Andean Youth Program: September Update!

Mosqoy 7 students Thalia and Nohemi with AYP Manager Cara at Mosqoy 7 fundraiser earlier this year. Fundraisers are a part of our Andean Youth Program student selection process, as we are able to gauge student leadership abilities through capacities to work with a group and to plan and execute an event successfully.

 Hello from the Andean Youth Program! We are eager to share the latest updates from Peru with our Mosqoy friends and supporters.

Casa Mosqoy has become a livelier place in the last couple of months, as our new Mosqoy 7 students have been moving in and starting classes! Thalia and Nohemi just finished their introductory classes at the Khipu Institute and are excited to start their first semesters studying Accounting next week. Jaime just moved into Casa Mosqoy and will begin his Culinary Arts classes next week as well. Bercelia started her first semester studying Nursing at the National University (UNSAAC) mid-August. We are so proud of our new students and so glad to have their energy in Casa Mosqoy!

In July, we were sad to say “see you next time” to our Resident Advisor of one year, Stephanie. She contributed so much to Casa Mosqoy from her fun and interactive Valentine’s Day and Halloween activities to her informative Nutrition workshop series. She will be missed! Luckily in August, we welcomed Alicia to the team! Alicia comes from Arizona and brings a passion for social justice, a warm heart, and a lively spirit to Casa Mosqoy. She aims to make meaningful connections with the students and to maintain a safe and welcoming atmosphere at Casa Mosqoy. We are excited to see what else she brings to the program!

Our past few months have been busy with transition, but not lacking in activities and workshops. In July, Alison offered two workshops as a part of Mosqoy’s new Language Empowerment Program. Alison studied Linguistics in Canada and provided a workshop to teach students about formal translation and interpretation techniques. This is particularly helpful as Andean Youth Program students regularly serve as interpreters during Q’ente Textile Community Program meetings. The skills they gain through these experiences have allowed students to work translating and interpreting Quechua to Spanish in other settings as well. Alison also held a sociolinguistics workshop that allowed students the opportunity to reflect upon their experiences with both Quechua and Spanish languages. Listening to their perspectives and stories about their experiences with language was especially interesting for Mosqoy volunteers.

In August, the Latin American Foundation for the Future provided Mosqoy students with a CV writing workshop and a professional interview skills workshop, including a segment on labor rights. We had incoming students, current students, and even a graduated Mosqoy student participate. Our students are better equipped now for applying to jobs and internships. We are excited to see where these skills take them. Thank you to LAFF for providing such excellent workshops!

Ivan with LAFF talks with AYP students about perfecting their CV’s.

We also had some fun outdoors in August. We played soccer and volleyball one Saturday afternoon with incoming students, current students, graduated students, and volunteers. Some of the best bonding can happen during days like this!

Volleyball during August sports day.

Finally, we would like to say some important thank you’s! Firstly, thank you to everyone who participated in Match Day on August 4th with The School Fund. We raised $2,870 USD on that day alone! Thank you to The School Fund for providing an opportunity for matched donations. Thank you as well to Inner Fire Yoga Apparel for helping us to reach our fundraising goals via The School Fund website.

Also a big thank you to Cervecería del Valle for hosting a fundraising event for AYP at the end of August. Thanks to everyone that came out, to everyone that donated such wonderful raffle prizes, and to the Cervecería we raised 1,015 soles for our students!

Finally, we are excited to announce that El Albergue and Apus Peru are two of our new Student Sponsors! We greatly appreciate this support and are excited about such a wonderful local partnerships. We are still looking for Student Sponsors (sponsorships can start at just $500!) so if you or anyone you know is interested, check out this link to learn more about our students. Any questions about sponsorship can be directed to AYP Manager Cara Clatanoff at cara@mosqoy.org.

Tupananchis kama (until next time!)