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  • What does it mean for me to be a woman ? #3

    Khin Pa Pa Myo, 22yo, Management Step, Cotton 4 You program, her sister Khin Tazin Aye, 20yo, Responsibility Step, Myanmade program and their grandmother Daw Bo Ma, 73yo - LPC Hlaing Thar Yar, Myanmar “We were both born in the house where we still live now, in Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, this is our home and it is impossible to imagine living somewhere else! This is our grandmother’s home, it is full of life, many children, uncles and aunts live here together, it is a happy place. We live in a separate house just behind, with our mother, father and one of our brothers. We both admire our brother Tun Tun, he is a very important person in our life. He is nice, smiling, friendly and funny, and most of all, he is successful and a good person of the community. He works for a local NGO and this is very inspiring for us, he pushes us to be smart and to work for our dreams. Our grandmother was born in Thaketa, another district in Yangon, her grandparents came from India. She loves speaking indian language, and that’s why we all learn this language in our home. She moved to Hlaing Thar Yar with her husband and their 6 children in 1990. She loves to be surrounded by children, that is why she is so happy.” For you, what does it mean to be a woman? Khin Pa Pa Myo’s point of view: “For me, to be a woman is everything. You have many responsibilities, you need to take care of others, to be a good mother, to worry a lot. You must be careful all the time, when your family is hurt, you are hurt too and that is difficult to manage sometimes. But you must be strong and not show what you feel too much! That is why I like to be surrounded by other women, we support each other. My grandmother Daw Bo Ma is 73 years old. She is not very healthy now and she needs to rest a lot, so my sister and I help her in the house. She loves watching TV, laughing with her friends, and playing with her grandchildren. She is very funny. She is a good cook, she makes delicious indian food! She is a very inspiring and strong woman. I love her so much!” Khin Tazin Aye’s point of view: “To be a woman means that you need to be kind and helpful, it is difficult because you need to try and fail and try again, you need to be strong, you have a lot of responsibilities, but it is an honor to be a woman. My grandmother is afraid of hospitals, and she loves watching Bollywood movies on TV! I think she is a very strong woman, she has always worked hard at home to take care of her children and now of her grandchildren! I admire her, she is strong, friendly and always cheerful, she is always smiling! Daw Bo Ma’s point of view: “For me, being a woman is being a mother. I admire my mother for teaching me all I needed to know in my life. She taught me how to swim, how to sew, how to do accounting, to be a good mother and to have a lot of patience. These skills made me a strong woman. I hope my granddaughters are learning these skills from me too. I always advise them to be respectful and thankful for their lives. We are very lucky to be healthy and to have a roof, it is important to recognize this, not all people around us have this luck. So I tell them to smile, that is my advice and to be patient and study a lot.” See the answer of Mary Joyce Parco, 22 years old, Responsibility Step, Fashion 4 Youth program, Payatas, Manila, Philippines >> here See the answer of Saraswati Soren, 26yo, Management Step, Green Village Kathmandu, Nepal >> here

  • Let's cook with the Youth!

    MYANMAR Ya Min Lae Cho, 19 years old, Management Step Life Project Center Hlaing Thar Yar, Myanmar, "My name is Ya Min Lae Cho. I am 19 years old. I live in Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon in Myanmar. I have 5 members in my family. There are my mother, my step father, my younger brother, my grandmother and me. Before LP4Y, I passed the matriculation exam. Now I am a first year student of Geology at West Yangon University (WYU). Also in LP4Y I am in Management step. I am the coordinator of the Marketing and sales Department. My skills are English speaking, Listening, writing, Computer advance, leadership and communication. My Qualities are friendly, cheerful and helping each other. My weakness is silent for my feelings. 🤐 I think this digital training is difficult for those who don't understand english basic" INDIA Tripti Dey, 20 years old, Responsibility Step Life Project Center Howrah, Kolkata, India Hello my name is Tripti Dey, I am 20 years old, I am in responsability step in LPC Howrah in Howrah Program 1. Today I decided to cook and present the recipe of Fish chope ! Ingredients : • 600 grams of Catla fish • 150 grams of prawn • 700 grams of potato • 4 piece onion finely chopped • 1 teaspoon of Ginger and 1 teaspoon of garlic paste • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder • 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 2 dry red chilli • 2 eggs • 200 grams of cornflour • 100 grams of flour • Salt • 200 grams of bread crumbs • 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala • White oil for deep fry Steps : • Rub the piece of fish with turmeric powder and some salt. Keep it for 10 minutes. • Heat the mustard oil in a pan and cut the potatoes and add them in hot oil and fry them for 5 minutes. • In the remaining oil add the fish and fry each side for 3 minutes . Remove those in a plate and scramble them with a fork and remove the bone. • In the remaining oil, add cumin seeds and dry red chilli. • Then add chopped onion. Fry for 2 minutes. • After that, add garlic and ginger paste. Cook for 2 minutes. • Add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder and some salt. • Add crumbled fish and fried potatoes and mash them. Mix this very well for 2 minutes. • Then add the Garam Masala and mix it well. • Let this mixture come to room temperature. • Then give them any small shape. • Take a bowl. Beat 2 eggs with a pinch of salt. • Then add the cornflour in that bowl and mix well with eggs for the butter. • Now dip one part in the butter and then roll it in bread crumbs. • Again dip it in the butter and coat it with the bread crumbs. • Let those coated patties rest for 10 minutes in the fridge. • Then fry those one by one in hot white oil for 3 minutes. • Remove them in a tissue paper. Kajal Giri, Autonomy Step, Life Project Center Howrah, Kolkata, India Hello, my name is Kajal Giri, I am in Autonomy step in Howrah Program 2, in LPC Howrah. Today I suggest you a sweet recipe, very easy and not a lot of ingredients ! Let’s cook Payas from vermicelli ! Recipe of Vermicelli Ingredients :- (i)1 Packet Vermicelli (ii)2 Packets of half kg milk (iii)500 gram sugar (iv)50 gram ghee (v)50 gram cashew (vi) 50 gram currant. 1st step - First step we shall fry the vermicelli with the ghee in the pot for 10 minutes until it becomes a little bit red colour. 2nd step - Boil milk for at least 10 minutes in another pot. 3rd step - After That put the fried vermicelli into the boiled milk. And switch off the gas. 4th - After that put the sugar, cashewnut & currant into the milk. After That stir the whole mixture with a ladle. Now the food is ready to serve😋😋😋😋

