In Kana Huntu (“Walking Together”), older youth aged 16–25 are trained as mentors—called Animators—who accompany small groups of younger adolescents (ages 11–14) on a year-long journey of reflection, friendship, and community service. Each group meets weekly in schools, community centers, or outdoor spaces, creating a safe and uplifting environment where participants explore moral themes such as unity, truthfulness, perseverance, and purpose. Through storytelling, dialogue, games, and art, they learn to link inner growth with practical action in the world around them.
As groups mature, they identify real needs in their neighborhoods and design small service projects—beautifying a park, organizing a community clean-up, tutoring younger children, or visiting elders. These collaborative experiences awaken empathy, confidence, and teamwork, helping youth discover that they can make a genuine difference, however small their beginnings.
Mentors receive ongoing accompaniment and training from the Awenyo team, participating in reflection circles and leadership workshops that reinforce learning through experience. Over time, these spaces have evolved into intergenerational learning communities—places of joy, service, and renewal—where youth, families, and educators walk together in building character, purpose, and a more united Curaçao.
In Kana Huntu (“Walking Together”), older youth aged 16–25 are trained as mentors—called Animators—who accompany small groups of younger adolescents (ages 11–14) on a structured journey of reflection, service, and friendship. Each group meets weekly in schools, community spaces, or outdoor settings to study uplifting stories and moral themes such as unity, purpose, justice, and perseverance. Through guided discussion, creative expression, and cooperative projects, participants learn to connect inner growth with outward action.
Together they identify small but meaningful needs within their neighborhoods—beautifying a park, supporting an elderly neighbor, organizing a clean-up or a kindness campaign—and carry them out as a team. These experiences strengthen empathy, agency, and teamwork while fostering a genuine sense of belonging.
The mentors themselves receive ongoing accompaniment, reflection circles, and leadership training from the Awenyo team. Over time, these intergenerational circles have become vibrant spaces of learning, joy, and community renewal, where youth rediscover their ability to serve and to shape the moral life of their society.
Since its launch, Kana Huntu has been growing organically through partnerships with local schools, youth organizations, and community groups in Curaçao. The program began with a small pilot circle of youth in Willemstad and has gradually expanded as teachers, parents, and principals observed its positive effect on students’ motivation, behavior, and sense of purpose. Word of mouth and direct invitations have been key drivers of growth, as educators and young participants share their experiences and encourage new groups to form.
Awenyo has now trained multiple cohorts of Animators—young mentors who, after their initial experience, often continue to lead new groups in their own neighborhoods. This “train-and-accompany” model allows the program to replicate naturally without losing depth or spirit. Schools are increasingly inviting Awenyo to integrate the approach within extracurricular programs or moral education courses.
We are now developing facilitator guides, multimedia training materials, and partnerships with the University of Curaçao’s education department to support expansion across the island and, eventually, adaptation to other Caribbean contexts. The program’s growth remains deeply relational—spreading heart to heart, school to school, and community to community.
Kana Huntu has evolved significantly as we have listened to the experiences of youth, mentors, and teachers. During the first cycles, we realized that the Animators—older youth serving as mentors—needed deeper accompaniment and opportunities to reflect on their own growth. In response, we developed a structured Animator Training and Support Framework, including monthly reflection circles, peer mentoring, and ongoing coaching by Awenyo facilitators. This has strengthened commitment, deepened learning, and increased the continuity of the program across cohorts.
We also introduced a Teacher Orientation Module to help schools better understand and integrate the approach into their educational rhythm, ensuring sustainability and alignment with the island’s broader educational goals.
Curricular materials have gradually expanded to include new moral and social themes relevant to Curaçao’s context—such as cultural identity, cooperation, gender respect, and environmental stewardship—developed through feedback from participants. The innovation continues to grow as a living process of shared learning, constantly refined through reflection, experience, and community dialogue.
The best way to begin Kana Huntu (“Walking Together”) is to start small—with a group of committed youth and one or two adults willing to accompany them. The essence of the program lies not in fixed materials but in the process of reflection, service, and relationship-building. Begin by forming a small circle of older youth (ages 16–25) interested in learning to serve as mentors. With short orientation sessions and simple study materials provided by Awenyo, they can begin meeting weekly with a small group of younger adolescents (ages 11–14) to explore moral themes, share experiences, and carry out simple acts of service.
We provide step-by-step facilitator guides, sample lesson plans, and orientation materials that can be easily adapted to local languages and cultures. Our team also offers virtual training sessions and ongoing mentorship for schools or organizations wishing to pilot the model. Anyone can start by cultivating the same spirit—walking together with youth in mutual learning and community service—and building the pattern gradually. The framework is simple, flexible, and deeply human: learn together, serve together, reflect together.
