24 Young People Graduate from D1’s Integral Training Program with Help Peru’s Support
Amarental: Closing One Chapter and Building New Paths
After three years of training, 24 young people completed the Integral Training Program (Programa de Formación Integral, or PFI) at Asociación Cultural D1. The program’s fifth graduating class and the first supported by Help Peru, celebrated the end of a journey shaped by art, discipline, and personal growth.
The stage came alive with movement, music, and emotion. Surrounded by their families, teachers, and peers, the 24 graduates marked the completion of a three-year process. Each performance reflected countless hours of practice and perseverance, as well as the confidence they had developed and the relationships they had built along the way.
For their families, seeing them on stage was a moment of pride and joy. Jerson’s mother, who traveled from another city to attend the ceremony, shared what it meant to see him pursue a passion that is also part of their family story:
“Art is something we carry within us. I am a dancer, and it has always been part of our family. Dance is something you live. I am very proud to see my son so happy.”
Three Years of Growth Through Art
The Integral Training Program provides adolescents and young people with a full three-year scholarship. It combines dance and other forms of artistic education with the development of personal and social skills that participants can carry with them far beyond the stage.
Throughout the program, participants strengthen their discipline, self-confidence, teamwork, and leadership. They also find a safe space to express themselves, discover their abilities, and reflect on the futures they want to build.
In this way, dance becomes more than an artistic skill. It becomes a tool for facing fears, taking responsibility, and learning how to pursue personal goals. As Secia’s mother shared during the ceremony, through music, young people can “let go of their fears.”
Families also saw changes that went well beyond artistic development. Valeria’s mother expressed gratitude for the emotional support her daughter received, as well as the opportunities she had to engage with art and culture. Mathias’s father summed up part of that transformation simply: “It has helped them mature.”
A Journey Built Together
Reaching graduation required consistency and commitment. Over three years, the members of Amarental shared rehearsals, lessons, challenges, exhaustion, and achievements, supported throughout the process by their teachers, families, and the wider D1 community.
Angie Escobar, representing Amarental’s graduating class, reflected on how the experience showed them that art is not simply something to learn, but something to live.
“Discipline can be stronger than exhaustion, and passion can be stronger than fear.”
Claudia García, coordinator of the program, who accompanied the students throughout their training, also emphasized that their growth extended beyond their artistic abilities.
“The most valuable thing they take with them is the people they have become.”
She encouraged them to keep dreaming and to continue sharing their talent and who they are with the world.
The Beginning of a New Chapter
During the ceremony, Vania Masías encouraged the graduates not to let others determine the size of their dreams. She invited them to write those dreams down, turn them into action, and exercise leadership wherever their paths may take them.
“You have a responsibility: be leaders wherever you choose to be.”
She also reminded them that their actions can influence others and that art can be a powerful way to contribute to their country.
As part of its commitment to education and expanding opportunities for adolescents and young people, Help Peru supported this edition of the Integral Training Program. Through its partnership with D1, Help Peru helped make a comprehensive three-year scholarship possible, expanding access to a program that brings together artistic training, emotional support, and personal development.
Amarental’s graduation closes an important chapter, but it is not the end of their journey. These 24 young people leave the program with new skills, friendships, role models, and a community that has believed in them.
Now, a different chapter begins: carrying what they have learned into the decisions they make, the communities they are part of, the stages they step onto, and the projects they choose to build.
