First Week, 9/19-9/25

Today was my first day at Anna's Arts for Kids and it went really well! Along with myself there were five other volunteers and the two program directors to work with about 25 kids. This was kind of overwhelming because they try to keep a 1:1 ratio of volunteers and kids, but since it is the beginning of the school year they said to expect chaos. And it was quite chaotic. I got to help some of the elementary students with their homework which proved to be challenging because almost all of the kids have ADHD and/or lead poisoning from neighborhood playgrounds. Our program director told us about the recent discovery of lead in the soil of public playgrounds around the Treme area which, among the kids who have gotten lead poisoning, affects their concentration, learning abilities, and disposition. It is astounding to me that lead poisoning is an issue at this point in time. I thought it was a thing of the past, but seeing that it is an issue today among these kids is sad and somewhat bizarre. Going to the Treme area and working with kids from there is unlike anything I've ever done, and when I learn of problems like theirs with lead poisoning I am really taken aback and moved out of my comfort zone. I know that lead poisoning would never be an issue in playgrounds in the area I grew up, so its just unreal to me that it is happening in Treme.

I really enjoyed getting to know some of the kids on a personal level and meeting their parents when they came to pick them up because I got to see a little more of what their lives are like. These kids are really strong little people, and they're living a life so different from my own. They've seen things that I couldn't even imagine having seen at their age from my suburban bubble, and I really can't wait to get to know more about them and hopefully have some impact on their lives.