Brookside After School Tutoring Program.docx
Every Monday afternoon, students from Northview Church are
driven to Brookside Community Church near downtown Indianapolis to
volunteer by tutoring inner city children. We are divided into four
teams: The tutoring team provides homework help and tutoring in
reading and math for elementary and middle school students. The
pantry team unloads delivery trucks and stocks the shelves in the
food pantry. Every Sunday morning after church services at
Brookside, families are able to pick pre-packed bags from the food
pantry. The project team does work around Brookside like painting,
cleaning or landscaping. The Bible Study team prepares and leads a
study and prays with the kids in the after school program.
It might be difficult for teens from Carmel and Noblesville to
imagine a life of poverty, since we take a lot of things for
granted. In comparison, most kids in the After School Program at
Brookside come from families that have experienced generational
poverty. Some of these kids may not have dinner when they go home;
their parents may hold several part-time jobs and do not get home
until after midnight each day; their family members may not be able
or willing to help them with their homework. Seeing these kids
filled with hope and happiness despite their poverty makes me feel
very grateful for what I already have.
Studies have shown that by merely graduating from high school,
there is a greater chance for one to earn a higher salary in the
future than if he/she had dropped out. Through education, the
chance to break the cycle of poverty in one's family is greatly
increased. Therefore, we provide tutoring for elementary and middle
school students to help them build a strong foundation in reading
and math to ensure their academic success in high school.
I started volunteering at Brookside at the beginning of this
school year. Throughout my time in youth group at Northview, I was
taught to spread the gospel by giving back to my community, whether
it is at a church function or in the greater Indianapolis area.
This summer, I felt that God is calling me to help others, so I
took the initiative and contacted Megan McGuire, the coordinator of
the Brookside After School Program, and expressed my interest. I
was paired up with a fourth-grader named Makaylah. Unlike most
teenage girls, I've never had any babysitting experience in the
past, so at first, I was a little timid and didn't know how to
interact with the kids. However, I soon realized that Makaylah is
very bright, and it is very rewarding when she quickly masters a
concept that I have taught her. Participating in the tutoring
program has made me become more confident with my childcare
abilities, and I hope to continue to deepen my friendship with
Makaylah.
The main purpose of the program is to build relationships with
the kids and lead them to Christ. After the kids finish their
homework, we would hang out and talk about their weekend and what
they did in school. Sometimes we would read a book together, play
board games, or play basketball in the gym. We end our time there
each week with Bible study and prayer. It is a very warm and loving
atmosphere. Several times during the year special events like
Christmas and pizza parties are hosted for the kids. The kids enjoy
the attention and are very excited when we arrive each week.
Serving with people who share the same beliefs and who all come
from different backgrounds but are there with the same goal is an
amazing experience. As a group, we have a lot of fun and I have
built many friendships. Going to Brookside is one of the highlights
of my week, something I look forward to most on Mondays. I have
only been there for two months, and already it's starting to feel
like a second home.
