| Leah |
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Our Children’s Program is critically important because it tries to compensate somewhat for the upheaval, confusion, and stress that kids experience when they’re homeless. It’s hard to measure success for a program like this, but this story which was told to us by a Children’s Program Volunteer, is certainly encouraging. Leah is 7 years old. She and her Mom moved into one of EFAA’s emergency shelter units. For three weeks, I worked with Leah in the after-school program. She was very shy, hung back, away from the other kids, and never said a word. She continued to show up each day, but didn’t really participate in the activities. I thought for a while, maybe she only spoke Spanish, and that’s why she never spoke to me. About the 4th week, we were all drawing, cutting, and pasting art projects. As usual, I was interacting with Leah – talking to her even though I never got a response. I said, “So, should we put this green box here?” and Leah said, “yes”, as clear as a bell, enunciating perfectly. I was so excited! Progress!! It seemed clear to me that after all the turmoil of being homeless, Leah finally felt comfortable and secure enough to speak up a little. This assumption was confirmed the following week when Leah came up to me before class and handed me a picture she’d drawn. “For you”, she said |
