My name is Venice Lupus and I was a part of Fiji July 2019 as a member of the business committee. Almost everyday as a part of the business committee, myself and one other member would teach business seminars to the women of the village. There were 4 different groups of women from the village that we taught about the basics of business and marketing. Myself and another teammate had previously assigned subjects to teach to the women and would conduct a lecture to them. We would teach about the 5 p’s of business and how they could implement these aspects into their own businesses. We taught about 4 business lessons each and we created a ‘competition” to see who could come up with the best business plan at the end of our lessons at the end of the trip. Throughout our teachings, we helped walk the women of the village through how to make a successful business plan. In doing this, I got to hear so many creative ideas about what the businesses were, how they would market their business, and I began to see a level of knowledge grow in these women that was not there in the beginning. At the end of our lessons we gave the women a chance to present their business plan to the business committee, and we would distribute start up cash depending on how well the women’s presentation of their business plan went.
I was blown away as they were presenting. Not only did they understand and remember everything we taught them, they made what we taught them into their own unique ideas. Watching each woman present with such confidence and understanding with what we taught them put me in tears. I felt as if I had greatly impacted them and that they had a deeper understanding of something that could impact their lives for the better. After all of the women presented their ideas, our committee met and decided how much money we would award to the women. The next day at closing ceremonies, our committee went around and pulled each woman aside and told her how proud we were and the amount of money we were giving them and tips on how they could improve their business. When we presented them with the money each of their eyes overflowed with tears. They were so thankful to have each of us helping them along the way and they told us that what we did for them was going to help better their lives and improve their situation. I was filled with joy.
I learned that by simple acts of helping others, I can make a monumental impact on someone’s life. I also learned that by taking a chance and putting in full effort, I can make a change and impact someone for the better. Even though they spoke a different language than me, I found it easy to communicate and teach them because of their interest and eagerness to learn, and my patience and passion for the subject. This experience has influenced me to always put passion and heart into what I am teaching, always offer my input and help if I see someone who needs it, and always have the confidence that I can make a change in someone’s life by connecting with people and helping them. My experience with the business committee in Fiji and with Youthlinc has changed my outlook on myself on others, and has allowed me to connect and teach others, helping to improve their lives. Thank you to Youthlinc for giving me the opportunity to allow me to change the lives of others, and establish everlasting friendships and memories.
