Who We Help

ABDUL HAFIZ
GLOBAL TEENS ALUMNUS – PRAGUE 2008, PERU 2007
2009 STRONG KIDS CAMPAIGN TESTIMONIAL
JANUARY 29, 2009

Good Evening. My name is Abdul Hafiz. I have been a global teen member for the past two years. I am also a member of the International YMCA Leader’s Club, as well as Youth and Government and Teens Take the City.

First off I would like to thank all of you for coming and also those of you who supported us in the past. I know our economy is not doing so well, but I still ask you to reach deep into your pockets and businesses to support this noble program. I would also like to thank all the International staff for making the program what it is. So thank you Chad, Lori, Shane, and Kelvin for all your hard work. I apologize if I missed anyone.

During the summer of 2007, I went to Peru. We were a very diverse group and even included teens from Arizona.   It was a great experience for all of us. We went high into the mountains to perform community service. We planted trees on an open mountain side. I must admit I was scared. While in Peru our group became a family. We helped each other through sickness, tiredness, and aggravations. You know with every family they have their share of problems, and we did have ours.

The home stay was fabulous, interacting with a native family in hand signals because we lacked a common language and seeing what a normal day of a Peruvian was like.  And after the first couple days we already knew what dinner was – Arroz con pollo with Inca Kola.

The most memorable part of the trip was looking at the faces of the children and parents in the village of Aspitia where we built a sidewalk for a clinic. They looked joyous and appreciative. At that moment I knew we performed a great service.

In the summer of 2008, I went to Prague with International’s leaders club. I had never been to Europe, and yes everything was expensive. Can you believe a 20 oz. bottle of water cost me $3.50? Just for water! In Prague we were one delegation of many from YMCA’s around the world. I have never seen so many different people gathered together for a common purpose. It was such a good experience, and the food was good too. We met groups from around the world including those from Australia, Canada, Germany, San Francisco, and London.

Both trips had their share of historic sites that will remain imprinted in my mind. Like the hot springs of Peru or the Wine Vineyard in Prague.

Global Teens serves many teens like me who otherwise would not have the opportunity to travel abroad. We witness the first hand effects of the appreciation of the community service we perform, often in a language we don’t understand. This is a feeling only a Global Teen can have; most cannot begin to imagine the warmth in our hearts when we put our heads down on our pillows after doing something great that helped many in a foreign country.

FDR once said “We may not always be able to build the future for our youth but we can build our youth for the future. I would like to thank all the board members and donors that helped build the future for all the youth you see in this room today and those to come.