Today was our first day working at Boys and Girls Clubs. Our first stop was Midvale Club in the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Only Willen, MacAdam, Alex and I participated in this afternoon’s adventure. Jenny was doing logistics back at the Hotel and I assume that our fearless advisor was entertaining her Doodles somewhere.
We were more than a little surprised when we showed up and learned that we were in charge of doing activities with the entire clubhouse (140 elementary school aged kids). Usually we work with about 30 kids at a time but we know how to roll with the flow so we made a plan.
I took the Kindergartners, MacAdam took 1st graders and Willen took the 2nd graders. Alex floated around and took video and photos. Like flies to a light, the kids flocked to him; each wanting their picture to taken and then to see it right away. Poor Alex was more busy than the rest of us combined.
The family of a five-year-old.
After one hour with 20 four and five-year-olds, I have a new respect for Kindergarten teachers. Luckily my mad camp counseling skills came into use. There was a lot of “clap once if you can hear me” and “raise your hand if you can see me” reminders. Explaining the growing hunger problem to little kids is a tall task. I started by explaining to them who I was and where Oregon is (and what it is for that matter). We then talked about what hunger means (ie you are hungry) and that a lot of other kids in the United States feel like that too. That is about all the information that five-year-olds can process.
After that I passed out paper, markers, crayons and colored pencils and asked them to draw what hunger meant to them. Almost every kid drew food. Pizza, hamburgers, fruits and vegetables were the most common things. The kids were very rowdy but I do not feel that you can expect too much out of Kindergartners. After an hour we left to hit the Lied Boys and Girls Club in central Salt Lake City.
A poem by a second grader:
I dream, you dream, of a day when hunger is no more.
I dream, you dream, of the day when love has spread.
This club had a much different feel to it. The first thing that I noticed was that there were a lot more minority children and staff. There was also more of a sense of community to me. The kids were behind the desk, joking with the staff and helping sign us in. Adults spoke to the kids like equals and the kids seemed eager to please them.
Our lesson here was way smoother. First, the kids had the choice to come hang-out with us and therefore were way less disruptive. They seemed interested in the hunger issue and were very excited to color what hunger meant to them. Because we only had 30 children, it was easier to give each child individual attention between the four of us. After we were done with the art project the boys became jungle gyms to the kids and gave literally everyone a piggyback ride.
A pony named Willen.
I asked one of the staff members about the free lunch and dinner program. The Utah Food Bank supplies a free lunch each day to the Boys and Girls Club kids. Free dinner is also served Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The staff member was upset because every day that have a lot of extra food but they are not allowed to send it home with the children. Either the Food Bank or the State has a rule against it. She said that for many of the children at the club, this is the only meal(s) that they receive during the day. Apparently, we were in a relatively poor part of Salt Lake City and right in the middle of the territory of six different gangs. Now I was really surprised. Six gangs in the middle of a city with a strong Mormon stronghold?
Alex says he is not a kid person but the photo says otherwise....
The kids do not want MacAdam to leave!
She said that many of the parents in the community want their children at the club because it is a safe place. Many of the parents also ask the staff to make sure that their children eat at meal times. Despite the hardship that many of these kids face, they are happy and out-going.
Me and the kids! :)
The love of a child is endless. It is important that we nurture them so that this pattern of love continues.
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