  • Departures should be sudden

    [English version below] Romain Maillu, Coach Source of Life, LPC Cilincing, Jakarta La crise sanitaire mondiale menace Kampung Sawah, le bidonville indonésien de Romain. Suivez avec son carnet de bord l’impact du Coronavirus dans les quartiers pauvres. Les départs devraient être soudains. Le 21 mars 2020 Sarah fait ses affaires. Elle s’en va. La décision a été prise aujourd’hui. Elle n'emporte avec elle qu’un petit sac qu’elle prendra en cabine. Elle ne souhaite pas perdre de temps, chaque seconde compte. Sous assistance respiratoire de 4 mois à 6 ans, la petite enfance de Sarah fut marquée par le bruit d’aspirateur de la ventilation mécanique, son éternelle compagne. Bien qu’à 18 ans, l’âge de tous les possibles, son asthme se soit stabilisé, elle prend aujourd'hui encore 6 médicaments par jour pour éviter des complications. Seulement voilà : le Coronavirus est une grippe qui peut retourner sa veste. Dans cet ouragan d’informations sans fin, les quelques faits que j’arrive à saisir - comme le pêcheur attrape une sardine dans un banc de maquereau - laissent présager qu’avec des problèmes pulmonaires le Covid-19 peut vous conduire en réanimation. Or, la réanimation en Indonésie, c’est un peu comme les amis en politique : ça existe mais il ne faut pas trop s’y fier. Elle a pris le premier vol qu’elle a trouvé. 2 escales : Hong-Kong et Les Emirats arabes unis, avant d’arriver à Lyon. Sarah ne savait pas que Hong-Kong était la région la plus grande et la plus peuplée de la république populaire de Chine, ou peut-être qu’au fond elle s’en doutait, mais qu’elle avait décidé de chasser cette idée de sa tête. Le plus gros risque, c’était de rester en Indonésie. L’ambassade nous a contacté : les vols pour la France seront bientôt limités aux longs courriers commerciaux pour une durée indéterminée. Vacanciers, rentrez vite : il est venu le temps de la raison. Adieu Bali ; bonjour Bercy. Expatriés, vous avez choisi une vie de princes, loin de la monotonie, parisienne - Métro, boulot, dodo - restez. Vous allez la vivre, l’aventure, chez vous, en quarantaine, au bord de la piscine. Si vous fermez bien vos portails - barrières infranchissables de vos prisons dorés - et que vous renvoyez les domestiques, les risques d’attraper le virus sont approximativement les mêmes qu’en France. Et les volontaires dans tout cela ? Nous sommes partis avec l’idée de sauver la veuve et l'orphelin… Le fantasme prend une tournure inattendue et déroutante. Nous ne vivons pas dans de belles maisons, dans les quartiers riches de la ville, proches des hôpitaux privés et d’une population connectée au monde qui prend conscience de l’urgence et réagit à coup de gestes barrières et de quarantaines. Nous sommes dans les quartiers pauvres où il est inconcevable de s’enfermer seul chez soi car ici l’union fait la force. Que va-t-il nous arriver ? Je pourrais tirer des plans sur la comète, et je le ferais très certainement par la suite - il faut bien s’occuper - mais pour l’instant, je regarde par ma fenêtre le soleil se coucher sur Kampung Sawah, le bidonville dans lequel je vis. Les enfants jouent dans la rue et font brûler, dans un petit brasier, les morceaux de plastique qui jonchent le sol. Leur mère les regarde d’un oeil occupée. Une éponge à la main, elle frotte le scooter familial. Il y a 50 ans, elle lui aurait donné du foin tout en lui caressant la croupe. Le scooter est une bête increvable. Sur son dos, il porte des familles entières, sans jamais gémir, et quand bien même cela arrive, vous lui donnez un gorgée de gasoline et il repart au galop. Alors qu’elle nous annonçait sa décision, le sel a coulé sur les joues de Sarah. Je n’ai pas su réagir. Généralement, quand les émotions jaillissent chez mon interlocuteur, je cherche méthodiquement à adopter la “bonne” attitude. J’essaie de me téléporter dans la personne concernée. De me mettre à sa place, en quelque sorte. Faire preuve d'empathie. L’équation me semble assez simple : nous sommes tous des êtres humains et, malgré nos différences, nous avons une ligne de conduite commune. Romain, comment aimerais-tu que les autres réagissent face à toi ? Et là, mon théorème s’écroule. A la place de Sarah, je prendrais la fuite pour exprimer ma peine en silence. Intérieurement, en quelque sorte. Ce qui, en vue de principes physiques et psychiques assez évidents, n’est pas une bonne idée. C’est un coup à se remplir et à la moindre différence de pression : exploser. J’en conviens. Toujours est-il que Sarah est triste et moi tout autant désemparé. Elle est partie dire au revoir aux jeunes des bidonvilles que nous accompagnons dans le cadre de notre mission de volontariat. Elle a découpé des photos - instants volés au temps qui passe - qu’elle leur donne. Ces jeunes, nous partageons leur quotidien depuis maintenant 8 mois. Quand ils apprennent la nouvelle, une vague froide leur mord le visage. Des départs, ils en ont connu : une petite soeur qui ne soufflera jamais sa première bougie, un frère qui travaille loin pour nourrir sa famille, des parents partis en les laissant un matin sur le perron d’une voisine... Dans cette situation, ce sont eux qui prennent soin de nous. Avec un anglais hésitant dont ils connaissaient à peine quelques mots il y a encore 2 mois, ils essaient de nous