Project Connect

Marja Brolinson, Summer 2013

Many people are unaware that a substantial segment of the homeless population in the US is children. Project Connect is an organization that was founded to aid children suffering from homelessness in Cincinnati Public Schools. During the school year, Project Connect identifies students who are experiencing homelessness and works with them to clear obstacles to enrollment and school attendance. During the summer, Project Connect runs a summer academic and enrichment program for these homeless children. For children experiencing homelessness, simply trying to live a normal life is a struggle, as they face new and stressful challenges every day. Project Connect attempts to ameliorate these obstacles by providing the children with a safe place to attend camp every day, nutritious breakfasts and lunches daily, clothes and shoes if needed, assistance in the development of deficient academic skills, and participation in a variety of enriching field trips. Attending Project Connect provides an escape from the everyday life of the homeless child to a secure and fun environment in which to learn and build healthy relationships.

The children aged 5-12 that attend camp are divided into three groups according to age: Group 1 is the 5, 6, and 7 year olds, Group 2 is the 8 and 9 year olds, and Group 3 is the 10, 11, and 12 year olds. I was placed with the 8 and 9 year olds and worked with them every day as a tutor, coach, chaperone, and role model. A typical day at camp started with academics, with a special focus on reading and math, in the morning, followed by an afternoon field trip or enrichment activity. Working with the children on their academics was extremely rewarding, and I know that the children in my group will start off the school year feeling much more confident about their math and reading skills. Taking the children on field trips or teaching them science through creative experiments was incredibly fun due to the fact that the children were so excited to have the opportunity to experience places and learn skills to which they had never before been exposed.

Our summer project focused on giving the kids the skills they needed to keep themselves healthy and safe. We gave a series of presentations and demonstrations to each group that focused on water safety, hygiene, and nutrition. We also had a booth at the Culminating Health Fair event at the end of camp that focused on exercise and nutrition, allowed the children to make a healthy snack, and demonstrated proper hand washing technique by utilizing a fluorescent hand lotion, called “Glo Germ,” that simulates what germs would look like on hands not properly washed with soap and water. It was our goal for children to learn valuable skills and tools that they may not learn in school or at home due to their unstable living situations.

Many of the children do not realize that they are all at the camp together because they are all classified as homeless. While I learned a great deal about what it meant to be homeless as a child in Cincinnati from the children's stories and discussions, I also learned that these children are just kids and want exactly the same things that we did when growing up, they want to play, win games, learn, make new friends, and have fun. Although it may be easy to focus only of the differences between yourself and a homeless individual, it is important to look beyond those differences and realize the immense number of similarities. Working with such a vulnerable population is challenging, however, once you have recognized the similarities, you can work to build relationships. This summer I gained a deeper insight into the challenges faced by these children and how simple interventions delivered in a consistent and caring manner can have a very positive effect. I was inspired daily intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally. I know I will carry the memories of this remarkable experience with me as I embark on a career as a future physician and work to establish connections with, and advocate for, all of my patients.