2012 YA Venezuela Program Report

Youth Ambassadors for the Americas S-ECAPY-11-CA-102 (DS)

Final Report Sept. 15, 2011 – Apr. 15, 2012 Submitted on July 14, 2013

Matthew Clausen Vice President, Partnerships and Programs Partners of the Americas 1424 K Street NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20007 Phone: (202) 628.3300 Fax: (202) 628.3306 Web: www.partners.net

Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report PROJECT OVERVIEW Executive Summary Partners of the Americas envisions an interconnected global neighborhood where people and organizations reach their fullest potential through long-lasting partnerships. Its mission is to connect people and organizations across borders to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships.

The Youth Ambassadors for the Americas program is a student exchange program, where selected participants from across Latin America and the Caribbean come to the United States, and vice versa. In 2012 and 2013, the Youth Ambassadors (YA) program participants totaling 30 ranged from 15 to 18 years of age with exception of four accompanying mentors. Participants were from six states and seven municipalities across Venezuela.

The Venezuelan YA participants traveled to the US in two groups over the course of 2012 and 2013. All traveled to Washington, DC for the first part of the trip. Each delegation then spent seventeen days in one of our most experienced host communities, Johnson City, Tennessee where they lived with volunteer host families, attended a local high school with their peers, and participated in cultural and educational activities. Even though both Venezuelan delegations traveled to the same state, many host families were new participants and programmed activities were modified or changed for Tennessee and especially Washington, DC in an effort to improve programming. Therefore, while this evaluation considers all activities and events throughout the trips, the 2012 and 2013 experiences differed slightly.

Participants collectively rated their satisfaction of the program after the exchange at a very high 92% for the years 2012 and 2013 combined. Assessing program impact before and after the exchange, there was an 18% increase in understanding of the host country among YAs. Overall, The results detailed in the following final report indicate that this YA program enhanced their understanding of other cultures foreign and domestic; it fostered positive attitudes towards leadership, volunteering, and cultural awareness; it strengthened their capacity of volunteer service and leadership; and it promoted a strong interest in continuing relationships with peers and people in general inside and outside national borders. In the following sections, several aspects of program satisfaction and program efficacy are explored. The measurement of the program efficacy is based on how well Partners of the Americas met the program’s objectives. This is measured based on the experience and knowledge gained by YAs, which is reviewed in the sections titled “Results”.

Data results listed in the subsequent sections for closed question responses were scored by participants on a 1-5 scale: “1” being the lowest and “5” representing the most impact. Percentage scores from 80-100% are considered “high” to “very high” scores. It is also worth noting that 1 Partners of the Americas: Final Report to The Department of State for S-ECAPY-11-CA-102 (DS)

Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report mentioned scores usually reflect an average score for both 2012 and 2013 participant responses unless otherwise specified. The average reflects more accurate scores since delegations from each year had lower or higher scoring tendencies. For a full description of the methodology see Annex I. Summary of the Participants The findings presented represent a combined analysis of all participants involved in the 2012 and 2013 Youth Ambassador Program, totaling 30 participants over the course of the two years. Below is the overview: 2012 There were a total of 13 youth participants and two adult mentors representing six Venezuela states including the federal district. Seven participants were female and 8 were male. All traveled to the U.S. 2013 There were also a total of 13 youth participants and two adult mentors representing six Venezuela states including the federal district. Ten participants were female and 5 were male. All traveled to the U.S. The impact of this program went far beyond this targeted group. Host families and other youth, students, and other groups that the YAs interacted with during their travels also benefited from this program.

Program Goals and Objectives The goals of the Youth Ambassadors for the Americas Program were: 1. Promote mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of South America; 2. Prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and contributing members of their communities; 3. Significantly influence the attitudes of the leaders of a new generation; and 4. Foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups and create networks of hemispheric youth leaders, both within the participating countries and internationally.

The objectives were as follows: 1. Participants demonstrate a better understanding of the peoples of the Western Hemisphere, including elements of a participatory democracy as practiced in the US. 2. Participants demonstrate critical thinking and leadership skills.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report 3. Participants demonstrate skill at developing project ideas and planning a course of action to bring their community projects to fruition.

4. Build relationships with peers and mentors across borders that provide long-term support and networks to youth as leaders in their communities.

