Karina from Lifeline on The House of Young Ambassadors

My personal story with the House of Young Ambassadors and Project Hope: as seen through the eyes of Karina Swart (Lifeline): Since the end of 2008, I and the LifeLine team worked closely with the community members within Munsieville. Munsieville is like a second home to us all. It was very refreshing to work with the House of Young Ambassadors, since the children are open to change and give one a new perspective on life.

One of the highlights whilst engaging with this group was to see the personal growth that each individual experienced. In the first session, the youngsters were reserved and shy, but as they gained trust in us and the process they participated with ease. It was fun for us and the youngsters to work on the slogan, and I believe this action created a sense of unity amongst the group. I loved to see the creativity of the young people using clay to create a symbol that describes themselves and their qualities as a leader. It was wonderful to see their facial expression whilst sharing their qualities and the pride they felt as being part of representing Munsieville Youth. If I had to think of a funny moment, and to an extent also a bit of sadness; it was the fact that some of them were sent to the Embassy to “go and compile your homework” while others were passing by, and “wondered what was happening at this centre”. Overall I enjoyed working with the young people, and experiencing their “home” and community through their eyes.