These past two weeks I have been going through the clearance process in order to volunteer! I went to visit Norris Square for the first time this past week. Norris owns two buildings back to back that face the park on the north side. I learned that the older kids come on Mondays and Tuesday and the younger kids come on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They keep the age groups separated primarily because the classes are separated. I learned, however, that the younger kids love to get into fights with the older kids at the program. They keep the younger kids across the street for separation. The lady at the front desk said that there is one child, in particular, who loves to torment the older kids. Sometimes they will mix the age groups up together for cooking classes or if there is a special occasion. I learned that this is the first year that Norris Square will be having Temple students as volunteers! I am very excited to start going to the center! I have to wait a few more days until my clearances are mailed and then I should be okay to start this upcoming week!

This semester I will be volunteering at Norris Square Civic Association. I was immediately drawn to this program because of the children involved. These children are in need of positive and inspirational relationships and I hope that I can bring some of these aspects into their lives. Every summer I work at Interlochen Arts Camp where I stay with sixteen teenage girls for the duration of the summer. I make it more than a job and I try to have a positive impact on the girls. I saw great success in particular with one of my girls who came with a very dreary outlook on life. With a lot of talking, listening, and motivation I saw her negative perspective about life start to shift to a positive direction. When she left she was smiling, laughing, and interacting with other girls, aspects of her personality that had been hidden for a while. I would love to try and bring some happiness and inspiration to other troubled teens while giving them a direction to their lives.