Developing & delivering workshops to school-aged children in Saint Mary, Jamaica
Date
2025
Authors
Faustino, Julianna
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Victoria
Abstract
In May 2025, I took a trip to St. Mary Jamaica for a 2-week volunteer initiative in Child & Youth Development. I worked at a primary school alongside their guidance counsellor, with the role of creating and delivering workshops, encouraging children to talk through/about their feelings, and offer one-on-one emotional/educational support as needed. My research question was "How Can I Create a Culturally-Conscious, Simple Yet Expansive Workshop on Respect to School-Aged Children in Jamaica?" This VKURA project focuses on my experience and thought processes throughout the two weeks I was on the field: Learning, adapting, and growing throughout the presentations. It was imperative for me to consider my personal biases, audience, and objectives when creating this workshop: What is my personal definition of respect? What does respect mean to these children? How can we define respect together? For example, I found that the children's general idea of respect focused heavily on providing service to others; it felt important for me to then spend time discussing the significance of self-respect and boundaries.
Description
Keywords
social work, counselling, volunteer, primary school, travel, Jamaica