Program Implementation In order to meet program objectives, the activities for the Youth Ambassadors program have been broken into three areas: Selection and Orientation, Travel and Exchange Program, and Follow-up.

Partners of the Americas worked along with the local Partners Chapters during the YA and mentor selection process, arranged travel schedules and program schedules, and arranged homestays and agendas. In addition, Partners traveled to selected host states to conduct debriefings. Partners also continued working with the YAs after the exchange on their Leadership in Action (LIA) projects.

Phase 1: Selection and Orientation: Recruiting, selection, and pre-departure orientation Partners worked with local coordinators, Partners Chapters, bi-national centers, and the U.S. Embassy in Caracas to launch promotion, select participants, and finalize travel dates for the Caribbean, and US Programs. Orientations were held in Caracas prior to departure and also upon arrival in Washington, DC and Tennessee.

Phase 2: Travel and Exchange Program Partners worked closely with the host coordinator to develop an agenda that met the requirements. The coordinator recruited, screened and oriented host families and organizations that the YAs met with. Activities were scheduled to ensure a balance of leadership activities, citizen diplomacy, service activities, and cultural activities in Johnson City.

Debriefings were held prior to the YAs returning home to reflect on the experience and prepare for the follow-on.

Phase 3: Follow-On Each group worked together to design, develop, and implement a community project upon completion of their exchange. These projects gave the YAs hands-on experience in project implementation and leadership, helped them to build networks within their local communities, and ensured that they continued to work with and support each other. Constant guidance and support for the post-exchange service project was provided by the local Partners chapter, Partners

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report in Washington, DC, mentors, and new adult and youth partners such host family members resulting from the overall YA experience. Additionally, Partners continues to work with the current International Youth Ambassadors Network (IYAN) leadership. The IYAN will serve as a network to foster a continuous engagement of YA alumni at the national and international level as well as to highlight the long-term impact of the program. The IYAN recently reached a milestone accomplishment in launching the IYAN website. Recently, the IYAN council and its newly selected assistants have worked on spreading the word about their website to the general public and other Youth Ambassadors networks while building up their website to include more YA service projects.

To read about the Venezuelan YA projects featured on the IYAN site, click here.

YA Program Evaluation Overall, the participants collectively rated their satisfaction of the program at 92% for the years 2012 and 2013 combined. This describes the performance of the program’s overall structure and organization, home country and host community coordinators, Partners of the Americas staff, mentors, host families, cultural activities, volunteer opportunities, and volunteers taking part in the program, workshops, and meetings with government, non-governmental, and multi-lateral institutions.

The lowest performance ratings and areas of improvement were in the categories of “program organization” and “meetings with non-governmental organizations” which received an average of 88% and 86% in satisfaction respectively for the two year average. One important thing to note is that these are still high scores when considering the scoring methodology. Partners will certainly analyze these areas of growth further.

On the other hand, the participants gave the highest ratings to “workshops on small project development” (99%), “Partners of the Americas staff” (96%), and “volunteers taking part in the program” (96%).

Mutual Understanding Overall, there was an 18% increase in understanding of the host country among YAs for 2012 and 2013. The following chart (Figure I) displays the aggregate results for all Venezuelan participants regarding their knowledge of the host country (US). This chart shows that the YAs acquired a high level of understanding of their host country’s daily life, values, and volunteer community service through the program. Highest advancement was among the categories “daily life in host country” and “volunteer community service in host country” which increased 28% and 23% respectively.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report

Knowledge of Host Country for 2012-2013 YA Venezuela Program 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

83%

69%

91% 80% 69%

85%

73% 64%

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69%

91% 76%

95%

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85% 71%

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70%

% Pre % Post

Figure I

Leadership In response to “my experience as a Youth Ambassador…” after the 2012 and 2013 exchanges, the choice “strengthened my leadership capacity” ranked very high among eight relevant choices. This choice was ranked at 92%: the second highest ranking. The only higher scoring option was “exposed me to new ideas and opportunities” with a very high 96%.

