Service Adventures
Genesis Diez, A.C. enriches and improves the lives of the orphaned children of Baja, Mexico. This experienced-based (Experiential) education is the direct application of scholastic and spiritual learning in a real world environment. It is one thing to read about the atomic structure of ice or a tidal eco system, it is another to play in a field of snow or to feel an anemone close its swaying tentacles around your finger. Genesis supplies the experiences that are normally done by families to open children's eyes and minds to what they learn in school as well as what they learn about themselves. Orphaned children live in a world of few options, emotional insecurity and limited opportunity.
Genesis strives to expand their view of the world and advance their self-image to break these negative cycles. Further, in order to foster long-term improvement, Genesis works to include Orphanage staff development as an integral part of our commitment to creating value-added resources for the Orphanage system. Building children's conviction about their own self-worth takes time as each child comes into the orphanage system with negative baggage. Positive re-enforcement comes through positive experiences provided by staff and volunteers. This "team" approach develops values, individual potential, and a strong self-image (self-respect, self-confidence, and self-esteem) that each child can then carry with them throughout life.
Service Adventures add continuity and consistency to our educational efforts by providing the on-going utilization of games, thematic activities, literacy, arts, multicultural diversity and applied school enrichments. These adventures in learning provide opportunities to build units that teach the following:
- Self-worth
- Life-skills
- Relationships
- Creative thinking
- Problem solving
- Developing values
- Understanding diversity
They facilitate the emotional, social, cognitive, cultural and physical development of each child. The children at the orphanages need these enhancements to help offset the results of abuse, abandonment, economic hardship and family dysfunction. They need the chance to find their own potential.
Our program goals serve the infant, toddler, pre-school and elementary child. Genesis picks up the junior high and high school aged youth with our Church Missions youth-group programs. By concentrating our Service Adventures on the younger ages, we can more efficiently focus resources while developing our programs over time as these children develop. We wish each child to:
- Reach their individual full potential while understanding God's love for them.
- Learn positive relationships based on a strong self-image and unique worth.
- Encourage religious, racial, and individual sensitivity to others.
- Contribute through service and community participation.
- Understand their culture and its relationship to the world.
- Nurture the environment and care about their personal impact.
Our strategies incorporate the idea of multiple intelligence as outlined by Howard Gardner. Children learn by various ways and it is necessary to give them each a chance to find their strengths. Gardner identifies linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, body/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist intelligences. Self-esteem is increased as each child finds success and encouragement through hands-on and interactive participation. Our strategies must consider the following:
- Integrate English and Spanish speaking volunteers.
- Utilize professionals, skilled tradesmen, artisans and the public.
- Co-ordinate program progression at various sites and time frames.
- Track individual and group volunteer activities at each orphanage.
- Follow-up on evaluation methods to understand improvements needed.
Genesis will use story-stretching as the basic strategy for meeting our developmental goals in Service Adventures. Story-stretching means taking a piece of literature (poem, story, myth, etc.) that is age appropriate and building different activities around the central idea. Further, these literature selections will be organized under themes that allow for the exploration of each goal.
Our strategies will include a comprehensive effort between our Church Missions, Service Adventures and future Rancho Genesis. The ability to take our present activities and expand them due to a central facility will be an enormous improvement for the orphanage children. It will allow increased opportunities for the following:
- Seasonal and summer programs.
- Literacy based thematic learning.
- Life-skill training.
- Educational enrichments.
- Metaphor and "teaching moment" activities.
- Integrated arts facilities.
- Orphanage staff development.
- Community and volunteer logistics.
Faith, hope and love would be impossible without our ability to imagine. Imagination fuels each individual's ability to project a future, solve problems and hold beliefs that can not be verified by physical experimentation. This God given ability allows us to understand the past, dream of the future, and empathize with others. It lets us see how our actions have consequences and affects. Without imagination, we would live only to meet our own needs. It would be sad to not guide this precious gift in those children that have been hurt the most.
In the end, our assessment will utilize both written and verbal evaluation. These will critique the value of the experience upon the volunteers, staff and children while seeking suggestions for improvement. Testimonials, reflection, visual observation, survey and follow-up communications are examples we will use. Genesis also provides ongoing examples of best-practice programs by teachers, church leaders and other supporters. These first-hand experiences and adjustments allow outside and local volunteers to learn from each other and directly influence the programs.