“Despacito! Play Despacito!” Repeats from around the 15-passenger van as ten 8-14 year old refugee youth call out for my fellow intern Wendy and I to play the smash hit from Louis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber. “It’s the radio” we say with a laugh, “we can’t control what comes on, but if you wait long enough it will probably come back on again”. And thus begins, and usually ends, the day at Heartland Alliance’s Youth and Family Service’s Summer Program.

Being an intern in Summer Program has provided me with a great experience to work with some incredible young people, and has been a thoroughly rewarding experience. First, a little about what Summer Program exactly is. Every day of the week in Summer Program takes us to a different location and provides a unique experience, all of which generally center around our program theme of “Good Neighbor”. Mondays, we meet at a local church where youth participants play games, make crafts and learn a little about the general theme of the week, topics such as conservation, creativity, etc. Tuesdays, our program takes youth around the city on different field trips designed to show our participants, all first year refugee youths, different places in Chicago and provide them with unique learning experiences; places such as the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Heartland Alliances Urban Farm or the Evanston Art Center. Wednesdays and Thursdays take on a little bit more of a fun, laid back approach; Wednesdays consist of playing soccer with other refugee organizations. While Thursdays are visits to the beach, where in addition to swimming and playing in the sand our program engages in a bit of a beach garbage clean up, thus encouraging our theme of “Good Neighbor”. As is evident, each day is unique and a whole lot of fun, however it provides so much more for both participants and staff.

For our participants, these activities provide the chance to get out and explore their very new city, and see some of what Chicago has to offer. It also gives them the opportunity to consistently practice English and meet new kids from different cultures and parts of the world. One of the coolest parts of this experience is that on a daily basis one can watch kids who speak different languages become friends and hang out, despite the lack of a common language. Observing and being a part of this serves as a daily reminder that at the end of the day all of us are more alike than we are different. While that may sound cliché it really is powerful and rewarding to be a part of a program that brings people together and shows recently arrived refugee children what America is really about; a place where all are welcome, and a place that values diversity and inclusion.

Being a part of Summer Program has provided me a lot, including a never-ending loop of Despacito playing in my head. Through this ongoing experience in Summer Program I’ve also come to truly appreciate the value of non-verbal communication and learn the power that a positive disposition and a smiling face can have, especially when the populations you are working with might not understand what you are saying. Additionally, every day provides a host of new learning experiences: including learning simply phrases in Arabic and Kurdish, learning about the foods and cultural norms of other cultures, and just coming to appreciate the unique and wonderful nature of all people. Every day is an opportunity to improve the lives of the youths we work with, and every day is a chance to improve the world just a little bit, and I consider myself extremely blessed to have had this opportunity this summer.