Sri Sathya Sai International Organization - USA

Young Adults (YAs) from the Sai Centers of Chicagoland area organized yet another fun and educational summer school this year for K-8 children at the Port Ministries in the South Side of Chicago. As always, the YA volunteers developed an engaging curriculum in science, math, gardening, creative writing, arts, and music to give the children a stimulating and inspiring boost before the next academic year.  

This year the YAs added gardening, where students had hands-on learning on how to weed correctly, prepare the soil, and plant various vegetable and flowering plants, which they cared for all summer. By the end of the summer program, the students were able to harvest and enjoy the fruits of their labor of love. But the activity that definitely garnered the greatest enthusiasm was origami, where children could showcase their creativity by creating different model paper airplanes to race across the room, and boats to float in a tub of water. They eventually advanced to more complex designs such as helicopters and butterflies.  The children took such great pride in their craft that they could not wait to paint and take their models home to show off to their families. 

One lesson the YAs learned was that even the best laid plans could go awry and they had to adjust to the children’s interests. For example, when they discovered the children’s interest was waning at the end of the day, they switched over from a challenging creative writing activity to board games and play time. They realized, despite all the time put into planning, what mattered was keeping children engaged. So the YAs kept projects that required intense focus such as build-your-own lava lamps during the day. They ended each day with exciting games and fun activities to keep the children engaged and eager to show up each day of summer school.  

Volunteers were grateful for this opportunity to serve the city’s children. They understood that each student’s journey was different given the varying circumstances they experienced outside of school. They tried to identify each child’s strengths and kept them motivated to continue pursuing their dreams. One student grew increasingly frustrated after getting several math questions wrong. However, an observant YA noticed that the root cause of his mistakes was that the child struggled with English. When they switched to Spanish, his performance drastically improved. The ample one-on-one time during the summer program allowed the YAs to understand the specific obstacles each student faced and to help them conquer these challenges.  As one YA reflects, “Each child learns at their own pace. Each has their own story.  I’ve learned that what children need most is a cheerleader who can give them the confidence to persist through their challenges.”  After a fulfilling service experience, the YAs are committed to continuing with a tutoring program throughout the school year. They will strive to keep students motivated and support them to achieve their life goals!