June 2017

The Sunshine Times WELCOME BACK! Welcome to the second edition of The Sunshine Times! This edition intends to compile the most im-

portant qualitative and quantitative developments of the work carried out by our Volunteers and coun-

terparts of Ecuador in the field of substance abuse prevention and life skills between January and June

2017.

In this edition, you will find inspiring stories from the field from Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) that

have implemented the Kid’s Connection, Too curriculum in their communities, you will also learn about

the first ever Kid’s Connection, Too training for Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL) PCVs

held at the beginning of May which makes us very proud. This means that this methodology will be im-

plemented around the country by Volunteers from our three existing Peace Corps projects here in Ecua-

dor: Youth and Families Development (Y&F), Community Health and TEFL. Additionally, there is some

big news for sustainability so make sure you check out page 2 and stay tuned for the next The Sunshine

Times for updates!!

We are also very excited to share some of the results provided by those PCVs implementing Kid’s Con-

nection Too in their communities which have been submitted in their recent work reports. The data

collection, monitoring and assessment have been intense and we want to recognize our PCVs’ hard work

in sharing their groups’ progress with us. It is very inspiring to start seeing some changes within the

children, youth and families we work with.

As VL Courtney Heptig will be closing her four years of service this coming August, we have started her

transition and I am happy to share with you all that Courtney will be passing on the torch to Y&F Pro-

gramming and Training Specialist Ana Pérez, who will be soon

certified by Rainbow Days as an official trainer and will be taking

the lead of this program starting in August of 2017. I would like to

take the opportunity to thank Courtney for all her amazing work

and support for bringing this program to Ecuador, while contrib-

uting to one of the most pressing social issues faced by youth and

families around our country. Courtney will be greatly missed and

we wish her the best of the best in her new adventures after Peace

Corps!

I would not be able to end this edition without acknowledging the

invaluable and ongoing support received by the Dallas-based

organization Rainbow Days, Inc. and the CEO Cathey Brown and

her team since we started the dream of bringing this methodology

to Ecuador. Thank you for believing and supporting our work and

tireless efforts to positively contribute and prevent the substance

abuse prevention in our communities. Mil gracias for your latest

donation of hardcopy and digital Kid’s Connection Too curricu-

lums that will be greatly used by our new group of Volunteers!!

Youth and Families Development Program Manager,

Cristina Rojas

Youth and Families

Development

Program

RAINBOW DAYS INC. AND CURRICULUM-BASED

SUPPORT GROUP “KID’S CONNECTION TOO”

“The mission of Rainbow Days, Inc.

(RDI) is to inspire and prepare chil-

dren to live a life filled with hope

and promise. The purpose of our

Curriculum-Based Support Group

(CBSG®) Program is to provide

children living in high-risk situa-

tions with the skills and support they

need to overcome adversity, stay in

school, and stay free of drugs, vio-

lence, and crime. The CBSG® Pro-

gram is a unique, evidence-based

preventive intervention, recognized

by the Center for Substance Abuse

Prevention (CSAP), the U. S. Depart-

ment of Housing and Urban Develop-

ment (HUD), and the National Regis-

try of Evidence-Based Programs and

Practices (NREPP.)”

Kid’s Connection Too

Program Overview

Cathey Brown, CEO and founder of

Rainbow Days Inc.

Cris Rojas with the newest ship-

ment of Kid’s Connection Too

Materials!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Big News For Sustainability ....2

Making an Impact ....................3

Witnessing Growth ..................3

The Major Messages ................4

Small Successes .......................4

Passing on the Torch ...............5

Graduation Fun! ......................5

Data Collection Results! ..........6

2 2 Volunteer Leader Courtney Heptig with the Newly Trained TEFL Volunteers

In early May, Ana Perez (Youth and Families Programming and Training Specialist) and I

held the first ever Kid’s Connection Too training for TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign

Language) Volunteers! Because of limited funding, we scheduled the training for when the

Volunteers would all be in the capital for their mid-service conference. However, because

of scheduling we could only offer it in the evening, after normal office hours. We designed

the training for 2 evenings during the week and I was truly impressed with the number of

Volunteers that still wanted to participate. 11 TEFL Volunteers participated in the training

and became certified Kid’s Connection Too facilitators! They were an absolute joy to work

with! They were very excited to participate in the training even though it was late and after

a full day of activities. The newly trained facilitators were very enthusiastic about the cur-

riculum and were eager to start implementing it in their communities right away. They

were such a wonderful group to train!

