Continued: Rastas and Mentoring

Did you know that 6 out of 10 children in Panama do not have a positive way to spend their free time?


That 47% of Panamanian children think they live in a family without values?


and that 6 out of 10 children feel threatened in their community??


Alcance Positivo, a program of USAID, is working to change these statistics with a system called, El poder de 5, or "The Power of 5".  The Power of 5 involves (you guessed it) 5 action points:

1) I have a life plan

2) I have a mentor and will be an agent of change in my community

3) I use my free-time constructively 

4) I'm committed to my education 

5) I make healthy decisions 

To reach out to the at-risk youth in several communities in Panama, Alcance Positivo is enlisting the help of a group of Panamanian Rastafarian Artists.  Most were musicians, but there were also fashion designers, visual artists, and dancers at the workshop. 

Brainstorming their message

The group of Rasta musicians will make a jingle containing a positive message for the kids in their community. This Link is an example of a jingle USAID Guatemala's youth organization made.  The main singer is a famous rock artist in Guatemala. 

Alcance Positivo invited Voces Vitales Panama to attend the first of several workshops that aim to guide the Rasta artists in developing a message of encouragement for the youth of their community to adhere to the Poder de 5.  As one of the 5 presenters, Annie Vial (my supervisor) gave a short presentation on what it takes to be a great mentor, and everyone loved it.  We got a lot of positive feedback from them, like "raresa!" and "bien chévere!"  Both are slang for 'totally awesome'...more or less. 

Annie speaking about the power of mentoring

The Rastas were fun-loving, and obviously their favorite musician was Bob Marley, but they were also very dedicated to the Program's mission.  Most struggled through painful childhoods in dangerous neighborhoods themselves, and felt passionately about helping the youth of today.  They were eager to develop a plan to encourage their community's young people to stay in school and pursue activities that keep them out of trouble and "thinking positively" in the Rasta way. 

The guys listening attentively to Annie's presentation

I spoke to some of the artists about the importance of the program.  All agreed that when young men and women don't have their minds and bodies occupied, they get involved in things like drugs, gangs, and unwanted pregnancies.  The guys also spoke to me about how important music is as a medium to deliver this positive message.  "Music is the only way to reach out to young people today," one of them said. 

Karims (his artistic name) sharing his thoughts with the group about El Poder de 5 

Eduardo Brown, aka Apache Ness, sharing with the group

After the workshop's close, the artists were challenged to begin writing their message of hope and encouragement.  I could sense that this was no easy task for them, as many struggled to find the right words.  However, the Rasta tenets of love, positivism, and unity are likely to be very suitable messages for the troubled youth of Panama, and I look forward to hearing about their successes in the future.

Rastanini giving his last words of wisdom to the group.
Rastanini is also a reggae producer in Panama.