During my time here in Panama City I have been given the wonderful opportunity to work as a Child and Youth Worker in a foundation called Funder. This foundation is located just outside of downtown Panama in a city called Arraijan. This foundation is founded by a woman named Marilyn Vallarino-Selhorn, she opened this center in hope to better the lifestyles of the mothers and children within the high-risk neighbourhood of Arraijan. It has been great working with the children every day and working alongside great coworkers. I have learned a lot from everyone here as they have from us as well. Since being here I have learned a valuable lesson about life, communication is a key factor when working with others, yet language is definitely a barrier ….but if you want to communicate with others you sure find a way of doing it! It is going to be difficult leaving this workplace. I feel that this experience has been different from any other placements or coop’s that I have done. The reason being is because while being here it has been a lot of work, communicating with those back in Canada and working in a completely new environment it has all together helped build a stronger relationship with everyone involved during this experience. Working with the children has been a challenge as well but it has been a challenge that has helped me grow more as an individual. I am very happy to be able to say that I have got to experience everything that I have during my stay here in Panama. I will for sure miss the children, and saying goodbye is going to be hard on both parts. That is why I intend on leaving here as an impact on the children by motivating them and inspiring them as much as I can before I leave this wonderful country. By that, I will feel more comfortable with myself knowing that I have dedicated my skills and implemented them effectively as a professional Child and Youth Worker.
Written by - Jessica
THE GLOBAL EXPERIENCE BLOG 