Be Part of the Family. Volunteer!

Make your New Year's Resolution NOW to volunteer in Peru with Light and Leadership in 2012.

Who do we need?

• English and art teachers for March, April, and May
• French teacher for March
• Chess, phys. ed, and math teachers are always welcome :)

Check out more information NOW on www.lightandleadership.org and fill out an application!

Christmas in Huaycan = Success!!

Way to Go LLI Volunteers and Supporters!!

Together, they have well surpassed their goal of $1,000 for the Christmas in Huaycan fund. In November, LLI volunteers got together and decided to take their own initiative: they wanted to give a Christmas to remember to the kids and families of LLI. The result was an out pour of support from their family and friends, donating a few bucks to several hundred dollars to support this cause.

After a chocolatada (Peruvian Christmas party for kids... paneton and hot chocolate is served!), all of LLI's students received a gift, with most getting new shoes, t-shirts, chess boards, musical instruments and MORE. Families received gift baskets filled with nutritious goodies for holiday meals. On behalf of LLI's kids and families, thank you LLI volunteers and supporters! Please enjoy the photos!






Thanks again to LLI's August - December Volunteer team. To all who have participated, whether it be for a few weeks to several months, your work and dedication is appreciated and has made an impact in Huaycan. THANK YOU.

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. So who was this LLI team who raised this money??? Vinnette Harrington, Whitney Reynolds, Meghan Resler, Heidi Valimaki, Valentin Salgado, Jake Holder, and Mariel Feigen. Once again, way to go :)

...And We're Off! LLI's Auction Begins!

Light and Leadership's Annual Auction has begun! This year, we're featuring both Art and Services. We know you'll find something in there for you, and maybe bid on a gift or two. With items with starting bids from $10.00 and up, there's something for everyone to bid on!!

Join the fun and start bidding! The auction ends December 3rd at 7:30 PM (central time), so hop to it!

Creative Kids.

Light and Leadership hosted an art exposition and contest this past Saturday, featuring 44 pieces of art from our talented students ages 6-13. Students were invited, along with their families, to come out and vote for their favorite pieces. We welcomed some parents, friends of our participants (who are eager to sign up next year) and several of our art students. Snacks and refreshments were served... this was the real deal.

Congrats to our winners:

6-9 years old
1st Place: Enzo
2nd Place: Nahomi
3rd Place: Alvaro

10-13 years old
1st Place: Alessa
2nd Place: Yajaira
3rd Place: Sofia


Special thanks to Meghan Resler, resident art teacher at LLI for putting this Expo together! Thanks as well to all the LLI volunteers for coming out to help and vote. Awesome.

LLI's Auction Featuring Charcoal Drawing Classes!

Starting November 23, LLI will begin its annual auction and this year we are featuring artwork AND services, like a Charcoal Drawing Class for Four!!

See the details below:

Up to 4 individuals, casual attire...

January 7th from 1-3pm

33 Contemporary Gallery

Zhou B. Art Center
1029 W. 35th St., 1st Floor
Chicago, IL

About the workshop facilitator:

Sergio Gomez attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Governors State University and received a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Northern Illinois University. The art of Sergio Gomez has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions in venues in the US and abroad. Sergio Gomez is owner and director of 33 Contemporary Gallery and director of VisualArtToday.com; a curated online exhibition space for international contemporary art. In addition, Sergio is an accomplished graphic designer, art & design professor at South Suburban College, and independent curator at the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago.


Get ready to bid! More details will be posted on how to bid in the next few weeks. Be sure to pass this blog onto friends who would be interested!!

Questions? Contact Lara DeVries at Lara@lightandleadership.org

Puppet Crazy!!! (Part II)

Late last month, English students in Zone Z, with the help of their ever-creative volunteer teachers, put together a puppet show and performed for other LLI students and families! Featuring a pirate theme, students used their puppets (created in a previous LLI art workshop) to tell a story using Spanish and English.

As a treat, these same students will be going on a field trip this Saturday to check out a puppet show in Lima. Awesome!


Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to Whitney Reynolds, Meghan Resler and Vinnette Harrington for the hard work on the puppet show :). Thanks to Valentin Salgado for the photos.

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.

Have Experience in Education? Volunteer!

Do you have experience in the education field and are looking to apply your skills in an area that really needs it? Want to gain experience abroad and impact a non-profit and it's community? This internship allows you to do just that!

Light and Leadership, a small grassroots non-profit working in a shantytown outside of Lima, Peru, is looking for a manager for our English language education program. This is a great opportunity to develop the direction of our program and add something impressive to your resume. The intern will be responsible for the following activities:

• Developing and/or refining LLI's English language curriculum for ages 6 years old - adult.
• Hold weekly meetings with our volunteer English teachers.
• Observe volunteer teachers and assist teachers with lesson planning and classroom activities
• Teach English classes weekly
• Develop an evaluation system for students

Light and Leadership is looking for a candidate who fits the following profile:

• Available for a year commitment, starting July 1st, 2012
• Must have prior experience teaching and/or education field
• Has experience in diverse classroom settings (ESL classrooms a PLUS)
• Is organized, independent, and reliable
• Has excellent English writing and speaking skills (must be a native speaker)
• Feels comfortable leading meetings and giving feedback
• Has a passion for education and helping others

Spanish skills are not required.

In exchange for a year contract, the English Program Manager will receive free room and board. Transportation costs are the responsibility of the intern.

Does this sound right for you? Please send your resume and cover letter to Lara DeVries, Executive Director of Light and Leadership: Lara@lightandleadership.org

Puppet Crazy!!!

LLI goes crazy. For puppets :)

On Tuesday, LLI's resident Art guru, Meghan Resler, teamed with returning volunteer Whitney Reynolds (Happy Birthday today!) to offer an art workshop in Zone Z. The outcome: absolute success.

Kids went crazy for the puppets and showed true creativity and enthusiasm for the project. This workshop was only stage one-- Meghan and Whitney will meet with the kids in two weeks to put together a puppet show. We're sure their parents will be delighted by their kids' creativity as they watch the show...! Stay tuned for videos and pictures of that performance.

Want to be part of the art fun? We are looking for Art Volunteers (short or long term) beginning in March 2012. Sign up to volunteer online at www.lightandleadership.org!

Be sure to check out more photos below of the awesome art workshop! (Thalia pictured above)

Willie shows us puppets are cool :)

Kennedy and his new friend

Our older students got involved too. Here's David with his puppet "Cincuenta Cent"--50 cent. We always like a good laugh :)

Joel, we loved this one!

Published on behalf of Light and Leadership by Lara DeVries. Special thanks to Meghan Resler for the photos and being the art ringleader. Thanks to Whitney and Mariel too :)

This is what we need: YOU.

Light and Leadership is in NEED of volunteers for next year! We are seeking out volunteers to teach our education programs just outside of Lima, Peru. Opportunities can be found specifically in our English and French programs (but other opps can be found in Chess, Math, and Art) starting January 2012!! Long term stays (at least two months) are preferred, no Spanish is required. Internships are available too!

Super exciting, right?! Apply NOW.

Speak Spanish? Have a passion for working with women? AND you're available for 4 months starting January 2012? WOW, be our Women's Empowerment Program Manager! Email Lara DeVries at Lara@lightandleadership.org with your resume and cover letter.

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to Jessie Pincus for the photo. We miss you!

LLI Works With Teachers!

Last Friday, Light and Leadership started teaching the teachers English at a local public school in Huaycan, called Huaycan Mixto. Classes are held twice a week with the twelve signed up teachers, and we expect more to come as word spreads.

Light and Leadership is excited to take this new direction in improving the education level of local primary school teachers.

Now That Was a Good Month.

August was a fantastic month for LLI.

On August 12th, we celebrated with our Chicago and global community about the work being achieved in Huaycan. Thank you to all who came out and the support of the Glessner House and Taste of Peru restaurant. Be sure to check out photos from the night on our Light and Leadership Facebook page!

A special thanks also to our Alpaca Club Members and those who donated raffle tickets. Check the list below and please support those who have supported us!

