My Social Action

Throughout the semester, I have been volunteering my time at the Thorncliffe Boys and Girls Club. Every Thursday evening I run a dance program for kids aged six to eight years old. I chose to do this program not only because I enjoy working with children, but also because I appreciate the challenge of it. At times, it can be difficult to engage such young kids and gain their respect because I am young. I was placed at the Thorncliffe club for my first social work practicum. During my time there as a practicum student, I built some strong relationships with the kids as well as the staff. When I was asked to continue my time at the club, I was excited to incorporate some of my skills from outside of the social work field into the Boys and Girls Club.

For each week at the club, much preparation is required. I develop lesson plans for each week so that I can keep the kids busy. One of the biggest challenges is to keep them moving, because they have a ton of energy! Therefore, there needs to be a variety of activities planned for each week. Along with planning the activities and skills that I will be teaching, I choose music that is appropriate for the age group. Preparation not only includes lesson plans, but also making a kid friendly playlist.

Once I am at the club facilitating the dance program, I am juggling many things at once. I usually have about seven to ten kids without any other volunteers with me. We often begin by playing an interactive dance game on the club’s Wii. This allows all of the dancers to arrive and have some time for socializing. I participate by catching up with some of the kids on a one on one basis. We then move to the gym to learn dance skills, play games, and be active.

My purpose at the club is to teach dance, but I also end up doing a lot of behavioural and conflict management as well as utilizing many of my counselling skills that I have learned so far. The majority of the kids at the club come from low income families or need a safe place to go after school. The Boys and Girls Club of Calgary help to teach life skills, social skills, and leadership through their various programs. Therefore, I have many conversations with the kids about respect, listening, and supporting each other. I also strive to show them that I care and believe in them as individuals and encourage them to push themselves to grow. I have built relationships with some of the parents as well. The Boys and Girls Club encourages community growth and is a great resource to have nearby.

The Boys and Girls Club uses a strength based perspective in their programs. This includes empowering the kids and allowing them to be responsible and accountable for their own actions and decisions. I believe that this perspective encourages them to be more independent and confident in many aspects of their lives. They also emphasize respect. The three main rules are respect yourself, respect others, and respect the club. The kids are constantly reminded of these rules.

Although the Boys and Girls Club brings the community together and welcomes diverse populations of families, the limitations lie in the children’s home lives. The club gives the kids a great place to spend time after school and teaches many skills but it does not necessarily help the situations that the kids go home to. It is hard for one organization to change everything, but the clubs do a good job of providing a fun environment.

I have outlined many benefits to volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. Giving the kids an opportunity to learn dance along with respect, confidence, and giving them a safe environment to do so are all positive aspects of this program. It also allows me to grow in many areas; I am improving my social work skills, such as listening and engaging. I’m improving my skills as a dance teacher as well. This experience has given me some great experience as well as provided me with some strong relationships.