English Skills Learning Center (ESLC)

Utah is home to thousands of refugees who have fled poor conditions in their homelands in home of a better life in America. The goal of the English Skills LearningCenter (ESLC) is to assist non-English speaking adult refugees and immigrants in learning English and acclimating in to American life. The ESLC currently tutors nearly 500 individuals from 40 different countries.

Here are ten reasons why I love volunteering with the English Skills Learning Center!

1.      The students love to learn! I am excited every time I go to teach a class because the students cheer me up with their positive attitudes about life and learning.

2.      The ESLC staff is SO supportive! I am never nervous to teach because I know I have the support of a wonderful, experienced mentor when preparing lessons if needed.

3.      I get to be creative when preparing my lessons! I have learned a lot about what works, what doesn’t, and how to prepare activities that the students will enjoy and find useful.

4.      There are a variety of student levels I can teach! Individuals need help in all stages of their transition, whether learning basic English, applying for citizenship, or getting a driver’s license.

5.      I get to see the students’ progress! I love when I can tell the students really understand something they didn’t know before. I know I am truly helping them improve the quality of their daily lives.

6.      I can get to know my students! Whether it’s a one-on-one class or a small group class, I am teaching the same students over an extended period of time so I can really get to know the students and appreciate their improvement.

7.      I get a glimpse into other cultures! I have taught students from all over – Burma, Bhutan, Somalia, the Congo, Nepal, Mexico, Iraq, Iran – and I love hearing about life in other places.

8.      The ESLC is accommodating about teaching locations! There are a variety of places I can select from to teach at, depending on what works for me.

9.      The training is excellent! Going to the training was so beneficial. I learned a lot about how people learn and felt very prepared when I was assigned to my class.

10.  Basically it just feels good to serve others and I know I am making a difference!

If you would like to know more about the English Skills Learning Center, e-mail programdirector.eslc@gmail.com and I’ll tell you everything you need to know!

-Kelsi Foutz, ESLC Program Director

 

Girl Scouts

Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer for Girl Scouts

10. You get to have some amazing Girl Scout cookies!
9. You get to do fun activities.
8. You have amazing new experiences.
7. You get to have hands on volunteering in community.
6. It opens doors to new volunteering opportunities in the Bennion Center.
5. You get to take ownership of your volunteering experience.
4. You get to meet some wonderful people you would not be able to otherwise.
3. You get to develop mentoring relationships with the girls.
2. You get to change young girl’s lives.
1. You have the opportunity to guide girls to build courage, confidence and character to make the world a better place!

Bonus:  you get to hang out with Olive and Valery!

Reasons we volunteer:

Olive: Volunteering for the Girl Scout program at the Bennion Center came naturally for me since I have been involved in Girl Scouts since first grade. When I first got involved, I wanted to give young girls the opportunity to have some of the same experiences I had within scouting and I continue to volunteer to develop leadership skills and to get new experiences.
Valery:  I worked at a Boy Scout camp before coming to the U.  The experiences and feelings I had there gave way to me wanting to keep regularly volunteering.  I found the Girl Scout program in the Bennion Center and learned of what they stood for.  I believe in those things too and being able to have girls learn and explore makes volunteering even better. I believe that by volunteering we are more aware of the people around us and our desire to help and contribute in our community increase. 

We love what we do with Girl Scouts and we want to share that with you!

-Olive Poulson and Valery Kennion, Girl Scouts Program Directors

College Bound Highland

College Day

A Day Of Inspiration, Information And Incentive

Highland High School became a community partner with the Bennion Center on Fall 2011. The program started because of two moms at Highland High who identified the need of free ACT prep classes at the school and came to the Bennion Center for help. I was excited to direct the program and get it up and running as soon as possible. As a result of the 2011-2012 evaluation on the ACT Prep course, I felt that the kids at the Highland High needed more than just preparation for an assessment test; they needed reasons and encouragement to want to take the test and go to college.

In order to improve the program and be able to reach out for more kids, it was proposed that the program adapted a larger approach – the program would then be called College Bound. In addition to the ACT prep classes, the program would offer tutoring and other tools for students to be successful in high school. A bigger and exciting addition to this program would be an event called “College Day”.

The purpose of College Day is to inform high school students about college preparation, inspire them to pursue higher education and let them know that they have incentive and support.  The idea was to bring Highland High students of all years (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior) to spend a day at the University of Utah to learn about the importance of going to college, what they can do in high school right now to prepare for it and get a feel of what college looks like.

With the help of amazing volunteers and a dedicated co-director, we had an incredible event. Initially, we were planning College Day for 40 students but we had so many more interested in coming that we ended up having 110 students being part of this. All the kids that came to the U were excited to learn more about college and were very receptive. This is a part of our community partners’ reflection about the event:

“Highland High absolutely loves The Bennion Center. College Day was a great success. We cannot believe the thoughtful hours of hard work you so generously gave our students.  Breaking the students into their classes was a wonderful idea. Sometimes, college seems overwhelming but the students were taught the steps they need to take now to make higher education attainable”

We’re happy to announce that College Day will be back for Spring 2013 on March 28 and we need a lot of volunteers to make it happen!

For more information about College Day and how to get involved, please email us at actprephighland@gmail.com

- Tammy Reque, College Bound Program Director

Arts for Youth

What is Arts For Youth?
Arts For Youth works with Title I schools in the South Salt Lake City district to teach art lessons to kids. Arts For Youth (AFY) works at two different elementary schools: Lincoln Elementary and Woodrow Wilson Elementary. Volunteers go to the after-school programs and teach kids art in the form of visual, musical, theatrical, dance, or more. Along with teaching art, volunteers are role models for the students (grade 1-6) by encouraging them to respect each other and the environment.

Volunteer Roles:

• Lesson Planner: This person comes up with the main lesson plan (which should be about an hour long). There are many sources to find lesson plans: YouTube, Pinterest, or simply thinking back to when you were doing art as a kid.
• Instructor: This person gets the attention of the students and explains the lesson plan to the students. It is more organized to have one instructor; however, all the volunteers walk around and help the students.
• Material Pick-up:   This person picks up the materials bag from the Bennion Center on the day of volunteering.
• Photographer: This person takes uses their own camera to take pictures of the volunteers, the students, and the art process.
• Shadow: All new volunteers are required to attend a shadowing session, where they will go to a school and follow a previous AFY volunteer. They will see what the different roles entail and they will get the chance to work with the kids before they are required to complete a background check.
• Driver (optional): A lot of our volunteers do not have cars, therefore we have the optional driver for anyone who has a car and would like to give rides to other volunteers. If not, we highly encourage our volunteers to take public transportation to the schools (its FREE with a UID). 

 

Why Should You Volunteer with Arts For Youth?

All of our volunteers have a great time working with the kids at the elementary schools. Similarly, the kids LOVE having college students come to their school to help them with art. The kids are so enthusiastic and look forward each week to see University of Utah volunteers. Also, every year, there is an Arts For Youth Showcase for the kids to show off their beautiful artwork. This showcase is a chance for students and their families to come to a free event and see the artwork, get free food, and have a great time with their child. We always have our volunteers at the Showcase for face painting or helping out with other small art projects. So, if you are looking for a leadership role or just want to volunteer with fun kids, then Arts For Youth is the program for you!

-Brittany Thurgood, Arts for Youth Program Director 

Bennion Center Service Corps

Bennion Center Service Corps has proved the most rewarding experience of college thus far.  Approached by a friend with an idea to begin a group that helps with service projects whenever needed, I was soon after approached by Linda with an idea to form a Service Corps that recruits volunteers for miscellaneous project ideas that come to the Bennion Center.

The purpose of the Corps is to recruit student volunteers who prefer to volunteer on a less consistent basis, and help with a wide variety of monthly projects.  The Service Corps has seemed to fill a need previously unfulfilled as non-profits and various individuals have requested for volunteers, and we have been able to recruit and deliver student volunteers to get projects done!  We have helped at The American Cancer Society Gala, KUED phone in donation night, The Road Home’s Chili Night, Salt Lake City Health Fair, and other non-profit events.  Additionally, we have really enjoyed generating our own projects and also helping individuals throughout the Salt Lake community in need of a paint job on their house, someone to visit, or a meal delivered to them. 

In October we had the amazing opportunity to provide volunteers to paint a woman named Alma’s house.  Alma is a mother of 6, a volunteer at schools in the Granite School District, and an advocate for higher education in her community.  When informed that she needed a stucco and paint job on her house, Beau (co-chair of the BCSC) arranged for a stucco job and recruited volunteers for painting.  We spent a Saturday painting Alma’s home, and were able to meet her and her family.  I saw how pleasantly surprised and relieved Alma was to have the job done.  Her happiness continues motivating me to seek out those in need and provide help for them; doing so doesn’t take much effort, and rewards me with substantial feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment.  This first semester has been full of many projects for the Service Corps.  

Taking a step back at each of these projects, I have seen volunteers, my peers, and those being served all in a state of extreme happiness.  These projects have provided an opportunity for the BCSC volunteers to connect with people from all areas, backgrounds, and non-profit organizations from the area.  I couldn't be more excited for the projects coming up this semester, and for the connections and friends I anticipate making in the process.

-Jessie Du Pre, BCSC co-chair

Soaring Eagles

Soaring Eagles is a volunteer program at Mountain View Elementary a title 1 school located on the west side of Salt Lake City.  I am the program director (PD) for this program. The Bennion center has a partnership with Mountain View and also works with a few other programs at this school. The purpose of this program is to help students stay on task, learn, and have a mentor outside of the traditional methods (other than a teacher) it gives them support through someone who is connected with the university on a more direct level. The student-volunteer relationship establishes a network for the student to feel more comfortable and be excited to learn and think about attending college, using resources, and being a support system for the students. 