réconforter. Et c’est diablement efficace. Je m’assieds et les regarde faire, admiratif. Nous essayons de leur apprendre les compétences recherchées par les entreprises pour qu’ils trouvent un emploi stable et décent. Nos enseignements me semblent biens futiles à présent. Aujourd’hui, c’est moi qui prend la leçon. The global health crisis threatens Kampung Sawah, the Indonesian slum of Romain. With his logbook, follow the impact of the Coronavirus in the poor neighbourhoods. Departures should be sudden. March 21, 2020 Sarah's packing. She's leaving. The decision was made today. All she's taking with her is a small bag that she'll take with her to the cabin. She doesn't want to waste time, every second counts. Under respiratory assistance from 4 months to 6 years, Sarah's early childhood was marked by the sound of the vacuum cleaner of mechanical ventilation, her eternal companion. Although at the age of 18 years old, the age of all possibilities, her asthma stabilized, she still takes 6 medications a day to avoid complications. But here's the thing: Coronavirus is a flu that can turn her coat. In this never-ending hurricane of information, the few facts that I manage to grasp - like a fisherman catches a sardine in a mackerel bank - suggest that with lung problems Covid-19 can lead you to resuscitation. But resuscitation in Indonesia is a bit like friends in politics: it does exist, but you can't rely on it too much. She took the first flight she could find. Two stopovers: Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, before arriving in Lyon. Sarah didn't know that Hong Kong was the largest and most populated region of the People's Republic of China, or maybe she suspected it, but decided to put it out of her mind. The biggest risk was staying in Indonesia. The embassy contacted us: flights to France will soon be limited to long commercial couriers for an indefinite period of time. Tourists, come home quickly: it's time to come to your senses. Farewell Bali; hello Bercy. Expatriates, you have chosen a life of princes, far from the monotony, Parisian - Metro, work, sleep - stay. You are going to live it, the adventure, at home, in quarantine, next to the pool. If you close your gates - the impassable barriers of your gilded prisons - and send the servants away, the risks of catching the virus are approximately the same as in France. And the volunteers ? We left with the idea of saving the widow and the orphan... The fantasy takes an unexpected and confusing turn. We don't live in beautiful houses, in the richer parts of the city, close to private hospitals and a population connected to the world that becomes aware of the urgency and reacts with barrier gestures and quarantines. We are in the poor neighbourhoods where it is inconceivable to lock ourselves up alone in our homes, because here unity is strength. What is going to happen to us? I could draw plans on the comet, and I will most certainly do so later - we have to keep busy - but for the moment, I am looking out my window at the sunset over Kampung Sawah, the slum where I live. The children are playing in the street and burning the pieces of plastic on the ground in a small fire. Their mother watches them with a busy eye. With a sponge in her hand, she rubs the family scooter. Fifty years ago, she would have given him hay while stroking his rump. The scooter is a puncture-proof beast. It carries whole families on its back, without ever moaning, and even when it does, you give it a sip of gasoline and it gallops away. As she was announcing her decision, salt ran down her cheeks. I didn't know how to react. Usually, when emotions flare up in my interlocutor, I methodically try to adopt the "right" attitude. I try to teleport myself into the person concerned. Put myself in their shoes, as it were. To show empathy. The equation seems pretty simple to me: we are all human beings and, despite our differences, we have a common course of action. Romain, how would you like others to react to you? And then my theorem falls apart. If I were Sarah, I would run away to express my sorrow in silence. On the inside, as it were. Which, in view of some fairly obvious physical and psychic principles, is not a good idea. It's a way to fill up and at the slightest difference in pressure, explode. I agree. Still, Sarah is sad and I'm just as distraught. She left to say goodbye to the young people from the slums that we accompany as part of our volunteer mission. She cut out photos - moments stolen from the passing of time - that she gives them. These young people, we have been sharing their daily life for 8 months now. When they hear the news, a cold wave bites their faces. They have experienced departures: a little sister who will never blow out her first candle, a brother who works far away to feed his family, parents who left them one morning on a neighbour's porch... In this situation, they are the ones who take care of us. With a hesitant spoken english whom they barely knew a few words about two months ago, they try to comfort us. And it's devilishly effective. I sit and watch them do it, admiring. We try to teach them the skills that companies need to find a stable and decent job. Our teachings seem to me to be quite futile now. Today, I am the one taking the lesson.

