This past school year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Cook Arts Center for one of my Spanish courses. Cook Arts Center is a program of Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities. I participated in their after-school program, helping with a ceramics class and drumming class. They have a variety of free arts programs, ranging from painting, to learning guitar, to Hispanic dance, to creating YouTube videos.

The Grandville neighborhoods Cook Arts serves are majority Hispanic neighborhoods and the majority of the participants are bilingual. The kids would always try to test me on my Spanish knowledge and I’m pleased to say I passed most of the time!

One of the best parts of being at Cook Arts was the relationship with the kids. Some take more time to warm up, but they all come around eventually. Naomi was one of the students I got to know pretty well. We were part of a drumming and rhythm course but she was always a little reluctant to come to the classroom. I would walk with her asking about her day at school and ask about the other classes she was in at Cook Arts. Naomi loved her dance class and always tried to join the other dance classes that she wasn’t in. Once in the classroom, she would at first sit and observe more than participate. But she would always end up picking up a pair of drumsticks or a tambourine and join in with the other kids eventually. It was always so encouraging to see her change of perspective, from careful watcher of activity to full-blown rock-star in her favorite music and dance classes.

Volunteering at the Cook Arts Center was an incredibly enriching experience and I probably learned more from the kids than they did from me. I always love my time spent with the kids and seeing them connect to the arts. It is fun, exciting, inspiring, and a great way to connect with my community.

To learn more about Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities’ programs and how you can volunteer, go to http://www.gaah.org/.