Working with children can be a profound experience, full of surprises and moments of clarity and invaluable lessons. As a social work intern student at Wells of Hope Ministries, a Christian organization committed to supporting children whose parents are incarcerated, offering a safe haven and education amongst other services. I've had the privilege of to participate in counseling sessions with the children at wells of hope schools. It's been a rewarding journey, full of valuable lessons that I believe are worth sharing.
During these counseling sessions carefully selected topics are chosen to be delivered for the children especially in group counseling sessions, so far we facilitated sessions based on various topics including conflict resolution, self-esteem/worth, coping with stress and goal setting which we believe are critical for these children. The counseling sessions were designed to engage the children both in group settings where the rotational strategy was used which allowed them to attend to different topics and interact with other facilitators, and also individual counseling for those who required additional help.
During all the engagements with the children, I witnessed remarkable enthusiasm, active participation and the confidence and courage the children exhibited, eagerly recapping previous sessions, showcasing what they learnt from the other facilitators, as they yearned for the new session. In all the counseling sessions so far majority of the children exhibited knowledge of the topics being delivered, offering insights and examples, although for many children, expressing what's on their mind at first can be as challenging but when others set the stage, you see them all participate, thus the group setting offers a great environment to nurture courage amongst the children.
However, the heterogeneous grouping presented a few challenge, there was a tendency to dominate the discussion by a few outspoken children which we tried to regulate, younger ones struggled to grasp complex concepts, while others were faced with language difficulties and some were simply shy. But notwithstanding, these challenges, the children’s ability to relate concepts to their everyday lives was inspiring, their resilience and eagerness to grow despite their situation reinforced my commitment to supporting children and engaging more in child protection issues. The counseling sessions I believe are beneficial to these children, empowering them, fostering resilience and adaptability. The goal setting session, in particular encouraged them to envision their future and prioritize what is important for them.
Overall through this experience, I learned valuable lessons; firstly, flexibility is crucial when working with children, adapting to their needs, learning styles and pace if you are to create an impact on them, secondly, education can be a powerful tool for empowerment of such vulnerable children, equipping them with essential life skills for them to thrive in the face of adversity. And thirdly, what I witnessed and impressed me most, was the spiritual aspect, it was quite evident that the spiritual grooming of these children on the Christian faith is really creating a good impact on them, the children’s reverence for God is remarkable and the Christian principles they base on really do play a significant role in fostering hope and resilience in them, the discipline and respect they show for everyone reflects the good values being instilled in them by the staff. The school’s conducive environment, very supportive and welcoming staff, organized classrooms create an ideal setting for better learning. This experience left a great impact on me as an individual as I also picked some lessons from these children; in helping them grow, I too am growing as an individual and above all as a social worker.
In a nutshell, similar to previous interactions with other children, my experience at Wells of Hope, continues to remind me that even amidst adversity, children’s resilience and potential can still thrive when they are availed with the needed support. As a social worker I believe it is highly imperative to create safe, inclusive and supportive environments that nurtures growth, resilience and empowers vulnerable children to overcome adversity.
For this I highly commend Wells of Hope Ministries for the holistic support towards these children. I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to continuous learning and service. Let us support organizations like Wells of Hope Ministries, committed to supporting these vulnerable children, striving to transform them into resilient productive citizens for this nation and the world.
Compiled by Liberty Vivian Intern Wells of Hope
