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The Light On Initiative | Youth Mentorship

@lightoninitiative

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Youth mentorship & encouragement✨
Because every child deserves to know
someone left the light on for them💙💜
Founder: @schmericka_

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One of the most meaningful parts of my time in South Africa happened with the help of ya’ll!!!! Walking through a grocery store beside the teachers who pour into children every single day. With y’all’s help we weee able to stock up on groceries for the school.

Before I left, so many of you chose to give through my fundraiser. Every donation, no matter the size, became groceries to feed all the students for several months.

People often ask what giving looks like. Sometimes it isn’t grand stages or big speeches. Sometimes it’s pushing a shopping cart together, hearing someone say, “I haven’t been able to buy this in a long time,” or watching the weight on their shoulders become just a little lighter.

I wish everyone could have witnessed those moments. Not because of what we gave, but because of what we were able to do together.

Your generosity reminded me that kindness travels farther than we ever will. It crossed oceans, filled grocery carts, and, most importantly, reminded people they were seen.

Thank you for trusting me to carry your hearts with me. This is exactly why I believe the Light On Initiative is only just beginning. 🤍

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21 days ago

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Their little faces would light up as they told me all about their favorite things at school, what made them smile, and who they hoped to become one day. There is something so special about hearing a child dream out loud.

Every answer reminded me why this work means so much to me.

Children are born with endless hope. They don’t see limits until the world teaches them to. So if I can be one person who reminds them to dream bigger, believe deeper, and know they are capable of incredible things, then every mile traveled is worth it.

Because where you come from should never determine all the places you can go!!!!!!!!!

I hope they always remember that their dreams are worthy, their voices matter, and this world is waiting for everything they have to offer. 🌍🤍

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21 days ago

I think this is what it feels like to walk in the plans He prepared long before I ever knew they existed. 🤍

(Ephesians 2:10)

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21 days ago

One of my favorite memories came out of nowhere. While driving from the grocery market the teachers started teaching me Afrikaans.

I got almost every word wrong, and we couldn’t stop laughing. They were so patient, helping me try again and again, and it just felt really special.

Some of the best connections I’ve made have come from moments like that, just being open and willing to learn.

I’ll always hold onto those laughs and little lessons.

Dankie 🤍

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21 days ago

Being interviewed by a panel of 7-year-old girls is humbling. 😂💅

They roasted my nails, investigated my love life, and somehow I still passed… I think. 🤍

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21 days ago

Some moments don’t just become memories. They become reminders of why your heart won’t let go of a dream.

While I was in South Africa, one of the teachers walked up to me with the mentorship journal I had given her just days before. She had already started filling it in. As she turned the pages, she joyfully shared it with another teacher, explaining how much the questions had already made her think… how they had given her space to reflect in ways she hadn’t before.

I stood there quietly taking it all in.

Because in that moment, I realized something so much bigger than a journal was unfolding.

We never outgrow the need for mentorship.

We never outgrow the desire to be challenged, encouraged, seen, or reminded that there is still more within us.

And that’s when it hit me…

This is why I feel so alive.

Not because of a journal.

Not because of a trip.

But because I got to witness what happens when someone simply feels invited to grow.

That spark in her eyes reignited something in mine.

It reminded me that this initiative was never meant to stay small. It was never meant to stop with one country, one classroom, or one generation.

I want to spend my life building something that reaches people wherever they are—in schools, in communities, across countries, and across every season of life.

Because if a few thoughtful questions can open a heart…

Imagine what consistent mentorship, genuine connection, and people choosing to believe in one another could do.

That’s the world I want to help build.

One where people don’t just survive life—they discover who they were created to become.

That teacher probably thought she was simply showing me a journal.

She had no idea she was reminding me of my purpose.

And if anything, I left South Africa with even more conviction than I arrived—that this is only the beginning. 🤍

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22 days ago

An initiative rooted in making sure people feel truly seen, supported, and never alone✨
The most meaningful part has been the teachers—the ones who pour into others every single day—helping shape this into something real, while also helping bring clarity to something that’s always been felt so deeply in my heart.

And what’s been so special… the way they’ve received it. The excitement, the belief, the way they’ve said this isn’t just for their students—it’s something they need too.

Because at the core of it all, this is about connection. About showing up for one another. About creating something that reminds people, in every stage of life, that they are not alone♥️

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4 months ago

Sticky hands, wiping what feels like 30 little noses every 10 minutes, and being climbed on all morning… and somehow those are the moments that matter most. So much joy in the chaos. Love doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful — sometimes it just looks like being there and loving on the babies✨🤍🌍

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4 months ago

Day 1 volunteering in Africa with International Volunteer HQ and my heart is already so full. Spending time with the babies and kids today reminded me how much children everywhere just need love, attention, and someone willing to show up for them. I came here hoping to make an impact, but I can already tell they’re the ones helping me grow. So grateful to be here🖤🇿🇦

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4 months ago

Made it to Africa🌍 Still taking it all in!!! Really grateful for the opportunity to be here and experience this, and excited to start volunteering with International Volunteer HQ.

Starting this new journey focused on mentorship, learning through service, and understanding what children all over the world truly need. Grateful to be here, to listen, to learn, and hopefully leave a little light behind. 🤍

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4 months ago