Moments of Joy at HomePlate
Making connections with youth in my community is one of my inspirations. I am a Senior Social Work Major at Pacific University. This year I will spend at least 440 hours volunteering for HomePlate Youth Services. After interviewing with several agencies for my practicum placement, I chose HomePlate– the only outreach team and drop-in resource center for youth experiencing housing instability in Washington County. HomePlate is special because they are a low-barrier, safe space for youth in the community to access necessary resources like a hot meal, shower, clothes, job resources, tutoring and more.
My favorite moments have come from Wednesday night drop-ins when I get to share a meal and provide homework tutoring for the youth. Early in October, one of the girls asked me to help her with a persuasive essay. As I was reading over it, she told me English was her second language, and her teacher had set a goal for her to improve from 5th grade to high school writing level by the end of the school year. We worked tirelessly on the essay together and after three weeks of work, she turned in her paper and got an A. The way she persevered through learning to write a persuasive essay in a second language serves as an inspiration to me. It’s these seemingly simple moments of joy which have meant the most to me.
When asked, “What does HomePlate mean to you?” One of our youth responded, ““HomePlate cares for you and helps you find jobs and if you are having troubles they make sure they help you.” I couldn’t summarize it better, myself. HomePlate’s vision is to meet youth where they are. They have been providing services and consistency for youth in Washington County for ten years. I am inspired by the other members of the community who volunteer their time to make HomePlate’s vision a reality. Find out more about HomePlate at http://www.homeplateyouth.org.
Review from #MyGivingStory