Recently we hosted the first Transformational Leadership Program: Insight II in at least a decade in Aruba.
The powerful 5-day seminar came to a conclusion on Sunday, July 24th, 2022 with a total of 17 participants.
Among the participants were our Heart-Centered Impact Coaches, volunteers, and our staff members. HCLF believes strongly in strengthening and investing in the capacity of those working closely with us, especially being able to mentor themselves before they can mentor others. For our HCICs, this seminar is part of their training trajectory.
In Insight II, we witnessed remarkable growth among the participants as they slowly opened their hearts to learning life-changing tools such as how to let go of the past, communicate from an open and loving place, trust their intuition when making choices, discover their talents and gifts, and love themselves unconditionally. One of the participants is Uchenna Eugene, a volunteer who has just recently completed the program.
Here’s what she had to say about her experience discovering the power of committing to the heart!
All about me
Hello all! I am Uchenna and I am 20 years old. I completed Teen Insight I back in 2017, Insight I Online in 2021, and Insight II in person in 2022. I have been a volunteer with HCLF since 2017. The first volunteer activity I did for them was ACE Program for a MAVO school in San Nicolas one month after Teen Insight where I assisted as a resource group leader. A few years later, I assisted again as a resource group leader during another ACE Program. I was later asked to become a board member for Heart Centered Youth Leaders (HCYL), HCLF’s youth club when it first started. I remember that with two other volunteers I organized and went to a school to promote HCYL. My job was to create the promotional poster. I remember I went to an Aruban food bank to help package food during the early days of the pandemic. My most recent volunteer activity was assisting in the kitchen during Impact Week. I am currently a college student soon who is preparing to leave the island to study in Canada, where I will be studying Early Childhood Education. My hobbies are reading, listening to K-POP music, and watching anime. I try to live life fully and happily by enjoying and noticing the small things in life.
What was it like to participate in Teen Insight program?
Looking back on Teen Insight it was one of the most pleasurable summer vacations I had as a teen. This was because I got tools that helped me with my confidence. I still have a quote my resource group leader gave me at the time saying I am joyful and confident. I look at the quote every now and then and it brightens up my day. Another aspect that I enjoyed is that I had a friend with me doing Teen Insight. I remember encouraging her to speak up and during the last two days, she did. I am still really proud of her for stepping up and doing that. I also enjoyed break time because three male teens played music, most often local Aruban music. The only sad part is that I have lost contact with many people who did Teen Insight with me since they are studying abroad in the Netherlands or they changed their phone numbers.
How would you describe your experience in the Online Insight I Adults compared to Teen Insight?
The Online Insight I was not as fun as I wanted it to be compared with my memories of Teen Insight. Personally, I was half paying attention. The other half of my attention was on coloring mandalas. I just could not sit still staring at a screen for hours. However, I think the two facilitators Jose and Alicia were very compatible. Alicia was the one who gave the tasks and guided the process making sure that everything was on schedule. Jose was the upbeat and bubbly one always coming up with stories and jokes to try and get us to relate to the tasks. I loved the music they played to notify us we had one minute left to sit back down.
After experiencing both of these programs, what was it like for you to take the next step in your self-growth journey by attending Insight II?
I remember being excited for Insight II during the days leading up to it. When I first showed up I could feel the excitement in the air as I recognized some people. While looking forward to getting to know the others I did not know yet. Now that it has been several weeks since completion I feel I have a new family. Though there were lows at the beginning of the second day, we all perked up when someone decided they would persevere through the seminar. Because of this person we all perked up and headed toward the rest of the seminar ready for the challenges ahead. The low of the second day was that three people we had on the first day decided not to show up again. In my perspective, they did not come again because they did not expect the first day to be so heavy. What really unified us was the two times we went out to eat dinner together as one. We were so loud we emptied out the restaurant with our good vibes.
Is there anything extraordinary that happened in your life after completing Insight II?
One week after Insight II those who could make it went to the house of one of the participants to have a breakfast celebration. It was memorable because we were preparing and cooking the meal together. The day after Insight II a few of us went to Baby Beach to ground ourselves and connect with mother nature. While we were at the beach, someone was lamenting that they don’t often go to the historical spots of the island as a local. A few days later four of us headed on a tour of the island to explore the north side of the island. We visited the Church of Santa Anna, the California Lighthouse by climbing the stairs, and Alto Vista to name a few places we went to. Next on the 31st of July after the glorious breakfast, we had together a similar group exploring the San Nicholas area. We visited places like the red anchor, Grotta di Lourdes and a secret beach with rusting metal stairs. Finally, during the first week of August, we toured Ayo Rock Formation, Dos Playa in Arikok, and the two caves found in Arikok. All in all, Insight II has left me with a wonderful family.
What is your takeaway after completing Insight II?
To conclude, every Insight experience has left me with more confidence and tools to live a happier and healthier life. Hopefully, those who are reading this can also experience something similar to Insight!
We are incredibly grateful to have shared meaningful connections with all the 17 wonderful participants!
Transformational Leadership Program: Insight II was in collaboration with Insight Ibero America and Aruba Insight Seminar. A heartfelt thank you to the excellent team of volunteers from Aruba Insight Seminars who assisted during the 5 days!
This seminar was made possible thanks to partial funding from Fonds 21 and Samenwerkende Fondsen Cariben.
