Two times a week, Medill freshman Hibah Yousuf can’t be found anywhere on campus. Instead, she will be playing basketball or visiting a bakery with 12-year-old Shakyra.
Yousuf met Shakyra through Project SOAR (Serving Our Adolescents Responsibly), a mentoring program through Evanston’s McGaw YMCA, 1000 Grove St.
“Shakyra and I have only known each other for a month, but she’s already expressed that she feels really comfortable around me and enjoys herself,” Yousuf said.
Volunteering allows her to see the Evanston community from a different perspective, Yousuf added.
“I love Northwestern, but being a part of Project SOAR allows me to explore Evanston and Chicago beyond just our campus,” she said.
About 40 percent of the student body spends time volunteering, according to Suzan Akin, coordinator of Student Community Services at Northwestern. Akin advises 21 student service organizations on campus. Volunteer options range from visiting senior citizens to caring for the homeless.
“(Volunteering) is growing at NU,” Akin said. “Students grow up with it, and they come to college looking for those opportunities.”
For Weinberg senior Emily Bauer, volunteering is a way to get experience for the future. Her interest in psychology and counseling is useful when she spends time at the Warming House Youth Center, 1187 Wilmette Ave.
Since March, Bauer has gone to the teen drop-in center once a week for about four hours at a time. During her visits, Bauer plays pool with the teens and sometimes watches movies. She said the visits have made an impression on her.
“It’s made me think about how people perceive things,” she said. “I used to think if (teenagers) are acting out, it’s because they think they can get away with it. But now I see that it has to do with structure.”
Creating a structured environment with opportunities for homework assistance and recreational activities is also a goal of Evanston’s Family Focus Center, 2010 Dewey Ave.
Every Wednesday, Weinberg freshman Max Fletcher spends two hours talking, playing and working with fifth- and sixth-graders at the center.
Students who go to the center typically come from families that have difficulty helping their children with homework due to work or language barriers, he said.
“It’s nice to see them get their work done,” Fletcher added. “The kids have the motivation to do work, they just need someone to keep them on track. It’s nice to see how happy they are when they get their work done and can go outside and play.”
Fletcher said he enjoys his time at the center and sees the impact he’s made there.
“The kids get attached to your presence,” he said.
Reach Jasett Chatham at [email protected].
