Danielle Wright has an eager curiosity for learning

Sometimes there is a student who is always seeking, wondering, and exuding a very curious nature.  This student will typically go out of their way to uncover an unresolved answer and will crave more information.  He or she simply loves the art of learning and will never stop seeking understanding.  For YLLC-Hillside, that student is Julia Green Elementary School third-grader, Danielle Wright.  In most scenarios, you can find Danielle raising her hand to ask a question, in such a way as to put her whole body into getting that hand as high as it can go with a wide, eager grin.  Sometimes difficult to stay seated, she throws herself into learning as much as possible!  In fact, she was thrilled when Mr. Grubb donated iPads, as they have allowed her to explore new areas of learning with her great, curious spirit.

As outgoing as she is, it is no wonder that Danielle not only loves to dance and sing, but also possesses a soft, caring side shown in her desire to someday become a veterinarian.  Moreover, her YLLC teacher describes her as “polite and inquisitive.”

Danielle Wright, pictured in pink, is asking Belmont student all about nursing at "Make a Major Difference."

She makes friends easily with her outgoing personality and is always friendly toward everyone who comes to Youth Life Learning Centers.  Seemingly contagious, Danielle’s enthusiasm for learning has rubbed off on some of her YLLC-Hillside friends.  During “Make a Major Difference” last year, for example, Danielle had many questions for all of the Belmont students that came to talk about their major.  She wanted to know how things worked, what they studied, and what she would need to fill their shoes.  This allows teachers, visitors, volunteers and donors to see their influence first hand and answer any questions she may have, whether it’s homework-related or not.

Genuinely grateful for opportunities given to her, she would like to personally thank all volunteers and donors for helping her at Youth Life.  Her grades have improved with their help!

If you are not familiar with our programming, start acting like Danielle and get curious.  Sign up today to answer questions and teach students who are eager to learn.

YLLC students take on learning projects in celebration of Black History Month

During Black History Month, Youth Life students, most of whom are African-American, were eager to learn about their history.  The different centers set up various events throughout the month that they would like to share with Youth Life supporters.

• History of Hip-Hop at Belmont University was a blast last night, as forty YLLC students were in attendance.  The event included freestyle cypher, “A7” on the wheels of steel, graffiti designs, b-boy showcase, a performance by the Children of 18th Avenue Family Enrichment Center, and more.
• YLLC-Kirkpatrick took a field trip to meet up with YLLC-Memphis.  Together, the two groups went on a field trip to The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel and the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• YLLC-Riverchase teen students collaborated to create one poster board of important, historical and modern African-American figures including Lonnie Johnson, the inventor of the Super Soaker!
• The older students at YLLC-Easley were given options to either (a) do a personal outline of their family history, (b) do a timeline of the Civil Rights Movement, or (c) do a biography on a famous, historical African-American figure
• At YLLC-West the 2nd through 4th grade class did collages on a subject of their choosing.  Below is a picture of Diana Ochoa, who chose to do her project on The Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to sit in the back of a bus.  Today, Barack Obama is the first African-American to hold the title of President of the United States of America.  We hope YLLC students not only learned about figures from the past and African-American history, but we also want them to know that even in their at-risk communities, they have the same potential as these role models if they stay focused, study hard and stay in school.

To see  our calendar for Black History Month, visit the events page at www.yllc.org.

Visit our Facebook page to see more pictures from how we celebrated Black History Month.

Local college students “Make a Major Difference” at YLLC

Hillside and Easley students came together to listen to local college students talk about their major and career path as well as do a short, related activity.  Before we began, we asked students what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Answers ranged from “teacher” to “policeman.”

Presentations started with Hailey Wickles, Belmont University junior and nursing major who dreams of becoming a traveling nurse or doing nursing in missions work.  Hailey taught YLLC students not only about what she studies in and outside of the classroom, but she also showed the students the importance of washing their hands using glitter!  She also shared a trick with students.  If you sing, “Happy Birthday” twice while scrubbing, you have washed your hands for a proper length of time.

William Switzer, studying music business and pre-law at Belmont University, wants to pursue a career as a musician or entertainment lawyer.  A bass player for his band, William shared with students that he has written over fifty songs!  He also taught students a little about entertainment law, such as what copyright means in a way students could understand.

Jonathan Butler, Belmont University junior and music business major, immediately put smiles on students’ faces when he brought out a bag of candy!  Jonathan, who one day wishes to own a multi-media company, asked students to act like they were filming a movie, reading a book, and recording music to demonstrate what the company would entail.  He then asked students to answer some trivia questions regarding movies, books, and music for some candy!

Lastly, we welcomed Katherine Richardson, Belmont senior and international business and social entrepreneurship major.  She wishes to someday work with entrepreneurs on creating businesses that employ people who may not otherwise be able to find jobs.  Once we taught students what entrepreneurship meant, Katherine was ready to create her own business with students.  Students gave her the idea to create a movie-watching hair and nail salon!  She separated students into two groups to represent the items that they would need, the first group being the items that would cost money for their business while the second group represented the items that would create a profit.

We’d like to welcome all of our students for making a major difference among Youth Life students.  Our hope is that you will continue to inspire kids in this community to work hard and pursue dreams.

For more pictures from “Make a Major Difference” day, visit our Facebook page.

YLLC-Riverchase volunteer, Maddy Daniels, can’t stop smiling.

