It's More Fun in the Tuloy Foundation: Week Three

Monday morning, Dylan and I began working in aquaponics. Tuloy has a huge aquaponics system on its campus that provides vegetables and fish for food. This system is self-sustaining because the fish produce nutrients for the plants and the plants produce nutrients for the fish. They also use composting, a breaking down of various biodegradable materials, to produce organic fertilizer for the plants. On Monday, we spent two hours planting onions, radishes, lettuce, and herbs in hanging pots. Many Tuloy kids also volunteer their time in aquaponics by planting, watering, painting, and so much more. It was amazing to see not only the amount of creative engineering that must have gone into building the aquaponics system here at Tuloy, but also the amount of handwork and dedication the people of Tuloy currently put into this system. After speaking with Father Rocky, we've learned that a lot of other organizations who have adopted aquaponics systems are simply in experimental phases. Because of the amount of volunteers that care so deeply about this organic system, Tuloy currently has one of the first fully developed and successful aquaponics systems. Here is just a glimpse of the aquaponics system at Tuloy:

I also began my dance clinic this week. I held auditions on Monday and Tuesday, which allowed me to choose twenty-five students for group one and twenty-four students for group two. Although both groups are fairly larger than I had intended them to be, I was super excited to accept all 49 of the students who auditioned. Each group will have four jazz classes and four contemporary classes throughout the clinic ending on July 11. At the end of the clinic, each group will perform one jazz piece and one contemporary piece in their final performance. I am super excited to be teaching these kids something I am so passionate about! They even left me a sweet message on the chalkboard:

I began my first jazz class for group one on Friday. I taught them a warm up and a few steps, but then gave them time to create their own dances in small groups. I was amazed at the talent these kids have in creating short dance pieces. At the end of class, I had the students sit in a large circle. We went around the room and said our name and one thing that we learned from class today. I told them that there were no limits to what their answer could be. They could share one dance technique, step, concept, value, or life lesson depending on what stood out to them the most during class. They were all so open and fearless about their responses, and almost all of them shared something that related to respect, teamwork, or discipline. I was so proud of them for acknowledging these values on their own, and I loved watching them intently listen to each other’s responses. I led a prayer to close class, thanking God for the time we had to dance and worship Him together. I'm so excited to see how God uses this dance clinic to not only teach them proper dance technique, but also teach them life lessons and values that they can hold onto for the rest of their lives.

This week we also held our first two workshops for incoming OJT students. Ms. Connie (our supervisor), Dylan, three other volunteers, and I acted as facilitators for the all-day workshops. We were each assigned a group of students in which we led different activities throughout the day. These activities helped them define who they were, what goals they had for their future, what values they want to live by, and how they can develop resilience when facing obstacles in their lives. I was amazed at how the kids in my group became increasingly more open throughout the day. Many of them were shy to share their thoughts at the beginning of the day, but were much more comfortable sharing their ideas at the end of the day.

One of the girls I spoke with truly touched my heart. She opened up to me about her fears of being alone because of the bad memories that came to her mind when she wasn't distracted by other people. I talked to her about some of my fears and how much God helped me during those times. We were able to talk to each other about the importance of prayer and seeking God when we are anxious or upset in quiet times. I was so proud of her for opening up to me and acknowledging her weaknesses. She left with a huge smile on her face and an eagerness to turn to the Lord. These kids have been through so much heartache and trouble that I cannot even begin to understand. Please pray that they will continue to seek the Lord, despite their fears and anxieties. They are all such special and inspirational kids!

During the workshop, the kids were asked to come up with a team name, team cheer, and group art project. The kids in my groups did not know each other before attending this workshop, so it was awesome to see how close they got by the end of the event through these activities. They were laughing and hugging like they had been friends for months as they said goodbye. Watching them work together as a team to create a team name, cheer, and art project was incredible, and I know they left with a new set of great friends. Here are some of the creative projects that my kids in team "Dream High" (culinary students) and team "YOLO" (dressmaking students) made during the workshops: