“Real Life” experiences from Youthlinc Volunteers

“For my local service, I volunteered through Real Life at the Pal Boxing Center. This experience has enriched my life! Every Tuesday and Thursday I have the opportunity to go to PAL and help with homework and then assist in teaching a lesson and playing a game. It is the most fun I have all week! The kids there are so funny and so entertaining! I usually hang out with a group of sixth grade boys who sometimes have a hard time keeping quiet, but always keep me laughing. I have so much fun and being around all of those kind and intelligent kids has most definitely made me a better person. I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to volunteer my time and spend it having fun with some amazing kids!”    -Jace Meier

“I volunteer at Real Life Salt Lake. I started volunteering at Real Life in January and have been going from 2-4 times a week which can be anywhere from 4-8 hours per week. My main responsibilities volunteering there is to help the kids with homework, help them assimilate into American culture, and to just be a friend for them! One of my favorite experiences at Real Life is when we went bowling together because it was when I really bonded with the kids and we just had an awesome time! I’ve learned a lot about how to tutor people and have learned a lot about how to find interests with people who seem completely different from you and forming amazing friendships! I have really enjoyed my time at Real Life and look forward to volunteer there for years to come!” –Hannah Stevens

“I volunteer at Real Life since January. My responsibilities are to work with the kids and help them with their homework and also help them get excited about life skills. Giving them motivation and confidence in themselves is a big part of it. The most memorable moment I have had with Real Life is when I was helping one of the kids with a survey about college and they were feeling pretty hopeless about the prospect. I asked them why they didn’t think they could go to college and ended up talking them into it.  It made me feel so good that I could actually make some difference. From Real Life I have learned that so many people have it so much harder than we do so we need to take advantage of the resources we have in our lives to help others that don’t have them.” – Sophia King

“I volunteer at Real Life every Monday and Wednesday. I volunteer for 2 hours each time. We work with one of the kids on reading or homework for the first 20 min.  Then we do something fun. With the changing weather one of the things I like to do is go play soccer with all the kids. Some of them are very good and have surprised me. I have learned how much we actually can do for them volunteering and helping them read. It has been a great experience and I am excited to continue.” –Josh Kirk