A Day in the Life of a GOTR Volunteer- by Katie Strickland Video Reflection 2

This video outlines what a typical day is for myself and the girls in my group at GOTR. So far I have loved all of the time I have been able to spend at this organization and can't wait for the next month to come!

 

Video Reflection - Kylie Russ

Girls on the Run is finally in full swing! We go every Monday and Wednesday.  I've loved getting to form relationships with the girls - they all have such a positive energy and are eager to participate. Below I have included a video reflection explaining some of the things we have done at GOTR so far.

As you can see, "Girls on the Run is number one!" Each day has been an absolute blast.  We still have work to do to prepare for our 5k, but I'm excited to see where it takes us.  Stay tuned!

Girls on the Run 2015

Chandler Unfried: Video Reflection 2 - Pacing Yourself!

Pacing Yourself!

It's pretty amazing to see what kids can do these days.  They are brilliant.  They are mature.  I listen and conversate with the girls at GOTR and find myself learning from their insights.  A common theme amongst the girls is pacing yourself.  "Energy Awards" are even given for the task.  The importance of pacing yourself, however, goes FAR beyond running.

This concept was taught to me at Girls on the Run.  I go there twice a week to teach the children, but they are continuously teaching me.  That is half of what service is about.  It is about helping others, but it is also about changing yourself for the better.  If you ever have doubts about service, consider the rewards.  I have never gone into a service opportunity and not ended up a more insightful, empathetic person.

Girls on the Run: Seton School

Video Reflection by Parker Michel

This is my video reflection for Girls on the Run! I have really enjoyed working with GOTR so far, and I can't wait to continue working with them! 

Video Reflection by Allison Butler

I have had the privilege of serving with Girls on the Run for almost a month now. It has been everything I expected it to be and more. We are just a few short weeks away from our 5k, and I am so excited! Here is a short video of me describing my favorite parts of serving, along with some pictures.

I hope these pictures accurately represent how much FUN it is to serve at Girls on the Run!

So Close- Written Reflection One- Katie Strickland

Finally, we are just one day away from being able to go help out with Girls on the Run. It took us a while to start our volunteering because we had two different trainings that we had to attend. But now  that we are so close to being able to meet the girls, I could not be more excited! I'm also excited to see how we will be able to connect our service with what we are learning in class, or vice versa.

The first training we had was just an orientation of what we will be doing with the girls. The second training was called VIRTUS Training. I attended this training with Parker and Allison last week. VIRTUS Training's purpose was to make volunteers aware of sexual abuse and how to tell if it is occurring in the program you are working with or not. Because we are working with a Catholic school, this training is required.

In VIRTUS training, we watched two different videos. The first video was mostly stories from children and families who had faced sexual trauma. The video also had two convicted child molesters talk about how they were able to be successful in taking advantage of a child without being caught. The second video talked about the warning signs of a child being abused or if an adult is acting suspicious and could possibly be an abuser. After each of the videos, we would break off into groups and discuss the content of the video.

I thought the VIRTUS Training was a little hard to get through because it was pretty disturbing. Growing up I had always heard stories about children being abused, but I never heard from the abuser him/herself. That's the part that was really hard to hear. The two child molesters went into detail about their ideal child to abuse and how they would get the child to trust them. Listening to these men talk sent shivers down my spine because they were so manipulative that no one ever suspected them.Though the training was disturbing, I am glad we went through it because not only will we be able to be more aware around the girls at GOTR, but we will be more aware in any life situation.

With both these trainings underneath our belts, I happy to say that my group and I are more than ready to take on our first day at Girls on the Run tomorrow! I am only slightly nervous because I do not remember the last time I have exercised.

Protecting God's Children - Written Reflection One - Parker Michel

This week, Alli, Katie, and I went to Richmond, KY for VIRTUS Training. Because we are going to be working at Seton, a Catholic school, it was required for us to have this training before working with the girls.

I've gone to Catholic school my whole life, so I knew about VIRTUS Training before. Both of my parents are VIRTUS trained, as are a lot of my friends. They have all gone through the training for various different reasons--to chaperone a field trip, to help with a retreat, to volunteer in Catholic schools. Because I know so many people who have had VIRTUS Training, I have heard about it. I knew that the material and information would be kind of tough to hear and get through. 

This training was indeed tough to get through. It wasn't as long as I'd thought it would be, but the topics and testimony were sad and scary. In the first half of the training, they played a video with testimony from children who had been sexually abused. It was so sad and so disgusting--it made me angry. After hearing the testimony, we discussed shortly in small and large groups. We talked about our reaction to the video and how it made us feel. After this, we watched another video. This video was horrible--we heard from the abusers.

They talked about everything. They discussed their "tactics" for getting children to trust them. They talked about how many children they had abused and what they liked and how they went about doing it. In a lot of cases, they said that the children wouldn't tell because they would make it feel like it was their fault. This, to me, was so sad. These poor children carry a horrible burden because they feel like it is their fault that something as horrible as sex abuse is happening to them. 

The message of VITRUS training is amazing--every single person who is with children/around children should be there to protect them. Every person in the world is a child of God, and we are here to look out for each other and protect each other. At the end of the session, our group leader talked about the many little things we can do to protect children. She talked about things I had never thought about before--making sure doors are locked, and empty rooms are closed off. She said that we need to take away any opportunity for a child to be abused. 

From the Archdiocese of Kansas's Webpage

After going through this session, I feel like I am more aware and more able to protect children. I am really excited to begin working with GOTR tomorrow, and I can't wait to meet the girls and get to know them.