Hey guys!
We had a quiet but fun day today. With a lot of rain spread out through Detroit , we came to Urban Neighborhood Initiatives this morning not knowing what to expect; all of our morning work thus far had been outside, and we weren't sure if there was anything to do today. But as soon as we walked in, we got to work doing some touch up work within the center; touching up paint jobs on the walls, clearing out dust from the ceilings, scrubbing down the walls and organizing some areas of the center. We got to see the direct effects of our work in a very immediate sense, furthering our understanding of the impact of small actions in a community.
We also got a chance to really talk to the staff at the center. From the property manager some of the center's coordinators, we really seized our opportunity to get to know the people we're getting this opportunity to work with. We realized that these people have a great deal of wisdom and have experienced so many different things throughout their lives that we don't think about. Getting to take time to learn about the experiences of others and learning from them was something we all really enjoyed about today.
Our time with the kids was great today! We got to work on lots of different homework and interact with kids that we hadn't seen or interacted with before. We noticed that the kids are significantly more comfortable with us and were really able to trust and be comfortable around us. We also noticed that with each day we came to the center, the number of kids coming to the after-school program rose. According to the staff, the rising numbers as the week went on was unprecedented. It was really encouraging to feel like we were at least slightly improving the everyday life of these kids, and to see that the kids truly wanted to be with us.
A hard realization that all of us were forced to deal with today was that while we are in Detroit until Saturday, our last day with the kids is tomorrow. Today, we really focused on the principle "This is It". We've been having a fantastic time with these kids, and they are always the highlight of our day. But we also realize that our time with them is short, and there is a very real possibility that they may not remember our names and faces after this week. But in our reflection today, we discussed how the important part is imparting the right values and attitudes to these kids. And while it's hard to have to say goodbye tomorrow, we know that our time with the kids has been impactful and important, and that's what truly matters
Love,
- MAB Detroit <3
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