  • What coronavirus changed for the Youth? #1

    James Cerilo,18yo, Responsibilty Step Life Project Center Taguig, Philippines (on the right on the picture) “I am worried to forget how to speak English now the center is closed” Can you introduce yourself? I am James Cerilo, I am 18 years old and I started LP4Y in December 2019. I live in Maliwanang, Taguig, with all my family. We are twelve in total. What did you feel when you learned the Philippines would be in quarantine? Did you have some questions / fears? I received a quarantine pass so it was ok for me to go where I want. And I was not afraid because I saw a lot of policemen and soldiers in the street to take care of the people. How did you know about the lock down? I watched Duterte’s speech announcing the lockdown at the TV with my family, it was a very long speech! And after I talked about it with my friends. How did you feel when you learned that the LP4Y center will close? Very sad, because I did not want to “stand by” in my house all day long. I felt sad because I knew I would have no more training and tasks to do. Since I started LP4Y I have a lot of new ideas, I have learned new skills and I speak English. I am afraid to forget how to speak English since I do not practice it at home. Did you have money and food at home when the lockdown was announced? No, we did not have food stocks at home. But as they said “stay at home” we went to the shops to buy rice, meat, cans... and have some reserves. Sometimes the Barangay come to my area and distribute food package but it is not enough for 12 people so we still have to buy food by ourselves. Now it is the lockdown, do you ration food? No, we still eat as much as we need and we do not miss food. The sari-sari are still open, I can go to buy milk for my little sisters and rice for my family. What are you doing at home during quarantine? I help my mother to clean the house, cook, wash the clothes... and I do the tasks that coach Iris assigned us on our notebook. What is the atmosphere in your area? Did you notice things that have changed? The prices have increased a lot in the sari-sari. They are still open because if there is no food, nobody could eat so they take profit on the situation and increase the prices. I also have to stay at home and respect the curfew to not spread the virus. Sometimes I see my friends in the morning but I usually go home at noon and I sleep a lot to pass the time. What coronavirus changed for you and your relatives? I do not “stand by” outside with my friends anymore. Now I stay at home the most possible to avoid having the coronavirus so I spend more time with my family. Because of the quarantine my step father lost his job so we have to save money and be more careful about our expenses.

