Welcome to the Drawbridge Online Volunteer Training!

Volunteering for DrawBridge is a special experience that is both rewarding and challenging. In order to prepare you, we have created an online training that will help you to understand the DrawBridge philosophy, how we conduct our art groups, and how to work with children experiencing homelessness. The children we serve often take on adult concerns and as a result they may feel stressed and out of control because their basic needs are not being met. DrawBridge provides these children with a consistent and loving space where they feel safe and can relax, have fun, and express themselves freely.

The key points we hope you will take with you from this training are:

1) Let Kids Be Kids: The space we provide is aimed at giving children back a piece of their childhood that has been lost. The art group should be both safe and carefree.

2) Listen: You don't have to be a great artist! It's your attention and ability to listen, that children seek. Art is used as a vehicle for creating healthy relationships. Listening and allowing children to freely express themselves helps them to trust, open up, and experiment with relating to mentoring adults.

3) Be Non-Judgmental: It's important not to have expectations of the children or the artwork they produce. Remain open and realize that what they make is not about you or how you think it should look, but about the child's need for expression. You are a safe and caring witness.

4) Provide a Safe Container: Structure and discipline are needed to provide safety for children, however structure at a DrawBridge art group may look very different from a classroom or more controlled setting. We do our best to allow free exploration of art materials and that can sometimes be messy.

5) Model Healthy Boundaries: Having healthy boundaries with children can sometimes be difficult but is so helpful in teaching them healthy ways of relating to others. When working with children in homeless shelters there can be a desire to grant their every wish. Establishing a clear boundary can be a very important gift for a child, one they can repeat with others in their life.

As a volunteer, the quality of your presence and attention, as well as the behavior you model during art group, can have a profound effect. The poem "Children Learn What They Live" illustrates this concept wonderfully.