Volunteering: My Placement at Girls Inc. and Exchange Place Service Project

This semester I was enrolled in SRVL 1020-088, which is Introduction to Service Learning. I took this course as a requirement for the PHCSS program. In this class, everyone was placed at a non-profit agency to volunteer for the whole semester. Everyone was required to complete 30 hours at their agency site, as well as 4 hours at a group service project. There were many agencies that we were allowed to pick from in the tri-cities, and there were 4 or 5 group service projects that we could choose from. 

I chose Girls Inc. in Kingsport as my agency placement. Girls Inc. is a non-profit after-school program for girls grades K-12. Girls Inc. has many sites across the nation, and their main goal is to "inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold." Each day at Girls Inc., the girls have a snack and free time to play in the gym or on the playground outside when it is warm. After that, they separate into groups to do different activities. One option is Homework Help, where girls work on homework and have access to volunteers and staff who can help them with it if they are struggling. There is also usually a Bible Study class offered, where a staff member leads a devotion. If the girls do not go to Homework Help or Bible Study or any of the other activities, they separate into classes by age group and do miscellaneous activities, like cleaning up around the facility or making Valentine's Day cards. On the days that I volunteered at Girls Inc., I usually arrived around 3 or 3:30. From the time I arrived until 4:30, I was in the gym or outside supervising the girls during their free time. Most days, I played games with the girls and joined in on their fun. At 4:30, the girls separated and went to different activities. During this time, I always helped in Homework Help. On some days, I was the only volunteer or staff member in Homework Help (Those days were a little crazy.) I enjoyed my time at Girls Inc. very much and I learned a lot of things from my experience. I made many relationships with both the staff and the girls. I learned better listening and communication skills. I learned that everyone has a story to tell, and we shouldn't make any judgement's of someone's character until we know their whole story. I also gained some skills like leadership and knowing how to control a large group of young kids who do not want to do what they need to be doing. My time at Girls Inc. has been very beneficial to me and I plan on returning in the summer for some activities as well as next fall for my PHCSS hours. 

The group service project that I chose was at the Exchange Place in Kingsport. The Exchange Place is a private historical site that used to be a self-sustaining farm in the 1800's. The area has the same buildings and overall look as it did in the 1800's. They have done some work to make it safer, but for the most part, it is the exact same as it was when it was a functional farm. The upkeep of the Exchange Place relies solely on volunteer work. A group of students from the SRVL 1020-088 class and students from another class met at the Exchange Place at 12. We worked in groups of 4 or 5 and we rotated jobs throughout the day. One job that my group worked on was pulling weeds and grass up from around trees that had some sort of significance. For example, one of the trees was planted in honor of one of the staff members' husband. We did this so that yard workers would not damage the tree when they used a weed eater around its base. This work was harder than I thought it would be in the warm weather. After that, the entire group gathered together for a snack. A man who volunteers at the Exchange Place talked to us about some theories on how the Exchange Place got its name, and who showed us some really interesting things about the Exchange Place. After this, my group worked on folding papers into small envelopes and tracing and cutting out cardboard flowers. These items were going to be used at a festival that was hosted at the Exchange Place last weekend. These items were part of activities for kids that the volunteers at the Exchange Place had prepared. My time at the Exchange Place was very educational and I enjoyed being out in the nice weather while helping prepare for a festival.