  • Sports Challenge for LP4Y #UPinlockDOWN

    Description of the challenge (FR) Cinq teams de volontaires confinés de l’association Life Project 4 Youth, passionnés et en manque de sport se sont lancés des défis! Jeanne et Pauline, à Kathmandu (Nepal) Clémence, Mathilde et Valentine, à Kathmandu (Nepal) Eva, Oona, Théo et Sixtine, à Cagayan de Oro (Philippines) Albane, Elodie, Thomas, Pauline, Manon et Gaëlle, à Raipur (Inde) Laetitia, Taina et Clemence, à Delhi (Inde) Leur but ? Lever des fonds pour LP4Y a cette cagnotte Leurs challenges ? 1.Faire 24 heures de montées d’escaliers 2. Réaliser 24 heures de parcours sportif en appartement 3. Courir un Marathon en relais sur une allée de 100 mètres, devant chez eux 4. 210 tours de course + 210 tours de parcours d’obstacle, 30 km en tout au moins! 5. Alterner des activités pour le corps et l’esprit pendant 24 heures non-stop Description of the challenge (EN) Five teams of confined volunteers of LP4Y, passionate and in need of sport, have decided to challenge themselves! Jeanne and Pauline, in Kathmandu (Nepal) Clémence, Mathilde and Valentine, in Kathmandu (Nepal) Eva, Oona, Théo and Sixtine, in Cagayan de Oro (Philippines) Albane, Elodie, Thomas, pauline, Manon and Gaëlle, in Raipur (India) Laetitia, Taina and Clemence, in Delhi (India) Their goal? Raise funds for LP4Y at this pot Their challenges? 24 hours of stairs climbing 24 hours of sports activities in apartment Run a relay marathon on a 100 meters lane, in front of their home 210-laps race + 210 laps of obstacle course, at least 30km in total! 24 hours of body and brain activities QUESTIONS to the warriors Question to Jeanne: Why did you say “yes” for this challenge ? Answer: Well, at first, it was just a sports session that we tried to do : one hour on the stairs, up and down, up and down, etc. At the end of the session, Pauline asked me :”what about doing it for 24 hours?”. To be honest, I dream about doing a challenge like this but I had no intention to do it in such a limited area. I wanted big spaces, green, meeting people on my way, etc. So I told her “Euh, Pauline, I love doing sport but the staircase is not the funniest place to do it, it is a bit redundant…” And then she suggested we do it for the Youth. And I was struck : of course we could do that for the Youth. They touch me so much, they teach me so many things, I feel so much love (it is the right word) for them that I can - of course - do that for them. And to make our staircase less redundant, we will even print pictures of Youth ! Question to Pauline: Which meaning does this project take for you in this time of crisis? Answer: I am a crisis management fan! Intellectually, I find this period very interesting. When the crisis started, I had started my mission as a Talent Booster for LP4Y Alliance since 2 weeks only. My role is to make sure the conditions for the Catalysts on the field are manageable. To make sure everyone knew they were listened to and that they understood the meaning of being on the field during this crisis. The first month of crisis management was intense. The risks and uncertainty were big. Would our organisation make it through the storm? Will we be able to stay close to the Youth? Emotionally and personally I was impressed that I stay calm. As long as I knew how to be useful, it was ok. Days were long, behind my desk and on the phone. I needed to find ways to express myself, to clear my mind, to release the tension. I did my first Ultra-trail in October. That day I ran 21 hours 60 km and close to 4000 D+ on technical trails. It was amazing and I wanted to test myself on long time exercise again. With lockdown, it’s not possible to enjoy the nearby mountains again. Could I be strong enough to do it without the motivation of being in the mountains? Maybe if it was for the Youth? Would that be a way to use my physical energy and free time to help the Youth? We will have the answer on the 2nd of May! Question to Valentine: What motivates you most in this challenge? Answer: Fr : Ma motivation première réside dans le fait de relever ce challenge avec mes wonderful colocataires! Je suis super heureuse et curieuse de voir comment on va se nourrir des forces des unes et des autres pour se dépasser 24heures durant. En réalité, on a déjà commencé car un tel challenge demande de l’anticipation, une préparation, de la communication sur les réseaux sociaux. Alors toutes les 3, on s’écoute pour tirer le projet vers le haut. Aussi, savoir que 3 autres centres aux catalystes tous plus fous les uns que les autres relèvent le défis est super stimulant! Bien sur, outre l’expérience humaine super enrichissante, on ne perd pas de vue l’objectif principal : Lever des fonds pour les jeunes que l’on accompagne! Pas de JO cette année mais on a trouvé mieux pour vous à suivre ;) RDV sur insta : @ktmflatrace ENG : My main motivation lies in taking up this challenge with my amazing roommates! I am so happy and curious to see how we are going to feed on each other's strengths to go on 24h long. In reality, we have already started because such a challenge requires anticipation, preparation, communication on social media. So all 3 of us listen to each other to pull the project up. Also, knowing that 3 other centers with catalysts, each one crazier than the other, take on the challenge is super stimulating! Of course, in addition to the super rewarding human experience, we do not forget the main objective: Raise funds for the Youths we support! No Olympic Games this year but we found better for you to follow ;) Go support us on instagram : @ktmflatrace Question to Mathilde: Does your family / relatives support you ? Est-ce que ta famille, tes proches te soutiennent dans ce défi ? Answer: Fr: Ma famille et mes amis m’ont toujours soutenue dans mon engagement volontaire. Etant donné la crise actuelle, ils comprennent ce défi et trouvent que c’est une super initiative ! Je suis même étonnée d’avoir autant de réactions de leur part sur notre page Instagram, de nous lancer des petits challenges sportifs à faire pour animer notre page, dans l’attente du 2 Mai. Mon premier soutien direct sont mes deux colocs (Clémence et Valentine), puisqu’on s'entraîne ensemble, on anime la page Instagram de l'événement au fil des jours, ce qui fait monter l’excitation pour le jour J. Comme on fera le challenge ensemble, on se soutiendra mutuellement et je sais que si je faiblis a un moment, elles seront là pour me rebooster ! Eng: My family and friends have always supported me in my volunteering projects. Because of the current crises, they fully understand this challenge and find that it is a great initiative! I am even surprised to see so many reactions on our Instagram page, they send us some sports challenges to complete to animate our Instagram page, before May 2nd. My first direct support are of course my two flatmates (Clemence and Valentine), as we train together, we post on Instagram day after day regarding this challenge, which helps to be more and more excited until the D-Day! As we are doing the challenge together, we will support each other and I know that if at one point it’s harder, they will be here to reboost me! Question to Clemence: What is your strategy to last during 24h? Answer: My biggest motivation to last 24h will definitely be my flatmates “Allez go go! You can do it girl!”. Even during our daily sport session we never stop pushing each other to go further. The best strategy will be to keep the same rhythm so my body won’t suffer but break the routine (24h going around the same flat, the same rooms, might definitely leave us with some psychological impact!). We planned to redecorate our flat with big motivation mottos, drawings, to project movies on our wall, to put music out louds (neighbours will be happy!). 24h in our flat is also a time to use to develop skills and knowledge! What’s better for that than Podcast! I planned to make a list of inspiring podcasts for this special day. Knowing other centers are doing this challenge in the meantime will also be a big motivation to last these 24h! Last but not least….to cook perfect snacks for our break time! Doing 4 hours of jumping jacks knowing some cookies are waiting for you in the kitchen is the best way to increase my determination. Avec 2 colocs sur-motivées (Valentine & Mathilde), ma motivation devrait être maintenue au cours de ces 24h ! “Allez gogo! Tu peux le faire!”. Même pendant nos séances quotidiennes (enfin plutôt 1 jour sur 3…) on ne cesse jamais de s’encourager à aller plus loin. La meilleure stratégie restera de conserver un rythme régulier pour ne pas perturber mon corps tout en cassant la routine. (24h à tourner en rond dans notre appartement nous laissera quelques séquelles psychologiques !). Pour ça, nous avons décidé de redécorer l’appartement à coup de leitmotiv affichés aux murs, de dessins, de projeter des films, de mettre notre meilleure playlist (les voisins vont être ravis). Et pour ne pas utiliser ses 24h pour développer ses connaissances ? Rien de mieux qu’une bonne liste de podcasts et le tour est joué ! Savoir que d’autres centres ont rejoint le challenge est super motivant ! On a hâte de souffrir en coeur ! Le meilleur pour la fin...nous concocter un ravitaillement du tonnerre ! Faire 4 heures de jumpin jack en sachant que des cookies nous attendent dans la cuisine reste un bon moyen de maintenir notre détermination !

