Et cetera : NCCC FEMA Corps Pine 6 celebrates youth by giving education a creative spin

AmeriCorps NCCC-FEMA Pine 6 members with students they served at Henderson Elementary in Chicago.

By Annika Van Raalte

Youth service takes place 365 days a year around the world and on April 26 to 28 it was recognized and celebrated as Global Youth Service Day. This day is dedicated to adolescents and children who endeavor to develop their communities each day of the year. To commemorate Global Youth Service Day, AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps team Pine 6 spent the day at Henderson Elementary in Chicago participating in fun and educational activities developed for two different age groups of students from the surrounding community.

Half of the members from Pine 6 read about Peruvian festivals with their third grade students and created an art project that paralleled the subject of the story. They presented their Peruvian sun catchers to the rest of the class and also had a discussion on the key points from the book. Before the end of the class snack, Pine 6 also helped the students create personalized Mother’s Day bookmarks.

On the opposite side of the school, the other half of Pine 6 spent the day discovering Chicago with students in the fifth grade. A class story and drawing activity helped illustrate the topic of the day, which was Chicago architecture. Students and members also presented the drawing of their favorite example of architecture from the city. Team Leader Mark Robertshaw remarked, “It was a great opportunity to serve alongside children while also learning about the Chicago culture and architecture.”

Upon their arrival at housing, the team reflected on what serving in the community of Chicago meant to them, as well as what inspired them to serve there and in the communities they call home. For Pine 6, working directly with the students created a strong connection to the city of Chicago itself and many drew their inspiration to serve here from a larger desire to see communities succeed. In addition, having teams like Pine 6 serve in communities like Chicago gives students like those at Henderson Elementary opportunities to connect with positive influences inside and outside of their community.