The Philly Friendship Circle connects teens and young adults to youth with special needs and their families through a full range of social offerings. Inspired by the power of genuine friendship, our youth cultivate understanding, kindness and responsibility while ensuring a caring and inclusive community.
The Philly Friendship Circle offers an MVP program. It is a six-week program for 6th and 7th graders. Through activities, games, and multimedia presentations, MVP participants learn appropriate conduct when volunteering, the importance of giving back to the community, and the impact they can have on others. In addition to the MVP curriculum, participants and their parents help to co-chair and plan their first hands-on volunteer experience at one of our MVP dropoff events.
Jared Pashko, Outreach Coordinator, interviewed a volunteer named Michael and his mother about Michael’s thoughts on the MVP program.
On Michael ‘s experience in the MVP program?
Michael: We got together once a week for five weeks and talked about how to be a good person and friend. We also planned a fun day for being with friends with special needs. At the meetings I liked meeting new kids and interacting with them. Our leader Jared was awesome because he treated us like friends, and he was really nice and funny.
A reflection on our culminating MVP Program?
Michael: On a Sunday afternoon we hosted a super fun day for our new friends from friendship circle. Everyone was assigned a friend and we were their partner for all the activities we had planned. My favorite part about the big event was being with someone different than me and finding similar interests.
His mother’s perspective:
Tami: I loved that Michael was learning about being a good friend with a Jewish lens on the learning. He met great kids who were participating in the training and made a new special friend at the Friendship Circle Event. I appreciated that the parents were included in some of the meetings to help plan the event and my favorite part was the final meeting when all the MVP participants met and de-briefed their experience. I was amazed at their thoughtfulness and insight as a result of the program and experience!
For more information about The Friendship Circle in your area, go to https://www.friendshipcircle.com