  • Letter to Soni

    [English version below] Valentine Lévy, 22 years old, Coach, Life project Center Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal Chère Soni, D’ordinaire ce sont les Jeunes qui se confient à leur coach. Mais virus exceptionnel, mesures exceptionnelles, émotions exceptionnelles obligent, à mon tour de te partager ce que je ressens depuis le début de cette crise, exceptionnelle donc. Si je n’ai jamais débordé de confiance en moi et en mes compétences de coach, je me suis toujours efforcée de faire au mieux avec mes forces et mes faiblesses. Aujourd’hui, me voilà de retour à la case départ dans le confidence game. Contrairement à mes débuts, je dois jongler avec une constante - la team - et des variables - le virus, le confinement et ses conséquences - qui rendent la tâche plus ardue. Ma phobie de la mort me fait souvent penser à tort que je suis et par extension que mes proches (au sens large) sommes invincibles. Aussi, mon esprit et mon corps ne sont jamais en pause, afin d’assurer une sorte de distance de sécurité avec les choses qui pourraient me faire du mal. Cette distance est d’autant plus importante depuis mon début de mission. Alors évidemment, si l’on suit cette logique, je me suis un moment imaginée que le Népal serait épargné. Difficile de reconnaître que le malheur n’arrive pas qu’aux autres. Pire, qu’il arrive aux habitants de mon pays de coeur, à ceux que l’on côtoie chaque jour : Vous. Et pourtant. Mercredi 18 mars, Mathilde (coordinatrice Népal) annonce « J’ai une mauvaise nouvelle (…) à partir d’aujourd’hui on doit fermer le centre. Tu expliques la situation aux jeunes. Tu fais un rappel sur les règles d’hygiène. Tu discutes avec elles des allowances puis tu les renvoies à la maison ». Ça y est, notre LPC est aussi concerné. Nous ne sommes pas invincibles. Bien sûr que nous ne le sommes pas. Aussitôt, une pelote de questions s’emmêle dans ma tête à commencer par : Comment vous annoncer la nouvelle ? À la porte du centre, je ne sais toujours pas. Je me dirige d’abord vers Nirmala, coordinatrice de la Little Angels Academy. J’espérais peut-être y trouver un soutien ou des conseils. Je ne sais plus vraiment. Quelques minutes après, réunion dans la training room. Les mots ne sont toujours pas là. Je me sens vraiment ridicule. Vos regards amusés et interrogateurs me provoquent un fou rire. Moment de solitude extrême dans la pièce bondée. Finalement, un discours bien décousu et bourré d’incertitudes sort de ma bouche. S’en suivent les inévitables questions : « What about the allowance? When will the center open again? What will we do? It’s so sad coach… » (…) Et mes réponses : « I will let you know, allez allez, we wash everything and we can go (…) bye bye Soni, see you soon ». Depuis, la communication est compliquée. Si certaines de la team sont à proximité, d’autres sont rentrées au village. Obligation de jouer les coachs à distance, travaillant pour vous et avec vous quotidiennement. Des choses fonctionnent, d’autres non. Je râle. Je maudis les montagnes d’être aussi hautes, j’hésite à contacter et incendier Népal Télécom pour son réseau pourri, je suis à deux doigts d’apprivoiser des pigeons voyageurs pour envoyer des trainings. Bref, même si je fais ce que je peux, j’ai toujours le sentiment de pouvoir faire mieux. Je suis en colère. Frustrée. Triste. Je me sens impuissante et plus que tout : nulle. Sentiments décuplés quand vous, les Jeunes, me relatez votre quotidien et que je saisis l’importance d’LP4Y à vos yeux, et qu’il ne m’est physiquement pas possible de « faire mieux ». La team regorge d’histoires difficiles. Autrement vous ne seriez pas là et moi non plus. Mais, depuis le début du confinement tous ces récits ont un goût différent. Un jour, tu me racontes. Tu me racontes d’abord la vie à la maison. Tu habites dans la même pièce que 9 autres membres de ta famille. Ce n’est pas un secret. Tu me l’avais déjà dit. Je ne l’avais pourtant plus en tête. On ne parle pas de ça tous les jours au centre. À trop vouloir être positive au LPC j’ai visiblement « oublié » ce qui se passe à l’extérieur. Vient le tour du manque d’argent. Forcément, le confinement est fatal pour l’économie informelle. Ton père et ton frère sont dorénavant sans emplois. Il n’y a plus de gaz pour tous et tu m’expliques que tu ne sais pas comment faire. Je comprends ta détresse. Mais je n’ai rien de mieux à dire que LP4Y ne peut pas couvrir les besoins de toute ta famille. Tu comprends pourquoi. La discussion continue. Tu abordes enfin la violence physique dans la communauté. Rebelote. Même si je l’avais déjà vu de mes propres yeux, ce rappel me stupéfait. « Hier, ma mère a voulu acheter du lait pour son café, tu sais, pour faire du chaï. Ça coûtait 200 roupies au total. On a demandé crédit au vendeur, lui assurant qu’on viendrait le payer le lendemain. Il nous a longuement insulté. Puis il a lancé une pierre de la taille d’un ballon sur ma mère. J’ai du la protéger. On est parti… Il y a ça mais aussi plein d’autres choses… Coach, I have many many tensions in my head ». Je te crois Soni, je te crois. Mais à ce moment, je ne sais pas quoi te dire. Je me prends une énorme claque. Une claque de réalité. Encore une fois, sûrement obsédée par l’idée de se concentrer sur le « positif », les « qualités », « l’insertion professionnelle », les « target jobs », j’en ai presque oublié l’autour LP4Y. Un autour qui a toute son importance quand cela se transforme en quotidien durant ce confinement. À ce moment, j’avoue que je suis tétanisée, bouche-bée. Je n’ai qu’une envie : me boucher les oreilles et partir pleurer dans mon coin. « T’écouter » reste la seule chose que je réussisse alors à faire. Il en est de même les semaines suivantes d’ailleurs. Pour être totalement transparente, je me suis sentie lâche. Lâche de craquer et de me concentrer sur ma petite personne et ses sentiments égoïstes. Peut-être était-ce une forme de protection? Peut-être que je n’étais pas prête ce jour-là pour assimiler autant d’informations? Peu importe. On s’en fiche. Je m’en suis aussi voulue d’être restée bête, impuissante et de ne pas avoir su quoi te dire et comment te conseiller. Je n’ai pas vu de solution, ou de point positif auquel te faire penser… Si le silence est souvent la meilleure des réponses, je ne crois pas qu’il l’était forcément à ce moment. Depuis, je m’interdis de telles « absences ». Ce n’est pas parce qu’une personne est mal, qu’elle ne peut pas aider les autres. Tu en es l’exemple parfait. Alors que tu n’as pas encore eu la chance de recevoir un sac de nourriture, tu viens aider pour la distribution de centaines d’autres. Alors voilà, merci infiniment d’avoir été si honnête. Merci de m’avoir exposé les faits. Les mots sont crus. Pardon, tes mots sont crus. Chacun d’entre eux, aussi forts soient-ils, m’ont touchée. Merci de t’être confiée sur ce moment si difficile de ta vie. Cette crise n’aura fait que renforcer mon admiration pour toi et tes coéquipières. Ce projet LPC Sinamangal, c’est notre projet, celui des catalystes qui ont travaillés dessus et de la team de jeunes au complet. On construit ensemble quelque chose qui nous aidera toutes dans nos futurs respectifs. Cette crise est une pause, pour mieux repartir. Je l’espère de tout mon coeur. Il faut bien conclure quelque part. Alors je finirai en répétant ce que je dis déjà trop souvent : Je ne me suis jamais sentie aussi vivante que depuis que je suis coach. Cette crise ne fait que confirmer cette idée. Je suis extrêmement reconnaissante pour tous ces moments, pour ces leçons de vie et ces