Volunteer Service After the exchange, participants indicated that they were highly likely to “organize or initiate new volunteer projects or activities” as a direct result of the program. This option ranked highest followed by “give presentations at your school or in your community” earning a very high 98% percent and 95% respectively indicating the highest frequency of “definitely yes” responses to both options in the post-exchange survey. Knowledge about “volunteer community service” in the host country was also ranked second as the most “advanced” area of understanding when comparing pre and post- exchange surveys as can be noted in Figure I above. In terms of program satisfaction, “volunteer opportunities” equally earned a very high score of 91%.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Long-term engagement YA follow-on projects have started or are underway in Venezuela. In the case of 2012 and 2013 delegations projects are mostly in their early stages of formation and have been delayed or put on hold in some cases because of curfews and in some places political unrest and even violence. That said, youth from this 2012-2013 YA program have designed or launched their projects or will join some of the ongoing projects that were initiated by Partners YA delegations since 2007. YAs developed projects that were most appropriate for each situation. Below is a description of the YA projects that 2012 and 2013 participants are involved in and below other notable on-going projects previous YAs designed and continue to implement often with support from this program´s participants. It is important to note that many of the projects described below aim to expand volunteerism in their communities which supports data indicating that youth value volunteering and service and are likely seeking to expand volunteerism as a direct result of the program. It is equally important to highlight many projects are the result of partnerships with other established organizations and not isolated and potentially redundant efforts. We believe that collaborations like those occurring with bi-national centers, universities, schools, and local NGOs contribute to the sustainability of youth leadership and volunteerism efforts resulting from the YA program. The examples below demonstrate how many youth have partnered with and are supported by establish organizations facilitating and enhancing their Leadership in Action project impact.

2012 Corazon Voluntario (Heart of a Volunteer) This project led by YAs from the 2012 delegation aims at training other young people between 15 and 17 years old to develop their own volunteer projects in their communities and thus multiplying the impact of their YA experience. The project started in February of 2013 in the Fe y AlegrĂ­a High School located in the Altos de Jalisco community of Cabimas, Zulia State, where they are teaching the importance of volunteering, providing the tools to create community projects and making connnecting youth with other volunteer networks and other programs.

Mejor Vida para la Vida (A Better Life for Life) Under the leadership of YAs from the 2012 delegation based in Caracas, this project involves creating environmental awareness campaigns targeting the Barrio Carpintero community in a neighboring municipality (Miranda). The goal is to engage the whole community in the campaigns aimed at fostering environmentaly healthy habits and developing local standards for environmental conservation. This project is still in its planning phases.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Haz lo que Debes por lo que Quieres (Do What You Should for What You Care About) A 2012 delegation participant from the city of Ejido in Merida State is leading this initiative to ensure that the residents of the Montalban community become more civically engaged around issues pertaining to education, the environment, and general community life. The local YA aims to work with local volunteers and recruit other youth volunteers who will target local problems and lead workshops for community volunteers. This project is still in its planning phases.

Un Amigo Más (Another Friend) Un Amigo Más is led by 2012 YAs base in Merida, Merida State whose goal is to create a non-profit organization with support from Partners of the Americas and Partners of Venezuela – Tennessee.

The organization would focus on encouraging people, regardless of religion or political ideology, to work together to find a solution to poverty and a lack of access to education. Youth will form volunteer groups and use social media and a website to mobilize and promote their cause.

2013 Recicla, Ama, Regala una Sonrisa (Recycle, Love and Give a Smile) Youth in Barquisemeto aim to help communities by using a method another successful project (see Encuadérnate) in Caracas has used, collecting recyclables and selling them to recycling companies. In this, case youth would like to raise funds to aid low-income children at a local hospital. Youth have begun working, recruiting others and reaching out to companies that purchase paper and other waste materials. In the process they would also like to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and protecting the environment.

Ongoing Projects Since 2007 Encuadérnate!

Encuadérnate! is a project which gets much needed school supplies to low income grade school children by selling donated paper waste to recycling companies. Encuadérnate! is one project that has slowly pushed forward despite political tensions in Venezuela. Earlier this year the project’s youth leaders informed Partners chapter members in Caracas that they successfully collected more than 1,000 kilos of recycling material for 2012 which they will sell to recycling companies and then use to purchase more schools supplies for low-income children.

As of now, they have provided school supplies to an estimated 900 children from six public schools. They also started working with youth volunteers from another nearby municipality during April and who are not associated with Partners or Youth Ambassadors. Youth from this

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report 2012-2013 program have expressed interest in supporting this initiative or replicating it in other states.

