Written for the Bajareque Times:
“Como estas?” “Bien!” “COMO ESTAS?” “BIEN!”
The shouts of forty adolescents resounded throughout Alto Boquete May 29th through June 1st as the first annual Panama Verde Regional camp in Chiriquí was underway. The Panama Verde Association, in cooperation with several Peace Corps Volunteers, led the camp, “Leaving Tracks,” held at the Franciscan Center in Alto Boquete. Forty young adults arrived to Boquete from five rural and semi-rural communities in Chiriquí, including Los Pocitos, Alanje, Piedra de Candela, Paja de Sombrero and Bajo Chiriquí. It was the first trip to Boquete for many of the participants. “One of the kids in my group hadn’t left the community [Bajo Chiriquí] for five years until I brought him to this camp,” said the Peace Corps Volunteer from Bajo Chiriquí, a community near the Costa Rican Border. Many young adults in Panama cannot afford to travel even short distances to experience other parts of their country. The camp, sponsored by the Panama Verde Association, The Rotary Club of Boquete, Café Eleta and Café Almir, gave the young adults a chance to visit a beautiful part of the country, meet other youth from around the province, and participate in educational lectures and community service projects.
The Panama Verde Association is run by a dynamic, youthful set of staff and volunteers who focus on youth leadership, social stewardship and environmental conservation. The Association began twelve years ago, when a Peace Corps Volunteers started a youth group in a rural community in Panama. Since then, the Association has expanded to over 30 youth groups spread throughout the country. It is currently the only organization in Panama to focus exclusively on helping young adults develop crucial skills such as leadership and political activism that will allow them to become the future leaders of Panama, and have the environmental conscience to help protect Panama’s fragile environment.
Besides having fun, the primary objectives of the camp, “Leaving Tracks”, were to strengthen the network of Panama Verde groups in the province, to participate in community service activities in Boquete and to develop projects to carry out in the respective communities of each group. These objectives were met with the help of local interest groups, including ReaL Boquete, who gave a presentation about the importance of recycling, and ANAM, who educated the participants about reforestation. The youth performed community service work in the ANAM tree nursery, clearing the area for future planting. Other activities included a debate about the environmental impacts of hydroelectric projects, the development of community projects and group problem solving games. The first annual Panama Verde Regional camp was a success, and we now have a strong network within the Chiriquí province to guarantee more events in the future!
