Hello everyone!!! First off, I am
super excited to be a part of the Summer Service Fellowship and getting a
chance to explore and know Memphis better. I am from Evansville, Indiana, which
is on the Southwest tip of Indiana right on the Indiana-Kentucky border
(shout-out to Sandi as the other Hoosier in the group). I am a rising senior
(yikes I don’t think that has settled in my mind yet) majoring in Economics and
International Studies.
This summer I will be working with
the Refugee Empowerment Program (REP). I am excited to be able to spend more
time with this awesome organization and get a better understanding of the inner
workings of REP. This past semester I have been volunteering with REP and their
after-school program and I wanted to get a better chance to get to know the
kids who come to REP and create a relationship with them.
During the summer, REP has a summer
school program which focuses on improving math, English, and reading skills of
the kids. In the summer school, I will be one of 4 teachers teaching 3-5th
grade math and 6-8th grade grammar. This past week no time was
wasted as I was put to work the moment I got there. This past week we have
given the students who plan to attend the summer program a standardized test in
order to get an idea of what level they were at and what topics we need to
spend more time on. Along with getting an idea of the strength and weakness of
each student, we wrote curriculums for each subject and grade section. I am excited for the following weeks, as I
will be able to spend more hands-on time with the kids.
The thing that attracted me to REP
is their mission statement is addressing the needs of the refugee population in
Memphis through empowering programs. Many of the kids come from Sub-Sahara
Africa and the Middle East. REP focuses on using education as the key to
empowering the refugee population. By aiding in the educational growth, REP
sees this as a tool that will be self-sustaining. Often times I take the great education I have
received and all the opportunities from it for granted, often not realizing
that majority of the world does not get this same opportunity that I have been
given. By using my education, I hope to help the kids prepare for school in the
fall and help give them the confidence in themselves and what they know. And even more, I hope to create a relationship with the community that goes beyond this summer.
Mihret,
ReplyDeleteI think that you will probably learn as much from the kids this summer as they will from you! It is inspiring that you have chosen to pursue an interest from last semester into this summer and I think your passion for REP will help you form the connection with the Memphis community that you are seeking. I can't wait to hear all about your triumphs and troubles! I look forward to your next post!
Hi Mihret! Your mission for this summer sounds empowering. I myself have never given much thought about the reality of refugees in Memphis, and I regret that I have been so misinformed. Your hands on service will not only serve to grow their skills, but you'll teach them how to learn--which I think is just as important if not more so. After all, teach a man to fish! I look forward to hearing about your progress this summer!
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