Ernesto's story

Ernesto is from Cochabamba, Bolivia. He has been working with YMCA Kanata on an HIV/AIDS prevention project. Through his involvement in the YMCA, he has discovered a vocation for volunteering and serving others.

“I’ve been involved in the HIV/AIDS prevention project as a facilitator and coordinator of radio programmes on health issues. I’ve also participated in excursions, camps, and workshops on personal development run by YMCA Kanata.”

Ernesto has been trained as a peer educator on HIV/AIDS. He says he particularly enjoyed being part of the radio broadcasting project, which helped raise awareness of the issue among young people in rural areas: “I’ve most enjoyed the process of reflection it has sparked in young people”.

Ernesto says that through his involvement with the YMCA, he has learnt team-work, and how to value other people and accept them as they are. “The time spent at the YMCA has allowed me to discover in myself a vocation for service and volunteering. I hope that I will be able to continue working with the YMCA and helping those most in need.”