Primer Simposio de Jovenes Abandonados

Photo: Our assembled group of esteemed youth providers.

 

You never really know how an event is going to be received.

In some instances it is a bit flat, but still a success. In other instances the event falls flat on its face. Never quite living up to expectations and missing the mark of the attendees interest. Our first Street Youth Symposium in Arequipa was a huge success.

We had over forty participants from a number of different NGOs, government programs and faith-based initiatives from around the city of Arequipa. The conversations and discourses were rich. From a frank discussion about "what is working in serving abandon youth" to a "back patting" reflection on areas of triumph. It was a day filled with collaborative discourse and constructive discussions.

Our objectives for the day long symposium were a bit ambitious. We wanted to -

(1)  To advance the knowledge of providers and organizations working with homeless and abandon youth on promising practices from North American and the European Union in serving the unique and challenging needs of marginalized youth; and

(2)  Convene health and social service sector NGO’s toward the development of greater collaboration and partnerships around serving the needs of youth experiencing homelessness and abandon to the streets. 

In the end - we aptly exceeded both of these objectives. In the end - everyone left the symposium with a smile on their face and a keen interest in reconvening our group again later in the year.

One thing we did find in talking with the symposium attendees was the overwhelming interest providers expressed in learning more about the "best and promising practices" of homelessness service providers in the U.S.

During the symposium, we touched only briefly on what the research and clinical anecdote are teaching homelessness service providers in the U.S., U.K. and European Union. They all wanted to hear much more. They, almost everyone of the 40+ attendees at the symposium, expressed a desire for HBI to come back to Arequipa and help them to learn more about Motivational Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care (two areas of study the company I work for in the U.S. is highly skilled in).

Our next step is to review the post-symposium evaluations. We are entertaining the ideas of a city wide coalition and a series of informative "symposium" - but we want to make certain that our ideas are in alignment with the needs and desires of the Peruvian providers and organizations who attended the symposium. Our steps will be strongly shaped on their requests. Stay tuned for more -