Educaci贸n Ambiental y Reciclaje (Environmental Education and Recycling) During the 2012-2013 YA Program period youth from Barquisimeto, Lara State have designed a program to introduce children in the city to environmental education, recycling and saving energy. They have started the in the local Pablo Jose Alvarez school and are currently motivating the school community (students, administration, teachers, parents and all staff) to promote sustainable recovery and recycling common areas through workshops and creating and distributing educational materials. The project is being led by YAs from 2008 and 2009 and recent YAs have expressed interest in supporting this initiative.

Aim High Aim High was developed by the group of Youth Ambassadors from the state of Zulia. The project aims to allow for lowincome children have the opportunity to learn English and know the importance knowing another language for personal and professional development in addition to becoming model citizens by encouraging them to volunteer by serving as tutors and possibly instructors in the future. This project began in March of 2012 and has since offered about low income 80 children basic and intermediate English instruction. The classes have been taught in the Zulia State Public Library twice a week and the Centro Venezolano Americano del Zulia (CEVAZ) has supported by offering lectures and workshops to YA instructors.

Educaci贸n Sexual y Reproductiva (Sexual and Reproductive Education) YAs from 2009 in Caracas have worked to address what they feel has resulted from a lack of communication between young people and their families and limited academic hours devoted to sexual education: unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. YAs began the project at the local Rafael Urdaneta Institute which

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report primarily serves students from the most economically depressed areas of the community. They have since arranged numerous activities including campaigns to raise awareness about the H1N1 virus that appeared as a pandemic and involving local medical students for discussions about sexual health.

Kilos de Esperanza (Kilos of Hope) Inspired by the Centro Venezolano Americano del Zulia (CEVAZ) Food Bank Zulia Youth Ambassadors from 2010 decided to emulate this initiative and take contributions to the city's public institutions. The project engages friends, neighbors, relatives, classmates, supermarkets, and others to run drives.

After collecting the food, they are packaged and donated to a welfare institution in the city. Over the span of two years a large number of older people and children have benefited from this project. Annually they have achieved in donating about a half ton of food.

Conservation, Sustainable Forestry and Park Demarcation in Yare Park, Macaracuay Youth Ambassadors from 2007 and thereafter living in Caracas launched and joined this effort to promote the safe and sustainable recreational use of this public park. Youth have reached out to park patrons and students from nearby schools in addition to partnering with Simon Bolivar University student clubs to promote the conservation of this park and execute volunteer activities involving workshops and planting vegetation with children.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Goal One: 1. Promote mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of South America “I feel that after this program, after sharing my culture with others, after learning about American culture, I acquired personal qualities that will make me a better leader tomorrow for the good of my country.” ~2012 Venezuelan Youth Ambassador I) Introduction A significant change in understanding other cultures was observed by the staff and mentors during debriefings, interaction with the participants, on surveys, and through comments made with peers and others.

II) Activities Cultural Activities Cultural aspects of the program centered on educating the YAs about the culture and history of their host country and having them convey their culture to others. In addition to living with host families and attending public high schools and visiting universities, the YAs learned about U.S. history and institutions, and participated in sports, recreational activities, and art focused workshops. They also presented on their own cultures through food, performance, and discussion at schools, homes, and other locations.

Host Families All participants lived with host families while in Tennessee. Host families were all volunteers and almost always had children of the same age range as the YAs. Families included YAs in their daily activities but also took them to cultural and historical sites around their community.

Knowledge of Host Country's Values & Daily Life 2012-2013 YA Venezuela 100% 73%

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20% III) Results Figure Partners was successful in meeting 0% II % Pre Values in host country Daily life in host the expectations of participants % Post country and exposing them to and increasing their understanding and appreciation of different cultures. “Daily life [in the U.S.]”, “[U.S.] culture and history”, “[U.S.] values” and “[U.S.] religious

