IAWW Youth Program - Archives

Ropes Course Retreat

By Rashmi

March 7, 2010: At nine in the morning on an overcast Saturday, 23 YB members crowded underneath a picnic shelter, awaiting the day to come. Ahead of us was a 30 to 50 foot ropes course – complete with tight-rope sections and zip lining. But before we could jump right into the “up in the air” bonding, we had to trust each other on land first. We started out with some ice-breakers, getting to know more about each other and answering questions about our favorite childhood games and what our favorite TV shows are. We then split up into three groups, solving challenges and building teamwork. My group had the seemingly impossible task of guiding “blind” teammates to move a bucket full of tennis balls from point A to point B only by holding the strings attached to the bucket. This proved to be more difficult than we thought– giving directions to our blind members was not an easy feat! My group, especially, learned that communication is key; ten people yelling out different things isn’t going to get us anywhere – whether we are doing a bonding activity or contemplating an issue at one of our meetings. We made sure to remember this for when we really needed to work together on the ropes course.

Cold, hungry, and slightly nervous, we finished eating lunch and headed out to the course. We carefully followed the directions on how to wear the harnesses and practiced clipping the harnesses rope to chords above us. Finally, the three groups split up again and took turns getting on the wooden structure. Some of the sections had two thin ropes running between two platforms, and our goal was to get across, but we would have different restrictions on us every time. One challenge had a team member blindfolded, and we had to shuttle that member across the wires. Another challenge was to get across two ropes on a sliding bench, but we had to figure out how to move on the ropes using the bench and other ropes. The very last section of the course was zip lining, something we were all looking forward to!

Everyone together after the ropes course Besides the zip lining, I would have to say that my favorite part of this retreat was how much we all bonded. Each and every one of us exhibited true teamwork and came together to work on challenge after challenge, working together to overcome every obstacle. We learned how for us to complete one task, we need cooperation, patience, leadership, respect, and empathy. In about 6 hours, we learned all of this and more. The ropes course retreat was the perfect kick-off to our summer of bonding and getting to know each other; a great start for our preparations this summer as counselors for Camp Bharat 2010.

Duwamish River Clean-Up

by Sharada

On April 17 many of us had a wonderful opportunity to give back to our mother Earth by helping clean up the Duwamish River trail. The day started of pretty early. The trail is in Seattle so we had to get up early and meet up in Seattle at 9:45. Most of us were a little hesitant, but excited at the same time. In YB we have always done lots of community service like the teen feed and the fundraiser for the Haiti Earthquake victims. This project was a little different because we had never done anything to clean up the environment. It would be a great learning experience and a good time to bond with our fellow YB too! When we arrived at the Duwamish River, we learned that the forty or so of the volunteers there (including YB) were not the only people giving help to clean up the trails, but there were hundreds of other dedicated volunteers giving their time to clean up the beautiful parks and trails all over Seattle. Before we started working, we needed to know what tasks had to be done and how to do them. Some of the tasks included weeding, picking up litter, and taking out blackberry bushes which were responsible for harming other plants. When the leaders of the project were telling us about the different tasks, they also showed us all the different equipment that was to be used. I have never seen so many weed cutters in my life! After we got comfortable with the equipment, some of us got worked together as a big team (YB and other volunteers) to help cut down blackberry bushes. We did it for three hours, and it didn’t feel long at all because we had such a fun time doing it. I’m sure that I can speak on the rest of YB’s behalf when I say that the Duwamish River Clean Up was a good experience for all. While doing something good for our environment, we were able to make new friends and get to know each other better.
Nature's Time
By: Rahul Harikrishnan
On Saturday, January 29th, 2011, about 15 Youth Board members and 2 Youth Program advisors braved the elements to remove invasive species near the Duwamish River in Seattle. Arriving to the clean-up required a little more skills than would seem necessary. Losing one’s footing in the mud was a too common sight while the members traversed down to hills and lugged the shovels and gloves from the storage room. The YB, working alongside another private group and a teen volunteer, was able to complete a thorough cleanup of a portion of the forest. Creating piles of harmful thorny weeds and blueberry bushes, the YB was able to improve the growth of healthy flora. The frigid temperatures, falling rain, and occasional gusts blowing by did not lower the spirits of the YB at work. In fact, the YB had to be reminded occasionally by the organizers to stay on task. Nontheless, helping a neglected area such as the Duwamish River not only provided the YB with a good bonding opportunity, but also let them give back to the Pacific Northwest.
Northwest Harvest
By: Chirag Ved
Members of the Youth Board and Youth Committee volunteered at the Northwest Harvest Food Bank in Kent on the rainy evening of April 6, 2011. Despite it being Spring Break, 10 YB and 1 YC were present. Northwest Harvest’s mission is to “provide nutritious food to hungry people statewide in a manner that respects their dignity, while fighting to eliminate hunger.” Their mission made this a top choice for our point group to plan a volunteering session at. After a quick rundown of the organization, everyone washed their hands with scalding water in preparation to be handling food. We headed down to the warehouse, and received gloves. For those with small hands, the one-size-fits-all gloves did not let their fingers reach the top. We were assigned in groups of 3-4 people with enormous boxes of donated food. They required us to use stools to climb into the boxes to work on them. We checked the expiration dates and put the cans and dried fruits on a table. At the table, people were putting cans in boxes. Each box consisted of 15 cans and 8 dried fruits. Our experience helping the community, as well as Northwest Harvest’s mission, will last us a lifetime.

