On Saturday, January 16th, students of Carson High teamed up for the second year in a row to contribute to assisting and serving as mentors for little children ages 8-13 in an effort to create a positive change in foster kids’ lives that have been exposed to violence and other traumatic experiences.
CHS Clubs such as Volunteer Chapter Youth Coalition (VCYC), National Honors Society (NHS), California Scholarship Federation (CSF), Key Club, and clubs from other schools volunteered for the Peace4Kids program at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School.
They assisted and guided foster children through workshops, games, and other fun activities to show them a different and brighter side to life and to help show them more of who they can really be when they grow up.
The Peace4Kids program is intentionally scheduled around the time of Martin Luther King Day to appreciate and remember his famous line, “I have a dream.” It is a goal of the Peace4Kids program that his words will live on through these children and will continue to leave an impact on how people continue to grow in this world.
Kriselle Mendoza, sophomore and a volunteer from Carson VCYC, said, “The purpose of today’s event is to reach out to foster youth and to encourage them to reach for their dreams because it’s important for them to know that nothing in this life is impossible for them.”
Katie Kang, one of the coordinators of VCYC, said, “We want them to be able to meet with professionals in the field, colleges, and be able to see that there are other opportunities out there”
“Depending on their age groups, they’re going to be working on projects to raise awareness about their dreams and their plate to continue their education and overcome adversities such as not being able to afford college,” Kang added.
There were many different career workshops available to the foster kids such as law, music, filmmaking, cooking, merchandising, and even firefighting.
During the workshops, professionals in the different fields discussed how to get involved with the careers, what’s fun about it, and how they live their lives dedicating themselves to the career.
Kids as well as the volunteers got to ask questions and learn all together about the different career opportunities available to them at their interest.
Later on in the event, the foster youth along with the assistance of volunteers cut out pictures from magazines that represented their dreams and what they would like to do and be in their lives. They then created collages and showcased their work to each other.
One of the final workshops available to the kids was a singing workshop, whereby PVPHS’s choral group sang and had the kids join along. Together, the choral group worked with the kids to create a harmonious vocal combination to create a musical song showcasing the foster kids’ various aspirations.
After the final workshop, all foster youth said goodbye to the volunteers, and many walked away smiling and with a more positive sense of who they might be in their future.
Volunteers felt very heart-warmed of the event and the different kids that attended.
Valerie Quesada, senior and volunteer from Carson VCYC, said, “I just like that satisfied feeling I get from being able to help teach these foster kids about careers and inspiring to fulfill what they want.”