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The ARK Hub
The ARK Hub
Every Thursday after school, our leading teacher, Ms. Stefania, drove the ARK members to the ARK Hub, where schoolchildren from John A. Cumber went if they couldn't go home. This program supported kids who had learning struggles and needed extra support.
During my visits to the hubs, I played soccer, participated in many dance battles, played board games, colored and painted, and built various Legos and blocks! As time passed, making ARK a part of my weekly schedule became unavoidable, as I began to love spending time with the kids - they were always full of energy and willing to try something new.
One challenge I learned to adapt to was when our plans didn't go as we foresaw, and we needed to modify them. For example, we brought books and activities in one day, but when we got to the hub, service dogs occupied the kids' attention. So, instead of trying to force our plans, we joined in on learning about the animals and continued to be there for the schoolchildren. Thus, resilience and being dynamic were always crucial!
ARK Giving Tree
ARK Giving Tree
As mentioned previously, ARK is a non-profit organization that offers a welcoming hand to anybody who may need one through rough patches in life. CIS has a smaller company branch, and we host many fundraisers and trips to the ARK building.
CIS holds the ARK Giving Tree each year to help families in need by accepting gift card donations. It is important to host events such as this one, as it was to brighten one's holiday season with resources not easily accessible to them.
Gingerbread House Construction
Gingerbread House Construction
The ARK members and I brought gingerbread houses and candy to make with the kids at the hub. This was an enjoyable day when everybody was laughing and working together. I got to talk with some quiet children who weren't always willing to talk. We had a house competition where everyone collaborated and tried to make the best house! My group ended up making a mini gingerbread village. Furthermore, this activity was particular to me because a lot of the kids do not have someone to spend the holidays with or buy extra things like gingerbread houses, so it was rewarding to get the chance to be a supportive figure.
From this experience, I connected with the children and saw a more playful, unseen side of them. This proved that being kind to everyone is essential because you never know the hidden struggles one faces.
Carnival
Carnival
Similar to grade 10, ARK hosted a Halloween Carnival where each member was in charge of one station, gathering all the materials and facilitating the event. My friend Sophia and I ran the bucket ball throw, where participants had to throw a tiny ball into different-sized cups from a fixed position, and if you got all three balls in their buckets, you won a couple of pieces of candy. It was a lot of fun working with Sophia and being with people from my school whom I don't typically converse with, both older and younger than me.
Learner profiles: communicator, caring, and reflective
LO2: challenges/skills
Meeting children and attempting to incorporate myself into their after-school routines in a caring manner presented itself with challenges, such as not knowing what to do when my plan did not work out. However, I overcame such challenges by using my reflective skills to support the children's learning and development by listening to their ideas and concerns and then being able to adapt.
LO3: initiate and plan
Initiating and planning within ARK has allowed me to become a risk-taker, as I am now comfortable with things not working out how I planned and being able to shift my ideas. Additionally, planning has given me the opportunity to practice my organization and time-management skills because I have had the role of planning activities within a specific time frame and with specific tools and materials.
LO5: collaboration
LO6: awareness of a global issue
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