OYE Staff member featured

Last month I was able to spend some time in the states visiting family, friends and a few universities. During my visit at Augustana College I was invited to share my experience with the student newspaper. Last week they published the story, read the opening or click on the link below to read the whole thing.

"In May 2008, with a degree in her hand and a dream in her mind, Augustana alumnus Katherine Burdine stumbled upon the Web site www.idealist.org, an online directory of non-profit jobs and volunteer opportunities.

Two months and two short e-mails later, Burdine packed her bags and boarded a plane to El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras to volunteer with the Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE, pronounced oh-yay, which means "listen" in Spanish).
Having traveled abroad before, Burdine was excited for another adventure.

"It was kind of this strange, spontaneous thing," she said. "But I knew I wanted to do some sort of volunteer work, and I knew that I needed to have an adventure. It was never really questioned why."

Speaking little Spanish, Burdine spent her first month in Honduras in a village learning the language. After 30 days of intensive study, she headed to her new home.

For Burdine, El Progreso, with a population of about 100,000, felt more like a small town than a big city. By day, the center of town thrives with open-air markets and commerce. By night, the vendors retreat back to their home communities, which can be several miles away, Burdine said.

"It's brilliant," she said. "I love my little town..."


See the whole article at The Mirror, and Kat Burdine.

Thank you Megan, and the Mirror for posting this story!

Clip of the Week

Welcome to OYE second clip of the week. This video was taken by OYE staff while driving through the center early one morning. Throughout the day these streets are packed with pedestrian traffic, cars and vendors. When you first arrive in Progreso it can be one of the most confusing, and overwhelming places. However, after spending a little bit of time there, these 10 square blocks become a treasure trove of fresh produce, cheap clothing, hilarious interactions and brilliant adventures.

El Progreso - Blast from the Past

At first glance El Progreso seems like a bustling labor driven city. A place where you´re just as likely to pull up next to a horse drawn cart at a red light as you are a luxury SUV. On the corner where pioneering old ladies have sold their tortillas for decades you now find them sitting in bunches in front of one of the city´s Pizza Huts. This is El Progreso, Honduras. A city that experienced its glory years as a country club resort for the top executives of United Fruit. This was years ago, in the 50´s and 60´s, when the lawns were manicured and the royal palms lined the central boulevard. Back when the rest of Central America didn't have a rail system or airports, El Progreso did. Of course the famous strike of 1954 saw over 60,000 workers marching across the Puente de la Democracia and into El Progreso demanding fair wages and workers rights. They even secured a national holiday in honor of their courage and conviction, 1st of may is now called Labor Day in Honduras. Indeed history has left its mark on El Progreso.

The Progreso and Honduras of today is a bitter contrast to the days when it was better known as the Banana Republic. Times are rough, unemployment is up and jobs are scarce. However, while the economic crisis continues to sink deep into the veins of the world´s commerce, it seems that over the past few years El Progreso has experienced steady growth. The past three years alone have brought a brand new beautiful UTH University, a new MegaPlaza mall and a new Antorcha supermarket. Each development bringing with it jobs, investment, and opportunity.

Without so much as the blink of an eye, one could cruise right through El Progreso and not even notice it. At first glance it seems like an uneventful city with not much to offer the casual visitor.

However, there is a shining star in town. A place where youth from across the city join forces to unite under a common cause. This place of course is OYE. After mere seconds of hanging out downtown in the OYE offices you are instantly greeted by any number of teenagers who pass through the doors everyday. Ask them why they are here and they will tell you with a big smile that they love OYE. They are OYE scholarship recipients. Ask them about their dreams and hopes for the future and they will fill the air with responses like; teacher, doctor, engineer, computer programmer, OYE STAFF!!

Within OYE´s doors lies the future of El Progreso. The future of Honduras. They are the next generation, the ones that are getting ready to take charge and lead. If you ask them how they will accomplish this they will tell you; Because my Voice is Powerful. Mi Voz es Poder. Look, it says so on my OYE shirt they will say, for everyone to see. They will tell you that they already know that true and real change will only come when we commit ourselves to giving back to our communities. My Voice is Powerful. My name is Justin Eldridge-Otero and I am a proud member of the OYE family. I invite you to come experience OYE in Honduras and see what REAL change looks like.

Magazine update: October Issue

This month OYE students released their sixth magazine! This issue is exciting because we were able to hold off printing until the qualifiers for the world cup finished and Honduras is going to South Africa!! The whole country is a buzz. People are still celebrating in the streets and singing as they walk to work. Inside the cover there is a two-page spread of the event and an article written by Leonardo Mendoza explaining his emotions and excitement that night.

Check it out soon in PDF form on-line to look in side and see what kids are talking about these days.

Clip of the Week

Welcome to OYE's Clip of the week! We would like to share the sights and sounds of life in Progreso through the eyes of our volunteers, staff and students. Look forward to next weeks Clip of the week!



Hola from Patty in 2 de Marzo.

This quick clip is of a girl, Patty, waving and hiding behind "la pila" in her back year. A pila is a cement washing basin and wash board. They are used for pretty much everything, from bathing, to washing clothes, to storing water when there is none. You will be hard pressed to find a house without one!