Individual service site
The Dubuque Multicultural Family Center
Madeline Cairney
Description of duties/activities
Help in volunteering at the Multicultural Family Center. Be there for the children to help them read and do homework as well as help in any activities that may be planned for the children.
Learning plan
What are your goals? Why did you choose these goals? How do they relate to coursework at Loras?
My main goal is simply to be available to the children. At the very least, I want the children to know that I’ll be there to help them with math or just a cool guy to play some games with. It would definitely be great to have awesome programs, but the relationships that can be built are crucial. Some of these children don’t have any constants in life, so for as long as I can, I’d like to be there for them.
These goals really relate to the coursework at Loras because they focus on relationship, and relationship not only with myself, but with the children and the community.
In order to reach my goal, I need to be at the MFC at the times I have set. Though it is only Wednesday and Friday, if I’m consistently at the center on those two days, I will set a pattern that the kids will hopefully get to know.
In order to assess this goal, all I’ll have to do is go to the MFC and when the children come they just have to smile when they see me. That will be the measure of my goal.
Trying to be there and make somewhat of a change to just a few of the kids is a pretty high goal when I'm balancing the work of school and a job. I, at first, thought this would be a piece of cake until the semester dragged on. It did become more difficult to go to the center, but when I did, it was great. A number of the kids have gotten to know me by name just from my being there. And I've learned that there is so much potential in the kids that come to the MFC. Most of them are very hard-working and very bright. Some just need some consistency in order for them to be able to use their full potential. Therefore, just making myself noticed by some of the kids is one big point that I wanted to point out that I accomplished in my learning plan. Just getting a hug from one of the kids as she ran into the building proved to me that I, at the very least, accomplished that part.
As far as planning other activities and events, I don't think I quite lived up to my own standards. In the beginning, I planned on really making a presence down there, but school and work sort of put a halt to devoting too much time down there. However, though I didn't get to do it as often as I would have liked, we did get some activities planned. There was a man that came down there that was a middle school teacher that had some ideas that we could do with the kids for activities, and I did partake in that. We had a day where we made certain shapes out of some homemade play-doh and a few other fun little activities that kept the younger kids involved.
Overall, I think I did an OK job at providing service, but what did I learn in return? Actually, I learned quite a bit. Just learning about the potential in the depths of Dubuque, Iowa, really showed me that this world has a lot to offer. There are many young children with many talents, but sometimes they do not have the support that they need to use these talents. I now think about how many people in this world didn't get the chance to share what God gave them. I know that there is no way that I can make a huge impact on this, but I do know that I would like to help people use their talents, especially those within my family, because family is very important, and I've learned that a healthy life usually starts in the home.
1 comment:
Ryan
The organization of your post is quite good--what I was hoping to see in this final assignment. What I liked most about your reflection is your emphasis upon the talent and potential of kids at the Center. I mentioned in my response to Maria that the MFC seemed to provide some of the best service opportunities for the class, and I wondered if maybe DES could continue some of what all of you started. We could have a brief presentation at the spring colloquium about the need and plan a trip down there for those who are interested in service even just 10 hours. Given what you have said here, maybe we could cast it in terms of "talent development" for kids at the center--that would include those older ones like the girls Missy worked with. Something to talk more about. jw
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