LACYS - Behind the  scenes

It seems time is moving faster towards the Latin America and Carribean Youth Summit. In less than a week, 60 young leaders from 25 countries will be coming together to learn how to create change through their in-country or regional projects. As usual at this point, the programme is finalised, the e-tickets and hotel accomodation are booked and the British Council team is already in the hosting country. Modestly, Brazil could not be a better place to receive such enthusiastic people as well as to host a big event with the LACYS framework. Looking at the other side of the coin we still have many preparations to make and the one which is at the spotlight right now is the peer facilitator training which some old Global Changemakers have been immersed in for 3 days.

After 3, 12, 24 or even 28 hours of intense flight, Samar (Tunisia), Uyen (Vietnam), David (Paraguay), Italo and Luis (Brazil), Mariel (Mexico), Laura (Colombia), Jermain (Zimbabwe), Heather (UK) and Nimesh (Nepal) have been trained by John Martin plus Louise Cowper and Matt Kimmich to add to the LACYS the real experiences of being a Global Changemaker, but also to help ensure the objectives of the Summit will be reached and particularly followed by every single participant. Yesterday, all of them had a great time in terms of learning and planning every single detail to make the upcoming event as enjoyable, empowering and unforgettable as possible to all of the new members of the Global Changemakers family.

We are so thrilled and motivated to getting to know the participants that we had to apply our energy in something else after working hard yesterday. So, Luis and me, the Brazilian Morning and Night Guides respectively, took the other facilitators to spend their energies and samba shoes at a great cultural  party at LAPA, in Rio de Janeiro. You do not know when to stop laughing when you are having so much fun with such outstanding companies, and when you have a Colombian, a Paraguayan and a Tunisian dancing samba so tirelessly, especially when they oblige 2 Brazilian guys, who surprisingly have been deprived of the samba talent, teach them how to dance. Whatever! Samar liked dancing samba so much that she decided to run a CAP by teaching underprivileged children in Tunisia to dance samba and she said she will give a little demonstration of her talent to all the participants over the next week.

You can expect so much from this Summit! And be in certain of the fact that we will strive hard to facilitate your understanding even if we come to need to teach you how to dance samba whether it ends up in bringing real change.

The Warmest Brazilian Hugs,
Italo Ribeiro, Brazil Global Changemaker