Alongside Diamond Delivery, we sponsor the South Surrey Boys and Girls Club; below is their March 2023 report.
Highlights
A wonderful time with our Pre-teens this quarter! We have had some new pre-teens join us, and with the weather warming, it has been a delight to see them spending more time outside and enjoying each other’s company. With the Spring Break that we had as well, the youth have been able to be more independent from the younger participants, and really take a deeper look into their interests and creativity!
Pre-Teen Volunteering
The pre-teens have been such an incredible example and support to our younger participants. Their leadership has truly made the club a place of community and mentorship.
One new program that we opened for both the kids and pre-teens was a hand-sewing program. Many of the kids had never done this before, and were getting quite frustrated with the little steps. The pre-teens took this leadership opportunity and started supporting the staff in teaching the kids how to sew. They had incredible patience with them, and it was wonderful to see everyone so engaged and ready to learn.
Pre-teens have also wanted to show more leadership in the cooking programs for the kids. They help the staff lead the cooking programs, and even help find fun recipes that the kids would like to do. They have also become wonderful mentors in the cooking program by encouraging the other kids to be safe and listen to directions!
Another program the pre-teens have loved to run and create are trivia programs! They love to use the computers to learn about different topics, and are able to share what they have learned through trivia programs with the younger kids!
Spring Break
This Spring Break, we have noticed an increase in pre-teen numbers. While the pre-teens usually stay home the pro-d days and breaks, it was wonderful to see them wanting to attend the club and be a part of the programs here. The staff used this time to focus on the pre-teens and
their own development. We had a few meetings
on what the pre-teens were looking for at the club. They had been volunteering at the club quite a bit, and being a wonderful support, and we wanted to see what the pre-teens wanted and needed from the club as their development is also very important.
They had such an incredible Spring Break. They learned new card games, created stronger connections with each other, and had more engaging time together outside. We had the wonderful opportunity of visiting two free Art centers this Spring Break, and the pre-teens absolutely loved it. Through the art at Bear Creek Park, they were able to gather such wonderful inspiration for their own work, as well as learn about different cultures, and art processes. There were some wonderful discussions we had about what certain art pieces meant. For youth where they saw their culture being represented in such a beautiful way, they expressed their pride in the artwork, and took that opportunity to share more of their knowledge. It was wonderful.
Pre-teen Nights
Pre-teen nights have been an important part of the week for pre-teens. It gives them their own space and ownership, they are able to be more independent of their spaces and learn to make the right choices about their life.
They have recently really been enjoying doing craft actvities together, such as tie-dye. They also have been engaging in a lot of group games like camoflauge or hide and seek. This has been a wonderful opporunity to be creative. The pre-teens really appreciate having their own time together without the younger kids. They describe pre-teen night as a lot of fun, and a wonderful time to be with friends.
Senior Crafters
Senior Crafters has been a lovely time for the pre-teens to get together and challenge themselves and their skill levels! Currently, they are working more on their sewing skills and building skills. They have also taken the skills that they have learned and have been able to share these with the younger kids. Senior crafters is also a wonderful time to challenge themselves. More recently, they had a challenge on who could build a structure that was the tallest with a limited number of materials, getting the pre-teens to think outside the box. Like this building contest, which merges with creative thinking and STEM, we do out best to make our crafting programs purposeful, where it is not solely based on creativity and expression, but also broader thinking and lifelong learning.
As the spring days go on further, we hope to expand the garden that we have, as well as bring in more crafty/useful things that they will be able to use for lifelong learning in their own lives.
Physical Activity Programs
It has been wonderful as the weather has warmed because the kids have been able to go outside more often. When the outside programs are merged with the kid’s programs, the youth often take on leadership with games and help by being a referee to a sports game, or help the leaders lead a game that they enjoy.
We have also been running outdoor programs with just the pre-teen group. These have been so much fun! We recently played a game similar to stones, and the youth loved it. It was wonderful to see the pre-teens develop strategies together and work together as a team. They have so much fun working together, and encourage each other to be their best. Another thing that we have been enjoying as pre-teens are the walks! When we have been inside for quite a long time we enjoy going outside together and enjoying the weather. It teaches them that physical activity does not always need to be competitive, or sports related.
Success Story
We have a wonderful pre-teen at the club who has had a really rough time. She tells us that home is chaotic, and she does not like spending time there. Often there are fights that break out in the home with her siblings, and the mother needs to call the police. Police arriving at the home is quite common, and this pre-teen says that the club is the place where they feel the safest.
Last summer, the family was faced with homelessness and was living in a motel. Thankfully, they found a home nearby their school and the club. The mother has been working really hard to make ends meet, but has been struggling. She often does not have time to make her kid’s lunch, or pack snacks. The club is this pre-teen’s happy place. It is where she is able to get the food she needs, as well as the calm and care that she often cannot get at home.
The struggle of having no lunch from home has been very difficult for her. She felt terrible turning to the school for support, with others knowing that her family was not financially capable of supporting her. After expressing this to us, we got together and taught her how to make pasta. Her mother would give her allowance, and she would use that money to purchase the ingredients to make lunch for her and her younger brother.
She is an amazing pre-teen that has had to grow up and be an adult and parent to her younger brother. The club has given her a place to be a child again. It has given her a place to be herself. It has given her the skills and confidence to make positive differences in her own life.
