Week 1

Even though it has been a month since the beginning of this co-op semester, this week has been my first full week being involved with Sport in Society (SIS) and YMCA programming. As all four of us gathered at the office on Monday morning, my main goal for the week was simple: become more acclimated and comfortable with my new surrounding within the Wang YMCA in Chinatown. I have had a long standing relationship with the YMCA organization throughout my whole life but these next six months there will be a lot different than my time there before.



Monday and Tuesday of this past week provided me with a number of opportunities to not only interact with the kids but become more aquainted with the staff. Initially, I was nervous that the staff at the Y would see me as some kid coming in to "clean house" and fix all the problems but after meeting and conversing with them, that notion was quickly dismissed. Similiar to my past experiences with Y staff, the men and women of the Wang YMCA were equally hospitable as they were excited that I was there. This little boost of confidence was the driving force behind why I believe this week was an overall success. After meeting with most of the staff, my colleague and I got to see exactly how the after-school program functions. Running from 3-6pm on weekdays, this program promotes both academic and athletic themes. After arriving to the Y, the kids get to enjoy a healthy snack and finish up their homework before attacking the gym and playing games such as kickball and "dragontail tag." I couldn't help but smile as I watched these kids just "being kids" and sprinting aimlessly around the gym. They weren't worried about the daily thoughts that adults have such as making money or paying bills, they were just running around, loving life. It was something I hadn't seen in a while and it was truly inspiring to watch.



Wednesday brought with it an opportunity for my colleague and I to take part in the 'Stay & Play' program that is run by a young staff employee named Joey. As the students have a half-day every wednesday (which is awesome, by the way!) we accompanied Joey over to their school across the street. As we entered the cafeteria, we saw a small rowdy group of 10 boys and 3 girls sitting in the back. As we approached the group and they caught eye of Joey they instantly went crazy and jumped all over him. Joey had been doing this program for over a year now and certainly gained the trust of these young kids by simply showing up every week and being a constant presence in their life. Before we got into the programming, the kids were given some free time to cool down from their school day. We got to meet and interact with the majority of them as we played a number of card and board games. After about a half hour or so, the group entered a classroom where Joey led an open discussion that dealt with the sterotypes surrounding men and women. Surprisingly, the kids were extremely involved and vocal throughout the lesson plan and seemed to enjoy it. After the discussions and homework time, we walked the kids back to the Y where we all took part in more physical activities such as badminton and basketball.



I normally look at my watch about 40 times during the day while waiting for the little hand to strike 5pm but I noticed that, for some reason, I didn't that day. I was enjoying this time as much as the kids were. As I was preparing to leave one of the young asian boys came up and asked me if I would be back next week and I responed "absolutely." He face instantly lit up with excitement as I gave him a fist-bump and he left with his father; that moment was a cherry on top of an overall great day.



I never thought I would say this but........I can't wait to go back to work on Monday.