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report and ethnic diversity were among the most understood aspects of their hosts upon finishing the exchange each receiving scores between 85% and 98% as demonstrated in Figure I. “Daily life [in the U.S.]” ranked highest at 98% and is the topic most youth felt they better understood about the U.S. after the exchange as noted in Figure II. Before the exchanges YAs overwhelmingly noted the U.S.’ development, education, and government as perceived positive aspects of the country. While these remained positively regarded aspects of the U.S. in post-exchange survey results, the frequency in which U.S. citizens were mentioned as a positive characteristic of the U.S. increased dramatically. U.S. citizens, which were hardly mentioned in surveys before the exchange, increased as a positive aspect of the U.S. by 31% percentage points in open-ended questions after the exchange. Therefore, of all the positive things the Venezuelan youth could have described, they chose to highlight the people of the U.S. far more than before the exchange and more than all but one other category: technology and societal Display window at Science Hill High School, Johnson City, Tennessee organization. Additionally, when asked to remark on the negative aspects of the U.S. before and after the exchange, references to racism and discrimination decreased significantly from 23% to 12%. On the other hand, responses indicating that a lack of awareness of other countries and cultures was a negative feature in the U.S. increased by 38%.

YA Blog Excerpt: “Our experience as exchange students at SHHS Campus was one of the best of our lives. Being able to share with local students and teach our culture and traditions was a wonderful lesson of brotherhood and camaraderie between Venezuela and USA.” ~2012 Venezuelan Youth Ambassador (For the complete blog click here)

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Goal Two: 2. Prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and contributing members of their communities “With everything I learned during this trip, I know I will become an excellent leader, I will be able to participate more in my community and why not share information from my [YA] experience to inspire others.” ~ 2013 Venezuelan Youth Ambassador I) Introduction Participants demonstrate skill at identifying community problems and needs, developing solutions, and planning and implementing projects to address those very needs. As participants move through the workshops and experiential learning activities, they exchanged and developed ideas with coordinators, mentors, Partners’ volunteers, youth program alumni, and peers.

Training included activities such as a problem tree analysis and community asset identification that, together with exposure to successful community projects, helped them formulate ideas and plan project implementation. Partners’ volunteers, chapter leaders, and program alumni engaged participants to help them develop their ideas, plan their implementation, and manage their projects in their communities.

II) Activities Leadership In Action workshop The YA participants took part in a series of workshops that addressed problem analysis, writing project proposals, community resource mapping, youth leadership, networking, and others that Partners selected these topics so as to aid them in carrying out any service projects in their communities. Upon finishing the workshops, participants give a brief description of the problem, the project design, implementation, and the resources available to them to execute the proposed

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report service project. Their peers, mentors and Partners staff also had the opportunity provide feedback.

Volunteer projects during exchange Volunteer projects are organized with local organizations so that the YAs can get a good understanding of what it is like to volunteer in another country. Furthermore, volunteering alongside locals provides an ideal learning environment for the YAs. Volunteering in Tennessee

Follow-On Project At the beginning of the program, Partners formally introduces the follow-on project to the YAs after going through the Leadership in Action Workshop. Additionally, Partners and host coordinators organize program activities that are educational and that serve as examples for a follow-on project. The YAs also have the opportunity to analyze their communities, seek solutions to problems they have identified, and present on their tentative community projects individually and as a group. At the end of the program, Partners and host coordinators re-visited the tentative projects before the YAs depart to their communities for further group feedback. Partners and the local chapter work along with the YAs from the planning stages of the project/program to its implementation. The implementation of the project itself is an opportunity to contemplate and utilize everything they learned as Youth Ambassadors and also to confront the challenges that leadership, team work, and service imply. As Partners continues to engage youth months and years beyond the YA exchange, staff and volunteers learn more about their successes, obstacles, and most importantly, their development as contributing citizens.

Knowledge of Host Country's Volunteer Community Service 2012-2013 YA Venezuela

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0% Volunteer community service in host Figure III country

III) Results When considering the impact of all of our activities focused on giving youth the skills, knowledge, and understanding to be better long-term contributors in their communities, it can be said that the youth advanced significantly in understanding and improving service efforts and are more likely to lead volunteer activities in their communities in the future.

% Post

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Participants clearly indicated their very high satisfaction for “workshops on small project development” which scored a very high 99%. They also noted that the YA experience specifically “strengthened their leadership capacity” which scored 91%. As noted before, “volunteer community service” was one topic participants learned most about according to a comparison of their pre- and post-exchange survey responses. This shift was quite dramatic in that there was a 23% increase in the frequency in which “volunteer community service” was selected when asked about knowledge acquired as a result of the exchange: second only to the advancements in “[U.S.] daily life” (28%).

