Last week (9-13 May 2023) 25 young people from Atauro Municipality were joined by 26 CVTL Youth Volunteers from Dili Branch for a Youth Camp in Beloi Village, Atauro. The Atauro youth participants represented Beloi, Bikeli, Makadade, Makili and Vila Maumeta villages. Additionally, 15 local school students also participated camp activities on recycling and climate change.
Under the theme “Youth, Center of Change”, the objective of the camp was to provide participants an opportunity to develop creative and leadership skills in order to become a better member of the community and future leaders of Timor-Leste. CVTL actively encourages the involvement of young people in its humanitarian mission and seeks to build the spirt of voluntary service among Timor-Leste’s youth to help alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people.
The Youth Camp was opened by the Administrator of Atauro Municipality Mr. Domingos Soares and welcomed the participation of the
Commander of the PNTL (Atauro Municipality), the Secretary-General of CVTL Mr. Luis Pedro Pinto, a founder of CVTL Mr. Estanislau Guterres, the Director of Education and Health (Atauro Municipality), the Xefe Suku of Beloi, the Xefe Aldeia from Maker, Adara and Arlo, local Pastor, media and including other young people and the wider community.
The 3-day camp involved a range of activities to raise the individual capacities of each young person. The activities focused on decision making and communication, nutrition, reproductive health, child protection, disease prevention (with a focus on dengue, diarrhea and hygiene practices), Basic First Aid (including learning skills to bind and cover injuries and transfer techniques), disaster management and climate change, recycling and social action. Simulation exercises, quizzes and competitions allowed the participants to demonstrate their new knowledge and skills, and the young people also enjoyed sports activities and learning about the history and Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross through CVTL’s dissemination program.
Facilitated by four CVTL staff, the Youth Camp was funded with the support of the New Zealand Red Cross, as part of CVTL’s Integrated Community Based Risk Reduction Program, and The Empress Shoken Fund.