Republic Day

By: Neha Singh and Devika Vyas

The Indian Association of Western Washington (IAWW) kicked off its first annual event with Republic Day celebrations at the Carlson Theater in Bellevue College on Sunday Jan 29, 2011. Republic Day in India commemorates the day the constitution of India came into force, and India became truly a sovereign state. To mark the importance of the occasion, IAWW has been celebrating the Republic Day in the Seattle area for over 30 years. Following tradition, the event started off with the hoisting of both Indian and the U.S. flags and the singing of the respective national anthems.

The entertainment program included many patriotic songs and classical dances performed by local artists. IAWW Youth Board (YB) members were fully committed to ensure the success of the event. This required many hours of planning and coordination prior to and during the event. We divided the work among ourselves. Many of us arrived several hours before the event and helped set up the stage, vendor tables, etc.

During the event, we shared our mission and introduced IAWW YB members on the main stage. A few us helped oversee the IAWW membership drive and the green room coordination. Others sold Indian snacks and soft drinks, raising funds to be used for assisting local charities and team bonding exercises. Overall, IAWW YB demonstrated tremendous group effort with many wonderful memories of the event that will be with us for months to come.

Club Fusion

By: Shanthi Shanmugam

Only two words can describe Club Fusion: EPIC FUN. We began set up at 7 pm. The Vera project already had the vibes for an amazing party but we just kicked it up a notch. When you walk in, there is iconic art and graffiti on the walls along with stellar flooring. The room itself had some 90’s booths along the side but the most amazing part was the large dance floor. The DJ set up on the stage working with the manager of the house that night with the right lighting and volume. There is a lot that goes into getting the atmosphere ready for a huge dance party. Outside, a few YB members were taping up the background with some bright orange and green duct tape and made sure the photographer had everything he needed. The others helped transport the water bottles, otter pops, and whatever else we needed to set up both the “Check-in” and the “Sales” booth. Before we got working too hard, we all had a slice of scrumptious pizza and made sure all the final touches were set before 8 pm..when the doors open. As soon as we opened the doors, high school students, ready to party, poured in. Many were friends of YB members, friends of friends, and other people from different high schools. Though the facebook event only showed 300 people as attending, we had quite a bit more. They must have known that Club fusion is a place where kids can have fun with their friends on Saturday night and be safe. This year, YB collaborated to cut losses from last year’s expenses. We did not make tshirts, buy extra food to sell, or decorations. We kept our needs minimal and it paid off. Club fusion 2011 made a profit well above a thousand dollars with all the money towards the IAWW funds. Definitely, a success!