Timely Connections: Jóvenes en Camino and Flint Global

by Justin Sims, Director of Thriving Skills

October 6, 2022

Just 25 miles southeast of the Honduran capital is El Zamorano, a small town situated in a lush valley with watermelon farms and mango trees where 11 Thriving Skills students at Jóvenes en Camino call home. Jóvenes en Camino (JEC) is a Christ-centered child protection home that has cared for orphaned and abandoned boys since 2004. As a residential care home, JEC has a full-time staff of highly skilled caretakers and professionals to provide holistic support for the physical, mental, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of the children under their care.

But during the past couple of years, members of JEC’s board and executive leadership team saw an opportunity to strengthen their support for these boys in a specific area: helping them transition well when they leave the home.

“We, myself and the board, long ago identified a need to better prepare our boys for life after Jóvenes en Camino,” JEC Executive Director Sarah Catherine Teixeira said. “Essentially, we needed to provide better training for those skills you don't typically learn in a classroom: from budgeting and resume writing to maturely managing emotions. However, we quickly realized that piecemealing together this curriculum was more challenging than we expected.”

A Connection 12 Years in the Making

Around the same time these conversations were happening with JEC’s leadership, Flint Global had just started their first Thriving Skills program in Colombia with visions of expanding the program in the coming years. In July of 2021, Justin Sims, Flint’s Thriving Skills Director, connected with Sarah Catherine to arrange a visit to JEC later in the year. Back in 2010, Justin worked as a summer intern for JEC and wanted to make a return trip in the fall to reconnect with some of the boys he knew before they left the home. While JEC was not yet receiving visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, they were looking for a program like Thriving Skills. Providentially it seems, God brought JEC and Flint together at just the right time.

“By 2021, we were at a critical point when we realized that 10-12 boys would be graduating out of JEC within the next 2 years and we didn't feel they were adequately prepared to be on their own. When the connection was made between Flint Global and JEC, it was as if a light switch had turned on. This incredible curriculum was not only already created but also successfully implemented for us to see it at work.” Sarah Catherine said.  

Partnership Launch and Early Impacts 

In February 2022, the Thriving Skills partnerships between Flint Global and JEC began with the first cohort of 11 boys ages 18-22. On the ground, Chelsea Millón leads the program, as JEC’s local coordinator, either by teaching the weekly class using Flint’s curriculum or coordinating substitute teachers of local professionals who can incorporate real-life experiences into the lessons. Chelsea also receives weekly coaching from Carolina Patiño, Flint’s program coordinator, who has more than 7 years of experience implementing the program with child protection homes around Latin America. Together, Flint’s team works with Chelsea and JEC’s team to better serve current students and help the program to become an enduring part of the home’s holistic support for future generations. 

Through August 2022, students had completed 22 of the 45 total classes and educational experiences focused on job preparation and life skills for independent living. With 3 months still remaining, many students, like Darwin and Josian, have already seen the fruits of their work in the program:

DARWIN

"I HAVE GOALS AND DREAMS, AND THIS COURSE HAS HELPED ME A LOT BECAUSE BEFOREHAND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO AFTER I LEFT JOVENES EN CAMINO. HOWEVER, THIS COURSE IS GUIDING ME LITTLE BY LITTLE SO THAT I DON'T BLANK OUT WHEN I LEAVE THE HOME. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BUSINESS, BUT IN ORDER TO START ONE, I WOULD HAVE TO SAVE A VERY GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY. BUT I HAVE A VERY BIG PROBLEM, WHICH IS THAT I AM NOT A FAN OF SAVING. BUT WITH THE SAVINGS CLASS I FEEL VERY GOOD AND RELIEVED BECAUSE THEY HAVE GIVEN ME VERY GOOD IDEAS TO BE ABLE TO DO IT. NOW I ONLY HAVE TO DO THE MOST DIFFICULT PART, WHICH IS TO BE ABLE TO PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE!...I AM SUPER GRATEFUL!”

JOSIAN

"I HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT MANAGING MY MONEY. I HAVE HAD A BREAKTHROUGH IN THINKING ABOUT MY FUTURE AND IDENTIFYING WHAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH MY WAY OF THINKING AND BEING ABLE TO GET OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE...NOW I CAN SHARE IDEAS ABOUT COOKING OR ABOUT BANKING SITUATIONS THAT I ACQUIRED IN THE CLASSES AND CLEARED MANY DOUBTS THAT I HAD."

And for one student in particular, Norman Josue, Thriving Skills has even helped him achieve a critical life transition: landing his first paid job. While Norman engaged eagerly in the program from the beginning, the classes on job preparation and occupational interests motivated him to look for work during the summer break. Using the network available to him at Jóvenes en Camino and the new skills acquired through the program, Norman acquired his first job as a sales representative at a local branch of a regional telephone company. 

Summarizing the impact of the partnership thus far, Sarah Catherine reflected, “We can already see what we knew would be true, these boys' futures are brighter because of the Thriving Skills program, and they will be prepared and educated adults when they encounter independent living.”