Sierra’s Reflection

Overcome adversity

When I was chosen to attend the global fellowship in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), I was nervous and excited at the same time. I have always had an interest in international work, particularly focusing on the development of women through empowerment. I have experienced adversity with being a teen mother and navigating through various challenges to finish my education. As a future social worker, I hoped to gain perspectives from community helpers or workers in SVG to apply to practice when working with youth and women from various parts of the world. 

As I learned throughout the fellowship, many students from SVG who a part of the Taiwo Foundation are more than likely to pursue higher education either out of the country near neighboring islands or in the states through scholarships and mentoring. During their summer breaks they return to SVG from college to help other youth in their community to mentor them in succeeding not only in soccer but with their academics. Sports is the focus area for youth development in SVG. Soccer is the most common there, but there are other sports such as cricket and basketball. The interest of basketball is on the rise in SVG. Many youths are anticipating for a basketball camp. When we met with the police band camp to speak to youth about leadership and academics, one school aged girl asked if there was going to be a female basketball coach to come to SVG and coach basketball. Considering that SVG is a patriarchal society, my heart leaped for joy when I heard that she was considering entering a male dominated sport. 

One of the most empowering part of my trip with the Taiwo’s was the single parent empowerment workshop. The single parent program is a 2-year program from men & women ages 18-33 that provides social skills, continuing education, agricultural integration, job training, and counseling. On the 3rd day of service, Debra and I co-facilitated a workshop that focused on setting goals in an introspective way by using the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). I had the opportunity to share my story as a young single mother and how I was able to get through school and continue my education. After sharing our stories, we discovered that many women and men in the room shared similar interests and goals. Once they started sharing, the women concluded that if they collaborated with one another that can work towards their goals. Hearing about their strengths and how they apply it to get out of their situation really brought light to some of the underlying issues within their community. They were taught at a young age to be silent and now they feel like they have the power to make a change collectively. 

To conclude, it has been a privilege to work alongside with community workers and Debra to help youth and single parents find their strengths to collectively work towards a better future. This experience has equipped me with a different perspective when working with women and youth. As a future social worker, I hope to apply what I have learned on this trip to future practice with women and youth. I am considering focusing on international social work for my graduate studies. I am extremely thankful for Movement of Youth, Taiwo Foundation, and the National Mobilisation of Youth Development for the opportunity to serve the youth and women.

Sierra Nie