Before I got to college I think I may have volunteered maybe once or twice in my life. Why? I am not really sure, that’s just the way it was! Since I’ve been in college I have come across an overwhelming amount of opportunities to get involved with the Mason community and surrounding communities. That is one thing I love about Mason. We are always presented with a slew of different ways to get involved with the community.
Chase Dreams Not Boys volunteering at Women Giving Back!
One of the most impactful ways I have managed to connect with the community is through the Outreach Program with Chase Dreams Not Boys. This program makes me happy for a lot of reasons. I love what it stands for. It encourages young girls to chase their dreams and aspire to be whatever they want to be in life. I know, because I was in their shoes before that it is really cool to the girls we do the outreach program with that we come and work with them. These are middle school and high school aged girls that are going through a lot at home and at school. It is a tricky age group to be in and they have a lot of questions that can’t necessarily be answered by a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor. It has been awesome to go and work with the girls every week. It makes me happy to see them engaging in the different activities we do and actually participating in the discussions we are having. It makes me happy to be doing this outreach program with fellow female Mason students that want to help just as much as I do and enjoy spending their time with these girls. The program is only 13 weeks (10 with the snow) but I do feel like we make a difference in the small amount of time that we are there.
Mason 2014-2015 L-Team!
Another way I feel I have been able to engage with the community is through the work the LEAD Office does with Hampton Middle School (As you can see, I love the kids!). The kids at Godwin touch my heart in a special way. Partly because I am already a sappy, emotional person but also because I really feel like we are making a difference at Hampton. Hampton was started three years ago by an LC named Yasmeen Haden. When I got to Mason, the Hampton train was already in full force, I was lucky enough to hop on my freshman year. My first time at the Hampton Incredible conference was an amazing experience for me. It was my first time acting in the facilitator role and I couldn’t have asked for a better first time. They’re middle school students, so of course they talked and made jokes throughout the small group discussions but honestly, I didn’t even care. Aside from all their jokes and small interruptions, when it became time to reflect it was clear to see that the kids at Hampton really did care about what we were talking to them about. As an LC, I have been able to help plan Hampton and watch it grow from a completely different standpoint than I did last year. We did SO much with Hampton for the past two years and I am so happy with everyone in the LEAD office and the L-Team because we are all able to work together and make things happen. We had workshops, a teen night, and the Incredible Conference. We had great attendance and participation from students at every program we held and it was clear that the kids looked forward to us being there.
One moment that I would like to share from last year’s Incredible conference was when I was in small group and it was time for the kids to sit and reflect about what they would like to get out of the day and what some of their goals are for the future. I’m not going to lie, I had my work cut out for me with the group that I had. They were full of life and laughter and they LOVED to talk. But when the time came for them to quietly reflect, I walked around to peep at what they were writing and instant joy hit me. I saw things like “I am excited to be here to hang out with the students at George Mason” and “I am excited to learn about leadership”, “I really want to go to George Mason when I am older”. Seeing things like that really makes me happy because as middle school student, I’m sure they don’t sit down and reflect about their life very often. It was nice that we provided that space for them and gave them that opportunity to reflect and it was nice to see that they liked it!