Come celebrate the creative work of DASH children and volunteers at the 3rd annual DASH Art Show! Each week, Beth of the Arcade and a group of wonderful volunteers host an hour of art for DASH kids. The kids will act as docents on July 21st as we showcase their work for volunteers, family, and DASH supporters to admire.
To learn how get involved email mvangenadams@dashdc.wpengine.com
We are starting a new monthly blog featuring the community partners and volunteers who contribute so much to the success of the DASH safe housing programs. Amanda volunteers every week in the children’s Art Group. Read below to see what her favorite art project has been!
1. Why did you decide to start volunteering with DASH?
I’ve always had a passion for volunteering. When I moved to DC two years ago, I was looking for volunteer opportunities that were consistent and that I could really make a commitment to. I first heard about DASH from one of my friends who was a volunteer. I was definitely interested in volunteering here based on what a great organization DASH seemed to be. I also have always had a passion for art. So when an opportunity presented itself to volunteer on a weekly basis for Art Group, it seemed like it could be a really good fit. After the first Tuesday night of volunteering for Art Group, I knew that it was actually a great fit!
2. What is your favorite Art Project that you have created in group thus far?
I really thought about this question, and what I continuously went back to was when we made snowflakes right before the Holidays. No matter what age the children were, this project presented no requirements or restrictions, like painting in the lines, etc. They could fold the pieces of paper into any type of fold, could fold it in half, or fold it ten times, and they could cut whatever shapes they wanted to into it. No matter what, the end result was a beautiful snowflake. To me, this project really portrayed what art should be; a way to express yourself through creation. Furthermore, it was wonderful to see how excited and proud the children were when we hung the snowflakes up all over the room.
3. What’s your favorite thing about volunteering with Art Group?
Seeing what the kids create from week to week, and how they’re able to express themselves through art. Selfishly, I would also say that it forces me to focus on and appreciate the here and now and leave everything else at the door for at least an hour and a half. I think sometimes the focus and appreciation of the present gets lost in the busy shuffle of everyday life. It also provides a humbling reminder on a weekly basis of what matters most; the importance of community and taking care of one another in that community.
4. Why do you think that Art Group is an important program at DASH?
As cliche as this sounds, to me, art can be therapeutic on a diversity of levels. If you’re having a bad day or whatever you may be going through, doing art on any level – whether it’s painting, cutting shapes, coloring, or creating a Monet-like masterpiece; it forces you to focus on what you are doing in that moment and takes your mind off of everything else, if even for a short period of time. Basically, it’s like a breath of fresh air for your mind.
Art Group at DASH is important because for an hour and a half, it provides an opportunity for the kids – no matter what their age is – to focus on creating something that is completely unrelated to anything else, and provides that mental breath of fresh air. Further, I think that through creating something like a piece of artwork that they are excited about and proud of, it helps build their confidence through a tremendously fun mechanism.
Last weekend Revolution: DASH took a trip to the DC Diaper Bank to learn about their work and volunteer! Revolution: DASH is our youth service learning club, founded and run by the younger DASH residents. Every month we take time to learn about and volunteer in our community. In the past we have worked with the local neighborhood association and the Capital Area Food Bank, but this was our first field trip and we were excited. In the car on the way to the warehouse we played trivia and learned some interesting facts, like that in a single month an infant requires 100 diapers, and 1/3 of families struggle to buy sufficient diapers every month. We were able to reflect on why it’s so important that all families have access to diapers.
We then spent our afternoon packaging diapers, eating girl scout cookies and breaking down boxes. The kids had a blast and worked hard, at times even carrying three boxes of diapers at a time! At the end of the day we had packed over 1,400 diapers in two hours!
What made the trip so special is that DASH partners with the DC Diaper Bank to provide our residents with diapers each month. We were even able to organize the diapers we needed to transport to DASH while volunteering! We were glad for an opportunity to learn about issues that effect our community while giving back to such a wonderful organization.
At the end of the day we had some hard earned deep dish pizza and discussed our trip. When asked what their favorite part of the day was, the kids thought first of the pizza, obviously. But they also talked about how great it was to see the real impact of their work as the pile of diapers grew bigger and bigger, about how they enjoyed working outside and inquired as to when we could go back.
A big thanks to the DC Diaper Bank for hosting us! To learn about you can volunteer with the Diaper Bank check out their website: http://www.dcdiaperbank.org/get-involved/events/
Read about our new Kids Yoga program from the perspective of the facilitators!
One of the challenges of teaching the children’s yoga class at DASH is finding that delicate balance between restoring autonomy to the children and instilling in them discipline so that they can learn and benefit from yoga. Yoga is a powerful and transformative practice that ultimately is a journey inward, a journey to go back home to yourself. It is encouraging to see how many yoga poses the children retain, and every Monday when we come in, they request certain poses.
One popular request is tree pose, a balancing pose. Balancing poses cultivate humility, stability, and patience. Part of learning how to balance is teeter-tottering, falling, and picking yourself again, without getting frustrated or discouraged. With practice come the focus and the strong, steady grace needed to stand on one foot, both physically and figuratively. Some children who struggle with tree pose and waver back and forth before finding their balance get very animated and exclaim, “I did it! I balanced!” when that moment does come.
While some children are more eager and engaged than others are during yoga class, they are all respectful of the space. Once, a child spilled water on the floor and on a few of the yoga mats. Three children, including the child who spilled his cup, immediately ran to get paper towels to clean up the mess. It was touching to see how willing they were to take care of the space. The next step for us teachers is encouraging them to respect each other’s boundaries, both literally by staying on their own yoga mats, and figuratively by treating each other with more kindness and integrity.
On some Mondays, the children are overflowing with energy and guiding them through a seated meditation has helped center them. The first time we tried a seated meditation, I was surprised by how well it was received. I didn’t think that anyone would want to or be able to sit still in silence for an extended period of time. However, one child who was perhaps the most restless during that particular class wanted to stay in meditation for longer! She later shared with me that she really enjoyed meditating, and that it made her feel so peaceful and calm. Ultimately, all we can do is offer our presence to the children of DASH and plant seeds that inspire introspection, stillness, and clarity.
