YMCA of Panama

Panama is a narrow land bridge connecting North and South America. It borders Colombia to the east, Costa Rica to the west, and the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean to the north and south. The Panama Canal, built by the United States after Panama gained independence from Colombia in 1903, joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Panama's landscape is mountainous with lowlands on both coastlines cut by streams. Only about a quarter of the country is inhabited with the majority of the country's 2.8 million people living around the Canal and the main cities of Panama City and Colon.

The culture, customs and language of the Panamanians are predominantly Caribbean Spanish. Ethnically, the majority of the population is mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian) or mixed Spanish, Indian, Chinese and West Indian. Spanish is the official and dominant language; English is a common second spoken language. Eighty-five percent of Panama's population is Roman Catholic. Education is free and compulsory for children ages seven through 15, and nearly 91 percent of the population can read and write.

Now, firmly established as a democracy, the country has a legal system based on a constitution and is politically stable with a growing economy.

The YMCA of Panama
The YMCA of Panama was established in 1966 and is accomplishing its mission through three primary projects: Community Youth Centers and Camp, Youth Employment and the YMCA School.

The Youth Centers provide programs related to sports, art, community leadership and volunteerism. In 1969 and 1972, land was donated to the YMCA of Panama by Margerite Y. Budreau and Adrien M. Bouche (previous employees of the Panama Canal Company) to facilitate programs that would contribute to the essential development of youth in Panama. In response, the YMCA of Panama created a camp for youth and young adults ages 14 to 25 to cultivate community leaders.

The YMCA School provides the population of the West side of Panama with formal education and services from preschool to fifth grade. The school initiated classes in March 2005 with 78 students. A year later, the student population increased to 217. The programs place emphasis on ethical values, languages and computer science and offer programs such as music, arts, theater and sports.

To learn more about YMCA work around the world visit www.ymca.net/worldservice.

It's time for that holiday, certainly, but also cultivating an ongoing spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving even during trying times. Gratitude takes practice, reorienting our disposition and looking in the "plus" column of our lives. When we're successful with our gratitude, it also helps inspire well-being in ourselves and a generosity toward others. Some ideas for making thankfulness a regular part of your routine:

• Make a list of things you're thankful for-the act of writing them gives you pause to reflect
  Meditate or be silent in thanks
• Pray
• Dance-did you know there's a gratitude dance? Enter "gratitude dance" into You Tube's search engine or make up one of your own
• Don't compare what you have with others. Everyone experiences great joy and great pain regardless of their situation.
• Volunteer-sharing your time, talent or treasure is a way of giving thanks

November 26th is just the beginning of a more thankful mindset.