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Volunteer Reflection

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Submitted By futureenelson
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My time as a volunteer brought me to Prairie St. Johns where I was able to work with the children and adolescent patients in various capacities. The way the hospital is set up splits the youth floor into two wings, the east (where the children are) and the west (where the adolescents are). I spent about half my time in each wing usually playing games with anywhere from 1-8 of the patients at a time. There were a variety of games to choose from but some were much more popular than others. In the east wing, the most popular games were jenga, bingo, and imaginary play. In the east wing however, card games were much more popular, we played many games of speed, b.s., and kings corner. Outside of playing games I was also able to have a variety of different conversations with patients from both side, it was fun to laugh and joke, but to also hear their stories. It was always an enjoyable experience and I was glad that my time there was helpful to the staff and gave the kids a new ear to listen, a new voice to hear, and a new person to interact with for a while.
During my time at Prairie St. John’s I learned a lot about myself, my misconceptions, and about a few of the patients through hearing their stories. I have generally considered myself a pretty outgoing person, who gets along well with others, is easy to open up to, and is enjoyable to be around. While I was volunteering however I was very reserved at first, I was unsure of myself and my place at the hospital. I didn’t know how to act in different situations and for a long time didn’t know anyone. This was hard for me but allowed me to learn how to express my true self in front of people I didn’t know and in situations where I felt uncomfortable. Another thing I learned was that I had a lot of misconceptions about what volunteering at Prairie would be like and the kind of individuals I would be working

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