Why do people love BBYO so much? This is the question the majority of people ask me when I start talking about BBYO. The other day, I started thinking, why do people love BBYO? Why do I love BBYO? 

A lot of people can't understand my excitement when I talk about my chapter, region, or BBYO in general. I try to explain it to them. Last year, I couldn't enter BBYO, yet I was SO excited about it. I'd seen it on social media, and I had friends who attended events, but I didn't know what was so special about it. Then, I went to my first chapter meeting. It was a bit uncomfortable; after all, I was starting a new activity with new people, which I barely or didn't know at all. I had participated in many clubs during my childhood, and I had never felt comfortable in any of them. But, in BBYO (my chapter and region especially), it was different. In the beginning, I was kind of in a corner, not talking much, yet everyone came to say “hi” and introduced themselves. When the activity started, they were all so friendly! They acted as if they had known me for a long time. 

It was the first time I felt comfortable with a group of people. I also felt like that when I had the WOW program (an event with people from all over Latin America). I remember arriving and a lot of people from my chapter and other chapters from Argentina coming to greet me and talk to me. That was also the day I started comprehending BBYO's globalization and the intensity of the project. There were so many people from other countries who I didn't know, and I got the opportunity to speak with them. We also sang Taylor Swift songs at the end, all together. This was the moment where I was like, "this is my new favorite place and people." Overall, the whole experience was great. Then, as time went by, I gained more confidence with my group, met many new people from my region and others, and reached the point where BBYO is my favorite place.

So, my conclusion is that people love BBYO because it's a beautiful space where you can be whoever you want to be, where you can feel whatever you want to feel, where you can meet so many new people, and where you can express yourself; where you can find your second family; and where you can find your home.