We are a tight-knit group. These kids literally run from the bus to the lawn where I meet them because they are so excited to be here. It's honestly a little bit confusing to me. I don't think of myself as the kind of person I would have been super excited to hang out with when I was their age. This means that I'm somewhat out of touch with youth these days, and that's apparently an attractive quality. In actuality, I am excited to see these kids and they respond to that. I want to spend time with them, and they know it.
Our day begins with something physical. They jump out of the bus from a day in school - the cerebral, socially charged environment of a school - and have energy yet untapped. We swing sticks around and create fun new ways to move our bodies. These are the precursors to martial arts. I give them challenges - to find a certain kind of plant with a time limit, to steal the bandanna from the center of a circle - something that gives them a chance to MOVE! We play blindfolded games: Sometimes they follow the sound of my kalimba (a thumb piano); sometimes they guard a space with a pool-noodle-sword. They get to use the pool noodle to whack those who try to sneak in. It's harder than you think when you're blind folded.
These kids love food. They have strong opinions about it. I love it when we shatter them! We spend a portion of every session eating, often food prepared by volunteers, and during most sessions, we cook food, ourselves. These kids bring their ideas to the kitchen - the kind of food, the ways to make it. Some have extensive experience, some are just learning. We all contribute here and we all learn new things. Delicious things. Quesadillas, baked apples, sautéed onion, garlic, & dandelion, roasted potatoes, english-muffin pizzas, delicata squash, and who knows what next. They've requested an outside fire to cook on for Thanksgiving week...
Most weeks there is a dedicated activity other than cooking. These projects feed our need to be creative and help connect us to each other. We gathered fall leaves and pressed them into beautiful collages in frames. We harvested dandelion, processed it, and made herbal medicine (and food!). We carved apples into slowly shrinking faces for halloween. And with the power out, we laughed and laughed as we played a ridiculous card game by candle light.
Coming up, we have guests from the community coming in to share their gifts and stories with us. Stories of a world before cell phones (hard to imagine for these kids at times), stories of yellow-brick roads and emerald cities. We are all story-tellers, and we will take in our inspiration from these voices of experience.
It has been a joy of mine to be the facilitator of this program thus far. We are a small group, but it is one dedicated to the program and to each other. We have made a safe space to be who we are and to grow into something more. We speak truthfully and still with kindness. We make decisions together about how to do things. We choose to spend one afternoon a week together getting into the right kind of trouble - creative, fun, safe, and supportive. They spontaneously burst into song. Something is going very right here.
We are still accepting new participants - because it's still important for kids to have a place to go and do things that matter to them with the guidance and care of a mentor. Register for the free After-School Program below.
All photos above are published on our Instagram! Follow us @
umc_afterschool
And this is me. You might wonder who this crazy guy is who wants to play games and do projects with kids. Maybe I'll write a blog about that sometime, too. I'm kind of a neat guy. Thanks for reading.
Ted Packard
Youth Programs Coordinator
Vashon United Methodist Church
tlpackard19@gmail.com
