Passion to Purpose: My Journey : Introducing the new and improved "I LOVE YOU" Group!

Hello!! I hope you are all doing well. I have fulfilled my promise for the month of February! (thanks ENITSIRHC!) And here it is. The blog of the month =). A little update; life has been moving and progressing smoothly. There were several changes that I wanted to make in 2014. I have started a number of them successfully while some of them are still a work in progress. One of the, so far, very successful changes this year, is my refresh, reinstated youth group.

Last year I had an English group that I would eventually turn into a youth group. I started it because children would show up to my house at all times of the day. I then decided in order to have a little “me” time, I should give them a specific time to show up. It was fun for a while, but due to the way I started this group, I believe it lacked structure. And that is where the problem started. One week there would be 10 kids, next week 5 kids, another week 6 kids but never a consistent number and never the same kids. I realized NOTHING could be accomplished if they are learning these new skills without the opportunity to build on to what they previously learned. It would be pointless; except playing fun games with P’som, which, although fun, is not what I wanted. After a few moments of complaining about how the kids in Thailand do not understand consistency and structure. I decided to stop, regroup, and rethink this whole process. I started thinking ,“What could I have done different?”, “What could I have done to instill those things into the children earlier on?” I then ended the group.

This time around I made sure all my ducks were in a row. I went to each school, all classes, and places in the community with sign up sheets. I also handed out a letter for parents explaining what I would like to do, where, when and even why. I knew that in doing this, lots of children would say yes simply to please me, but I explained each time, that I love them all and will still love them if they do not come to group because I wanted only the children who would commit.

Fast-forward to now, the group has been great. We meet once a week for at least 2 hours; often they stay longer ha. There are 2 groups; 1 group grades 3-6 and another grades 7 and up. There are about 30 children in the first group (with about 24 consistent every week) but only 3 in the older group. The plan is to make them the leaders for some of the activities for the younger kids.

First day, we discussed the structure of the group as well of rules and regulations, allowing them to suggest rules they felt were appropriate. They also chose a group name, “ I LOVE YOU GROUP”. I thought it was cute. As of now we are still in the trial period of the group, which ends this Saturday. We haven’t started any large projects because I want to make sure these kids are here to stay. I am really happy with the way this group is progressing and see them doing some amazing activities in the community soon.

One of our life skills activities was combined with a bit of cultural exchange. Since it is February, I chose to teach about Martin Luther King. The children did not realize that there are people from all countries in the United States. It was really amazing to hear some of their responses and to see them fully engaged in the conversation. We discussed Martin Luther King and why he is an important figure. We then did an “I had a dream..” activity which you can see in the video posted below. After all activities were completed, we conversed about what important characteristics did he have that they could apply to their everyday lives’. A number of them stated that you should treat people well no matter who they are or where they are from and if you see someone doing something wrong you should help or tell someone. I was really very happy with this activity and cannot wait to do more. For activities such as this one, I enlist the help of community members. One of my hopes is to find one consistent community member so that when I leave, the group can continue. I love to see the kids thinking, engaging, and learning all while having fun.

There you have it a little snippet into one of my projects at site! Here are a few pictures of life since my last post as well as pictures from the “I LOVE YOU GROUP”. See you next month!!!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!! Martin Luther King Cultural Exchange! with 'I LOVE YOU' Group

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!! Me and my first Yii(grandmother) in Supan she is funny Translation: I am trying to get her to say hello and she keeps laughing i asked her why are you laughing and she says because her eyes are closed lol!

Now 'I Love You' Group!