Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2016, Page 153

Description:	is yoursOn April 1 6, many South students donned their blue t-shirts, signifyingthat they were participating in Global Youth Service Day: a day dedicatedto giving back and serving the local community.3_tjIn April of every year, a community[ service day called Global Youth Service\| Day (GYSD) is held to encourage youthI worldwide to get involved and volunteer* with local business and organizations.■: Over 2,000 different organizations inl more than 100 countries hold GYSD andit is therefore the largest annual gatheringof young volunteers in existence. Thegusto and encouraging atmosphereassociated with this day of service can beobserved in Bloomington with Southstudents as well: Monroe County YouthCouncil (MCYC) hosts a GYSD event thatsplits hundreds of Bloomington studentsinto different parts of the community,allowing students to lend a helping handIn environments varying from Elementaryschools to local nature preserves.Junior Kristen Taylor participated inGYSD with Team Home, which went to theHoosier Hills Food Bank to plant kale,chard, and cabbage. I liked sitting on theground and mixing the soil together, and.gfWj then putting the little saplings in the dirt,_^PM Taylor said. Many students would be?£fe\| hesitant to miss school - even for a day of#^f volunteering - but because so many South, j-JJi students participate in GYSD or other-- *:- clubs that were gone at the same time,- : there was less stress about missing important school work. I wanted tovolunteer and help with the community,but I didnt really want to miss school,Taylor said. I figured, since Sounds ofSouth was gone too, there would be lotsof people gone and I could make up anywork over the weekend.Junior Adam Diersing, a leader ofMCYC, has been a participant in GYSD forthe last two years. Diersing was a part ofTeam Education, which went to BryanPark with classes from TempletonElementary School. We helped the kidswith craft exercises, did some reading andwriting projects and then did teambuilding exercises, Diersing _ said.Templeton is a school that I really careabout, so I liked being able to help [thekids] with something that they wouldnt beable to do without a large group ofvolunteers. Global Youth Service Daywas a main focus of MCYC and required alot of planning and coordination by theMCYC leaders. Many of these leaders, likeDiersing, felt passionately about the dayand their role in it. Community service isimportant because [people] take a lot,Diersing said. I think its important foreveryone to find their time and place togive back in whatever way they can, andGYSD is a good way for people to do that.- ELLA NEED«
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/9789
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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