Maddy Daniels, 19-year-old sophomore and Belmont nursing major from Fleming Island, Florida, admits that she cannot leave YLLC Riverchase without a smile on her face.  Whether the smile is caused by the tickle battles with students or the genuine impact she made that day, it is a smile she hopes is contagious.  A volunteer each Thursday and Friday, she first learned about Youth Life Learning Centers after participating in a service project for Belmont University’s “Welcome Week.”

“I figured I had nothing to lose by at least trying it out.  After my first day at the center, I knew it was where God wanted me, and I fell in love with each of those kids… The love these kids are seeking is tremendous, and to be able to show you care seems to mean more than we know.”

Maddy Daniels can't leave Riverchase YLLC without a smile.

Maddy finds herself constantly raving about these smiles from Youth Life to her family and friends.  In fact, she recently brought her mother, visiting for Belmont’s parent weekend, to our Fun Friday.  That Friday kids were instructed to write a fall recipe involving apples, then help prepare the snack by making their own apple with up to fifteen toppings!  As you can probably guess, students got very creative with their recipe to say the least.  Maddy also remembers a student whose parents could not provide her needed school supplies.  The child’s face lit up when Maddy brought her a full bag of school supplies the next day!

Maddy quickly learned that every person who can be a positive influence on Youth Life students can make a difference.  It didn’t take much of her time to pick up apples with her mom or school supplies for the young transfer student, but there was a major impact made.  She insists that assisting youth in the journey to find their gifts and help them discover self-confidence is a gift in and of itself.  Now isn’t that something to smile about?

“I feel like a father figure for some students,” – says YLLC volunteer, Chris Sax

Chris Sax helps YLLC Easley students with their homework.

Chris Sax, recent music business graduate of Belmont University and employee at Mix 92.9, first discovered Youth Life Learning Centers through Barry Lee, Missionary at Every Nations Ministries and ENCM Campus Director for Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities.  After volunteering only a few times at Youth Life, Chris felt God was calling him to serve and give back more in this community.  He now volunteers at Easley on Mondays and Wednesdays and at Hillside on Tuesdays for a total of 5 – 10 hours per week, where he has grown to truly love the students.

“When I get to Youth Life, a couple of the younger kids will grab your hand and say, ‘You need to help me with homework,’ or jump on me.  Being young and single and not always being surrounded by that, [and] in a sense, feeling needed is very rewarding…You don’t have someone saying, ‘I need you’ in your everyday life.”  -Chris Sax

Whether he is playing games like Apples to Apples with students, reading stories to the younger students, or helping the middle school students with their homework, Chris feels a powerful inspiration to volunteer at Youth Life.  Chris says, “I feel like a father figure for some students.”  When he overheard several students talking, he realized that although some students had great fathers, many YLLC students did not have a true male role model in their lives.  “Kids need more male figures in their lives, especially students living in inner city neighborhoods.”

The Youth Life family would like to give a warm thank you to Chris Sax for his many hours of volunteering each week at Youth Life.

Youth Life hits local college campuses

YLLC student and Lipscomb University student volunteer

Youth Life is hitting college campuses hard this semester with volunteer opportunities and information on our programming.  With a new approach geared toward a specific audience, we hope to accomplish our goal of gaining more volunteers for our after-school programs.  Youth Life is visiting service fairs, starting a monthly college e-blasts, specifically for college students, creating levels of volunteerism depending on students’ schedules, and much more!  So why college students?  Why now?

• According to a Corporation for National and Community Service study called, “College Students Helping America,” tutoring at 26.6% and mentoring at 23.8%, respectively, are the most common volunteer activities among college students.
• There is the highest level of interest in helping others in 25 years, according to a recent national survey of college freshman, sited by boston.com’s article, “College volunteering rises sharply.”

It is hugely important to volunteer and be involved in the Nashville community.  It pulls you out of the campus bubble and gives you a bigger worldview and opportunity to do different things. – a recent college student volunteer

Although many expressed the joy they receive while working with YLLC kids and the importance of adding a volunteer section on their resumé, many stressed the need for more volunteers at our centers.  We have taken the initiative to set up three levels of volunteerism based on your availability this semester.

• Bronze Level – To earn this level, we ask that you bring your church or campus group to our centers only twice one semester.  This level is perfect for those who have limited availability throughout the semester, but would still love to volunteer some of their time.  It is also perfect for your church or campus group to host a “Fun Friday” or be apart of one of our events.
• Silver Level – To earn this level, we ask that you volunteer only one hour per week for one semester.  Between classes and homework, it seems difficult to volunteer each day at our centers.  We understand that.  One hour of your time that could be spent watching television, listening to music, or relaxing can be spent at YLLC.  If you chose to be a silver level volunteer, you could be involved with, but are not limited to “unpack and unwind time,” where helping students relax, playing a game with them or sharing about their day and “homework time.”
• Gold Level – To earn this level, we ask that you volunteer two to three hours per week for one semester.  If you chose to be a gold level volunteer, your tasks could include silver level volunteer activities as well as tasks including but not limited to “Snack and activity time,” “O.P.S. time,” where students are evaluated according to their academic and development needs, and “Clean up and job times,” where students are ready to leave to go home.

So if you’re a local college student looking for ways to give back to this community and meet new friends this semester, contact lindsay@yllc.org for more information and to see how you can make a difference in the lives of at-risk kids.