Shantel Lewis – Summer Camp Volunteer

My name is Shantel Lewis, and I’m originally from Antigua. I came to Toronto, Canada in December 2005 and I wanted to volunteer to get Canadian experience working with children. My goal for the future is to work with children, especially children with disabilities. I found out about St. Christopher House through the website and applied to volunteer for the Summer Camp program.

Volunteering for the Summer Camp was awesome! I really enjoyed the experience of working with so many children from different cultural backgrounds and I learned a lot from this.  I learned so much about how children interact, what their interests are, and I especially got caught up in the World Cup soccer fever! The children were so passionate about the World Cup, rooting for their team and trading soccer cards.

I learned so much volunteering for the summer camp, and this experience will be so beneficial when I find a job in the future. I especially developed my sense of patience, working to resolve conflicts between the children. This was at times difficult, but very important.

If anyone asks me about volunteering, I will tell them to just do it! It’s rewarding, a great experience, and you learn so much about yourself. Thanks St. Chris, for giving me this opportunity.