On February 24th, 2021 I attended a virtual event centered around various national and international service programs. These programs included Ohio Math Corps, Peace Corps, and City Year. A representative from each of these service programs spoke to a group Ohio college students. During this event, the representatives shared the goals of their organization, basic information regarding involvement, volunteer feedback, and upcoming events.
One of the service programs that stuck out to me was City Year. City Year volunteers serve as a tutor and a mentor to children years kindergarten through 12th grade. Volunteers meet with other teachers, perform bench marking tests, tutor children daily, and provide afterschool enrichment activities such as homework assistance or clubs. Volunteers are encourages to set up clubs based on their passions. These clubs expand the horizons of the children involved. This organization has 29 U.S. locations and serves over 220,000 students in 350 schools.
Mentoring youth is so important, and I believe City Year has a wonderful purpose. As an intern with Big Brothers Big Sisters, I see the importance of mentorship everyday. City Year aims to help children who may not have the best resources available to them. Many children in our society today need this extra push to put them on the right track to a bright future.
I also enjoyed hearing from the representative from the Peace Corps. This organization is an international, two-year program. The Peace Corps serves developing and middle income countries. The major focus of this organization is education. Volunteers are trained to promote world peace and friendship. This includes breaking down stereotypes between different ethnic groups. Volunteers get to work in an entirely new culture and country. These areas include Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia.
There are so many stereotypes that exist in our world today. I feel that the Peace Corps has an amazing purpose in trying to break down these assumptions. I have always heard about the Peace Corps but never fully understood the mission of the organization. It was enjoyable to learn more through this event.
After each representative was able to discuss their program, a general question and answer session took place. Finally, the student audience was able to ask questions.
I am currently interning with Big Brothers Big Sisters which is a major national non profit organization in the United States. I am also involved in two different non profit student organizations at OSU. My involvement in all of these organizations has inspired me to pursue service activities in the future. I really enjoyed hearing from these representatives. I hope to use their information to further my involvement in service programs.