This summer I came in with many expectations, since last year I had volunteered at the same place, with almost the same children. However, these expectations were exceeded. All the events were well planned and I truly enjoyed the smiles on the kids faces when we came in with art projects. 

Dedicating hours a day for 2 weeks wasn’t exactly my idea of “fun” earlier in the summer, however that idea shifted when I went to my first day. This incredible opportunity gave me time to reflect on what truly makes me happy.  This experience was both joyful and eye-opening, as it provided me with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by kids and the impact that fun and engaging activities can have on their lives. 

The various programs that were run included robotics, arts and crafts, english, math, science, and many other fun activities. I mainly helped out with the science and arts classes which are topics that interest me immensely. 

Throughout my volunteer experience, I was constantly amazed by the resilience and optimism of the children. Despite some that required some encouragement to participate in the activities, they all showed an incredible capacity for joy and a strong desire to learn and grow. Their energy and enthusiasm were contagious, and I often found myself learning as much from them as they did from me. The small side conversations I had with the children led me to believe that they were capable of so much more, and it felt like my responsibility to bring that out of them. 

Doing the art projects side-by-side with the children was one the highlights of my volunteer experience. Being able to get on the kid’s level and understand them felt necessary to connect with them, allowing for a better framework to teach them. 

Overall, this summer volunteer experience impacted me in a significant way. It strengthened my belief in the power of education and community support in transforming lives. It also helped me develop valuable skills such as patience, communication, and leadership. Most importantly, it reinforced my commitment to helping others and making a positive difference in my community.

When we began planning for the Summer sessions, the path ahead was uncertain. We weren't sure how much support we would receive from volunteers. However, optimism is the core essence of the incredible Aspire team. Fueled by curiosity and a hint of nervousness, I eagerly signed up for the Summer Camp.

To my surprise, I discovered that more than 20 high school volunteers had signed up. It was amazing to witness their journey. This platform provided them with the opportunity to lead enrichment sessions, and each volunteer did an outstanding job. I was primarily involved with STEM and ART, so I can provide more insight into these areas.

Arjun and his team did a fantastic job creating a syllabus for hands-on science projects. The kids took a lot of interest and wholeheartedly enjoyed the process. I was in touch with Shaunak for the programming sessions, which were particularly challenging to plan for elementary kids without access to computer labs during the summer. However, he found innovative ways to teach the basics of algorithms and even introduced sorting concepts in a fun and engaging manner. This was truly commendable.

For ART, I worked with Dhatri for some time. She is incredibly passionate, and her teaching style was smooth and engaging. I really loved how she conducted her sessions.

We definitely have room for improvement. In my opinion, some sessions need better time management. It was challenging to keep the entire class engaged during each session. Some kids were very interested, while others were not, which was particularly noticeable in the ART sessions. While some kids were eager to learn, others seemed disengaged.

We also faced some coordination hiccups during the first two or three days. However, thanks to our director, Sudha Ji, who managed all the coordination issues single-handedly like a warrior, we overcame these challenges and triumphed in the end. I would like to thank all the other volunteers who are the pillars of this program. Overall, this was a very enriching experience, and I feel blessed to witness it every day!

Sewa International actively works selflessly for the community with no expectations. I was fortunate to be a part of Sewa via the Aspire Summer Camp. Summer camp is a great idea to keep the children actively engaged, educate them, while they enjoy and have fun. It was a wonderful experience to be with children and interact with them. This has been my first opportunity to be with them. The children were eager to learn and also gave me the opportunity to learn new things.

Loved the enthusiasm in the kids while they learnt Arts, Yoga, Maths English, Robotics,Science and Dramatics.In dramatics, the kids learnt photography. In Science class, the kids were engrossed in the lava lamp, DNA structure using candy etc. In Robotics, they were really excited when their Robots built with legos were in motion .In Arts they were given tracings of Swans, the bald eagle for the 4th of July, the fish etc which they happily colored with vibrant colors. Yoga class was also a great hit where students followed the teachers and showed their own postures too. In Maths and English classes the children actively participated answering the questions put up by the teachers using videos. Dramatics class was in a way Performing Arts class where students were introduced to monologues, dialogues, photography and movie making indoors and outdoors. In Hip hop class the kids thoroughly enjoyed.And last but not the least the children had a 5th grader to teach them origami. They made paper boats, fish, swans and glued them in a blue pond which looked beautiful.

It was wonderful to hear the screams of joy when the kids received their certificates of participation in the Camp. I feel the kids and the Sewa volunteers will miss each other and the activities they learnt at school and will look forward to more such fun camps. Sewa is doing a great job to the community and will blossom in the years to come.

Yes! I led a few hip-hop workshops and had a spectacular time with the kids as it was an amazing way of getting to know them more and having fun with the music of their choice. I got further insight into the way they think along with their creativity, especially their freestyle dance moves! They all had passion, and although it was not every kid's cup of tea I loved seeing them step out of the box and try something new. This could even out of their comfort zone. I appreciate all the effort the other volunteers put in in assisting me organize the kids, it was truly a learning experience. I do wish I could’ve taught more, however, it was towards the end of the camp and we ran out of time. I was only getting to know the kids before it ended! Though some kids enjoyed dancing more than others, I was impressed after a single-day workshop some of them had even gone home and practiced, and came back just to show me what they learned and how they improved. Not only do the kids inspire me, but I’m increasingly motivated to continue working with them! I learned so much about their learning methods, what they enjoy the most, and even patience. Patience is a virtue, and it’s difficult to get this experience just anywhere! Not only patience but also valuable leadership skills. The opportunity to teach something not only you are passionate about and good at but the resources to spread it to a whole new generation is considerably unique, so letting this opportunity slide was not worth it. Yes, I’m a busy high school student and where you spend your time matters extensively, however, spending time here is worth it :) 

Making new connections at Sewa with people of all ages including adults, teens, and kids was one of the best experiences I’ve had. Not only did I get so much advice, but I made some amazing friends whom I can keep in touch with in the future. Volunteering with a fun team is a spectacular way to spend your summer, especially if you’re bored at home. I also saw both aspects of students becaus, during the first few weeks, I volunteered at Schilling and then during the later weeks I went to Coyote. Because I’m going into the medical field, I had the pleasure of volunteering with a topic I’m interested in. Both groups of kids at both schools had their own specialties and environments! Being exposed to that differentiation is another gravitating aspect of the ASPIRE program. Some kids tend to be more energetic while others tend to be calmer and that’s what sets them apart in such a beautiful way. 

Some challenges that could be kept in mind, however, I call it a learning experience because you can’t grow without challenges. Grasping the attention of the kids could take some time as you have to grow on them and find an effective method of communication in their terms, and in a way that would spark their attention. Furthermore, they are energetic so trying to match their energy to communicate with them is an important aspect that should be considered during the process. Overall, this magical opportunity should be considered by everyone, and it’s worth every portion of the time committed! Volunteer with the ASPIRE program at Sewa :)