Lia Sophia Jewelry

Gift certificate to Binnys Beverage Depot
Wine Tasting from Wines for Humanity
Francescas
GAP gift card

Sunrise Nursery Basket and Card

Entertainment Cruises Chicago - Two architectural tour cruises (VIP Passes)

Everything Alpaca - Alpaca Throw

2KingsCoffee - Coffee Gift Basket
Chicago FIRE tickets
Passes to the Shedd Aquarium
Gift certificate from Houlihan's
Gift certificate from Ottimo in Orland Park
Gift certificate from Between Cafe and Pisco Bar

Gift certificate from Nail Boutique at 2142 W Division

Gift certificate from Crust (an organic pizza place)
Gift Certificate to Rock Bottom
Light and Leadership pendant

Later in the month, Chicago Public Radio WBEZ hosted Light and Leadership on their Worldview program. Missed it on the air? Listen to it here! Thanks to WBEZ for selecting LLI!

Glessner House-- THIS WEEK!

Don't forget to RSVP for Light and Leadership's event being held at the Glessner House Museum this Friday, August 12th from 7-10pm. Come and eat great food provided by Taste of Peru and enjoy live Peruvian music. Let us know if you will be there by contacting Louella@lightandleadership.org.

What's more... you can WIN stuff :)

Check out the awesome list of raffle prizes:

Lia Sophia Jewelry

Gift certificate to Binnys Beverage Depot
Wine Tasting from Wines for Humanity
Francescas
GAP gift card

Sunrise Nursery Basket and Card

Entertainment Cruises Chicago - Two architectural tour cruises (VIP Passes)

Everything Alpaca - Alpaca Throw

2KingsCoffee - Coffee Gift Basket
Chicago FIRE tickets
Passes to the Shedd Aquarium
Gift certificate from Houlihan's
Gift certificate from Ottimo in Orland Park
Gift certificate from Between Cafe and Pisco Bar

Gift certificate from Nail Boutique at 2142 W Division

Gift certificate from Crust (an organic pizza place)
Gift Certificate to Rock Bottom
Light and Leadership pendant

Top Performer Field Trips!!!

At the end of last month, Light and Leadership celebrated the end of our semester by applauding the hard work and dedication of a select group of students. In all, 33 students, who had perfect or near perfect attendance and high participation in classes, were invited on a special field trip! We took two groups: our kids ages 6-13 years checked out Divercity, a fun and interactive way to learn (where kids get to be grown-ups, group pictured to the right) and our students ages 14+ checked out Chengdu, a Chinese acrobatic show. Way to go everyone!

This would not have been possible without our volunteer team and our donors. THANK YOU for allowing us to celebrate with LLI's Top Performers!

After enjoying the show and dinner. Keep up the good work :)

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to Sarah Renkert for the photo. We miss you :(

Snapshot: Art in Zone S

Check out the snapshots from Zone S, an area of extreme poverty in Huaycan... :)




Want to read directly what Gladys, our volunteer art teacher, has to say about our program? Check out her amazing blog here: http://artedperu.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all your hard work, Gladys!

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of the Light and Leadership Initiative. Special thanks to Gladys for the photos and the great work!

We've Been Inked!

No joke, volunteers like LLI.

For her second time around as a volunteer, Ellie Hargadon-Lowe decided to make it official... and permanent: She loves LLI.


A few weeks ago, Ellie tattooed Light and Leadership's logo on her ankle. It came out quite well. Light and Leadership promises, especially to Ellie's mother, that this is not a requirement to be a volunteer :) but it is pretty great to see someone so passionate about our organization and cause.

Going to be at the Glessner House Event this August?! So will this tattoo. Ask Ellie to see it!

...to the National Museum!

This past Saturday, LLI's women's group took a field trip to the national museum to see the Yuyanapaq exhibit, a photographic display of the destruction brought to many Peruvians in cities and small towns by the terrorist group, the Shining Path, in the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibit serves as a way to remember those who suffered or were killed during this tragic time.

