High School Students Volunteer Reflections
Enjoy select reflections (you may want to grab a few tissues!)
1. Poem
Nothing’s Ever Just an Assignment
Oh Brady how you've changed me
Oh Brady how you see me
Oh Brady how you inspire me
Oh Brady how you free me
A once known graduation requirement,
A girl, nervous, couldn’t bring herself to try
Turns to the leader that can't bring herself to stop
And a team, a family, ready with open arms
All inclusive, an energy flowing through everyone
A changed girl, all because of a kid and horse
A school project once a chore, now a daily source of happiness
The once mockery of an assignment, turns to thankfulness
A home created from a place that could have never been guessed
A child, but not like one you're hired to babysit
An adult, but not like the one you except to check you out at the front desk
The overpowering emotion, the patience, the difference
The realization that we are not all the same
The disability to see the beauty within everyone, blossoms a new voice i've never taken time to listen to
The wall a mind traps a changing soul, the wall we fully will never face
That understanding, that responsiveness, lacking, missing
But yet heart and joy when talking and talking, and that's what people don't know
Coordinates,
The Brady Therapeutic Riding Coordinates,
The ones that led me to a place I’d never know I’d call home
The need, the longing, and the motivation to help
Service: “Disabled kids go there to ride horses and stuff”
Truth: A place to develop the mind, body, and soul
A place for those to encounter this animal and to connect with it
A gentle creature that doesn't judge you, but loves you no matter how you talk, look or sound
Where a once judgy volunteer, now open hearted leader, helps two worlds connect
The patient and the helper, a girl and a horse, a boy and a pony, both bonded on the course
The joy that a phone cant provide,
A girl who no longer needs it,
Someone who couldn't stop taking picture, but now just lives in the moment A sudden interest in her ethics class,
To learn more about inclusion,
To further her skills in communication with those who don't seem apart of the original conversation
From a the rush to get it done, to a longing to go back
The mindset of the number of hours and not the people being served
The job where you work “with and for other”
That line that meant little to a freshman, now becomes clear to a soon senior
The joy of wanting to continue even after my project is done
The inspiration to expand and get other more involved
The surprise of how much love a person could give to a once known graduation requirement
2. Making surprising connections
Working at Brady has taught me the need to break down the stereotypes regarding disabilities and have more consideration for those not able-bodied in our society. Throughout my volunteering, I have learned that having a disability does not make someone less than, and that they are more similar to able- bodied members of the community than people think. They simply process information or move their bodies a little bit differently than we do. I believe that if more people engaged in service similar to that of Brady Riding, ableism would be less prevalent in our society and people would have a greater appreciation for the needs of those around them.
I would encourage others to engage in service experiences because they facilitate connections between you and members of your community that you otherwise wouldn’t get to know. At Brady specifically, there is a strong sense of community as both volunteers and clients share in their love and appreciation for horses, and are able to work together to care for them. Through Brady, I have become close with fellow volunteers and have also built connections with the clients, kids who have had very different life experiences with me, which enriches my perspectives. I would additionally recommend engaging service because it is beautiful to see the positive impact these types of organizations can have on an individual. It is heartwarming to watch a child in a wheelchair be able to get up on a horse and have the pride of being the tallest person around, and have the mobility of someone not only with two legs, but with four.
When a person’s brain or body works differently from ours, it is common for humans to view them as less than, or even disregard their humanity. At Brady, I learned how similar people are to those they see as so different from them. Some of the clients have very serious mental disabilities, and at first glance, seem very different and hard to connect with. By spending time with them, I realized that was not remotely the case, and being able to get on a horse puts a smile on their face the exact same way it does mine. Though some of these individuals would express their excitement differently than I do, we both were happy for the same reason and bonded over our shared love of the equestrian experience. The clients were not at all helpless, as many people view disabled individuals to be, but were able to learn a ton throughout their time spent at Brady and made obvious improvements in their riding ability - something super amazing to be able to witness.
Brady is a form of therapy for disabled individuals. The organization helps give these children with special needs confidence, improve their social skills, and bring them strength and healing. This non profit makes a social contribution by helping those with disabilities become happier and healthier, combatting ableism and helping give enriching opportunities to those often restricted in society. Riding and caring for the horses can improve the kids’ motor skills, increase their balance, and it contributes to physical health factors such as lowering blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health. Not to mention, spending time with horses (as I can tell you from personal experience) is relaxing and can serve as a mental reset and detox. I can tell Brady’s mission is successful as the horses put smiles on the faces of all members of the organization, and the disabled children become stronger and more skilled at riding with every visit.
