Homelessness is an issue that affects our entire community. Because of this, Plymouth is proud to provide opportunities for youth to engage in and learn about our mission to end homelessness. We recently welcomed middle and high school students into our apartment buildings for meaningful volunteer experiences, which play an important role in building awareness of the causes of homelessness as well as momentum for long-term, effective solutions.
We are grateful for our partnerships with individuals, businesses, and other organizations—including the schools in our area who partnered with us to create these service-learning opportunities for students.
Groups of eighth graders from Seattle Academy joined us at Bob & Marcia Almquist Place and A.L. Humphrey House, helping assemble care kits for residents while learning about Plymouth’s work.
The Value of Real-World Experiences for Students
This spring, student groups from the Bush School, Seattle Academy, and TOPS K-8 each chose to volunteer with Plymouth for their service-learning projects. Students from these schools dedicated their time to creating hygiene kits and preparing meals for our residents.
“I hope the students gained a better understanding of why housing is a basic need and how something like that is transformative and brings hope,” said Rachel Leavitt-Baron, learning support specialist at Seattle Academy. “We are all a community here in Seattle. This is a value of Seattle Academy, and if we can encourage young people to lead with the community and bring people together, they really will change the world.” Seattle Academy requires a three-day service-learning project for eighth graders’ capstone projects. This year, students volunteered at 34 agencies across King County, including Plymouth Housing.
Through these experiences, students not only contributed to the well-being of our community but also learned about the challenges our residents face and the role permanent supportive housing plays in ending homelessness.
Thomas Castle is a seventh grade social studies teacher at TOPS K-8 school. While researching organizations to work with for his students’ weeklong service-learning projects, he landed on Plymouth. “Plymouth’s—and specifically Blake House’s—focus on serving the senior population was big for us,” he said. “We wanted to give students a more diverse picture of what people who are experiencing homelessness can look like.”
At Toft Terrace, middle and high school students from the Bush School showcased their culinary skills by preparing a delightful brunch for residents, fostering connections through the joy of shared meals.
For Castle, one goal of the projects is to stop dehumanization in its tracks. “It happens so often, and it makes it easy to walk by someone suffering on the street and not do anything about it. Once you dehumanize a group of people, then it’s easy to disregard them. It’s easy to oppress them. That sentiment goes away when you look somebody in the eyes and smile, right? It’s about the small things—those small acts of resistance.”
The Impact of Community Engagement
Students learned more about the homelessness crisis, permanent supportive housing, and Plymouth’s mission, including the essential roles played by residents and staff in our community. Feeling inspired to create positive change, many of these students left with a newfound sense of purpose.
“I think my favorite part of volunteering was being able to interact with one of the residents,” one eighth-grade student from TOPS K-8 shared. “And it was really nice to see how accessible everything was. There were railings for people with disabilities and braille on the walls. I really liked the building.”
Students of TOPS K-8 got to know Plymouth resident Stefan as part of their service-learning project at Blake House.
Coming up, we will have a student group from Seattle Prep help out at a Plymouth building with a gardening activity.
Thank you to all the schools in our community for choosing Plymouth for your volunteering projects!