exemples de force que la team me donne jour après jour. Et si les problèmes ne se résolvent pas en un claquement de doigt, on va toutes donner le meilleur pour faire avec dans les mois à venir et apaiser au mieux les tensions, au moins le temps des trainings. Pas grave de ne pas être invincible si c’est pour avoir la chance de vivre tout cela. Notre team est exceptionnelle. N’oublie pas que toi aussi, tu es exceptionnelle. Valentine coach. Dear Soni, Usually, the Youths are the ones confiding in their coach. Because of this exceptional virus, these exceptional measures, these exceptional feelings, it’s my turn to share what I feel since the beginning of this exceptional crisis. If I’ve never had any self confidence or coach confidence, I always did my best and tried to deal with my strengths and weaknesses.Today, it feels like my first day in the “confidence game” all over again. Compared to my beginning, I have to juggle a constant - the team - and variables - the virus, the confinement and its consequences - which make the task more difficult. My death phobia often makes me think wrongly that I am and by extension that my relatives (in the broad sense) are invincible. My mind and body never take pauses in order to provide some sort of safe distance from things that could hurt me. This distance is bigger since the beginning of my mission. Obviously, if we follow this logic, I imagined for a while that Nepal would be spared. Difficult to recognize that misfortune does not happen only to others. Worse, it happens to the people of my country of heart, to those I am with every day : You. Yet, Wednesday March 18th, Mathilde (coordinator Nepal) announced "I have bad news (...) as of today we have to close the center. You’ll explain the situation to the Youths. You do a reminder about hygiene rules. You discuss allowances and send them home”. That's it, our LPC is also concerned. We are not invincible. Of course we are not. Immediately, many questions rose in my head starting with: How to tell you the news? Once in front of the door of the center, I still don't know. First, I go to Nirmala, coordinator of the Little Angels Academy. Maybe I was hoping for some kind of support or advice. I don't really know anymore. A few minutes later, meeting in the training room. The words are still not there. I feel really ridiculous. Your amused and questioning looks cause me to laugh. Moment of extreme loneliness in the crowded room. Finally, a disconnected speech full of uncertainty comes out of my mouth. The inevitable questions follow : "What about the allowance? When will the center open again? What will we do? It’s so sad coach ... "(...) And my answers: " I will let you know, go go, we wash everything and we can go (...) bye bye Soni, see you soon ". Since then, communication has been complicated. If some of the girls of the team are nearby, others have returned to their village. Let’s play the far away coach but still working for you and with you daily. Some things work, others don’t. I grumble all day long. I curse the mountains for being so high, I hesitate to contact and burn Nepal Telecom for its horrible network, I am on the verge of taming homing pigeons to send training. In short, even if I do my best, I always feel that I could do even better. I'm mad. Frustrated. Sad. I feel helpless and most of all: worthless. These feelings increased tenfold when you, the Youth, told me about your daily life and that I understand the importance of LP4Y in your life, and that I definitely can’t do better. The team has many difficult stories. Otherwise you wouldn't be there and neither would I. But since the beginning of the lockdown, all these stories have a different taste. One day, you relate. You first tell me about life at home. You live in the same room as 9 other members of your family. It's not a secret. You already told me. However, I no longer had it in mind. We don't talk about that every day at the center. By trying too hard to be positive at the LPC I have obviously "forgotten" what is happening outside. Then, comes the shortage of money. Lockdown is lethal for the informal economy. Your father and brother are now unemployed. There is no more gas for everyone and you explain to me that you don't know what to do. I understand your distress. But I have nothing better to say that LP4Y cannot cover the needs of your whole family. You understand why. The discussion goes on. Finally, you talk about physical violence in the community. Rebelote. Even if I had already seen it with my own eyes, this reminder strikes me. "Yesterday, my mother wanted to buy milk for her coffee, you know, to make chai. It cost 200 rupees in total. We asked the seller for credit, assuring him that we would come and pay it the next day. He insulted us. Then he threw a balloon-sized stone at my mother. I had to protect her. So we left... And there are many other things... Coach, I have many many tensions in my head". I believe you Soni, I believe you. But right now, I don't know what to tell you. I take a huge slap in the face. A slap of reality. Again, surely obsessed with the idea of ​​focusing on the "positive", the "qualities", "professional integration", the "target jobs", I almost forgot about the “around LP4Y”. Around which is very important when it turns into daily life during this lockdown. At this moment, I admit that I am paralyzed, speechless. I have only one desire: to cover my ears and burst into tears. "Listening to you" is the only thing I do. The same thing happened in the following weeks. To be completely honest, I felt like a coward. I felt cowardly to have such a mental breakdown and focus on my little self and my selfish feelings. Maybe it was a form of protection? Maybe I was not ready that day to assimilate so much information? Whatever. Who cares. I also blamed myself for being stupid, helpless and not knowing what to tell and how to advise you. I have not seen a solution, or a positive point to make you think ... If silence is often the best answer, I do not think it was the right one at that time. Since then, I have forbidden myself such "absences". Just because a person feels bad doesn't mean they can't help others. You’re the perfect example. While you have not yet had the chance to receive a bag of food, you are helping to distribute hundreds of others. Thank you so much for being so honest. Thank you for telling me the facts. Words are raw. Sorry, your words are raw. Each of them, no matter how strong they were, touched me. Thank you for sharing this difficult time in your life. This crisis has definitely strengthened my admiration for you and your teammates. This LPC Sinamangal project is our project, the one of the catalysts who worked on it and the one of all the Youth of the team. We are building together something that will help us all in our personal futures. This crisis is a break, only to start over better. It’s what I hope with all my heart. To conclude, I will repeat what I already said many times : I have never felt as alive since I have been a coach. This crisis only confirms it. I am extremely grateful for all these moments, for these life lessons and these examples of strength that the team gives me day after day. And if the problems won’t be resolved in a minute, we will all give our best to deal with them in the next months and calm tensions at best, at least during the training. It doesn't matter not to be invincible if it is the price to experience all of this. Our team is exceptional. Remember that you too are exceptional. Valentine Coach.

