Howdy Friends!
I’m Jordan and If you’re here it probably means you are apart of the UBC Trek program! I was directed to the Trek program through my sociology 100 professor, Dr. Greer. I was placed at Writers Exchange for my Trek experience and started a bit late in January of 2018, instead of at the start of the school year in September. Writers Exchange is an organization that works with elementary school aged children and focuses on developing literacy skills. Though we do focus on reading and writing, which could be seen as “boring” there is a massive emphasis on fun and making sure kids are getting excited about reading and writing. On Writers Exchanges website they state that their “vision is that, in the not-too-distant future, ALL kids will know they’re awesome and can achieve anything.” Writers Exchange is based in the Strathcona neighborhood off of East Hastings. There are in school and afterschool programs offered and the in school programs require a lot more commitment than the after school. In the in school programs you build better relationships with the kids you’re workin with since it is a much more structured program.
I did the after school program since it was the only time slot that matched up with my class schedule. Being a student greatly limited my ability to become involved with Writers Exchange. Not only was it hard because of my class schedule and workload but also based off of locations. Most weeks I spent around equal time on transit as I did actually working at Writers Exchange. Another limitation that comes with being a student is that Writers Exchange offers summer programs that I will not be able to participate in since I go back home for the summers. This means that the kids I have built bonds and trust with during my time at Writers Exchange will not see me for three months along with working with another volunteer. When I return in the fall it is very possible that I will not be placed with the same kids or that we will have to go back and rebuild most of the trust in our relationship.
On a brighter note though Trek ended up being the best part of my week every week and I plan on participating in Writers Exchange for as long as I can. Not only did it offer me a really great opportunity to make connections in vancouver outside of university, but it was a really great escape from school. Even though I was only at Writers Echange few hours a week it was such a therapeutic break from the “gotta-do-this-gotta-do-this” mindset that a person can get stuck in at university. I think that by giving me a break from the rat race that university can turn into is what trek has helped me with most. Though through my placement I saw many real life examples of things I was learning about in my courses, having a break were you get to interact with kids and have fun and put your brain in a different mode than school was so much more important to me. I think through having these breaks from school with trek is what really helped me stay engaged in my courses and keep myself from burning out.
Another that participating in Trek helped with was by having obligations outside of school or a job that are in a location far away from your day to day life helps a person gain confidence to go out and build bonds on their own in new places. This is something that is a very important skill to have in life. Even though you’re not totally alone in Trek you can build skills in this area and it helps with gaining a sense of confidence to go out and do your own things. Through Trek and Writers exchange I have build multiple new friendships and connections to organizations outside of university and it has help me become a much more engaged member of the Vancouver city community.