Small Volunteer Thanksgiving Activity
On the evening of November 29th, the Nanjing YMCA’s meeting room was unusually crowded and lively. Although Thanksgiving had already been over for a full week, that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the more than 40 children and their parents. This was a special activity that combined the topic of gratitude with a central theme of experiencing American Thanksgiving culture and passing on the idea of “gratitude” to the children.
The activity officially began at 7:30pm. At the start of the activity, four American student volunteers divided the children into two groups, with each group wearing meticulously prepared Indian and pilgrim head ornaments, and used a PowerPoint presentation to introduce the origins of Thanksgiving and the conditions in America at the time, helping the children to understand the reason for Thanksgiving and why Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. After that, the American volunteers prepared a turkey sandwich and waffles for each of the children, and the children imitated the Indians entertaining the pilgrims, inviting their companions to join them for dinner. The American teachers told the children that American families celebrate Thanksgiving by enjoying food with their families, just like they were doing. Next, the American teachers led the children into small groups and began to play games, like making paper turkeys and playing “hot potato”…in the midst of cheering, talking and laughing, the children not only expressed thanks that they cannot usually say to their parents, but also learned some English and practiced their oral English.
At 9:00pm, the activity concluded in an ocean of merriment. The children, however, wished to continue. In the future, the YMCA will conduct similar training camps, making every effort to build a better platform for the moral, intellectual, physical and social development of our children.
