The hope for the future of La Isla lies with the children of the community. My time here in Nicaragua has been focused on this hope.
When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. Now at 21 years old, I have many dreams that I am working on achieving even though becoming an astronaut is not among them. But, I know that if I really had the desire to become an astronaut, with hard work and determination, I could make that dream come true. Kids need to dream and imagine. But they also need to know that their dreams do not need to stay as dreams forever. Although some may be skeptical of this, it is true.
In the elementary school in La Isla, you can see such a spark in the kids eyes. Whether they are playing a new game in English class, typing paragraphs from a book into a Word document, or coloring in a picture of a cartoon character; they make good use of their imagination. Right now, these kid’s imagination can serve as an escape from reality. I hate to think that these children’s realities will take over their imagination and their dreams all too soon. Dreaming definitely seems to be a difficult thing to hold onto in a place where they are constantly cut short, but the work that La Isla Foundation is doing is trying to keep that spark and bringing back the possibilities of making dreams become realities for the community.
No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to fly high. No government, no legislature, has the right to limit your dreams. You should never agree to surrender your dreams.
–Jesse Jackson
Cheryl Bellisario