In our communities, different families have different cultures. Even within a family unit, we have people with different personalities. Sunshine Family Volunteers (SFV) program aims to strengthen family bonds by channeling individuals' different energies towards building a family service culture. This enables family members to grow together as they review and talk about their values, taking into account each person's different talents.
In August, SFV coordinators participated in Learning Circle where they explored the power of creativity to teach family members positive values. They explore the meaning of creativity, noting that it transforms unique imaginative ideas into something new that would allow them to solve problems in noble ways. The main speaker, Mrs. Younshim Park, shared ways creativity is the root of problem-solving while encouraging the participants to be compassionate and empathetic in this quest.
Drawing, painting, writing, dancing, video making, singing, and storytelling were all shared as examples of how the participants could embrace creativity as a tool for social change. Sharing about how her community had faced an intense struggle against racial segregation and mass jailing in Japan in 1962, the main speaker demonstrated how songs were used in the fight for justice, conveying their message creatively.
The participants discussed ways to make their family service activities more engaging and fun. They were encouraged to host conversations around the topic with their family members to discover what works for them. Two SFV coordinators, Linnes Chamadenga from Malawi and Christine Amutuhaire from Uganda shared their goals for the SFV projects.
“I will establish a club by recruiting five families as members, tell them what SFV is about, and start resource mobilization,” said Linnes.
“Through my project ‘Helping hands’, I will work with families who are members of my SFV club to reach out to the needy in my community through volunteering,” said Christine as she shared her plan of doing more outreaches to youth & women groups and charity organizations in her community.
In volunteer leadership, the participants learned that their role as volunteer leaders was to act as guides in service for the greater good. They were also trained by the SFV program coordinator, Ms. Shanti Tamang on how to onboard different individuals as volunteers for their SFV projects. Learning Circles is a GPW platform for SFV coordinators to meet every two months to learn about values, volunteer leadership, and networking. Learn more about SFV Program.