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Youth-to-Youth Training for Leadership

The first rains of May and June signaled a sprouting of relationships between PML and the communities of Villa Soberana and El Chague, both located near León.

Over 115 people collaborated as camp counselors, organizers, trainers, participants, and volunteers in a project called Camp New Hope (Nueva Esperanza). The camp's mission was to provide a space where youth could encounter their own leadership potential, address concerns of their communities and enjoy artistic and recreational activities. All of this occurred in an intersection of hearts, minds and energy among youth and young adults from León, Nicaragua, and from Minnesota and Gettysburg, PA, USA.

This is a project mainly funded by Project Gettysburg-León although PML has supported the students in the form of delegation visits, painting purchases, auction purchases and smaller contributions. This is a school of 100 students who meet with their art teacher, Lorenzo Lopez Lopez, every Saturday. The beginning level students meet in the mornings while the advanced students meet in the afternoon. Lorenzo is assisted by a group of 10 graduates of the Children's Art school. PGL supplies a small stipend for Lorenzo and for the materials they need throughout the year. PGL also finances 2 field trips each year, one for each of the class levels.

The Basic Grains Project in the mountain community of Talolinga is a project initiated and maintained by PGL. However, PML has supported the community in the past through the construction of a health post and various wells in the community as well as with delegation visits and material aid. The Basic Grains project is a revolving loan project that will eventually be paid back by the community funds they used to create a cycle of purchasing seeds for planting without incurring additional debt.

Goal: To create 55 mobile libraries of 10 books each to be donated to community pre-schools throughout the state of León, Nicaragua.

The books will travel in colorful book bags that are sewn locally.

Teachers will be able to exchange their colorful bag of 10 books for a different set each month so the kids have a variety to read throughout the year. This exchange of book bags will take place at a monthly teacher training (such as that pictured here) that takes place in the city of León.