I myself have been to this exhibit many times since moving to Lima a few years ago, but I had never experienced it like last Saturday. A majority of these women had lived through this experience as young girls or teenagers and it was so moving, and heart-wrenching, to listen to their stories and commentaries as they viewed the photos of the history they lived through.

Although the exhibit was intense, the mood lightened a bit once we went out for some appetizers and Irene, who's in her 70's, began dancing to the music and laughing with me. This is why I love working with these women: they have difficult pasts, and possibly difficult futures... but they are always positive, resilient and eager to learn more. We have slowly built up this women's group over the past year and it shows no signs of slowing down!

Volunteers Ellie and Jessie pose with three of the women.

Part of the group waiting outside the museum.

Special thanks to Franzi Weil, former LLI volunteer, who graciously sponsored this field trip! Interested in sponsoring a field trip? Contact Lara@lightandleadership.org for more info!

--Lara DeVries, LLI Executive Director

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to Jessie Pincus for the photos and to Sarah Renkert and Eleanor Hargadon-Lowe for coordination of the field trip. We'll miss you :(

Woodburning: Check.

This past Tuesday, volunteer Art teacher Gladys Pasapera held a Woodburning workshop with our women's group. Fourteen women picked up a new artisan skill and a few of them discovered they are quite good at it... which got us thinking about a new chapter in our Artisan Project. Stay tuned for more details.

This workshop was something new for our women's group. Light and Leadership is now incorporating different types of educational workshops into our monthly or bimonthly meetings, including art. It was an absolute success! Art is a great way for women to come together, learn something new, and form stronger bonds with each other and with our volunteers. We'll be doing a Woodburning, Part II workshop sometime in late August, so look out for more details then.

Check out a few photos below from the workshop:

Volunteer Ellie Hargadon Lowe, who also coordinated the workshop, with Irene and her woodburning design.

Lara DeVries and Gladys Pasapera with long time participant Marina and her son.

Published on behalf of Light and Leadership by Lara DeVries. Special thanks to Sarah Renkert and Ellie Hargadon Lowe for workshop coordination and the photos, plus thanks to Gladys Pasapera for her time and talent! Great job ladies :)

Light and Leadership Celebrates Two Years!

Two years of education programs. Two years of working hard.

Two years of IMPACT on hundreds of families in Huaycan.
Thank you.

On June 12th, LLI celebrated it's two year anniversary with lots of amazing activities. We welcomed over 110 kids and their parents. Kids enjoyed an hour and a half of face paints, balloon animals, I ♥ LLI bracelet making, hula hoops and jump ropes, and MORE. We continued the celebration with our English Vocabulary Bee (Congrats to our SEVEN winners, pictured above!) and a group of students put on a presentation about LLI and how past and current volunteers have gotten involved with LLI. Stay tuned for the video! LLI also handed out special awards to outsanding students in their areas of Physical Education, Chess, Art, English, French, and Participation. Two women also received awards for our Computer Skills class.

It was an amazing day.

Stephanie (also a Vocab Bee Winner!) hula-hoops.

Volunteer Chris Tomlinson hides the rock under one cup and shuffles. It was tough to fool the kids...

Enzo shows off his I ♥ LLI bracelet he made.

Volunteers came out from Lima to help. Gonzalo paints a butterfly for Angelica.

David does "Bozo Buckets"

Packed house for the Vocab Bee!!

Volunteer Lauren Kenyon sits with students during the Bee and awards.

Bryan shows off his winnings for Best Artist in Los Alamos, Zone Z! Way to go.


And at the end of the day, over 20 volunteers from all over the world gathered around to celebrate the amazing day with some "Chifa" (really great Peruvian-Chinese food). Thanks to our in-house volunteers (Ellie Hargadon-Lowe for event coordination), our dedicated staff, local Huaycan volunteers (that's you Katty!), and commuting Lima volunteers.
We did it!

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of the Light and Leadership Initiative. Want to be there next year? Email Lara at Lara@lightandleadership.org. It's a day not to be missed. Special thanks to Mimosa Lindstrom, Jessie Pincus, Natalie Kinsey, and Carlos Motin for generously lending LLI their Anniversary photos!