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Jennifer Henry

SLA150 05

Fr. Nick Ferencz

Spring 2019

May 2nd, 2019

For my Social Justice project, I volunteered at the Salvation Army Children’s Ministry.

This evoked the Catholic Social Teaching of “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.” It was a very

eye-opening experience for me. I teach 3rd grade catechism at my own church, but I come from

an upper-middle class town. My kids usually have two-parents, two sources of income, and a

very well-off education system. These kids I met at my service project were very different. Many

came from non-nuclear families, single or no income, and a marginalized education system. A

lot of the time they were acting out to receive attention, and the volunteers had instructed us with

giving them the attention, because a lot of their time at home they do not get attention. At first, I

was a little repulsed by this. Discipling kids is a normal part of their development. As I learned

more about the kids, and interacted with them and their parents, I could see why they were just

letting the kids act out. A lot of the parents were dropping off several kids, not just two or three,

and most of them were tired from the work day. The volunteers at the Salvation Army were less

concerned with disciplining the kids, and more concerned with giving them a supportive area for

growth in their faith. They were encouraging to the kids and wanted to give them a happy

environment. Overall, the Salvation Army was very grateful for the outside volunteer assistance,

and the kids loved seeing new faces.

First, we did an opening prayer service. The kids were very rowdy, and not paying

attention. The lady who was in charge asked a question about a bible passage. A kid would
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answer, and they automatically got a prize just for answering. Even if the answer was wrong,

they were given a prize to boost their self-esteem. I was shocked to see this, because it was

rewarding kids for participation. By this action, we are teaching kids that even the wrong

answers can be rewarded correctly. Which is fine, but it can be troubling as they get older and

realize that is not the case in the actual school system. I guess they are just trying to teach the

kids to participate. It was a very strange thing for me to see. Next, they had a snack time. They

were each allowed a pancake, a sausage link, and a couple orange slices. A lot of the kids ate the

food without complaining. The younger kids were a lot more energetic than the older kids, who

just sat and ate the food. They were not allowed extras, and they all had to assist cleaning up. I

would open the milk for the younger kids and as well cut their food for them. They were very

grateful for the help. Then, we went to the learning activity for the kindergarten and first

graders. This was in a very small room in the back corner of the building. The room was too

small for the amount of kids in there, and it got very crazy very quickly. The girl who was in

charge was the same age as me, and her mom was the woman in charge. She seemed very

uninterested in not only the kids, but me. The kids were bouncing off the walls, not listening, and

screaming most of the time. The girl in charge told me to just help to get the kids under control

for the craft. We were making super hero masks for a lesson about being Super Hero’s for God.

The kids were very energetic, and would have benefitted more from a game, rather than a craft.

There was really no learning involved though, they just completed the craft and left. I’m not sure

if it was supposed to be a lesson and craft, or what was going on. Overall, it was a very

haphazard experience, and I felt incredibly flustered with zero control over the children.

Overall, the experience was very frustrating for me. As someone whose taught children

for a long time, I was not a fan of letting them act out for the attention. It was very stressful when
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we were trying to complete the craft and the kids were jumping off their chairs and looking out

the window. The volunteers were very kind, but stressful for me to work with. I understand they

wanted to give a positive experience for the kids who might not get this at home, but from an

outside perspective it was annoying when the kids did not pay attention. Overall, I believe the

experience was worthwhile. It was good to see how other kids are intermingled in an area so

close to my home, and to see an example of underprivileged kids. I just left feeling incredibly

flustered and knowing that I could not work with that area of society. The kids were wonderful, I

really did enjoy getting to know them, but I felt more as though I was babysitting instead of

teaching them about God.

This service project was an example of charity. I learned that all of God’s children are not

as exposed to same resources and materials as the children I teach back home. The entire time, I

had to keep reminding myself of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew’s Gospel. This

work is what Jesus not only tells us, but shows us, how to do. We are expected to appeal to and

help the marginalized members of society. This experience was very eye opening for me, as I

was able to fully submerge myself in seeing how unprivileged kids are caressed by society. I’m

not quite sure I would do this experience again, as I left feeling as though I did not accomplish

anything. I think I needed this experience to humble myself as a teacher, but it will not be

something I do regularly.