Volunteer once a month

*Yoga with 4th graders
*Arts & Crafts with an afterschool program
*Super Hero Club (Capoeira with grade schoolers)

*Culinary Explorers with 3rd graders
*Yoga & Comfort food with a youth group

• Culinary Explorers (cooking international cuisine with 8-12 yo)
• Flamenco workshop with children
• Latin dance workshop with children

Unfortunately each project takes up a Saturday morning so I will either rotate between them or commit to one for the school year. I have already done the Culinary and Latin Dance project & liked them equally but the Flamenco class sounds like so much fun. (And I get to break out my flamenco shoes and skirt!!!)

This weeks theme at BCM was to help 5th graders make a collage of what they aspire to be when they grow up. We used mixed media and the results were pretty impressive. The project was supposed to last the entire afternoon but parents came to pick their kids up earlier than expected. (2-5 is pretty long, especially if it is beautiful out!) Despite ending early it was a great project and I’d like to participate again next month.

Yesterday my volunteer project was yoga and brunch with a group of preteen girls from a settlement home. It was the first time that the girls (and some of the volunteers) were exposed to yoga and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The girls giggled if they fell on their heads (when trying to do a pose called crow) and groaned when we did plank pose but at least two of them expressed that they felt relaxed and unstressed afterward. (One of the things I love about yoga is how inclusive it is- no matter your size, shape, age, sex, background, everyone reaps the benefits!)

Getting to know the girls during brunch was amusing and it was comforting to see first hand that not every inner city child is growing up too fast. But I must say that it is also really great to meet and work with other volunteers.
And one of the things I truly love about our new administration is how they have inspired a wave of community involvement. 4 out of the 7 volunteers that participated in the project recently joined NYCares as an answer to our Presidents call to give back to their community.

I have volunteered with NYCares for almost five years and have not been as pro-active as I would like to be. I would like to volunteer on a more consistent basis and I think that committing to a project once a month is a good start.

I am drawn towards projects that involve youth recreation and volunteered for a Saturday morning dance class for 4-6 year olds yesterday. The reality that most of these kids face is bleak and it is heartbreaking to listen to them talk about their home life. But we danced to the Lion King, sang rounds of Row Row Row Your Boat and everyone left wearing a big smile!