International students from the Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS) have been volunteering their time every Sunday and Wednesday to entertain some of the senior citizens in our community.
The program, which started up on March 1, appears to be off to a good start as it offers a mutual cultural learning experience for both students and seniors.
“They need the hours and require the credits for grade 12, so we looked around to see what they could do and I immediately thought of the seniors,” said dormitory supervisor at DVSS, Margaret Jopp.
All grade 12 students at DVSS require 30 hours of volunteer work in order to graduate.
Jopp said the program counts towards their volunteer hours and also rewards the students with a few extra credits.
The students volunteer their time at Sunshine Lodge every Sunday afternoon, and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays by entertaining the seniors in various ways such as, playing live music, participating in card games, and going for walks.
International students from Drumheller Valley Secondary School have been volunteering their time every Sunday and Wednesday to help offer company and entertainment to some of the seniors at the Sunshine Lodge retirement home. (l-r) Emmanuella Akobundu, Whitney Fondja, Ella Hein, Arlene Hunter and Kathleen Lowen sit down together to play a nice game of Bingo on a quiet Wednesday evening.
“The seniors also teach them a lot as well. The girls, and even some of the guys are learning to knit,” said Jopp.
In addition to the Sunshine Lodge, the exchange students also volunteer at other various locations in the community such as the Grace Lutheran Church and the Nazarene Church.
“It’s great for our kids to get out,” Jopp said. “It’s a great cultural experience as well as a learning experience for them.”
Although the program is entirely optional, eight of DVSS’s 43 current international students have willingly invested their time to volunteer in the community.
“We hope to make this an ongoing thing,” said Jopp.
Despite over coming some difficulties with language barriers, the program sees students from Indonesia, Nigeria and Vietnam spending time with seniors.
“Some of the students are having a tough time with the language barrier but they’re catching on pretty quick,” said Marcel Augey, recreation coordinator at the Sunshine Lodge.
“At first they were extremely nervous and now they’re just really confident and excited about it.”
For current international student, Emmanuella Akobundu, the program has been a constant learning experience.
“At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said. “I’ve learned to knit, play bingo, and play card games.”
“It’s been very nice.”
