“Shining Stars” in Syria
Reported by Nityaprema
A team of four young volunteers led by Gayatrii offered a plethora of fine Art activities to the children at the Suweida children’s home during the long two month school holidays. It was a daily programme and the children were divided into groups of interests such as painting and crafts. It was a new and unique experience for the children and youth to have this chance to express their inner feelings in a very nice family atmosphere.
The conclusion was a fashion show in the theatre and an exhibition of all their art. Their fashion was self-made dresses of re-cycled material – the first of its kind in Syria. The exhibition had also a lot of art of re-cycled material. Parents, friends and even some VIPs were invited to delight in their programme. The children were interviewed and someone said, “we felt ourselves heroes!” and their interviews were posted on “I Syria” website.
After the summer programme the volunteers continue their volunteering at the children’s home. They started their teaching plan for this semester giving teaching support in most of the subjects such as Math, English, Arabic etc. for different levels of Primary, Secondary, and High School students.
Student Volunteer Programs (STUVOL) can be created from kindergarten to college level. There are four main elements to STUVOL programs:
Physical, Moral, Intellectual and Cultural