A talent is developed in the little moments, through arduous practice behind the scenes.  A chance to showcase  the fruit of that labor can help motivate people to go the extra mile, and kids are no different. Recently, kids in the community had that opportunity through staff-organized events.

Kids got their paint brushes and pencils out for their art showcase. Themed “Earth Day,” members of the micro community judged artwork around the theme of “Caring for our Planet.” The kids’ talents were literally put on display. Samuel,* the second-place award winner expressed his feelings about the event and his inspiration: “It’s vital to take good care of the natural world.”

Mateo’s* artwork draws a contrast that reflects humanity’s impact on the natural world, with the upper half of his drawing showing a pristine landscape unmarred by harmful human actions, and on the other side of the river, the consequences of poor care for the Earth and the resulting contamination.

But for the kids not quite as inclined to art, there was another activity open to the children: the classic spelling bee. All the kids in the primary grades and above in the on-site school participated. “The kids are really enthusiastic about these events, and they get a bit nervous,” Evelin, one of the mothers in the micro community, said. “But, I think that is really good for them.” One of the young men in her family, Hector,* won the event. As a recent arrival to the micro community, it was a great moment to have Hector win the spelling bee and be celebrated by his peers as well as the adults. We hope that, through more events like these, the children will develop skills and confidence to help them as they become independent, self-assured adults.

Written by Jeff Luehm, LAC Project Coordinator