We have stories to tell…

Monday, October 27, 2014

Fourteen children, eight of them registered in World Vision’s sponsorship programme, between the ages of 14 and 20, conducted a storytelling trainingfor more than 220 children, 80 of them were also registered in the sponsorship programme. The children were from two of the poorest areas of Lezha Area Development Programme (ADP), who,with the exception of working to helptheir parents and going to school, do not have anyopportunities to experience their childhood.

The 14 youth were trained by staff from World Vision United Kingdom in the field of storytelling, using puzzle pictures and storytelling maps. The youth usedthe same activities with the children. With loveand passion, they taught their peershowto develop their critical and analytical thinking skills, giving them the opportunity to show their world to others; using their senses, imagination and creativity. This methodnot only helps the children tell their stories freely, italso helpsthem have clear and original communication with their friends or with their sponsors, in the letters they write to them.

 

[Youth using maps and puzzle pictures to help the children to become storytellers]

Leonida, 14, one of the children who participated in thetrainings says that it helped her and other children improve their storytelling abilities and make the relationship with their sponsors more beautiful. “They showed me a map and some cards,” she says. “I chose postcards with pictures about friendship and I wrote a story about my best friend,” says Leonida. “I found a new way to better express what I was feeling inside,” she says, explaining how the training she originally participated in and is now sharing with her peers affected her.“While writing, I went back in time and it was like I was re-enjoying, seeing and touching those moments with my friend once more.”

Leonida added that she now wants to use this ability to write better letters to her sponsor, Sara, in the UK. “Now, I will use all the knowledge I gained and put all my heart into writing long and vivid letters to Sara,” she says. “I will write her about my ordinary days and how much I appreciate her friendship, because I love her and I want to have a wonderful friendship together all the time.”

To ensure the training was qualitative, the youth divided the children into fivegroups; each group had two trainers. The children not only learned how to use their senses and their creativity to better tell their stories, they also played and some read the stories they wrote out loud. In the end, the children discussed what they found most interesting in all they had learned.

One of the children, Stela, 9, said while enjoying the time with her peers: “Thanks for today because we had a great day. We learned, played and stayed with friends, who organized beautiful games for us.”

 

[Children learning through entertainment]

World Vision’s Head of Sponsorship coordinator for Lezha Local Area Program, Besmira, says that such days, where they have so much fun are rare in the lives of these children because they do not have such activities in their neighbourhoods. Instead of playing, many children must work to help their parents.

“Those 220 children, especially the ones coming from Malecaj village, are very poor and sometimes don’t have time to play [because they must] help their families," explains Besmira. "Many of them work picking sage on the nearby mountains or shepherd the sheep, so I am glade our youth made an effort to involve them in this activity and help them spend their free time in a childish way,” she adds.

Ema, 16,one of the trainers said: “It’s such pleasure to see children so happy while playing and sharing stories from their lives. These children deserve to be happy. It doesn’t matter that this training is tiring and the weather was hot today,” she says, looking happily at the children.

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World Vision’s “Youth Vision” group has more than 14 talented and passionate youth who are striving to fight injustice and help people in need, especially vulnerable children in their communities. Six months ago, the group worked to to raise awareness about the poor conditions of a school in Malecaj village. Their efforts paid off and the school was restored.

Recently, the youth are focused on celebrating and promoting Lezha’s young talents in the field of art. This initiative is called “All4Art”.  It started since two years ago, so this is the third year they lead this. The initiative strives to promote talent of the youth in the area of Lezha. World Vision has empowered these 14 members through the two years forming them on how to be leaders, how to led a project, how to advocate through media, social media, how to make the problems  visible  through videos and photos how to raise the cases of the poor and needy  and help them etc.

 Ends