Not only was the training a huge success, but the Volunteers also gave us a wonderful sur-

prise! On the first night of training, I briefly mentioned that the curriculum was only in

English and that we did not currently have the funds to get the manual translated. The

Volunteers discussed amongst themselves and then on the second evening announced to

us that they were going take on the project of translating the manual into Spanish! I was so

thrilled and surprised that I almost started crying! They are currently working hard on the

translation and we will hopefully be able to tell you all about it in the next newsletter!

When the manual is translated into Spanish, we will then be able to not only train Volun-

teers but also Ecuadorian counterparts and community members to become facilitators.

This is one giant step towards Kid’s Connection Too becoming an even more sustainable

project here in Ecuador! I am so grateful that the Volunteers believe in this project as

much as I do and are willing to work to expand its outreach here.

I want to thank all of the TEFL Volunteers who not only participated in the training but

who also took on this huge project! This resource will be able to go so far with such incred-

ible people like you supporting it!

Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, Courtney Heptig

BIG NEWS FOR SUSTAINABILITY!

Opening Ritual

Sunshine and

Cloud

“The objective of

“Sunshine and Cloud” is to

allow each group partici-

pant the chance to share

with fellow group members

his or her “Sunshine” –

something positive that

made them feel good and/

or their “Cloud” – some-

thing they don’t like or

made them feel sad in the

past day or week. This ac-

tivity also provides con-

sistency, sense of belong-

ing and acceptance, and an

opportunity to share feel-

ings. It is an easy way for

the facilitator to “check in”

with the group and gain a

sense of what has hap-

pened in their lives since

the last session.”

Kid’s Connection Too,

Implementation

MAKING AN IMPACT

In April, I held a Kid’s Connection Too camp in my site of Pasaje, El Oro. We

had morning and afternoon sessions depending on age and incorporated one to

two Kid’s Connection Too activities in each session based on age. I had the help

of 15 other Peace Corps Volunteers and one Volunteer on each team was trained

in Kid’s Connection Too. Total we reached 140 kids and taught them all the

major message chant! We started and ended every session with this chant and

the kids absolutely loved it.

One of my favorite things was watching the kids open up to the Peace Corps

Volunteers. Throughout the week the answers became deeper as the kids began

to trust their leader and some of the answers blew me away. When we were on

our last day of “I believe” we talked about the ways in which we would like to

change Pasaje. Kids as young as eight years old opened up about how they did

not feel safe in their school, how they were worried about kids selling drugs at

schools, and how they wanted a cleaner Pasaje. The leaders did a great job of

fostering discussion and turning the problems of Pasaje into challenges that we

could tackle together. On the third day, with “I have”, a few of the kids even

wrote down their Peace Corps leader as a positive influence they have in their

life that could support them. Another activity that really resonated with the kids

was the Red Light/Green Light “I can” activity. The kids really began to under-

stand that they can make healthy decisions on their own and do not need to

make the same decisions their friends or parents make. I saw the change for a

lot of the kids but especially with the younger group aged 8-12 years old.

The week long camp was a great starting point for the students and I am look-

ing forward to starting this program in some of the schools and high schools

around Pasaje to continue the work that was started.

Peace Corps Volunteer,

Courtney Evans

WITNESSING

GROWTH

The greatest thing that Kid's

Connection Too provides for

my kids is the consistent

structure of the curriculum

that not only allows the kids

to know what to expect and

familiarize themselves the

process, but also to integrate

themselves better into the

group and source material.

The curriculum provides both

familiarity and novelty in a

way that does not bore the

kids while working to steer

them toward positive under-

standing and insight. The

structure makes the kids feel

safe to participate and ex-

press themselves. I have

watched my kids certainly

grow within the time of this

curriculum and it has been a

treat.