When considering options that reflect their own potential to continue and enhance service to their communities and which are specifically highlighted in Partners Leadership in Action (LIA) workshops like “identifying and resolving social problems” and “youth are a resource that can help the community” ranked highest among four total options. It is important to note that these options were also ranked highest in the pre-exchange surveys but they did increase in the postexchange survey (4%-5%).

With relation to applying skills, knowledge, and experience they acquired through the exchange, participant responses indicated a high probability that they would utilize what they learned as a direct result of the program. “Organize or start new volunteer projects or activities” and “give presentations at your school or community” were the two the highest scoring options earning a very high 98% and 95% respectively. They were also the only options requiring skills we specifically highlight in the LIA workshops and reinforce in other instances in the program.

Figure IV

Direct Result of the YA Program Responses 2012-2013 Venezuela Program 92% 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

98% 84%

95%

79%

2012-13 Avg.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report

YA Blog Excerpt: “…my experience had what every person needs to be satisfied and feel useful in the whole world: leadership, information, pictures, important places and tools to start a social project. Concepts and tools that maybe are not important for some but for us as Youth Ambassadors are really important because they make us feel we need to have them in our lives.” ~2013 Venezuelan Youth Ambassador (For the complete blog click here)

Goal Three: Significantly influence the attitudes of the leaders of a new generation “Thanks to this program, we learned that youth engagement in volunteering is fundamental and very important. That is why we need to keep promoting it.” ~2012 Venezuelan Youth Ambassador I) Introduction YA Participants learn a great deal about leadership, volunteer service, foreign cultures, and themselves during all phases of the YA experience. With regard to their attitudes, Partners encourages YAs to explore their positive leadership potential, to value volunteer service, and to understand the importance of learning about other cultures and sharing one’s own. Finally, Partners also expects YAs will inspire others to do the same.

II) Activities Virtually all YA activities potentially influence participant attitudes. Most notably, the main activities in the host country’s agenda are where youth have the chance to explore the program themes and subthemes. These involved visiting organizations and leaders in the host community and Washington, DC to explore first-hand leadership, service programs, and the problems they address. The YAs met with ambassadors, diplomats, members of congress, executive directors, youth leaders, and more. Debriefing sessions were also conducted on a regular basis to reflect on those entities’ and the YAs impressions and to explore themes like leadership and volunteerism through dialogue. See Annexes II and III for examples of Washington, DC and host community agendas.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report III) Results As revealed by much of the data presented elsewhere in this report, participants indicated that they learned about leadership, community service, and cultural sensitivity, but survey responses also indicate that their attitudes and impressions of these same themes developed in positive ways as a result of the YA program.

The survey data demonstrates the greatest advancements were made in “civic responsibility”, “culture and history”, “daily life”, and “volunteer community service”: all increasing between 18% and 25% after the program as indicated in Figure I. Regarding the impact of the program, participants also gave a very high score to “strengthened my leadership capacity” which scored 92% percent. While all this data suggests a clear growth in the main themes of the program, other data reveals the positive influence the program has had on attitudes towards these themes.

Participant responses show that the role of youth in community leadership remained high after the program reflecting that participants experienced a sense of confirmation after the program.

Specifically, all options relating to the capacity youth have as leaders and agents of positive change such as “youth are a resource that can help” and “youth can identify and resolve social problems” scored 98% and 89% respectively.

Regarding attitudes towards volunteer community service specifically, participant responses reflected a broader understanding of this central theme. The highest percentage of pre-exchange survey responses, 65%, associated volunteerism with general references to altruism and giving back. On the other hand, two significant shifts were noticed in post-exchange responses. Firstly, the percentage of participant associations to volunteerism being a mutually beneficial experience increased by 19% percent. Furthermore, 42% of responses after the exchange reference volunteerism’s potential great impact and importance for communities; both of which are references not found in participant responses before the exchange. In sum, Venezuelan participants increased the value associated with volunteering for both themselves and their communities while still highlighting benefits to those being served. It should be noted that this question was not closed and participants were free to write in any responses.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Goal Four: 4.Foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups and create networks of hemispheric youth leaders, both within the participating countries and internationally “I met amazing people from my country and from the U.S. that have made me grow as a person, whom with I shared my culture. Those are, for me, the best things about my trip.” ~ 2013 Venezuelan Youth Ambassador I) Introduction Partners YA program participants build lasting networks with other YAs from their country and other countries, host families, host coordinators, mentors, Partners chapters, Partners staff, and through the post-exchange service project, with communities and other youth. Many have since joined regional, national, and even international YA networks like the IYAN. Exposure to other cultures also occurred within the single-country delegations which tended to be regionally diverse.

