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The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
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Empowering After School Program
The experience
has been an eye-opener
By Mac Kirk, Edison Volunteer
Choosing the After School Program for my communications final gave me
great trepidation. I understood that participating in a community
service activity would be beneficial on my resume, but then there were
the little people. I had zero experience with children and it gave me
anxiety to think about the prospect. Growing up, I dealt with one older
brother. I have no first cousins. My parents are older. I spent most of
my life around adults and my grandparents. I wasn’t even sure how to
start a conversation with someone that young. What are they interested
in? How do I act? What do I say to them? Before I began working
at the program, these thoughts swirled in my head when I lay in bed at
night.
From the first day of volunteering, the experience has been eye opener
for me. The children touched my heart and became dear friends. Not only
are they hungry in their tummies, they are hungry for attention, too.
It did not take me long to figure out that I only needed to be myself
and show them I genuinely cared about them. I have to admit, I have
become really attached to these children and I intend to keep helping
out as much as my schedule will let me.
I feel the program is a terrific idea and my respect goes to Empowering
Darke County Youth and Edison State for making it happen. There is such
a need for this in our community. So many local kids are falling
through the cracks. I feel this program gives these kids guidance and
shows them that doing their homework and trying to better themselves is
important to their future success. They have a way to success and a
good education is the way. My mom has a cousin that works at Children’s
Services who was not aware of the program. When we filled her in, she
was very impressed with what we are offering our community.
Edison’s core values play a major role in this program. Of course,
communications is the most important value involved. The volunteers
must learn to communicate with the children on a level that the
children understand and are comfortable with. Encouragement and
approval are key ingredients that some of these children could be
lacking in their lives. Hopefully, the children realize they are in an
environment where they can express their feelings and be heard.
Regarding ethics, we have the opportunity to help mold these young
minds as to what is acceptable behavior and what is not. At this young
age, their two greatest influences on what are acceptable norms in our
society are their family and school. I feel this program helps to
reinforce the importance of healthy choices and good study habits that
are mandatory for success down the road.
Critical thinking applies to both the volunteers and the children. As a
volunteer, I had to learn to identify how to approach each child’s
personal needs and requirements. With a systematic and consistent
approach, the children slowly began to open up and share their own
experiences with me. These same tools can be taught to the children to
guide them through difficult situations in their own lives. Before they
take any action, good or bad, they need to learn to think over all the
consequences and possible outcomes. Teach them to not do something on
impulse that can affect the rest of their lives. Celebrating human
diversity is another core value that can be molded into these young
minds. Teach them what matters is what is on the inside of a person,
not the outside. Skin color does not matter. The clothes they wear
don’t matter. Everyone has value and should have self-worth.
The fact that Edison State supports this program reinforces the Core
Value of inquiry/respect for learning. Edison is an institute of higher
learning. However, not every child felt that way when they first
started the program. I had a bit of resistance from a few youngsters
that did not necessarily enjoy the process or see the value of
completing their homework assignments. As our personal relationships
with each other improved, so did our work ethics. Now the children come
in ready to tackle their assignments, and they enjoy the support we
give them while they work. This relates directly to the Core Value of
skills/teamwork. Given a chance to grow and thrive in a positive
environment, I see these children blossoming before my eyes. I feel
blessed that I have become a bright spot in their day and they look
forward to spending time with me as much as I do with them.
I think the after-school program started with a terrific response from
the community. The numbers speak for themselves; thirty some kids on
the first day, and fifty some by the end of the week. That tells me
this program is filling a real need in the community. In general, I
think we have a good handle on spending quality time with the children,
doing homework together, and offering structured recreation.
My only suggestion at all would be is there anyway a more substantial
snack could be offered? I don’t know if it is even a feasible idea or
if funding might be available. As I said these kids have stolen my
heart, and they are typically pretty hungry by the time they get here.
Mac has completed 25 hours in Empowering Darke County Youth’s After
School Program on the Edison State Darke County Campus. To get details
about his assignment, go to Edison Students Speak Out
To get more details about Empowering Darke County Youth and the After
School Program, go to the Empowering Darke County Youth link.
This opinion is being published with permission, and was chosen for CNO
readers due to the quality of the assignment submission and relevance
of the topic. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of County
News Online or Edison State Community College.
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