Peace Corps Volunteer,

Nicholas Nguyen

Volunteer Courtney Evans and Jonathan VanTreeck leading a session.

3

MAJOR MESSAGES

I AM

likeable, capable, unique

and valued.

I CAN

treat others like I want to be

treated.

I HAVE

strengths, capabilities and

people who care about me.

I WILL

make healthy choices and be

alcohol, tobacco and drug

free.

I BELIEVE

I have a purpose.

During the month of March, myself and

12 other Volunteers led a camp for ap-

proximately 80 children ages 6-11 years

old. Each day the kids started out with

their team cheer and the major messages

from Kids Connection, Too. Small groups

of 12 students then went to enjoy small

group sessions for English, sports and a

small group meeting on the substance

abuse prevention curricu-

lum. Monday, they took a short pre-test

to measure their knowledge on each of

the major messages (I am, I can, I have, I

will, and I believe). Then each day of the

week the small groups did an activity

from each major message. "I Am" focused

on their abilities, "I Can" focused on the

golden rule, which we pushed during the

sports games and with a community mu-

ral, "I Have" focused on their friends in

their lives and each child made a bracelet

to represent their friends, "I Will" had the

kids running a chopstick race to make

healthy decisions in their lives, and finally

"I Believe" had the students make goals

for their summer vacations. The final day,

each child took the post-test and im-

proved immensely on their self-esteem

and knowledge of healthy choices.

Six weeks later I was in the middle of my

vacation soccer course and I went to ex-

plain something saying "Yo tengo" and

one of the boys who had done the camp

broke into "Yo soy, yo tengo, yo puedo, yo

haré, yo creo" with hand motions and

everything. Best thing ever!

Peace Corps Volunteer, Melia Cerrato

SMALL SUCCESSES

When I was in Puerto Lopez, I did this program with a small group of about 6 adolescents. At

first, it took some time to get them to get down the hand movements, talk openly and trust both

myself and the others in the group. I remember one young man in particular was very slow to

warm up. Despite his timid nature and discomfort, he kept coming back every week. I never

pushed him nor did I let others in the group push him to open up. I just made sure he knew that

whatever he was feeling was valid and okay. Little by little, he started to open up. One day, around

week 6, I believe, I ended up walking home with him. On that walk, he told me something very

personal about his life. While I didn't have any solutions or guidance for him on how to navigate

what he was going through, I was there to listen. I ended up having a coffee with his family and

hanging out at their house for the afternoon. Would he have felt comfortable talking to me with-

out the Kid’s Connection Too program? No. Absolutely not. That's why I think this program is so

great. It builds relationships with youth in a very unique way. And I very much consider this

young man's ability to talk to me a success story. Do I know the impact that I and the program

had on him? Not really. But I do know that because of the program and our discussing of feelings

and life issues he was able to successfully have a conversation about his life without any harsh

consequences. And that, very much, is a successful impact of this program.

Peace Corps Volunteer, Jonathan Ford 4

THE MAJOR MESSAGES

Campers participating in an “I Will” activity about making healthy choices

The Major Message mural from

Melia’s camp in Machala.

As the first official trainer for the Kid’s Connection Too curriculum in Peace Corps Ecuador, I have

had the honor of helping other Volunteers become trained facilitators of this wonderful program.

During my short year as a trainer, I have been able to train 16 Volunteers and have expanded train-

ing opportunities to every program within Peace Corps Ecuador. I have also had the privilege of

working with fellow Volunteers and staff to help make this project more sustainable in the future. It

has been a wonderful experience and while I wish I could stay, it is now my time to close my service.

Over the last few months, we have started preparing for this transition and everyone involved has

agreed that Ana Pérez, the Youth and Families Programming and Training Specialist, is the perfect

person to fill this role. Ana has many years of experience training the Youth and Families Develop-

ment Volunteers and has worked with us throughout the entire process of bringing Kid’s Connection

Too to Ecuador. Ana has participated in several Kid’s Connection Too trainings and most recently

stayed after hours to assist me in the first TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Volunteer

training. Ana also went with me to my counterpart organization and helped me lead classes with one

of my groups. During these classes Ana connected with the students and demonstrated her wonder-

ful facilitator skills. The children she worked with still ask me about her every week! I am confident

that Ana will be an amazing trainer for the curriculum and will continue to expand the program to

work towards its future sustainability!

