Following an impactful and intensive program designed to help youth develop holistically across 5 areas of well-being, LEAD BY DESIGN in collaboration with CEDE Aruba has successfully concluded the Neighborhood Plan LEAD BY DESIGN, focusing on the neighborhoods of Piedra Plat, Santa Cruz, and Noord.
The LEAD BY DESIGN program takes a holistic approach that is focused on helping teens discover their identity, and consequently bringing them closer to making more concrete decisions regarding their future careers.
“For many years, I have worked with teens, both through school and as a teacher at various MAVO schools, as well as through annual youth programs/camps that I have been organizing since 2013. It is evident that many times young people remain stuck in certain areas of life, where among others they do not know which direction to choose for their studies, what their talents are, how to make life decisions, norms and values, and what the impact of healthy living has especially on their mental focus. Since I started developing the program and went through it with them, I have become a teen – I feel everything that they go through, and I can say that these 14 weeks were a success. Today we are talking about teens, but we must remember that they too will age and continue their education, they will return and they will start their families, so you are laying a foundation for them, which they will continue to build during their life’s journey, “explained Sharleen Tromp, who is a Certified Gallup Strengths Trainer, Finance, Personality, and Talent Development, as well as a professional teacher.
A program that was attended by 45 teens from different neighborhoods and schools who also learned to recognize each other during the LEAD BY DESIGN program.
“When I came I didn’t know anyone, but Miss Sharleen introduced me, I felt welcome. The team treated us very well, and I learned many things I didn’t know before. I really liked the “Personalities” module, as well as the “My Strengths” one,” said Jaythan Tromp, a participant in the LEAD BY DESIGN Program. Jaythan explained that he wants to become an “Ethical Hacker” professional, and he is confident that this is what he will do. “The LEAD BY DESIGN Program helped me a lot in this, making my desire to go in this direction concrete, because both my “personality” and my “strengths” are in line with this,” Jaythan continued to explain.
“Currently, I’m in my “gap year” before I continue to the Netherlands, and when I saw the flyer, I found it very interesting because it mentioned a lot of topics to help me understand and know myself better before I go abroad,” participant Isabela Quilotte shared. “The LEAD BY DESIGN Program really opened my eyes when it came to my personality. My mom and I are two very different people and after I went through the material and saw it on paper, I was able to understand our differences, making things much easier.”
“The program was a lot of fun and I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know about myself. I learned to know myself better because I wasn’t very sure who I was,” participant from the Santa Cruz neighborhood, Ángel Morales, explained. “I found that I have to work on my focus, because part of my personality is that I am very distracted, and it’s true! I also enjoyed the part of the “Love Language,” because there are times that I like people, but there are times that I don’t. I like it with people close to me, and spending quality time.”
“When I started, I didn’t expect much from it, but in the end, I can say that all the courses were very impactful,” said participant Isaienne Martis. “I really liked the “Career Choice” module, because it made me feel more confident in my decision to want to become a doctor. I also liked the “Digital Vision Board” module, because there we learned to work in a creative way and put our thoughts on a digital board. They collected everything, such as my personality and things I like, in a single document,” Martis said.
“Our next program will continue in the neighborhoods of Dakota and Lago Heights. I am very excited about this, as well as in what way I can continue with the existing groups, many of whom have asked if they can join the Dakota and Lago Heights programs,” program developer Sharleen Tromp concluded.
Programs in Dakota and Lago Heights will be for young people between the ages of 16 and 18. Participation is free, thanks to CEDE Aruba and the Neighborhood Center, which sponsors to support the involved costs. To learn more about the LEAD BY DESIGN program, please contact the foundation at +297 733 0377.
