Wow time flies! Although it feels like just yesterday, it was almost 6 weeks ago that a few friends and I decided to volunteer our time and give back to the community. Some many think this sounds lame, but it is truely life changing. There is a program in Bracebridge called " Lost and Found Grief Counseling" run by Elke Scholz (Bracebridge Hospice) and Jen Jilks. This program is to help children deal with grief after a loss in their life by expressing it through arts such as music, clay and painting. Elke teaches the kids about what it is their feeling, why they are feeling like that, and most importantly that it is okay to feel that way. She uses visual aids and tools that the kids can relate to, so that it makes sense to them and is easy for them to understand. As the teen volunteers, we would be partnered up with one of the kids and we would be "buddies" for the duration of the program. It ended up being much like a big-brother big-sister type ordeal. We all went into this program with open minds, not exactly sure how it would all go about, all we really knew was we were going to be mentors. The first part of the session begins with talking in a group around our "wish candle", followed by an activity, finishing off with debrief and a wish while we blow out the centre candle as a group.
The kids are great! There are a couple of busy boys but they just add to the uniqueness of our group. The smiles and laughs we have shared with each other are priceless, and i have got so much more out of this group than i thought i would. I can see in the kids faces the huge amount of positive impact this group has had on them, but that is expected. What really surprised me was the obvious impact it has had on us, the mentors. Of course the immediate gratification of helping others makes us feel great but being able to express our own emotions through what Elke and Jen have taught us is feeling of relief that is so great it is almost overwhelming. This program is one of a kind and I wish more people knew about it so they could have this feeling as well.
Our next session is an open house that we refer to as our celebration. Our friends, family and even some teachers! We will be enjoying some refreshments and even CHOCOLATE CAKE! I can't believe this program is over, im going to miss all the kids, especially my buddy Lexie!
My many thanks go out to Elke and Jen for making this such a success.
