We, the Green Street Volunteers, present this testimonial in appreciation of the Green Street After-school Program.
The Program:
The daily routine of homework and class provides new ways for us to make connections with the students. “The one-on-one relationships that you build are so important” (Fossel).
Most of our students struggle with homework due to any number of outside factors: a lack of academic role models, teachers who don’t have time for extra help at school, parents who don’t speak or read English. When a student is able to master a difficult worksheet at Green Street, our ability to impact becomes tangible. When that student asks for our help, it’s the beginning of a real relationship that extends beyond homework and class. “The first time one of the kids remembered my name and asked me to help—my favorite moment!” (Ruben). In art classes, students get a chance to shine and volunteers get to facilitate, appreciate and participate in the creative process. A full picture of the children’s inventiveness would take at least five more pages to describe, but “watching the kids grow” (Brownfeld) creatively, personally and academically is another common favorite part of Green Street.
Sharing our students’ struggles and successes in homework and in class builds trust, appreciation and acceptance, and establishes a truly fulfilling relationship for a mentor.
Academics:
The responsibility we feel for the program spills over into everything else: “It makes me focus more on my work because I know I have to be at Green Street” (Fossel). In learning about children, we ultimately learn about ourselves. “The advice I give the kids, about taking breaks and staying focused, it’s all the same stuff I need to tell myself for my homework” (Israel). The perspective we gain from working with the Green Street students drives our personal passions for academics. “Everything I’m learning in class, everything, I can relate it all back to Green Street” (Hartley). Working at Green Street, we find purpose and meaning for our academics in the real world.
Life Skills:
The after-school program gives us an opportunity to practice leadership and communication in a challenging environment. Leading art activities, teaching small-group music lessons, acting as teaching assistants or working with small groups on homework all provide experiential training in how to be a constructive and inspiring leader.
Speaking in a direct and articulate manner is an essential and constant part of the volunteer’s work. Whether it’s talking with a parent who’s unemployed and in and out of the hospital or getting a laugh out of a kid who acts jaded and sarcastic at age 11, reaching out and connecting with people who are dealing with different life struggles than we are is a lesson in meaningful communication. This is not to say that communicating is easy—it’s a massive endeavor, especially with many of the children who approach us with a “the-world-is-out-to-get-me attitude” (Fossel). Because of that struggle, achieving a fulfilling relationship with the student “means so much more!” (House).
Middletown Relations:
“Wesleyan is a pretty closed campus” (Schiffman) and we are thankful that the after-school program provides a place “for making those connections with people you’d never know otherwise” (House): children who attend Middletown schools you might drive by each week and parents who work right on campus, including Usdan. We work with a parent who comes to volunteer at the center immediately after a full day of work at Wendy’s; we mentor a 10-year-old who goes home to cook dinner for himself and his family. “It gives you a whole new world view in a way” (Fossel). “I think a lot of us [volunteers] are from one type of school, [and] we have a totally different kind of experience” (Tholin). The after-school program provides a daily opportunity to recognize the real effects of power dynamics, to engage with children from Middletown and to gain some understanding of the people who live within a five-minute walk from campus.
The skills we learn and prepare in the classroom suddenly become real challenges at the after-school program. “Green Street isn’t an ’eventually’ thing; it’s right now” (Ruben).
I compiled this testimonial from both a group conversation with 13 volunteers and personal experiences over the past three years. The discussion made me realize just how much Green Street means to me—more than words can ever express.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns at etroll@wesleyan.edu.
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