This summer, I had the opportunity to help lead the Mid-Day program in Boston as the Northeastern Fall Co-op with You’re With Us. Throughout the summer, I worked alongside participants and transition students from Brookline High School, leading games and creating an inclusive environment where everyone felt welcomed and encouraged to interact with each other.
The Mid-Day Games Group is held at Northeastern Crossing, and before each session, I prepare the space, based on the games for the day. I usually create a circle of chairs with ample space so that we can begin the question of the day as people come in. This is how I start off a fun, collaborative session before we begin playing group games. The Games Group usually averages up to around seven people, including facilitators, and the other transition students go to the Art Group next door. After about an hour of games, we all walk to the Curry Student Center to have lunch and enjoy each other's company. I find this to be a great opportunity to interact with the transition students who usually go to Art Group and ask them what kind of art activity they did.
Each game helped build relationships through the teamwork, communication, and problem solving involved. It was rewarding to watch participants become more comfortable as the weeks progressed and see their personalities come out. Charades was a fun game where people stepped out of their comfort zone and joined in on being silly and creative with their gestures.
As a co-op, I learned that there was more to leading activities than just explaining rules and having everyone be engaged. It involves paying attention to each person's needs, adapting activities on the spot so that everyone can participate, and being aware of different learning styles. Working with a blend of transition students and adult participants strengthened my leadership, communication, and flexibility while having inclusion be the main focus.
I was often reminded how important community is for the participants through the joy they expressed after each session, and the interest they had for certain games to be played. There was this one Mid-Day where one of the participants excitedly called out, “Let’s play charades!” after having played it during the last session. It was nice to hear that they enjoyed the games I picked for them and voice their opinion of what the day would entail.
Looking back on summer Mid-Day, one of my biggest takeaways is that some of the most valuable lessons can’t be learned in a classroom alone. My Human Services courses introduced me to what person-centered support, relationship-building, and what inclusion practices look like, but my time at You’re With Us put those methods into practice. A skill that was necessary throughout the entire program was adaptability and being able to strategically implement that into the games, the setup, and the energy of the group. If a game wasn’t extracting interest, and a good mood, I would pivot to a new game that would be more engaging. One Mid-Day, our space that we usually have reserved, was given to a different group, so we had to find an alternative, moving to a new building, and keeping the group together. Quick thinking pays off and will always be useful, but working with participants gives you the opportunity to practice this.