3. Take a leap and jump on in!
If I was trying to motivate someone to become involved in service experiences, I would first mention how good it feels to serve others and make selfless actions. I found that every day I volunteered at Brady Riding, I left with a smile on my face, already looking forward to the next time I would get the chance to volunteer. Even though working there was often difficult and stressful, I always emerged happier than when I went in. I was always satisfied with the work I had done and learned that I am capable of more than I thought I was. I was also able to meet so many amazing people through the organization. I formed relationships with the children who rode there, but also with Sarah Meakin, the owner of the organization, and with the other volunteers. Initially a little intimidating, I’m so grateful I took the leap and finally began it. I think the hardest part of starting a service project is just beginning it, so to anyone questioning whether or not they should become involved in one, I would say to just try. That’s the hardest part, and it is so incredibly worth it in the end.
Above all, I am most proud of the connections I made with everyone at Brady Riding. I got to know so many of the children there really well and I hope that I made as much of a positive impact on their lives as they did on mine. I also grew very close with the owner, Sarah, and the other volunteers there. I did not know a single person on my first day, but as of writing this, I know dozens of people. I am proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone in order to make these connections and for taking that first step in deciding to volunteer there. Lastly, I am proud of myself for finding something I am truly passionate about and love doing. I plan to continue volunteering at Brady Riding for as long as I can, and I look forward to the new memories I will create and the service I will continue to do.
4. Developing leaders
Sarah once used the analogy that learning the horse terminology was like learning another language. Stepping into this new role helped me learn how to be patient with myself as I began learning new skills, and with the others around me. I as also able to use my knowledge to help others. We all have different skill sets and it was fun to experience each person as a leader since we all have our strengths. I believe that I truly stepped into a leadership role while working with the horses and kids. Leading a horse takes strength and confidence since it is your job to keep everyone involved on task and safe. Having control over such a large animal helped me gain confidence in my abilities as a leader.
The Mission of Brady is to help children with special needs though the care and love of horses. The organization provides therapeutic instruction that has helped many kids with autistic spectrum challenges and other special needs. I can tell that the organization is successful when I witness and participate in the riding sessions. All volunteers with the organization are given leadership roles where they get to interact and lead with the participants. Connections are created between the group that works as a whole. The children get to ride the horses, and volunteers provide their support.
This service experience has changed my orientation since I now value communicating and connecting through shared experience. I was able to grow as a person alongside these kids as they hit milestones in their therapy. I have become passionate about advocating for the rights of the disabled community, and am exciting to continue volunteering with Brady.
5. Building Community
I define community as people who put differences aside, and come together to care for each other, and make the community stronger. I do feel like I am building a stronger community through service because I get to help out those in need, and in engaging in community service, I have joined a new community- the Brady Riding Community. Sarah, the head of the organization, even told my mom to come and join us while we engaged in grooming the horses, side walking, etc. I also have met new people (youth) who are so excited about the horses. Seeing these kids’ excitement and joy makes me happy and I feel like I am contributing to the formation of a strong, loving, accepting community. One of which is not confined by ableism, and the societal norm, but a community filled with all different kinds of people who have love in their heart.
I have fallen in love with Brady and the horses and the kids and Sarah. I love volunteering it’s always so fun and I feel so good after. Sarah, head of the program, is such a kind, beautiful soul who speaks her mind and loves the kids and what she does. I am extremely grateful to have found Brady.
I am Buddhist and I relate the Buddha’s Golden Chain of Love to my service at Brady. This prayer relates how all beings in the world are interconnected through a metaphorical chain of love. This relates to my work at Brady because working with disabled kids helped me realize that everyone in this world is interconnected and no matter how seemingly different people seem, we are really all one.
6. Finding comfort and confidence
I learned through Brady that children with special needs should be treated the same as anyone else. Sarah, the director of Brady, talks to the kids with the same voice she would use talking to an adult and uses the same speech as well. These children are also given the same love and attention as anyone else. This method is successful because when the kids come back to Brady every week, they carry a great positivity knowing that they can be themselves and not have to worry about being judged or treated differently just because of who they are. They already have stress in their lives and their peers treating them normally will help them stress less about how they appear to the world.
Through this experience, I changed. Having spent lots of time with the children, I have become more comfortable around them and eventually have just been able to be my normal self around them, which I’ve noticed helps create a happier environment that positively encourages them. Before volunteering, I had never spent a lot of time with special needs children so I was uncomfortable and unsure of how to act around them. After weeks of volunteering, I have grown to be more comfortable just acting normally and going about my volunteering routine unbothered. This normalcy helps ease the tension in the air and thus helps the kids be more comfortable in their own skin as well. Through time together, we have all grown more comfortable with each other which helps to create a happier environment.
Volunteering at Brady has strengthened my understanding of being a person with and for others because of the great example Sarah has set for her volunteers and community. Sarah is a person for others because her organization is nonprofit and she likes to help these kids out of the kindness of her own heart. She does not run this program with any selfish intentions in mind, she just cares about the well being of the community around her. She is also a person with others because she is welcoming to everyone and treats everyone in her program the same, allowing them to have the dignity they deserve. She knows that no matter what, every person is worth the same amount of love and support. The example Sarah has set through the way she leads her program has deeply impacted my understanding of what being a person with and for others means.