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  • Yangon in Crisis

    [English version below] Chloé Hunault, LPC Yangon, Myanmar, Coach du programme MyanMade 25 mars 2020 Premier week-end de confinement plus que bienvenu! Nos journées sont rythmées par le thé glacé, de la musique en tout genre, le soleil et les jeux: Times up, code name, petit bac et autres jeux de cartes en tout genre. On se fait chacune une bassine d’eau et une sorte de chaise longue made in LP4Y (une palette quoi) pour nous donner la sensation d’être au bord de la piscine à domicile. On fait comme on nous a dit: on se repose, on prend le temps, on partage ensemble, on rit et on passe de bons moments. Je sens que la coloc prend son rythme, chacune trouve sa place et ce confinement nous permet finalement de se rapprocher, se connaître plus rapidement et j’ai l’impression que tout le monde s’en réjouit. Avec Claire nous toquons à la porte du voisin pour lui emprunter son baby-foot mais personne ne répond. Il ne perd rien pour attendre... J’en profite aussi pour reprendre un peu le lien avec mes proches en France: confcall avec mes anciennes collègues d’amour, marrade avec mes amies d’enfance, FaceTime avec ma famille (ma petite maman qui ne parvient toujours pas à comprendre l’intérêt de parler devant l’écran :) et les messages auxquels je n’avais pas pris le temps de répondre. On finit ce bon week-end par une soirée crêpes et projection Netflix dans le salon: Un + Une, film tourné en Inde, ce pays qui me manque tant... Mardi matin il est temps de retrouver mes Youth, je suis surexcitée, la sensation de ne pas les avoir vu depuis des semaines alors que ça fait à peine 5 jours !! J’ai le sourire, le cœur qui bat, j’ouvre notre portail comme une gamine qui ouvre son carnet secret. La nouvelle tombe juste avant 8h30: 3 cas...le gouvernement commence enfin à communiquer. Une bonne chose car les birmans commencent à prendre conscience de la situation. Mais nos Youth également...et lorsque je récupère ma team pour leur donner leurs allowances, ce n’était plus le même regard satisfait que je leur connais quand je leur distribue enfin l’argent qu’ils ont dûment mérité. C’est un regard inquiet, un regard pensif, un regard qui me crie de les rassurer, un regard qui est encore plus profond du fait que l’on porte un masque. Je ne voulais pas le porter, je ne voulais pas créer encore plus de distance entre eux et moi, je voulais leur donner un sourire à défaut d’une tape dans le dos. Mais ma coordo Claire m’a raisonné, et je réalise qu’il est plus facile de tromper les gens avec son sourire qu’avec ses yeux. Les yeux ça trompe pas, les yeux ça dit tout, les yeux ça supporte pas de masque. Je me bats contre ce langage qui était devenu mon préféré pour leur montrer qu’ils peuvent compter sur nous pour redoubler d’efforts afin de les accompagner dans cette guerre qui est la nôtre, à nous tous. Je m’efforce de croire qu’il n’y a plus de riches et de pauvres face à la contamination mais je regarde autour de moi et quand je repense à mon confinement du week-end, je réalise que le leur sera nettement différent. Comment leur dire qu’ils n’auront pas de problèmes s’ils restent chez eux? Chez eux avec 10 autres personnes sans masque dans la même pièce? Chez eux sous 40 degrés sans un souffle d’air? Chez eux sans pouvoir travailler et ramener le peu d’argent qui sert à nourrir toute une famille? Chez eux où l’hygiène est plus que précaire? Et pourtant je n’ai hélas pas d’autres pouvoirs. C’est eux les héros, pas moi. Alors j’espère encore une fois qu’ils seront plus forts que moi, qu’ils sauront trouver quoi faire sans mettre leurs vies en danger. Avec Bérénice nous décidons le soir même de créer un groupe Facebook avec nos teams respectives afin de communiquer plus facilement, de leur donner quelques exercices et d’apporter un peu de fun dans cette période qui s’annonce compliquée. Ça marche, les jeunes se confient, nous écrivent, nous envoient même des photos,...ouf ils sont là! Je les vois et même si ce n’est que à travers un écran, je ne porte plus de masque. Et je peux leur sourire à nouveau... Chloé Hunault, LPC Yangon, Myanmar, Coach of the MyanMade programm First week-end of lockdown is more than welcome! Our days are marked by iced tea, all sorts of music, sun and board games : Times Up, Codenames, “Petit Bac” game and other cardboard games. Each of us make herself a basin of water and a kind of a deck chair made in LP4Y (actually, a pallet) in order to give us the feeling of being alongside the pool, at home. We do as it was told to us : we take rest, we take the time, we share, we laugh and we spend good moments together. I feel like our flat sharing is finding its rhythm, each of us is finding her place and this lockdown eventually allows us to get closer, to know each other faster and it seems to me that everyone is delighted by that. With Claire, we knocked on the neighbour’s door to borrow his foosball table but no one answered. He’ll get what he deserves later… I’m also taking this opportunity to reconnect a bit with close friends and family : conf. call with my beloved former colleagues, good laugh with my childhood friends, FaceTime with my family (my little mom, who still doesn’t understand the interest to speak in front of a screen) and the messages which I hadn’t taken the time to respond to . We end this great week-end with a crepes party and Netflix screening in the living-room : “Un + Une”, a movie shot in India, this country I missed so much… Tuesday morning, it’s time to see the Youths again, I am overexcited, I feel like I didn’t see them for weeks when it has been only 5 days !! I have a big smile, my heart is pounding, I unlock the door as a little girl who opens her secret diary. The piece of news is falling just before 8.30a.m.: 3 cases… the government finally begins to communicate. It’s a good news because the Burmese can become aware of the situation. That also applies to our youths… and when I take my team back to give the allowances, the youths don’t have anymore this satisfying look they have when I give them their well-deserved money. It’s a concerned, thoughtful look, a look which says the need of being supported, a look even deeper in the light of the fact we are wearing masks. I didn’t want to wear it, I didn’t want to create this distance between them and I, I wanted to give them a smile with the impossibility of a pat on the back. But my coordinator, Claire, reasoned with me, and I realize that it’s easier to fool someone with a smile than with eyes. The eyes can’t cheat, the eyes say everything, the eyes can’t bear a mask. I fight against this language, which had become my favorite, to show to the youths that they can rely on us to strengthen our efforts to accompany them in this war, the war of all of us. I strive to believe there aren’t the wealthy and the poor anymore regarding the contamination, but I look around and when I recollect my containment of the week-end, I realize that theirs will be different. How could I say they won’t have problems if they stay at home? At home, with ten other people without masks in the same room? At home, under 40 degrees without a breath of fresh air? At home, without the possibility to work and to bring the little money which feeds a whole family? At home, with a poor hygiene situation? Unfortunately I don’t have any other powers. They are the heroes, not me. So I hope, one more time, that they will be stronger than me, that they’ll find solutions without endangering their lives. With Bérénice, we decide by evening to create a Facebook group with our respective teams to communicate in an easier way, to give them a few exercises and to bring some fun to them in this period looming hard and complex. It goes well, the youths talk to us, send us some pictures… Phew, they are right there! I can see them, and even if it’s only through a screen, I don’t have to wear a mask anymore. And I can start again to smile to them...

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Supported by Life Project 4 Youth

Life Project 4 Youth Alliance is a federation of 16 organizations in 13 countries whose mission is the development of innovative solutions for the professional and social inclusion of Young people (17-24 yo) from extreme poverty and victims of exclusion. 

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