One of my favorite parts of the city has come to be the
place where I experience the most stress, frustration and fatigue. Every
Saturday afternoon for the past 11 weeks I’ve been volunteering at St. Anna’s
Episcopal Church on Esplanade, where a weekly tutoring and arts program is run
for local kids. After signing the semester-long contract, I was locked in to an
experience that turned out to be much more challenging, but also much more
rewarding than I originally thought.
Entering
the sunny-yellow painted building I’m always greeted with a bright smile and a
huge hello as I step into what feels like, and probably once was, a big house.
Kids carry instruments up and down the long wooden staircase while others draw
and paint in the next room, and still others can be heard yelling and playing
games in the small courtyard out the window. Many of the kids that make up the
“Anna’s Arts for Kids” program come from struggling neighborhoods around New
Orleans where they’re neglected or abused, and where education is not a
priority, let alone arts and crafts. For some of these kids, St. Anna’s is the
only place where they can feel truly safe. Not only are they looked after by
dedicated staff and volunteers, they also are given opportunities to express
themselves in ways that aren’t necessarily available to them at home or at
school. 5-year-old Tierra is always the first to remind me that she has a
violin lesson lined up, and it’s always amazing to see her proud and excited
smile when I ask her about it.
Not
all of the kids are as easily pleased however, and it can be especially tough
sometimes to get the older boys to cooperate in creative writing or theater
classes. What makes the program so great is when even the toughest, most
misbehaved ones find themselves playing along and having a good time, without
even realizing it, or when they accomplish something, however small, that they
can’t help but share with every person they come across. It’s so inspirational
to see the way some of the students grow even in just a matter of weeks, to see
the future of New Orleans develop right before your own eyes.
I also volunteer at Anna's Arts for Kids and I completely agree with you about every single thing you said. I thought it was going to be a chore and just another assignment to get through, but I was totally wrong. I love it so much. I love playing a part in the kids' lives and seeing them grow up and learn life lessons in front of my eyes. I feel like I'm part of something much bigger than myself in giving these kids an opportunity to escape their cycle of poverty and I'm so happy that I can be a positive influence in their lives. In turn, they have had such a positive influence on my life. I look at the city in a different manner since I've started volunteering there and I think that shaping the youth of New Orleans is such an important thing because they truly are our future and they deserve the best chance possible to succeed in life. I am so glad I decided to do my service learning there, and I will be continuing to volunteer there next semester even though it is not required.
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