This field note on communities gives me a perfect opportunity to talk about my work as a Peace Corps Volunteer (P.C.V.) here in Belize. The project that I work on as a P.C.V. is called Y.E.S., Youth Empowered by Sports. I work with the National Sports Council of Belize in the Belmopan office and with a local primary school called Garden City Primary School.
During my first three months in Belize, I had to go through something called pre-service training (P.S.T.). This training prepares you to be a Peace Corps Volunteer under the Y.E.S. project. The staff shared that there was a need for improving the life skills of youth in Belize, including skills such as teamwork, cooperation, leadership, respect, kindness, patience, decision making, emotional intelligence and more.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools had to pause for two years. Some were able to offer remote learning, but overall, youth had a pause in schooling and social interaction for two years. Once students returned to school, teachers noticed that students were lacking some important life skills. Students would get into conflicts at school with other students or teachers. Sometimes this would lead to bullying or fights. Schools should provide a safe place for kids to learn and grow.
