Hundreds of kids are expecting the Christmas party of their lives, but just days before the big event, lack of people and supplies causes everything to go upside down. Collecting the money wasn’t a simple task, and errors in planning infringed upon the best use of the fund that were available. 

After achieving the 80 Mandatory Social Service hours for graduation, Foundations and Nonprofit Organizations hit an actually expected decrease of TCS high school volunteers. The task of keeping some people enrolled after completing the hours is a difficult task, as high school students have a busy schedule and may not prioritize volunteer work once the graduation requirements have been met.

Such nonprofit organizations as Soñar Despierto,  are entities “formed by a group of people in order ‘to pursue a common not-for-profit goal.” Their task is to work for a purpose without having any interest on monetary or other types of benefits. “Soñar Despierto is an apostolic organization; we are part of a Catholic religious movement, in which we seek to promote the leadership of young people through social labor,” Catalina Alvarez, General Director of Soñar Despierto said.

By offering children with limited resources or in crucial situations a personalized guidance and support to whatever needs they may have, Soñar Despierto encourages the kids to work on their personal growth and values, through fun activities and lots of smiles.

The value of volunteering:

Groups of young volunteers work on the different areas of the organization where through different social labors, seek a common goal; bringing joy to a damnified group of people, especially children.

Students and young adults from different provenances come together several days a week to work on their cases by planning activities, events, and solving issues they can be dealing with. In order to be a volunteer, the average age range to enter Soñar Despierto goes from 15 [the minimum age] to nearly 23 years.

“Between the groups are: Contagia Alegría, Vico Valores, Vagones de Sonrisa, Cuéntame tus Sueños, Amigos Para Siempre and Eventos,” Junior student Alejandra Rueda said. “I’m personally in Vico Valores, where we go to different barrios to teach values to children with limited resources.”

Several students at The Columbus School have been volunteers for months and even years.

“At first I did not really like children, but when I came in I realized that Soñar Despierto changes your life in too many ways; it fills your heart,” added Rueda.

Volunteers make up basically the most important job of a Foundation or Nonprofit Organization, by actually being in contact with what their social help is.

Maryluz Mesa, head of the TCS Foundation shared based on her experience. “We have the greatest gift who not everyone has, which is permanent volunteering,” showing the value of these people on such organizations.

When a volunteer gets enrolled, it must be with the most sincere and full commitment. The labor they’re doing can be despised by some people, but for the community being benefitted, it means the world and more. They represent a form of authority for the tiny humans, who look up to them with respect and admiration.

“Most of the kids we work with, live in harsh environments where abuse, violence and absence of love is really common,” Rueda explained, “Once there was this little girl called Salomé who told me I gave her more love than her own parents did. She had never been hugged.”

This and many other testimonies have been witness to the value of these admirable group of role models.

What struggles must they face?

Monetary confinement is the main issue with which these organizations must deal with. Large sums on money are required to fund the massive activities and events done at certain times of the year.

Promoters and volunteers must look for varied ways of achieving the necessary financial support in order to pay for such event. By selling pastries, making raffles, and doing fundraising events, Soñar Despierto collects the money needed for the multiple programs and bouts, along with sponsors. Usually these sponsors are responsible of furnishing the largest amount of money required in exchange of their image being projected, but as everything there can be mishaps.

“We have to fight a lot to get the sponsorships, to get donations because it is an extremely expensive event, and also the activities we do in the year, everything is money, for everything we need money, so we do struggle a lot to get it,” Alvarez said.

Volunteers offer their help as the name volunteer suggests, without any cost; usually investing a great amount of their time and attitude.

The deal with the Mandatory Social Service hours is that it brings in great part people interested just in fulfilling them, not for actual passion towards the labor. Lately, they have being closing their gates for these circumstances, just allowing people who are fully committed with the task, who also receive the required hours.

“It is a challenge to work with today’s youth so we must constantly be looking for ways to keep them interested, to keep them motivated; I definitely think this is one of the biggest challenges we have in Soñar Despierto,” Catalina Alvarez said.

The task is not easy, but the commitment from every single person involved is worth it. The happiness, learnings, and joy bring out the whole meaning of the extraordinary Organization Soñar Despierto is.