle to break. So, it is important and difficult to reach this generation to help develop this skill and teach them that they can safely look towards their long term future in partnership with the cooperatives in their community. Teaching these kids to fish, as they say. Very cool!
I am so excited to have connected with this organization and I can't wait to see how I can contribute next. Working with non-profits and these types of programs is right in my wheel-house and I got really excited about the event yesterday (probably a little too excited, I may be weird). This was so much more fulfilling than subbing at Spencer's school which I had done the previous day for a fourth grade class. I can now say with absolute certainty that I did not miss my calling as a primary school teacher. Those kids are crazy!
What a difference a day makes!
Thrilled for you!!!
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