After devoting the first 14 years of my
life in athletics, I wanted to give back to my community before the close of my
senior year in high school. My decision to take part in a service program ended
up being one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. In October of 2011,
I applied to the Family and Children’s Agency to become a “Big Friend” to child
in need of a mentor. The Family and Children’s Agency is a non-profit family
service organization that aids children, adults and families across
Connecticut. The program is a year-long commitment; one must devote a few hours
each week to engage in fun, safe activities and serve as a support system to a
child. Such mentoring relationships prove to result with many long-term
benefits, including improved self-confidence and school performance, reduced
incidents of crime, and greater expectations for one’s future.
As soon as I was matched with 5th grader, Allie, it became my
responsibility to model appropriate behavior, be an avid listener and provide
encouragement to her on a weekly basis for the rest of the school year.
After my first time meeting Allie, I knew
we were going to be a great match simply because we are so much alike. Allie is
extremely outgoing; she loves to meet new people and make new friends. I soon
learned that Allie rarely has an opportunity to do fun activities or spend time
with friends due to a difficult family situation. Therefore, I took the
initiative to structure creative, memorable activities that will hopefully shape
her childhood for the better.
One important lesson that Allie learned
was that it is okay to make mistakes. No one is perfect so evidently, mistakes
will be forgiven. One prevalent aspect of the mentoring program was introducing
your “little friend” to new experiences and activities. One weekend in April,
Allie tried rock climbing for the first time. She found herself frustrated over
the course of the day simply because the activity was new and rather difficult
as she had never been exposed to anything similar in the past. Tears streamed
down her face, as she couldn’t figure out how to maneuver from one hinge to the
next on the rock. She hid her face in embarrassment and hoped I had not seen
her break down. I realized her reaction was primarily caused by her home life.
Allie’s parents had extremely high expectations for her, even at the mere age
of ten. She learned at a young age that it was not acceptable to cry, hence, the
reason why she began to hide her feelings. This concept is similar to the
narrator’s behavior in The Yellow
Wallpaper. The narrator is faced with many mental constraints, which
prevent the ability of expressing oneself and ultimately cause her “nervous
troubles” when dealing with her husband, John. (389) Part of my job included
reaching out to Allie and letting her know that expressing emotion is a normal
and healthy way of communication.
It was also important for Allie to learn
the lesson that humanity is imperfect, a lesson which also appears in Nathanial
Hawthorne’s The Birthmark. Hawthorne
states, “with her whole spirit she prayed that, for a single moment,
she might satisfy his highest and deepest conception.” The reader notices
Aylmer’s addiction to perfection is encapsulating his mind. In reality, nothing in the physical world is perfect,
and therefore, it is more than acceptable to make mistakes, especially when
trying something new.
Finishing my service project was
incredibly rewarding and provided me with new insight on communicating effectively
with people. The program lifted my heart as I noticed how much happier Allie
appeared to be each week. Allie’s gradual happiness is reminiscent of the
speaker’s transition from loneliness to happiness in William Wordsworth’s poem,
I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud. Seeing
the smile on her face at the end of each week made my job much more meaningful.
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