Serve! has really been a great experience for me. It gave me a chance to grow as a person and project my thoughts within a group of people. During the weeks that I was there, I got to learn a lot from my team members and my facilitators. They all were very cooperative and understanding.

I learned many new things through the various workshops that we had and through the various activities that we did during the program. I learned to build up my confidence and to work as a team. We also got a chance to do volunteer work at places like Warden Woods Community Centre, Cabbagetown Youth Centre and Scott Mission where we did something noble for the community and for the people there. I think that this summer I did something that was productive as well as positive towards me and my community. I took the initiative to make difference in people’s life.

I also got the chance to challenge myself of getting on those high ropes and this has all been possible because of Serve!  I also met some great people out here at Serve! And I have made some really great friends.

By Noorul Fazla Abdul Muneem

This is my first time making a blog so here goes. Hello my name is Charlotte Le I’m 17 years old. I’m half Vietnamese and a quarter Ukrainian and a quarter German. I’m a girl if you didn’t notice from my name. This is my first time at Serve!. It’s pretty cool. We do a lot of interesting things. Like volunteering.

My team volunteered at many places. One of the places was Cabbagetown Youth Centre. I had a of fun interacting with the kids. We played tag and we played on the jungle gym. The kids are hilarious. Another place I volunteered at was The Children’s Book Bank. My group is doing a puppet show for the kids and we’re planning activities for them like crosswords. 

Also the whole group went to this place called Adventureworks!  We played some games then after that we went on this high rope course. It was challenging. I had to climb a ladder at the bottom of this tall tree then there were some pegs in the tree so I had to climb them. Then finally I made it to the platform. Then I crossed these swings. I only made it to the third one, then I fell and I got rope burn-- it hurt. But yah it was still cool. Yah so far this program was a lot of fun I can’t wait to do more!!! Peace

Written by Charlotte Le

I’ve had a nice time at Serve. I actually don’t travel very far alone and was very scared of getting lost. For the interview I’d almost gotten on the wrong bus. It’s a good thing we all go together to other places that I can simply remember how to go back there. I actually don’t feel very scared of traveling a long way from home. I had come early to a meeting point for help to get there and decided “what the hell, I’ll try and find it myself.” I had found my way but flipped out because everyone came almost 45 mins late. They had bus troubles. Even with all the worrying I guess I can be happy that I found my way at least.

I really liked the activities we did. I’ve very little experience with children. When I came to help at Cabbagetown Youth Centre I thought I should be all too motherly and bending over backwards for them till I’d seen how the staff acted with them. They talked to the children with confidence, much like a leader. I’d realized that this is the way you should treat them most of the time. You have to teach them to follow the rules.

I enjoyed my time at the Warden Woods Community Centre listening to the seniors talk. I’d get teary whenever they mentioned their partner passing away. It was also great seeing the homeless shelter and seeing that they treated them with respect and expected the people staying there to do the same.

We’ve had many workshops and most of which were pretty interesting to me like money management. We’ve even had a nice outdoor adventure. I’d notice many people cowering over the thought of climbing so high but they all seemed to want to at least try. It was fun.

Lastly, my favourite thing, was being able to go to a youth employment centre and learning the best ways to find a job, write a good resume/cover letter, and winning them over the interview. I tend to freak out a lot on the inside when put on the spot.

Anonymous

The Making it Work program is almost over and it has gone by very fast. I have learned so many things from it. We have learned about assertiveness, anger management, writing resumes, and budgeting among other things. We have helped out at a homeless shelter making beds, serving food to the needy, at a community centre with seniors, at the Children’s Book Bank putting together educational days for children, and helped out at the camps at Cabbagetown Youth Centre. One day we went to Adventureworks! and did the rope courses. And we played lots of games.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most is assisting at CYC with the junior play group. I have been working with 3-year-olds in the morning and 3-5-year-olds in the afternoon. I didn’t have much experience with children that young before. Time goes by so fast with them. They have the same routine every Tuesday, the day I’m there. They arrive and play, then often there is a story, they do a craft project, have snack, go to the gym, and go to the wading pool or park.

I have also been working on a personal goal, which is speaking out and speaking up. Almost every part of the program has been good at helping with that. We do team-building activities, and the community service is all about participation - especially at CYC where you have to be loud to talk with the kids. Stephanie, my team facilitator has kindly taken time to work with me on speaking louder. In particular, the assertiveness workshop that we did was very useful. I believe that I have improved, though of course there is still lots of room for more improvement. I will certainly take the skills I have learned and use them in the future.

Written by Andonia

I took a picture of the trees that were next to the Flemingdon Health Centre.  They look really pretty all covered in white.  I remember how in the summer they were all green and my friends and I hang out around them.  In the fall they are all orange and yellow, while we run to go to school.

By: Anonymous (Step Up March Break program participant)