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Xavier Hernández, CI Field Reporter – Mexico
By definition, we understand sharing as the act of giving a part of ourselves to someone else so that both of us can enjoy it. We can also view it as a pleasure, a situation or some kind of circumstance experienced simultaneously by two or more people. Basically, sharing can lead down impressive and amazing paths.
The simple act of communicating implies sharing, whether it’s ideas, emotions, feelings or doubts. By communicating with each other, we are sharing a bit of what’s on our mind. I think we’ve all experienced that just by saying it out loud and sharing a problem with someone else, we can see it from a different point of view. It can provide a sense of relief; the empathy we are shown calms us, and this helps us to better solve problems.
At Children International, we love to share. Day by day, we see the effects of this action: Our awesome sponsors who share their time with their sponsored kids represent an incredible motivation. Sponsors help our kids remember that they are not alone in the world. We have each other to lean on.
Photos from sponsor visits remind kids that their sponsors care deeply for them.
At the community centers, both volunteers and sponsored kids experience a deep sense of gratitude when they gain new knowledge. The barriers they may have encountered disappear, and the world acquires new depth. This gratitude becomes a driving force that fills them with energy. This is why it’s common to see the youth share their knowledge with younger kids, with their friends and with whoever approaches them with an interest in learning.
Teens performed for kids in the community at an event in Mexico hosted by Youth Council members last year.
So what happens when we share? What happens is almost magical. We build a chain that pushes us to cover great distances, to reach new goals, to feel like we’re part of something big. We feel an unparalleled satisfaction, because the day we learn something new and expand our perspective, it makes us want to learn more and more. We realize there are many things we don’t know. We begin to crave knowledge and sharing what energizes us.
That’s how our communities grow rapidly and collaboratively and overcome challenges. After all, what is a community if not a very large family?
Being part of CI has been a share-worthy experience. I’ve learned so much about other cultures, other visions and people who live in my own country. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn all this without CI.
