Impact Story: L.'s Journey with Lead-Up

L. is a 19 year old young woman from Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez in Guatemala.

Young L. has mixed feelings when recalling her childhood. The memories bring up both joyful and sad emotions simultaneously, finding it difficult to distinguish between what actually happened and what she simply remembers. Currently, Young L. resides with her mother and one of her brothers in a village of Jocotenango, Sacatepéquez in Guatemala. However, she often feels disconnected to the community and finds it challenging to relate and engage with it.

Her first contact with Lead-Up was through La Esperanza school. Initially, due to a misunderstanding in the information, Young L. thought the project was solely aimed at securing employment, so she was surprised during her first interview with the Lead-Up team to receive a detailed explanation of the programs. After overcoming the initial surprise, Young L. felt even more excited and enthusiastic about her participation in the project, as she discovered that the organization's focus on emotional well-being was an area she had not personally worked on but wanted to improve. Looking back, she acknowledges that she came seeking something different, but what she found ended up exceeding her expectations.

Since then, Young L. has been actively participating in Lead-Up, having participated in the "Discovering Non-Violence" workshops, the vocational program, and the monthly champions' meetings. During her process, she has acquired valuable knowledge and skills that have transformed her life. She learned to regulate her emotions, to better understand herself, to practice conscious breathing, and to use other personal development tools that she was previously unaware of but now considers fundamental in her daily life.

Today, before speaking or reacting, Young L. carefully reflects on the possible consequences of her actions. She has also strengthened her resilience, finding lessons and growth in the obstacles she faces. Thanks to Lead-Up, Young L. has learned to trust herself, the processes, and others. This program has awakened in her a new hope for the future, understanding that everything is temporary and that there are always new experiences to live.

These learnings have had a significant impact on her relationships, both personal with her mother and professional with her coworkers. Young L. recognizes that the most notable change has been her ability to transition from reacting to acting. She now takes her time to manage her emotions through breathing before responding to others. This change has been crucial, as she recalls how she used to engage in arguments due to her temper and impulsiveness, sometimes expressing her frustration with aggression and shouting.

The transformative process in which she has been immersed has allowed Young L. to adopt a calmer and more reflective attitude, which has improved the quality of her interactions and has given her greater inner peace. She now feels more in control of her emotions and has learned to communicate assertively, expressing her thoughts and feelings respectfully and constructively.

What she likes most about being part of Lead-Up is feeling included and welcomed. In Lead-Up spaces, Young L. feels the freedom and security to be authentic, to express herself, and to be seen for who she truly is. Although she is still discovering who she wants to become in the future and what her passion is, having the opportunity to explore it in a safe space has been an important part of her process.

Currently, Young L. dreams of becoming a flight attendant, a dream that finally took shape by participating in Lead-Up and allowing herself to dream for the first time. What she is most proud of now and the most important achievement she can recognize at the moment is feeling good and trusting herself, knowing that she can do and be what she sets out to do.

L. shared her story and allowed us to share it on condition of anonymity, the photos reflect a diverse group of young women who have participated in our programs.