Volunteers work with kids in k-5^th grade and have the chance to be able to be able to do different kinds of volunteering which include In-Class Support, Supervision, Clerical, Homework Help, and Recess/Lunch Supervision. Volunteering at Mountain View provides many benefits to the community and personal growth. In my personal experience I have been able to connect with people I would not normally get to know if I was just going to school without my extra volunteer work. It is beneficial to the community by providing a service that is so important to the development of a child’s life. Being able to show a child that you want them to succeed in their schooling and afforded the educational opportunities that they should be able to take advantage of is an irreplaceable service. Current volunteers in my program have told me that they really enjoy working with these kids and they are going to continue their service for the second semester. It is also beneficial to be able to understand and work with a diverse group of people, and be able to relate to children and adults, as well as other college students who are interested in the same things as you are.

Sometimes it’s not easy feeling like you have made an impact on a child’s life , some days are better than others but it’s definitely worth it to be able to have one good impact instead of none at all. To be able to create the sort of bond and support in a child’s life is really important to their development and growth. Students volunteer at least 1 hour a week (sometimes more) for a least a semester (or from the time they start to the end of the semester) any time between 8am-6pm Mon-Fri.

Mountain View Elementary is a very diverse school that makes it unique, in addition to the soaring eagles program there is also a school garden where families of the kids that attend the school can learn how to grow their own food and prepare it, this is also a very important skill for children (and anyone) to learn to enhance their lives.

Being able to work so closely with children and community partners has really helped me to be able to understand people that come from all walks of life. As the year has progressed I have been able to learn so much from students at Mountain View, the bennion center, and staff and community partners. University students are welcome to bring their own creativity to the classroom or to provide feedback to teachers so that if there is a problem changes can be made and volunteers, teachers, and students can all feel like they are in a safe space.

I would highly recommend this program if you like working with kids, are interested in education and diversity, or are just looking for something different to try. 

- Kylie Farris, Soaring Eagles Program Director

Social Justice Gardens - Jackson Elementary

Top 10 best things about volunteering with Social Justice Gardens:

1. Learning gardening skills (learning how to garden!)
2. Interacting with families and community members
3. Working with kids
4. The joy and pride gained from planting something and watching it grow
5. Being outside
6. Tasting fresh garden vegetables
7. Learning and doing something about food injustice 
8. A sense of connection with the environment and community that surrounds you 
9. Watering plants! 
10. The opportunity to meet new people

Social Justice and Relationship Building through Food:

The Social Justice Gardens project has one major goal: to bring community members and schools together, through food. We work collaboratively with a team of parents, teachers, school administrators, and university/high school students to create community-classroom gardens. These gardens are acts of resistance, in which community members reclaim public land as a space for congregating, relationship building, and food production. They are educational; teachers, university and high school students use these gardens to learn about nutrition, environmental justice, math, and earth science. And, they are spaces made by the community for the community. We are lucky to have partnerships with a number of organizations including the Bennion Center, Wasatch Community Gardens, the Mestizo Arts and Activism Collective, and Adelante. However, we do not see our work as service. Our work is part of the struggle for historically marginalized communities to gain access and opportunity for a higher education, healthy food, and beautiful neighborhoods. We participate in this multifaceted/multi-faced work in a small way by providing space, supplies, and support for horticulture at Jackson Elementary and Mountain View Elementary.

Why I volunteer:

   Volunteering in any context offers a slew benefits to those not only receiving the help, but for the volunteer themselves. Any person who has participated in volunteer work as extensive as projects through the Bennion Center or as small as offering to care for a neighbor’s yard while they’re away knows how extensive the effects of volunteer work truly can be. Though I know I’m guaranteed the warm feelings of helping out a person or project, the volunteer experience is more far reaching than one could ever attempt to predict.

   I volunteer because I never know just what I’m getting myself into. At the garden, the Co-Directors and their volunteers meet with people of all backgrounds, all ages, and even a diverse range of their own intentions for the gardens. The Bennion Center crew encounter obstacles and triumphs perpetually. This kind of collaboration is rewarding and fulfilling, and I couldn’t think of a better way to get that thrill from working with people than while helping out a great program.

 - Dyana, volunteer

A Day in the Life of a Volunteer:

   My day at the garden starts early: 9 o’clock, a daunting time for the night owl that I am.  To my surprise, I love volunteering and gardening in the early morning.  The early sun’s warmth, the earthly smell of homegrown vegetables, and the realization that my day has started with a purpose usually leave me with an indescribable feeling that lasts throughout and brightens my day.

   A volunteer at the Cougar garden encounters lots of quirky tasks -one task being tomato harvesting.  It is challenging to harvest tomatoes in the garden without consulting our resident “tomato-whisperer” Sena.  A master, Sena will show you the tricks to finding and harvesting elusive small cherry tomatoes.  When there is nothing left to harvest, everyone engages in mini tug-of-wars with the plants as we winterize the garden by uprooting the wilting crops.  Squashes are the worst with their vines, strong and prickly, deeply rooted within the soil.

   Of course, the day is not complete without the most important part of the garden: the families of Jackson Elementary.   Volunteering in the morning, I get to meet and talk to many parent gardeners.  Learning more about the community I am serving and knowing that I contribute to the garden’s overall impact are also rewarding aspects of my day.