Everyone please join me in welcoming

Ana Pérez as the future trainer of Kid’s

Connection Too in Peace Corps Ecua-

dor!

Congratulations Ana!

Peace Corps Volunteer Leader,

Courtney Heptig

I started facilitating Kid’s Connection Too ses-

sions in my site, San Pablito de Agualongo, in

late January 2017. My youth group (ages 9-13)

and I met in the local community center and

over the course of eight weeks and I facilitated

twelve different sessions to a total of fourteen

kids. Every session started off with a safe space

for the group to discuss their current feelings

regarding the past week using either of two

materials: a cut-out, laminated sun

(representing a positive experience) and a cut-

out, laminated cloud (representing a negative

experience). No kid is obligated to share how

they feel; it is 100% optional and everything

said in the room stays in the room.

In addition, each session involved a brief dis-

cussion depending on the day's topic, followed

by a hands-on, participatory activity. Activities

could be arts and crafts-related, small dramati-

zations, or involve some writing. But either

way, it’s always the kids' favorite part of the

session. Finally, following the activity, we al-

ways end with the signature Kid’s Connection

Too, major messages: I am, I can, I have, I will,

and I believe.

In mid-March, I organized a small "graduation"

ceremony with the "Rainbow Days" partici-

pants. Using the whiteboard, I started by asking

the group to list the main lessons they learned

over the twelve sessions. Afterward, I organized

each kid to sit along three separate benches in

alphabetical order. Then, I called each student

one by one and asked them to state, publicly,

just one thing they learned in two months.

When they announced their lesson learned, I

said for each kid "... give it up for ______!!"

and then we all clapped for them. Immediately

following that, I gave them a Peace Corps-"Kid’s

Connection Too" certificate verifying their com-

pletion of the curriculum. Finally, as a reward, I

fed the kids bread, yogurt, a banana, and soda.

They were super hyper at the end!

I know each kid felt special that afternoon,

which is exactly what I wanted. I have decided

to continue facilitating "Kid’s Connection Too"

sessions until the end of my service.

Peace Corps Volunteer, Jonathan VanTreeck

GRADUATION FUN!

5

Major Message

Closing Ritual

“Each session ends with the

same closing ritual based on the

five Major Messages designed to

reinforce the major messages

and to renew group and personal

commitments. Each “major mes-

sage” is accompanied by a hand

gesture. This kinesthetic rein-

forcement of the five verbal con-

cepts help children and youth

remember and internalize the

messages. “

Kid’s Connection Too,

Implementation Guidelines

Ana Pérez and Courtney Heptig

handing out graduation certifi-

cates!

PASSING ON THE TORCH Liseth enjoying her Graduation!

On March 31st, 2017 we completed the first reporting period for the facilitators that participated in the original Kid’s Connection

Too training in September 2016! We have compiled the data for all of the indicators included in the curriculum and we are happy

to share some of the results with you. We had a total of 313 participants from groups held in the coastal and highlands region for

the reporting period of October 1, 2016—March 31, 2017.

Out of the 313 participants 256 were from the coast and 57 were from the highlands.

DATA COLLECTION RESULTS!

6

The results were monitored through pre/post testing and through facilitator observation. We have included results for the follow-

ing 5 indicators of the Youth and Families Development Program: Positive Identity and Self-Esteem, Decision Making and Critical

Thinking, Goal Setting, Emotional Health and Substance Abuse Knowledge. Only the participants that were monitored for each

indicator are included in the percentages. As shown in the graph below, many participants have shown a positive increase in their

knowledge, behavior and skills as a result of the curriculum! We are very proud of the results we have received and can’t wait to see

more in October!

If you would like to share your success story or receive future editions of The Sunshine Times please contact Cristina Rojas at

crojas@peacecorps.gov