Sunday, October 2, 2011

Volunteering - First Impressions

Here's a snippet from Social Justice Track participant Nikki Michaelson on her choice of volunteering places for the coming semester:

I have finally started my volunteer shifts, and couldn't be happier. I started with Hagar and Miriam, a group that provides help to pregnant refugees and asylum seakers from Africa. We escort them to doctor appointments, make sure they know their rights, and provide follow up care. It's an amazing project, and I feel incredibly honored to be a part of it. I'm also volunteering at Holland House, a center for toddlers through preschool-aged kids with a range of disabilities. They are amazingly positive and make me smile everyday. Finally, Ironi Het, an all boys middle and high school for kids who have, until now, gone to strictly religious schools. For a variety of reasons, they decide they want a future that includes university, which requires passing the matriculation exam. These boys are incredibly behind on the basics due to such heavy study of religion, and Ironi Het works very hard to close the education gap and allow them to continue onto higher education. I'll be working with 11th and 12th graders on literature and poetry. Right now I'm having them look at Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and connect it to how they're traveling their own roads not taken by the other men in their family who have only studied at yeshivas.

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