Today I had the pleasure of joining some of the members of SCP for two sports programs. These sports programs had me working with a wide variety of kids of different ages from different backgrounds.
 
The first group was the Happy Sports Classroom. This program consisted of children ages 3-12 years old. The purpose of this class was to learn respect, teamwork, and challenge while playing various sports. Within this class, I was able to help out by helping set up the activities as well as interacting with the kids. While I am not able to communicate due to the language barrier, when it comes to sports, there is no need to always speak the same language. By participating in the games and sports with the kids I was able to help them build stronger teamwork skills.

The next group of kids that I worked with were ages 6-18 and females. This program was called the Find Fun Sports Class and the participants are those with intellectual, developmental, or mental disabilities. This program is focused on enjoying sports to the fullest while also learning to interact with others and enjoy moving around. This class wants to make a space where everyone can feel included. This is me with this program!

Being able to participate in both programs really allowed me to go out of my normal comfort zone. At home, while I would babysit or take care of one or two children at a time, this was way more and allowed me to do a lot of hands-on activities and work. The work that SCP Japan and volunteers do for this program is amazing as it allows a place for everyone to participate in sports while learning inclusion. I am so fortunate that I was able to join them for this as I was able to really get to know some of the kids.