Our First Workshop!
“I feel worthy whenever I play with my favorite characters. They make me feel cool and awesome. Look! I drew Sonic and Rainbow Friends! Do you also like my red smiley face?”
Scattered legos, criminally knotted belts, delightful shrieks, and knocked-over water bottles— these are some events I encounter every Friday at Tiger Park Taekwondo. When I first started volunteering at Tiger Park’s afterschool daycare two years ago, I didn’t expect my volunteering session to become a two-hour workout. Yet even amongst the chaos of ear-muffling giggles and the discomfort of sweat trickling down my rosy cheeks, I never fail to show up. After all, these moments are what bring joy to my mundane life.
Through the intimate interactions with the children every Friday, I was able to glimpse into the lives of the young students, and as I spent more time with these children, I heard painful stories that truly broke my heart. From suffering the horrible divorce of their parents to enduring the language barrier as a non-native student, each child had agonizing experiences deep inside their heart. But it wasn’t only these tales that brought tears to my eyes; what really crushed me was that these children were losing self-esteem. They would fidget their hands, look down, and force a smile that didn’t reflect how they were genuinely feeling. I knew I had to do something.
IWI’s first session at Tiger Park explored the theme of self-worth. Our “Meaning of Worth” workshop aimed to introduce students to the positive, worthy mindset and teach them the true meaning of worth and value. Students decorated a colorful cardstock paper titled “I Am Worth It Because…” with different activities or objects they felt confident when doing or represented their identity. By doing this activity, students were able to naturally reflect on the things that bring them joy and confidence.
I am so excited to embark on this journey with Tiger Park and bring more smiles and confidence to the children at the daycare. With the first workshop beyond successful, I am motivated more than ever to bring more positive changes, small or big, to the children at daycare. Scroll down for more pictures!
