The Fifth Graduation Ceremony for Young Leaders for Progress and Peace Took Place

The Fifth Graduation Ceremony for Young Leaders for Progress and Peace Took Place
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 2/7/2012

From 2005 to date, the Project for the Formation of Young Leaders for Progress and Peace has benefitted some 75,514 young people from across the Dominican Republic, as well as from abroad.

“The leadership, courage, and strength of young people are the driving force that will help us achieve the dream we all have for a better country.”   

The Office of the First Lady hosteda graduation ceremony today for a group of 2,700 young people during the V Graduation of the Project for the Formation of Young Leaders for Progress and Peace (JLPP for its acronym in Spanish). They have received training to become the managers of their own development by nurturing their own abilities and providing them with the tools they need to address conflict in a creative and peaceful manner.

In her speech, the First Lady pointed out that the Project for the Formation of Young Leaders for Progress and Peace has allowed the discovery of the possibilities that thousands of young people have when it comes to being authentic leaders who preach by setting an example, and who will live to serve because they are convinced that true personal fulfillment arises from helping others.

She added that nowadays, just like in the past, young people continue to be the engine of change and the leading actors of development. “The leadership, courage, and strength of young people are the driving force that will help us achieve the dream we all have for a better country.”  

She also added that her office “has been working with youth for almost eight years. During that time we have seen how the social commitment, the dedication to service, the empathy for the needy, and the rescue of values have branded and transformed the lives of young people, and have had an impact on their households and on their environments.”

The First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, during a symbolic ceremony, handed out certificates to the 10 young people who successfully completed the training courses on Leadership and a Culture of Peace, Peaceful Conflict Management, Self Esteem and Family, Sexual Health, The Environment and Legal Framework, and Making Progress.

The most outstanding young people in the group received either a laptop ora scholarshipforattending additional short courses at the InstitutoTecnológico Las Américas (ITLA) and at the Instituto de FormaciónTécnicoProfesional (INFOTEP).

The young graduates come fromtheprovinces of Santo Domingo, Azua, San José de Ocoa, San Juan de la Maguana, Barahona, Santiago Rodríguez, Monte Cristi, Santiago, Elías Piña, Samaná, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, Duvergé, La Victoria, Nigua, Boca Chica, Moca, and Guerra.

A summary was presentedduring the event showcasing the main achievements obtained during the seven (7) years managing initiatives such as Leadership for ProgressProfessorship, which trained 24,016 young people between 2008 and 2011, and Young Leaders for Foreign Progress and Peace, which between 2009 and 2011 trained 878 young people from Puerto Rico, Miami, New Jersey, Massachusetts (Boston and Lawrence), Madrid, and Montreal.

Also showcased were the achievements of the Yo y 10(I and 10) project, which has trained 7,525 young people and which, through a peer strategy, reacheda total of 75,250 between 2008 and 2011. Meanwhile the VolveraEmpezar(Starting Over) project trained 3,601 young people from all prisons throughout the country and got involved in two HogarCreasites between 2009 and 2011. The outcomes of the Community Film project, the Barrio Sano-ProgresoSeguro project, and the National Network of Young Leaders initiative were also showcased.

The artistic component of the activity fell under the responsibility of a young leader from Montreal, Dayana Santos Hernández, and of Wason Brazoban.

The following public figures attended the event: Franklin Rodríguez, Minister of Youth; Julio César Valentín, Senator from Santiago; Domingo Tavárez from the Presidential Office of Information and Communication Technologies (OficinaPresidencial de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación – OPTIC); and Monsignor Benito Ángeles, among others.

How is a Young Leader Trained?

As soon as they successfully complete the project’s training schedule, each young leader joins the Young Leaders for Progress and Peace Network. The network’s goal is to bring these leaders together so that activities carried out under the auspices of the project for the benefit of their families, their communities, and the country, can be monitored. They also lend their support to the national “Bien por Ti” campaign.

The Project for the Formation of Young Leaders for Progress and Peace has benefitted some 75,514 young people from all over the country and from abroad and is part of a strategy of the Office of the First Lady, which seeks to foster social commitment among citizens between the ages of 16 and 27,with a view to involving themin a process of transformation.

The project aims to train and empower young people to be the managers of their own development, by cultivating their skills and giving them the tools they need to address conflict in a creative and peaceful manner. It also offers a space for personal enrichment and improvement through the promotion of the democratic values, progress and peace, respect for human rights and tolerance, so that young leaders will act as agents of social cohesivenesswithin the community.