BFF Back To School With A Purpose Event kickstarted on Thursday with outreach by some Youth Ambassadors. Our Youth Ambassadors targeted the community of downtown Yakima near the Convention Center to spread awareness within the close vicinity of where the event was going to take place. Thursday was also the arrival of Youth Ambassadors that don’t live within the city limits. They joined forces with the local Youth Ambassadors with one sole mission: “Back to School with a Purpose!”
Our Youth Ambassador Lead Coordinator: Gabriella Verduzco partnered with our Head Allocation and Logistics Manager: Toluwani Ayeni to lead the ambitious youth ambassadors to begin packing bags for the event. This daunting task was no match for the BFF Youth Ambassadors they were able to pack a whopping amount of 185 Bags within 2 Hours. These bags consisted of Notebooks, Writing Utensils, and other various items that would leave a smile on any child’s face. After the conclusion of packing items; the ambassadors closed up for the night returning to their respective accommodations to rest for an eventful Friday.
Our Youth Ambassador Lead Coordinator: Gabriella Verduzco partnered with our Head Allocation and Logistics Manager: Toluwani Ayeni to lead the ambitious youth ambassadors to begin packing bags for the event. This daunting task was no match for the BFF Youth Ambassadors they were able to pack a whopping amount of 185 Bags within 2 Hours. These bags consisted of Notebooks, Writing Utensils, and other various items that would leave a smile on any child’s face. After the conclusion of packing items; the ambassadors closed up for the night returning to their respective accommodations to rest for an eventful Friday.
Friday was the day of the Youth Ambassadors Workshop. The theme for the day was: “Equipped to Lead, Inspired to Serve” the first Seminar hosted by Mr. Gabriel Nketah. Titles “Your Role, Your Voice: Making Impact That Lasts” gave our Youth Ambassadors an insightful training on how to be a positive impact in their communities and try to influence other youths to follow suit. He first introduced biblical youth leaders like: Daniel and Joseph and related them to real life youth trailblazers like Malala and Greta. These correlations gave the Youth Ambassadors the ability to understand that they don’t have to wait until they are old in age to use their God given talents,skills, and voice to make an impact on the world, and these big impacts can be results of small acts, such as: the back the school with a purpose event where the youth ambassadors will be giving deserving children free school supplies. Gabriel Nketah ended the session with a powerful statement which stated: “When your ROLE aligns with your VOICE; and your VOICE is used to SERVE - that is impact that lasts.” After, the youth ambassadors were provided a delicious lunch and a time to relax before their last seminar which was given by our board member: Mr. Lee Spakousky titled: Make a Difference. Mr. Lee Spakousky dived into the phenomenon of a technique known as the Fosbury Flop; where a high jumper thought of his own high jump technique that would give him an edge over his competitors. This technique was unprecedented but it changed the high jumping game. Till date high jumpers use this method and it has become the standard. Mr. Lee Spakousky wrapped up the seminar correlating that the Youth Ambassadors too can make a difference. That doing something different in a positive light even if it has an impact on the minority it will still be a big impact because the difference was made. Friday wrapped up with a time of prayer for personal requests and the success of the event on Saturday.
Saturday was the big day. The day of the: Back to School with a Purpose Event. Youth Ambassadors, Leadership, and Volunteers arrived by 8:45 to start setting up for the event. Trucks and Cars were unloaded, tables were set, and everyone was at their respective stations. All the organizers arrived and they were ready to inform on what organization they were representing. The program was held at Yakima Convention Center and over 200 people attended. after checking in and going through the opening remarks, everyone was separated into their groups. Elementary students were placed together and they went through learning with fun. Middle and high school students did their first workshop titled “Level Up: Academic Success + Mental Health Awareness”. This was co-facilitated by Erik Mickelson and Dominic Declaire. They learned how to balance their mental health with their academic journey. Parents were placed in a workshop titled “Partnering for Student Success: What Families & Schools can do Together”. They had the opportunity to ask questions to Tyler Beauchamp, a Yakima school district counselor. After the first round of workshops ended, middle and high school students did a team building challenge. It taught them how to work in groups, showing them the importance of teamwork. Parents started their second session titled “Partnering for Family Success: Financial Wellness” led by Monica Sanchez. She taught them different financial tips and how to plan for a successful financial life for themselves and their kids.
All the sessions were uplifting as people had questions, listened attentively and properly participated. After the sessions were wrapped up, a raffle was held, and people got the chance to win different prizes ranging from a Lego set to an iPad. The event was brought to a close by the school drive supplying students with the necessary school materials. We believe everyone that attended left the event with insight to better their future whether it be through information or through resources, because that’s exactly what we do! At Better Future Finders we do just that!
All the sessions were uplifting as people had questions, listened attentively and properly participated. After the sessions were wrapped up, a raffle was held, and people got the chance to win different prizes ranging from a Lego set to an iPad. The event was brought to a close by the school drive supplying students with the necessary school materials. We believe everyone that attended left the event with insight to better their future whether it be through information or through resources, because that’s exactly what we do! At Better Future Finders we do just that!
