Map of Guatemala

To the left is a map of Guatemala, so that you can all learn where exactly the country is situated in relation to Mexico and Central America and see where the YMCA programs are within Guatemala. This is a general map, so some of the pueblos that I am talking about are not on here, but you can find detailed maps by googling maps of Guatemala.

It is the rainy season here in Guatemala, so it rains everyday and lately there have been intense storms that last for about 2 or 3 hours and then the weather clears. Here is a link with more information about the history, people, geography, etc of Guatemala: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala

More about the YMCA of Guatemala:

There are no additional YMCA branches, apart from the main office in the capital. Most of the YMCA staff live in cities or villages outside of the capital and commute in everyday, and then venture out to villages to offer programs.
However, there are no actual branches in other cities (like we
have in the states), only program sites that are all run by volunteers

There are only 2 YMCA Guatemala staff that actually live and work in another city outside of the capital, These two staff work at Camp Chichoj, in San Cristóbal. I had the opportunity to go travel with the YMCA staff to the YMCA Camp Chicoq, which is in the department of Coban (about 4 hours to the North). I was in the camp for 3 days, which is why I didn't have a chance to blog until now.

It is a beautiful camp up in the mountains at about 4,300 feet. The scenery is gorgeous and the trip up the mountain was absolutely breathtaking. The Y program staff went up to the camp to do a workshop with teachers on creative and interactive ways that they can teach their students about the history of the internal conflict, human rights and creating a culture of peace.

To the right is a picture of the teachers doing group bonding/educational activities to use with their students. Since they do not have the funds for high ropes courses they use what they have to make the initiatives.

We also met with the youth volunteers to check in with them, offer support and find out about their current programs and projects. These youth are amazing, they go to school, work, and use their free time to offer workshops, educational events, teach swimming, cooking, etc. to the children of San Cristóbal. These dedicated youth meet in a small storage room of one of the volunteers, pictures to the left and below...

Que ustedes tienen una semana muy productiva!