RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION: LA VIDA JOVEN 1988-2010
A YOUTH PROGRAM IN NICARAGUA
BIRTH OF THE PROGRAM ‘LA VIDA JOVEN’
In the year 1988, in the month of October, the Presbyterian pastor, Jim Hornsby, founder of Habitat for Humanity in Nicaragua since 1984, a North American, came by invitation of the Nazarene Church, the pastor Amansio Sánchez, Benjamin Cortes of CIEETS and other friends in the Catholic Church and of CEPAD, to begin a program with the youth. Jim and his wife, Sarah, in the 1960’s and ‘70’s ha experience working with Young Life in Urban areas Jacksonville, Florida for fourteen years. Jim felt the strong call of God to work in Nicaragua, especially with marginalized youth. Beginning their stay in Matagalpa, they made contacts with youth by means of classes of English and sports, and at the same time searching for adults in those neighborhoods who could build Christ centered friendships with youth in their neighborhoods. Helping in the beginning with the youth were Martina Montenegro, Mario Cardoza and Alex Benavides; shortly afterwards Mauricio Gonzalez and Manuel Gadea began working with Vida Joven. Later a group of 15 adults formed with the desire to see a well organized structure. They formulated in September of 1989 the objectives, activities and functions of the program. The National Assembly of Nicaragua’s government approved the program as a non-profit religious foundation in 1999. The National Adult Committee is headed by Javier Mejia, Lic. Luis Amado, Lelia Lopez, and Melba Hernandez; each neighborhood where a Club is formed also has a Committee of Parents.
1. WHY WAS THIS PROGRAM BEGUN?
In Nicaragua the average age is 16 years, which is to say that there are many youth with desires to prosper mentally, culturally, and spiritually, but given the low development that afflicts the country, that has been affected by wars, natural disasters, and the blocks to socioeconomic growth, the development of youth in Nicaragua has been impaired. Because of this, many have become alcoholics, drug addicts, handicapped, delinquents, apathetic about being able to overcome, with neither ability nor technical possibilities to produce, and there do not exist organizations or projects with the appropriate resources to back up these youth.
2. OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
The program has as objective to attend to youth of both sexes, without discrimination of race, religious or political creed, from marginalized neighbors, with problems of conduct, who for their condition of life do not have alternatives of recreation, sports, culture, healthy life, nor Christian formation. We want to help the youth to find themselves, to accept Jesus Christ as the center of their life with the hope of being transformed into a new person capable of valuing their own selves, of surviving and growing and developing, of facing the difficulties of life, of helping others and being useful in the society in which they live. Whatever development needs to be practical, concrete and integrated, in other words to respond to their needs: spiritual, cultural, academic, economic, recreational and social.
3. ACTIVITIES AND AREAS- WEEKLY CLUBS AND BIBLE STUDIES HELD IN:
Matagalpa- Neighborhoods of Reparto Sandino, El Progreso, Santa Teresita, La Chispa, Guanuca and PaloAlto, very soon new club in Tambor neighborhood and Unversity UNN
Solingalpa in Matagalpa
San Dionisio North west from Matagalpa.
San Ramon North from Matagalpa
Jinotega- neighborhoods of La Curva, Linda Vista and Carlos Rizo
Esteli- Neighborhoods of Boris Vega, El Calvario, Panama Soberano, and La Union
Managua- Neighborhoods of Bello Amanecer, Batahola Norte, Waspan Norte, Tiscapa, El Pilar and Ciudad Sandino and the University UPOLI and UCA
Leon: In the University UNAN and UCC
Chinandega
Granada
A - DIRECT WORK WITH YOUTH: Weekly Meetings
Club - a youth encounter within the neighborhoods, open to all youth, with games, music, skits, and a short Bible message.
Preparation of the Club - the leaders and most active youth prepare the activities that will be presented in the Club of their neighborhood.
Bible Study - leaders and youth who have interest in growing spiritually meet together in their neighborhood with the objective of applying the Bible teachings to their personal lives.
Leadership - training of leaders and helpers, and to share experiences of the neighborhood clubs.
Coordination - to plan and evaluate the different activities on both a city and national level.
REPS - Intensive Training Group - persons training to be Young Life Area Directors - a two year commitment.
B. OTHER MEETINGS WITH THE YOUTH.
Individual Contacts with youth:
- CONTACT: Visits to new youth or to those who are participating in the program by leaders or volunteers.
- DISCIPLING - One on one meetings of a leader with a youth who wants to grow in his/her life with Christ.
- SPORTS Activities - Practices and games of baseball, soccer, basketball and volleyball. Teams are formed in the neighborhoods and there are tournaments for women or for men.
- OUTINGS and HIKES with different groups of youth that enable more contact and confidence with and within the group.
- CULTURAL ACTIVITIES: Guitar classes are given. Dramas are prepared for different occasions. Talent shows are put on with the participation of the youth.
C. CAMPS - THE FARM/CAMP - VIDA JOVEN CENTER
- In the Vida Joven Center in Santa Lastenias: One, two, or four day camps are held of different types:
- New Kids Campsfor youth who have never participated in a Vida Joven camp. All aspects of the new kids camp is prepared, planned and managed by teams of leaders in the areas of Program, Counseling, and Work Crew.
- In the Vida Joven Camp there is the natural beauty of the lush tropical rainforest, in mountains 5000 feet high that are green year around. A small lake has been built by hand so the program includes swimming and canoeing. There is a gym for volleyball and basketball as well as games, a modern dining hall that seats over 100 people, dormitories for men and women, a baseball stadium, not to mention flush toilets! There are several buildings where meetings of different sizes can be held including an auditorium where power-point presentations can be used.