YA Blog Excerpt: “The definition of hosting is a person who receives or entertains guests at home or elsewhere. The term itself is too formal for an experience so life changing. The true definition is when a caring person opens up their home, heart, and life to a new member of their family. You become a friend, a mentor, but most importantly a sister/brother. Writing this you may think I’m being a little dramatic, but trust me when I say the Youth Ambassadors Program changed my Lucy Gaudiano (far right, middle) with Venezuelan YAs life.” ~ Veteran Youth Ambassador Tennessee Host Sister, Lucy Gaudiano (For the complete blog click here)

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report II) Activities The exchange experience allows youth to engage with local governments and organizations, interact with their peers from other countries, build relationships with host families, and participate in skills-based trainings. The exchange phase of the program was created to foster a networking and learning environment through constant interaction between participants. This was done by:  Having Venezuelan and U.S. youth interact with each other either through volunteer projects, workshops, or school visits, all of which create a learning environment where they can share experiences and perspectives;  Intentionally connecting youth from different countries through networks while in throughout the program and after; This approach fostered a space where youth were able to communicate regional issues that each other’s countries were currently facing;  Having youth from one country representing different regions travel together, allowing a space for them to share their regional cultures and the issues they are confronting builds lasting relationships and support networks. 2012 and 2013 Venezuelan youth participants are from 7 different municipalities and 6 different states.

International Youth Ambassador Network (IYAN) Partners of the Americas convened 50 youth leaders from 19 countries including Venezuela in Panama to launch the International Youth Ambassadors Network (IYAN) at the first ever Youth Ambassador Summit in 2010. The Summit was focused on creating innovative opportunities to help youth develop leadership skills and cultivate a new generation of leaders in the region. The IYAN has since been focused developing a Youth Ambassador Summit in 2010, Panama network that provides resources, opportunities, and ideas to YAs across the hemisphere. This has not been an easy task with members situated across the hemisphere and committed to school and other projects. That said, the IYAN recently reached an important milestone just after their two year anniversary by launching a webpage they designed and continue to maintain. This growing webpage serves as an online platform for Youth Ambassadors to connect and showcase resources, opportunities, projects, and ideas between national YA networks across the hemisphere. Visit the website here and their Facebook page here. During first half of 2013, youth leading the IYAN elected new and returning members to their council and completed recruitment for several new assistants to support communications, resource management, and regional coordination. Council and assistant

18 Partners of the Americas: Final Report to The Department of State for S-ECAPY-11-CA-102 (DS)

Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report members now represent YAs from Brazil, Nicaragua, the U.S., Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, and a 2010 YA from Venezuela. Another recent achievement for the IYAN has been the strategic partnership created between this network and the GYV and Red 2021 in order to foster increased communication with youth leaders beyond the YA experience. More details are included in the following section.

The World Summit for Youth Volunteering, Partners Youth Leadership Retreat, and the 2011 Partners Convention In November 2011 Partners hosted the Second World Summit for Youth Volunteering which convened 900 volunteers from about 50 different countries to explore ways of increasing social inclusion and civic participation through volunteerism. Partners of the Americas hosted the event in alliance with the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), United Nations Volunteers and the Summit’s host, Barranquilla’s Universidad del Norte. This event marked the tenth anniversary since the First World Summit in 2001, which was held in Tokyo and coincided with the United Nations’ International Year of Volunteers.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Following this summit, and in anticipation of the Partners 2011 Convention in Medellin, Colombia, Partners staff also organized a youth leadership retreat. This retreat aimed to empower youth to build sustainable connections through the aforementioned World Summit and the Partners network made up of youth from various Caribbean, South American, and North American countries; it aimed to build commitments for long-term engagement in local communities and throughout the hemisphere; and it served as a space to share ideas on how to strengthen service learning and leadership through Partners youth initiatives. Nearly 50 youth participants from all over the Americas joined the in the retreat.

