Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Trip Blog!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Laura's Letter's, Spring/Summer 2012
Elevation Project Update
There’s lots to update you on, so let’s get started!
Trips:
Our trip in March was very busy, but very good! We were able to reconnect with friends and colleagues, get up to speed on all of the projects that we work together on, and dream for the future.
July 17th, the day that 20 of us (12 students & 8 leaders) travel to Rwanda, is quickly creeping up on us! During our time in Kigali, we will be working closely with RYFC’s School of Leadership and Discipleship as they lead a camp for primary school students. We are super excited to be able to facilitate this opportunity for Canadian and Rwandan young people to work together and look forward to seeing lives transformed!
Student Sponsorships:
I had a great time working together with my colleagues while in Rwanda – we’ve developed a system that makes communicating between continents a bit easier, but nothing beats actually sitting together and getting into all the ins and outs of our work. We smoothed out some glitches and had a great time planning for the future.
We still need 7 sponsors in order to cover all the students on the program, so if you are interested, please consider supporting our work in this way. You can contact me for information, or click here to download a sponsorship brochure and send it to the address shown.
Food for Thought:
As I mentioned in my last letter, most of the costs for this program, which ensures a daily nutritious meal to every student at Kigali Christian School, are covered by school fees and sponsorship. We are working hard to find sponsors for the 5 unsponsored students so that the lunch program is better supported, but in the meantime Vancouver Youth Unlimited is covering the deficit. As soon as we find those 5 sponsors, that money can be used to support some of the schools other needs!
Women’s Program:
It was wonderful to visit with our friends at the Women’s Program at RYFC! We had a great time of sharing and celebrating together. We also had a glimpse of the sewing school and it looks amazing! The women are learning valuable skills and they get the opportunity to form a cooperative at the completion of the program, which could lead to a steady source of income for many of them.
In Other News
Big Changes!
Some of you may know already that Andy Harrington is moving on from Vancouver Youth Unlimited and into the position of CEO at the Wellspring Foundation for Education. This is an exciting move for him, and it means big changes for me as Andy has played a huge role in my work with Youth Unlimited and the Elevation Project, in particular. His supervision, direction, and collaboration has been absolutely indispensable and will be greatly missed. Fortunately, Andy will still be in the area, and his work is focused on education in Rwanda, so there will surely be opportunities for collaboration in the future!
This change also means that I will be taking on direction of the Elevation Project in September. Please pray for wisdom as I look forward to taking on this responsibility.
Looking Forward
When I take the time to look forward, I’m amazed (and a bit overwhelmed!) by all that’s on the horizon. I’m looking forward to ongoing partnership and growth as we further explore young leadership development with Rwanda YFC & GVYU; we are looking at new ways to work together in job-skills training programs; and I’m excited about giving more opportunities for Canadian & Rwandan young people to work together in life-changing ways — and none of this is possible without the support of people, like you! Thank you for all you do to make a difference in my life and in the lives of those I work with!
If you’d like to financially support my work with the Elevation Project - either with a one-time gift towards a trip or a monthly donation – click here to download and print the form, then just fill it in and mail it to the address shown. You can also give online by going to my profile at www.youthunlimited.com and following the instructions there.
Thank you for all you do to make a difference in my life and in the lives of those I work with!
Prayer Points
Our trip in March was very busy, but very good! We were able to reconnect with friends and colleagues, get up to speed on all of the projects that we work together on, and dream for the future.
July 17th, the day that 20 of us (12 students & 8 leaders) travel to Rwanda, is quickly creeping up on us! During our time in Kigali, we will be working closely with RYFC’s School of Leadership and Discipleship as they lead a camp for primary school students. We are super excited to be able to facilitate this opportunity for Canadian and Rwandan young people to work together and look forward to seeing lives transformed!
Student Sponsorships:
I had a great time working together with my colleagues while in Rwanda – we’ve developed a system that makes communicating between continents a bit easier, but nothing beats actually sitting together and getting into all the ins and outs of our work. We smoothed out some glitches and had a great time planning for the future.
We still need 7 sponsors in order to cover all the students on the program, so if you are interested, please consider supporting our work in this way. You can contact me for information, or click here to download a sponsorship brochure and send it to the address shown.
Food for Thought:
As I mentioned in my last letter, most of the costs for this program, which ensures a daily nutritious meal to every student at Kigali Christian School, are covered by school fees and sponsorship. We are working hard to find sponsors for the 5 unsponsored students so that the lunch program is better supported, but in the meantime Vancouver Youth Unlimited is covering the deficit. As soon as we find those 5 sponsors, that money can be used to support some of the schools other needs!
Women’s Program:
It was wonderful to visit with our friends at the Women’s Program at RYFC! We had a great time of sharing and celebrating together. We also had a glimpse of the sewing school and it looks amazing! The women are learning valuable skills and they get the opportunity to form a cooperative at the completion of the program, which could lead to a steady source of income for many of them.
Big Changes!
Some of you may know already that Andy Harrington is moving on from Vancouver Youth Unlimited and into the position of CEO at the Wellspring Foundation for Education. This is an exciting move for him, and it means big changes for me as Andy has played a huge role in my work with Youth Unlimited and the Elevation Project, in particular. His supervision, direction, and collaboration has been absolutely indispensable and will be greatly missed. Fortunately, Andy will still be in the area, and his work is focused on education in Rwanda, so there will surely be opportunities for collaboration in the future!
This change also means that I will be taking on direction of the Elevation Project in September. Please pray for wisdom as I look forward to taking on this responsibility.
Looking Forward
When I take the time to look forward, I’m amazed (and a bit overwhelmed!) by all that’s on the horizon. I’m looking forward to ongoing partnership and growth as we further explore young leadership development with Rwanda YFC & GVYU; we are looking at new ways to work together in job-skills training programs; and I’m excited about giving more opportunities for Canadian & Rwandan young people to work together in life-changing ways — and none of this is possible without the support of people, like you! Thank you for all you do to make a difference in my life and in the lives of those I work with!
If you’d like to financially support my work with the Elevation Project - either with a one-time gift towards a trip or a monthly donation – click here to download and print the form, then just fill it in and mail it to the address shown. You can also give online by going to my profile at www.youthunlimited.com and following the instructions there.
Thank you for all you do to make a difference in my life and in the lives of those I work with!
Prayer Points
- That we would find sponsors for the remaining 5 students
- Favour as I seek to communicate the heart of what Youth Unlimited does to potential foundations and donors in my role as Grant Writer
- Our summer trip team as we invite them into the Elevation Project
- Good communication with our Rwandan colleagues
- Wisdom as I look forward to taking on the role of Director of the Elevation Project
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