- Follow- up camp for youth to participate in new kinds camps.
- Growth camp in this to participate oll young that had been new camp and visit the club and bible study in Vida Joven.
- Family parents camp
- Leadership Training. We have a varied program that includes music, games, activities recreation, crafts, dynamic talks, reflections, prayers. Dynamic speakers from both the Catholic and Protestant church are invited to teach on special themes. Sometimes parents of the youth help in the Work Crew in the camps. Training: Each year in January we have a six day training at the Vida Joven Center in Santa Lastenias with teachers from other countries as well as our own leaders.
- Encounters with other groups of different Catholic and Protestant churches
D. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORK
Mission teams/ Work brigades come from other countries to help, but always with the cooperation of the community. We try to integrate the VJ Leaders and youth into these activities in order to help them see the need to work together and to have a spirit of service.
- PRODUCTION TO EARN RESOURCES FOR THE VJ PROGRAM: Sewing, hand embroidery, crafts, and handmade paper products from banana leaves are made and sold.
- DEVELOPMENT OF THE FARM in the Center Vida Joven, Santa Lastenias, Km 152, Carretera Jinotega. VIDA JOVEN COFFEE and Agricultural Production. Coffee is the crop that hopefully
will sustain the camping ministry: high mountain, shade grown, organic - deelicious! Alan Guzman WITH Jeff Greenways is the manager at the farm/ camp.
- VISITING IN THE PRISONS.
- RECREATION CENTERS IN GUANUCA, MATAGALPA; PROGRESO, MANAGUA; BATAHOLA NORTE, LA CURVA, El PILAR , JINOTEGA and ESTELI.
E. STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM:
1. A National director is the principal head of the program
2. A Coordinating Team supervises and guarantees direct work with the youth. Every city where there is Vida Joven has its own group of volunteer leaders who plan the clubs, outreach ministry,
and Bible studies under the direction of a coordinator. These coordinators regularly meet with the National Director to plan the overall program and events of Vida Joven Nicaragua.
3. An Administrator at the farm/camp is responsible for the functioning, construction and production, and supervision of groups renting the Center.
4. Administration to do accounting and contacts with international donors
5. The Committee of Adults is charged with legal matters, finding funding, and assisting as they are able financially, with prayer, in the kitchen for camps, and representing the group.
6. The Leaders invite youth that they contact to participate in a camp of 4 days for the 'New Kids,' normally held in vacation times in July and December. The camps are held in the Vida Joven Center in
the beautiful mountains of North Central Nicaragua. This experience is planned to be the BEST TIME OF THEIR LIVES for these youth; every aspect of the program, counselling and service - including
the food - is planned with EXCELLENCE!
F. COORDINATORS/ LEADERSHIP DIRECTORY:
HELD IN THIS CITY OF:
MATAGALPA
Directores Rosa Maritza Baca y, Rosa Maritza Baca, teléfono (505-2772-6901) email: rosmarin3@yahoo.com
- Progreso : Jose Luis Herrera
- La Chispa: Kelsen Diaz
- Santa Teresita: Dina Cruz (505-8844-2960) email: dadrig@yahoo.es
- Guanuca: Miguel Cubas (505-8694-2976) email: cubasgar@gmail.com
- Reparto Sandino: Martha Tinoco (505-8628-3773)
- Solingalpa: Juan Ramon Blandon (505-8848-1882)
- Club Central: Juan Reyes cell (505-8938-5157)
- San Dionisio: Arnoldo Cardoza cell: (505-8620-7559)email: acardoza_tinoco@hotmail.com (Matagalpa).
- San Ramon: Ludem Gonzales(505-8834-6174), Lenin Loasiga, Karla Rodriguez,
- Club Universitario: Martha Vallez (505-8358-7645) mvallezs@vidajovenicaragua.org
JINOTEGA
Geraldine Morales, Director,
- La Curva: Geraldine Morales and Isaias Salguera
- Carlos Rizo: Karen Herrera
- Linda Vista: Oscar Herrera
- German Pomares: Sergio Castilblanco
MANAGUA
Director , Narciso Davila Mena
ESTELI
Director David Moran Lorente
- Calvario: Karlenis Aviles
- Panama Soberana: Gilda Aviles
- La Unión: Karla Mendoza cell: (505-8833-9386) y Ernesto López
- Boris Vega: Marling Valenzuela
- La Independencia: David Moran Lorente
LEON
CHINANDEGA
GRANADA
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:
- Kevin Suwyn, Provisional National Director, (00506-8821-6476)
- Jim and Sarah Hornsby, Founder (home 505-2772-4504; cell 8612-1974)
- Omar Picado, Rosa Maritza Baca and Hollman Mendoza they are directors national
- Doña Lelia López, National Office, handles the dispersal of money for the different programs, and is the Director for the Craft Program, that involves about 20 persons. Phone (office - 505-2772-7039; home - 505-2772-5314)
- Glaydis Castillo our Professional Accountant
- Mario Davila, Farm Vida Joven
- Harold Amador, Camp Management (505-2272-9099; cell 8831-5735)
- Jeff and Marilyn Greenway, Supervision and Logistics of Mission teams, and Oversight of the Farm/Camp Management. ( cell- 8853-9584)
- Danny and Ann Sharpe, Leadership Team and Fund Raising, Oversight of Budget (home- 505-8265-7214; cell- 8827-8233)
- Luis Amado Villagra Blandon is President of the National Vida Joven Committee. (cell- 505-8848-7986)