Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Local Youth Group Attends Seminar

Can you appreciate the American standard living? That's what a group of young men and women had to determine recently.

World hunger, starvation and the barter system was on the minds of the youths (Boys to Men and Girls to Women) as they toured and made camp at the Heifer Project International (HPI) campgrounds near Perryville March 24 and 25.

Most of the first timers were in for a surprise that night. The youths had to use their abilities and wits in order to prepare for the evening meal and sleeping accommodations.

Life in the global village, where the youths had to make do with the rations issued to them. Neither group had enough of any one item to make a full meal. So they had to trade goods for goods in order to make a meal. Global Village is composed of five huts: Guatemala, Africa, Appalachia, The Barro and The Shack. These villages are very improvised according to America's living standards.

The youths and adults toured the village to gain an understanding of the relationship between people, land and animals and develop living skills for life in the village.

The objective was to teach them how to survive in a very poor living environment and to utilize the barter (trading goods for items they do not have) system.

All the participants gained an enlightened understanding of impoverished third world countries and what can be done to alleviate hunger and starvation in the world and how neighboring villages rely on each other for survival.

After a very pleasant night at Global Village the youths now have a better appreciation for shelter, food and other amenities provided by their parents.

HPI was established to assist impoverished countries with very chronic health and living conditions. Heifers (young calves) are given to families in less fortunate countries for the following reasons: money, meat, milk, muscles, material, manure and motivation, thus improving their living conditions.

The first heifer offspring is to be passed on to another poor family in the village and the cycle continues.

HPI is a nonprofit organization that has helped more than a million impoverished families through out the world become more self-reliant through gifts of livestock and training in their care.

Twenty youths and four adults participated in the weekend activity.

Boys to Men and Girls to Women is a non-profit organization established to help at risk young men and women avoid the use of drug, alcohol, tobacco, gang violence and teen pregnancy; and assist them in becoming productive citizens in the society.