Party Time!

This last friday, at Real Life (March 22nd), we had a party! There were so many people involved, and lots of the teens came as well. The Hser Ner Moo center was packed. There were so many people, that both the upstairs, and downstairs floors were involved, and pretty squished as well! 

The first activity was a cake walk. Numbered sticky notes were placed on the floor in a circle, and when the music started to play, everyone would walk around the circle until it stopped. Then, a number was called out and whoever was on that number won a prize! 

The next activity is the one I think the teens had the most fun with--Limbo! Everyone was so flexible, the string was so low to the ground it was crazy! Everyone loved it so much, that we did several rounds, and the teens kept begging us to lower the string! Much to our amazement, they could limbo underneath the string with no problem!

 All the while, there was a guessing-activity--how many candies were in the Easter container? Everyone wrote their guess on the whiteboard, and the closest one won the candy! Sar Ban guessed it exactly! 450 candies. :) 

The last component to the party was a classic--a dance party. Everyone likes a good dance party! With rocking tunes, and over 30 people, you can't go wrong.

This last Friday at Real Life was an absolute blast. I'd say that that was the fullest i've ever seen the place, and although this activity was specifically labeled a 'party', everyday at Real Life is a party. :)

How do you say 'service' in Vietnamese?

để phục vụ những người khác - that's how! 

These students on the Vietnam team will soon be experiencing service across the world but right now they are learning the meaning of service in their own backyards.  However you spell it - service - is changing lives!

Sydney Stanger

My main service site is The Sunnyvale Neighborhood Center.  It is a place where refugee kids can come to get help with their homework and it is located right in their apartment complex.  I go every Thursday for a couple of hours and it is so cute to see the kids excited to see us when they walk in.  They don't have much but are still so happy and want to do their best to succeed in school.  It has been great to get to know them and make an impact in their life!










Sydney Robertson
I have been volunteering at Friday Kids Respite. The group meets in the Kids on the Move building every Friday night.  This organization is for parents with disabled children. They can bring their disabled children here and we play with them. This helps the parents get a small break from the constant intensive care they are required to give their children. As a volunteer we basically get to be kids again and spend an evening helping the special needs kids have some fun while their parents take a break. Volunteering here has helped to realize how carefree my life is.  One memorable moment was when I was paired up with a child with Down syndrome. It was hard to interact with him at first so I just started making weird noises and acting kind of crazy. Within minutes he was laughing hysterically. I realized that I could connect though the universal language of laughter.


 Olivia Randall

I volunteer at Real Life in Salt Lake City and I work with refugees. As a volunteer I work with the teens helping with activities and playing games with them. It has been a really neat experience getting to know all of the teens and more about them. They always come with so much energy and are ready to do whatever the activity might be. An experience I had was on one of the first days when we had to interview one of the teens. Most of the questions were about education, how school is now, and their plans for college. The girl I interviewed loved school. She couldn't tell me one thing she wished were different about school. She had such a positive attitude about it. When I asked if she was going to college she said, "Of course!" She loved learning and seemed to really understand the difference a higher education will make on your life. I have loved volunteering and just playing around with the teens. It has been a wonderful experience.




Joanna Remund

I volunteer at the Midway Elementary in Midway, Utah.  I go every Wednesday and Friday from 9-11 as much as I can.  I help the kids that struggle in reading and writing.  It is really cool to see the changes that have occurred since the beginning. Reading is becoming a lot easier for the kids I help and I can tell that they enjoy knowing how to do the things that other kids can do.  I have learned that it just takes time, patience and encouragement to help the kids, and that building relationships with these kids is very important.







tốt công việc! (Good work!)

Recently at Real Life!

This past week at Real Life we went to Hollywood Connections and had a a great time paying games, laser tag, and roller skating!

This was us skating!(or trying to)

This was when we played mini golf!

We have recently started this new program with SpyHop where they bring in six iPads and teach the kids how to use garage band, make movies, and take cool pictures and add graphics to them.  We will be doing this for the next six weeks every monday!

Here are some pictures of our progress!

This is some of the girls making a cool video!  They take a ton of different pictures, press play, and it becomes a moving picture.

More pictures to fun and pictures to come!

The Secret Benefit of Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service released a study that shows service can benefit your health!  The research has established a strong relationship between volunteering, health and social benefits.  Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.  You can check out the entire report here.

Youthlinc is proud to support service and your health! 

These young women are serving their community, improving their health and working towards the health of others!  Check out their service stories in health care! 

Kelsey Koford 
"I volunteer at Good Shepard Home Care and Hospice Center. I am very excited for the opportunity to volunteer at this site. I have just recently finished the orientation process and will have the opportunity to visit patients in the upcoming weeks.  I have learned a lot about home care and hospice services and what a wonderful service it provides. I am very fortunate to get to volunteer at this site and look forward to the upcoming weeks where I will get to work hands on with patients!

