What Do Incan Ruins and Chess Have in Common?

...LLI kids from Zone Z and Zone S, of course :)

Yesterday, certain Light and Leadership kids enjoyed an action packed day: a guided tour of the Huaycan Ruins in the morning and then a chess tournament in the afternoon (with Zone D kids!). Now that sounds like a pretty sweet Saturday...

We saw 18 kids compete in our chess tournament and play 5 rounds of chess against their competitors. In the end, FOUR kids tied for first place. Way to go Alessa, Aracelly, Jefferson, and Julio David (representing three zones where LLI works)! Certificates of Participation were awarded to all students and top first place winners were awarded special prizes.

Check out photos below of the field trip and the chess tournament!

Fourteen kids joined LLI's volunteers for a guided tour of the ruins.

Kids listen as the guide explains...

Valery from Zone Z, Los Alamos.

Melanie (with her little brother Brayan looking on) takes on her opponent.

Alessa, one of the first place winners, is very focused!

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to LLI volunteers Valentin Salgado, Meghan Resler, Mariel Feigen and Charlie Maguire for being super helpful volunteers during the field trip and tournament. Thanks for taking the photos too, Valentin!

¡Viva la Biblioteca!

Light and Leadership is happy to announce a Summer Reading Program to begin in January 2012!

Here are the details:

The program will run for two months (January 9th - February 25th) and will be open to LLI participants ages 6-13 in ALL areas of Huaycan. Kids are invited to join us in our LLI library up to three times a week for a few hours per session. Participants will earn points for the amount of time they spend reading (double points for English) and extra points for writing up book reports. ¡Viva la biblioteca! :)

Ready to help us out?! Good, we were hoping so. In order to provide an awesome library for kids to get EXCITED about reading, we need some pretty awesome books. This is what we are in need of most:

• English books appropriate for age levels of 11-13 year olds (easy chapter books)
  
• Spanish books appropriate for age levels 6-13 year olds

Need some ideas? Be sure to check out Barnesandnoble.com-- they seem to have an expansive collection of Spanish (and of course English) books for kids. Have it shipped right to Tinley Park, IL (USA)! Email Lara@lightandleadership.org for the exact address.

Like books, but want to do more?! The PRIZE for our top readers is a school supply SHOPPING SPREE!!! We need your help-- sponsor a child's shopping spree! Contact Lara@lightandleadership.org for more info.

After all this-- why are we doing a reading program? 1) We want to keep kids engaged in our programs even in the summer 2) Kids have little access to a wide range of books 3) Schools often don't have the resources to offer a consistent selection of books as part of the curriculum (very few libraries are found in schools). So... this is a great direction for LLI. Get involved!!!

Get Ready! Alpaca Party 2011!!

Mark your calendars:

Light and Leadership will hold its annual Alpaca Party fundraiser on Saturday, December 3rd, 2011.

This year, LLI will be auctioning off both artwork AND services (like private yoga classes!!!). More details coming soon.

Get ready to party for Light and Leadership!

One Active Way to Support LLI: Private Yoga Classes

It's getting to be that time again-- Light and Leadership is gearing up for our annual auction. Only this year, LLI's auction will feature beautiful artwork AND amazing services. Both will be up for bid in late November. The auction will close on LLI's annual Alpaca Party on December 3rd.

So, stay tuned for previews of services that will be offered, like Private Yoga Classes!

Calling All Students! Be Our LLI Ambassador!

Light and Leadership happily announces a new program for college and graduate students to get involved with LLI, and then earn a free stay in Huaycan, volunteering with LLI's programs*!

Introducing... LLI's College Ambassador Program.

Here's the details:

LLI’s Campus Ambassador Position offers a great opportunity for those seeking a future career in education, social work, international development and/or not-for-profit organizations. Those who have a strong desire to serve marginalized communities, work with women and children, and become more involved with the global community should apply.

What does this position entail?

◦ Committing one academic-year to LLI’s initiatives as a Campus Ambassador

◦ Organizing an annual fundraiser on campus with a small target goal of about $300

◦ Networking with the campus’s Internship Coordinator and the Office of International Programs to promote volunteer opportunities available through LLI

◦ Promoting the sale of the Huaycan women’s artisan crafts through local bookstores and/or other campus outlets

◦ Participating in meetings once a semester with other LLI Campus Ambassadors to give feedback, share ideas and possibly coordinate events with other campuses. These meetings will be held in a central location within Chicago. If you are not from Chicago, please do still apply! You will hold personal phone meetings with a Board Member to guide you during your ambassador position.

The Best Part: Incentives!

In addition to recognizing your work on LLI’s website and/or blog, we would like to offer LLI Campus Ambassadors, who meet their target goals, a one week FREE stay at LLI’s volunteer site in Huaycan, Peru. Please contact us for details.

We believe that volunteers, who show great interest in LLI’s mission and work, should have the opportunity to know our project first-hand!

How to apply?

Please contact Light and Leadership by sending your resume and statement of interest to Lara DeVries (lara@lightandleadership.org) or Stephanie Willard-Worrell (Stephanie@lightandleadership.org). Both Lara and Stephanie serve on the LLI Board of Directors.