Immediately after, Partners of the Americas hosted the Partners Convention in Medellin, Colombia, from November 9th–11th. Every two years, Partners holds a Convention in a city in the Western Hemisphere, uniting its volunteers to share knowledge and best practices. For this convention youth occupied an important presence and participated alongside volunteers of all ages in panels, interactive discussions, and breakout sessions addressing key themes such as climate change; youth development through sports; overcoming violence and social transformation; economic development; corporate social responsibility; and social entrepreneurship.

YAs from the Venezuelan Youth Ambassadors program outlined in this report did not participate in these activities that occurred the year before program. However, the Venezuelan Partners coordination team did participate along with other Youth Ambassadors from across the Americas, key in making this and the following events possible. One of the most important results of the events in Colombia were the creation of the Global Youth Volunteers (GYV) network and its regional branch the Red 2021 which Partners and IAVE seek to build up into the largest community of youth volunteers in the world. The GYV and Red 2021 are online-based platforms, one regional and one global, that seek to engage and connect every young volunteer and their initiatives worldwide through strategic partnerships to provide tools to help them pursue their passions, build their skills and multiply their impact, gaining recognition for the work they do to serve others. The IYAN and Red 2021 very recently united to promote their shared objectives and enhance communication amongst their volunteers. Through this relationship with the IYAN, which includes Venezuelan members, Venezuelan YAs will continue expanding their youth volunteer networks beyond those made during the duration of this YA program.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report

III) Results These aforementioned post-exchange opportunities have indeed been successful in fostering longterm engagement and further bonding among peers with different backgrounds that participated in this Venezuelan YA program. YAs have remained in touch with Partners staff and peers and have remained engaged in volunteer service, leadership, and cultural activities including their Leadership in Action projects. Venezuelan YAs from the 2013 delegation recently shared pictures with Partners staff where they used what was learned during a new Frisbee leadership workshop conducted during the YA program to reconnect with their fellow YAs and bond with other youth volunteers. An analysis of the pre- and post-exchange surveys below suggests that other YAs are likely to carry-out similar activities.

Participant responses to surveys leave little doubt that their interactions with peers from the same country and with people of all ages in their host country were highly valued experiences if not the most valued resulting experience from the Youth Ambassadors program. When allowed to select from eight options in response to “my experience as a youth ambassador…” participants consistently selected “increased my cross-cultural awareness” giving it a very close third highest score of 92%. Equally after the YA experience, two of the top three areas indicated to have been the greatest impact of the program on the life of the participants were related to friendship with other YAs from their country or with host families and host siblings. These categories ranked a very high 98% and 93% respectively. Finally, when asked to score possible actions participants would take after the exchange, those potentially involving either educating peers about the program or working together with them such as, “organize or start new volunteer projects or activities”, “give presentations at your school or community” were the highest scoring options ranging at 98% to 95% respectively.

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Youth Ambassadors for the Americas (Venezuela) Final Report Conclusion The Venezuelan Youth Ambassadors program has created opportunities for participants to better understand their role as leaders in their communities and become more proactive members of society. As shown through the analysis of participant feedback, the program significantly strengthened their capacity for service and leadership; it positively influenced their attitudes and impressions of leadership, volunteering, and cultural awareness; it increased their understanding other cultures foreign and domestic; and it fostered a strong interest in continuing relationships with peers and people in general inside and outside national borders. Additionally, Youth Ambassadors throughout the Venezuela were able to leverage small seed funding to implement projects in numerous communities, working with adult partners, peers, children, government officials, and other stakeholders to address they consider important well beyond their YA experience.

In addition, the program has strengthened ties between youth leaders in Venezuela and beyond by way of domestic ongoing post-exchange service projects and active national and regional volunteer networks. While not within the original scope of the program, Partners continues to work with Venezuelan YAs to help them expand their projects and connect to other youth through the International Youth Ambassador Network and now the Global Youth Volunteers (GYV) network and its regional branch the Red 2021 which came about in the World Summit for Youth Volunteering. These avenues allow the YA participants to continue engaged in the pillar themes of the program and therefore have enhanced the goals of the originally proposed YA activities.

Partners feels that the YA program exceeded its goals to promote mutual understanding, prepare youth to become responsible citizens, influence the attitudes of leaders of a new generation, and foster relationships among youth from different groups. Additionally, the program has provided a space for participants to impact their communities and promote these same values with their peers. Partners looks forward to engaging these and new Venezuelan participants for many years as they continue to grow and expand their leadership in their communities.

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