Second Week With Americorps PeaceJam

This is my second week with Americorps PeaceJam, and it has been a busy week so far! We have done Pop-Up Preschool twice, prepped materials for a visit to The Oasis Center, and reflected on storytelling and authenticity. I am back to work after being sick for almost a week, and I am so very happy to be back!

So far, the only community work I have done has been with children at Pop-Up Preschool. It started during the Covid-19 pandemic as a way for kids to gain interaction with other children and real-world knowledge they would not be able to otherwise, due to various reasons (school closings and/or wealth gaps that prevented enrollment in public school). It seems that most of the children we work with at Pop-Up Preschool are members of financially needy families who don’t have the ability to send their children to preschool or daycare. We provide hands-on opportunities for learning (painting, bracelet making, etc.) and foster the mental growth of these children through reading stories and having conversations. They are all provided snacks to alleviate any food insecurity they may have, not singling out any one child. I feel extremely lucky to have not been in this position as a child, and I feel responsibility to participate and be a role model for these children.

For my Capstone Project and using Pop-Up Preschool as one example, I hope to explore how community-based programs that draw from resources all over the community (in this case, the Tallahassee community) foster growth, offer assistance, and heal wounds for the needy and/or insecure.