August 15, 2009 | Life in General,The 4-1-1 on Me,WriterVolunteer
Today, I attended the Volunteer 101 Orientation for Free Arts AZ. I chose to become a volunteer for this particular organization because 1) they work with kids from preschool to teens who live in group homes, residential treatment centers (or RTC’s), emergency shelters (homeless or domestic violence) and transitional housing programs and 2) they use the arts– visual arts, music, theater, dance, creative writing and other artistic projects–to heal these kids. For attending this 4 hr session today, I received a certificate and a shirt to wear when I volunteer for events.
WHAT I LEARNED:
As a volunteer, my goal is to:
* Create opportunities that provide safe ways for children to express emotion, explore feelings and grow as individuals through the use of art
* Promote self-esteem and develop in children and families that participate, a positive perception of themselves
* Foster a non-judgemental environment to encourage self-expression and creativity.
* Provide children the opportunity to succeed through new diverse artistic experiences.
* Encourage positive social interaction and compassion for others
* Allow children to build trusting relationships with caring adults
* Inspire hope so that children can envision a positive future for themselves
Taken from the Free Arts Volunteer Handbook
~ What to keep inside my head (i.e. personal info like phone number, address, etc) and what I can say outside my head (positive encouragement).
~ What to say in the event that a child discloses something personal.
There are 6 therapeutic elements that FAAZ incorporates into their programs:
1. Creating a safe, non-judgemental environment
2. Providing structure and consistency
3. Building trusting relationships
4. Allowing for choice
5. Providing an outlet for emotional expression
6. Developing positive coping skills
~ How to deal with Piglets (shy, insecure, introverted), Tiggers (outgoing, constant movement, short attention span), Eeyores (pessimistic, introverted, “I can’t”), and Pooh’s (friendly, confident, generous)
REFLECTION: Volunteering for this organization is seriously going to change my life. I felt it while sitting through this orientation. I’m excited about what I’ll be doing but I’m also a little…apprehensive? Anxious? Scared? There was a role-playing portion where one person was the volunteer and one person was the child. They just disclosed something personal and we had to come up with different ways of responding. Although I wasn’t chosen (there were 42 of us after all), I felt all those things while watching the two scenarios unfold. Knowing my personality (I’m definitely a Piglet), I wondered if I would react in the appropriate way, if I would say the right thing, if I could engage a non-participant…I worry about it and I’m doubting myself. I’m just hoping that when it happens (because I know it will), that it’ll just come naturally.
WHAT’S NEXT: Next Saturday, I’ll be attending the Weekly Mentor training to get myself ready for the 20-Week Mentor Program. More on that later.
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