Madison Adams

"I volunteer at Parkway Health Center in Payson, Utah. Whenever I go, I play games with some of the residents there.  My most memorable moment was when I taught a resident there how to play Yahtzee when she had never played before. She ended up beating everyone the next round. I have learned many things from volunteering at this nursing home. One, older people are tricky and will make you believe anything they tell you. And two, you have to enjoy life.  A man there gave me some advice saying that if I don't do anything fun while i am young, I will not know how to have fun when I am older. That gave me a lot to think about." 

Tessie Pham

"I volunteer at the George E. Wahlen Department of Medical Affairs Main Hospital. I volunteer in patient transport twice a week for two hours at a time. My job is to take patients where they need to go and to transport lab specimens from each clinic to the laboratory. Whether the patient is on a wheelchair, is bedridden, or just plain lost,  I get them to their destination in a timely and friendly manner. Although the job description sounds simple, the hospital is huge! I'm constantly running up and down five floors moving people and delivering labs. I was already literally sweating my first day there. However, I love the time I spend with the veterans and they have some of the greatest stories to share. 



Claire Cullinane

"Volunteering with Red Cross I am able to learn more about the world today.  I can see how much it has changed and how I can always find a way to help. We do many learning exercises as well as helping at the homeless shelter. This month I will be raising money for Measles vaccinations for many different third world country. The best thing is that I can share my new knowledge with so many people around me." 

  

5 Songs That Sing Service

On dreary days everyone can use a little pick me up.  Our favorite way to do that? MUSIC!  Here are 5 songs that speak to service and the importance of it in our lives.  

• Jewel – Hands
• Michael Jackson – Heal the World 
• Bono and Alicia Keys – Don’t Give Up 
• Sheryl Crow – Safe and Sound 
• U2 featuring Mary J. Blige – One

These 5 students on the Guatemala and Kenya team also sing service in their daily lives! Thanks for your uplifting examples ladies!    


Amanda Phillips

"I am a volunteer at the Hser Ner Moo Refugee Welcome Center.  The center is located in South Salt Lake, and serves refugees from around the world.  At the center I work with grades K-12th on homework, English/reading skills, and acclimating to living in America.  I co-supervise a program called "Mentoring 4 Moo", in which 20 Westminster College students are paired with a teen refugee.  The mentor and mentee commit to meet once a week to work on homework or areas that the mentee is struggling.  This group also focuses on sharing culture and creating friendships.  I also have the privilege to participate in a snowboarding program with five teens from the Hser Ner Moo Center called Chill.  This program gives the teens the experience of snowboarding, they would not have other wise.  In the year and half I have volunteered for the Hser Ner Moo Center, those I have served are dear to my heart."  

Brynna McCausland

"The majority of my local service hours are done at Knowlton Elementary school in Mrs. Gladwells kindergarten classroom. Each day I arrive around 2:30 and do various projects for Mrs. Gladwell, help the students with whatever they're working on, or read the kids stories. My local service is especially fun for me because my niece Harper is in the class. I love helping out in Mrs. Gladwells classroom and watching the students learn and grow each day. I've grown so incredibly close to these kids and the service is very rewarding."

Olivia Belman

"I've been volunteering with the Real Life in Salt Lake City program, and it has been a great experience so far! The kids we work with at Real Life are all great kids full of energy and we have a blast with them no matter what we're doing. We work on all sorts of things throughout the week, from etiquette to cooking competitions! I have already seen some of their attitudes and English greatly improve in the time that all of the volunteers have been there. I think that this program has really helped prepare me for teaching lessons and working with students at my international service site, Guatemala."

Lauren Jackson

"I volunteer at the Soldier Hollow Charter school. I take the kids out during their PE time and teach them how to cross country ski. We play games and get to know each other. I also give special attention to some kids and give them a little extra help on how to ski" 

Brooke Snow

"I have had the great opportunity to work at The Children of Hope Academy in St. George. I go in 2 to 3 times a week and work with a special needs girl named Angie who I have been partnered up with. Each time we meet, we work on a variety of skills, such as math, numbers, reading, counting, and even physical skills like skipping. It has been amazing to see how quickly she has progressed and the amount of knowledge that she has retained even in the short time that I have been there. Working each week with her has given me a chance to find her strengths and weaknesses so that we can know what to work on and help her improve on. I have never been in an educational environment where there has been more love and caring for individuals than the Children of Hope Academy. I am excited to continue working with the academy as long as I am in St. George." 

Real Life!

Recently at Real Life....

     We had Teen Iron chef!

 

Made Real Life T-shirts! (Go on Facebook and like your favorite!)

 Had a fun game of basketball and Tornado!!

Had a Great presentation form Rock Mountain Power teaching us safety when it comes to electricity!

We played a fun game of musical chairs!

And of course played a game of partner tag!  Because Real Life wouldn't be the same with out it!

Stay in tuned for more updates about Real Life!