Thinking back to my February breaks when I was in school, I was so fortunate to (1) have parents who both worked in the school system (2) have things to do during the week and (3) to have people to spend my time with.
Last week was Syracuse City School District's mid-winter recess. All the city school children had the week off! Although this sounds like an amazing week, for many of the children who live in the city it is a week of no after-school activities, no parent interaction, and a long week of potential trouble-making.
Last year, I was on a committee that created a winter-break program for youth at a local community center - Wilson Park. The center supports a neighborhood of incredibly disadvantaged children and is only a 5 minute walk from a SU Residence Hall. Given the proximity to campus, a small group of us were challenged in finding a way to get Syracuse University students involved in their local community, but by allowing them opportunities to work with kids on something that already interests them. Thus, the 'Cuse Spot was born.
Essentially, the program gets Syracuse University students down to Wilson Park Community Center teaching skills, hobbies, or lessons on subjects they are already good at. For instance, an SU kid who enjoys Martial Arts can teach a course on Beginners Karate. A student who is majoring in French can teach a beginners French Language course. The project aims to solicit worthwhile community service by encouraging kids to "do what they would be doing anyway."
This year, I was the co-student director for the volunteer initiative. Since I arrived on campus in early January, I have been planning for this past week: recruiting volunteers, submitting press releases and working with campus press, coordinating schedules, reaching out to community donors and campus supporters, organizing transportation and signing off on volunteer hours... printing off brochures and juggling youth registration at the center... it was an incredibly time consuming initiative, but it went off very well this last week. The program ran from February 21st-February 24th, and was very successful. We had classes in the following: Cooking, CSI Wilson Park, Jewelry Making, Fashion Drawing, Computers, CPR Skills, Culture of India, Photography, Screenwriting, Presentational Speaking, Beginners French, Ice Skating, Crafts and Competitions, Movie-making, and beginners Korean. The wide range of selections were perfect for kids at the center, and allowed SU students to volunteer in an area of prior expertise.
Last week was Syracuse City School District's mid-winter recess. All the city school children had the week off! Although this sounds like an amazing week, for many of the children who live in the city it is a week of no after-school activities, no parent interaction, and a long week of potential trouble-making.
Last year, I was on a committee that created a winter-break program for youth at a local community center - Wilson Park. The center supports a neighborhood of incredibly disadvantaged children and is only a 5 minute walk from a SU Residence Hall. Given the proximity to campus, a small group of us were challenged in finding a way to get Syracuse University students involved in their local community, but by allowing them opportunities to work with kids on something that already interests them. Thus, the 'Cuse Spot was born.
Essentially, the program gets Syracuse University students down to Wilson Park Community Center teaching skills, hobbies, or lessons on subjects they are already good at. For instance, an SU kid who enjoys Martial Arts can teach a course on Beginners Karate. A student who is majoring in French can teach a beginners French Language course. The project aims to solicit worthwhile community service by encouraging kids to "do what they would be doing anyway."
This year, I was the co-student director for the volunteer initiative. Since I arrived on campus in early January, I have been planning for this past week: recruiting volunteers, submitting press releases and working with campus press, coordinating schedules, reaching out to community donors and campus supporters, organizing transportation and signing off on volunteer hours... printing off brochures and juggling youth registration at the center... it was an incredibly time consuming initiative, but it went off very well this last week. The program ran from February 21st-February 24th, and was very successful. We had classes in the following: Cooking, CSI Wilson Park, Jewelry Making, Fashion Drawing, Computers, CPR Skills, Culture of India, Photography, Screenwriting, Presentational Speaking, Beginners French, Ice Skating, Crafts and Competitions, Movie-making, and beginners Korean. The wide range of selections were perfect for kids at the center, and allowed SU students to volunteer in an area of prior expertise.
The cooking class prepared the daily meal for all the participants
Carlito shows off his photo collage
A group of girls get into jewelry making
Although the mission of this project is unique, it was not difficult to conceptualize. Too often, community service is made into a "have-to" activity. It is required from our majors, our curriculum, and often by those of us who broke the law. Why can't volunteerism come naturally? Why can't it be in the form of sharing our skills and talents rather than "wasting our time...?"
I am very happy to be apart of the 'Cuse Spot. Even though it is an exhausting week, it is well worth the time and energy to see that these kids have something productive and fun to do during their week vacation from school.
