Playing with a purpose

Standing around a table that holds containers of their favorite ice cream, a dozen residents begin to contemplate the challenge put before them. With hands tied together by bandanas, they must find ways to work collectively to create individual ice cream sundaes. As the challenge unfolds, staff members observe the actions, and reactions, of residents as they work to complete the task at hand.

"It is amazing to watch how their individual personalities carry over into this type of activity," said Ashley Nicholas, director of therapeutic recreation at Methodist Children's Home. "The selfish kid is only concerned about himself, while the caring kid tries to make sure everyone gets what they want on their sundaes. As we observe their actions, we can facilitate a discussion to help them learn how their decisions and behavior affect the group."

The ice cream challenge is one example of the creativity applied by the recreation staff to help residents experience personal growth while at Methodist Children's Home. During her 10 years as recreation director, Ashley has led an effort to transform the department from traditional recreation to "therapeutic" recreation. Gone are the days when the department focused primarily on providing activities such as team sports, swimming and hiking. Today, those activities are incorporated into a comprehensive therapeutic program that serves as a significant component of the Home's strength-based philosophy of care.

"I feel confident that we are serving children more effectively than we ever have before," Ashley said. "Our strength-based model asks us to empower kids; to do less for them and to expect more from them. We focus on their strengths and give them avenues to use, develop and grow them."

When Ashley joined the MCH staff, she was committed to providing a quality recreation program for residents and staff. In recent years, her philosophy has evolved into one of youth empowerment.

"My job is not to create a program that I feel good about but to empower kids to create a recreation program that they feel good about," she said.

Van Jones, campus administrator, appreciates the efforts of the recreation staff to plan empowerment activities, whether it's through recreational therapy or youth organizations.

"The recreation program is vital to the lives of our youth," he said. "The recreation staff does a great job of loving the kids, challenging them and expecting greatness from them. I feel fortunate to be associated with such a quality group."

Playing With A Purpose
Whether it's making ice cream sundaes, playing flag football or planning a camping trip, staff members focus their efforts on creating opportunities to build relationships with residents. The theme for the recreation department is "Playing With A Purpose."

"This job is a childcare job; we just use the vehicle of recreation to accomplish our goals," Ashley said. "Recreation is ideal when we're working with kids because it puts us in positions to build relationships with them. Relationships must come first."

Ashley believes the nature of recreation encourages residents to "let their guard down," providing opportunities for staff to develop meaningful relationships. It's an incredible thing to take an outdoor setting, like camping, and watch them turn into different kids," she said. "Their defense mechanisms come down and it gives us more access to who they are as individuals."

The recreation program is comprised of four main areas: youth organizations, therapeutic programming, leisure education and incentive recreational programming. Each area allows residents to develop life skills and leadership qualities.

Youth Organizations
The number of residents who participate in youth organizations has increased in recent years. This spring, more than 40 percent of residents are active members of a group. Through their participation, youth gain a sense of pride from being associated with an organization; learn the importance of generosity by serving others; receive opportunities to utilize their creativity and talents for presentations and special projects; and serve as role models on the MCH campus.

Whether it's planning an awards assembly to recognize their peers, hosting a dinner to promote cultural diversity or designing a t-shirt for their organization, youth are empowered to achieve success through their contributions to their campus organization.

"Our kids have opportunities to experience the positive effects of hard work, service to others, good planning, commitment and dependability," Ashley said. "They will now be more likely to practice these positive life skills because they have experienced the addictive positive consequences that come from these disciplines."

Therapeutic Programming
Programs offered as part of therapeutic recreation include weekly home unit activities, special-interest clubs and student employment. Each avenue provides opportunities for residents to experience growth in such areas as trust, patience, tolerance, problem solving, teamwork and conflict resolution.

"Basically, therapeutic recreation emulates life," Ashley said. "When we put kids in problem-solving activities, the same dynamics that play out in life come out every single time. It's amazing to watch as they completely play to the role they play in life."

Staff members strive to make therapeutic recreation fun and unique. In addition to building ice cream sundaes, recent activities have provided opportunities for residents to create spontaneous art, where they paint what their day feels like, and design music CD covers and write song titles that represent their lives.

"Activities that increase self-awareness help kids and staff identify issues that drive their behavior," Ashley said. "We can then zero in on areas that need special attention."

Therapeutic recreation also includes a variety of clubs, ranging from mountain biking to cooking, and intramural sports leagues. In addition, the recreation department enlists summer internships for students across campus.

"Internships are an important part of our program because they enable other staff to utilize their special gifts to help teach life skills and model appropriate behavior for our kids," she said.

Leisure Education and Incentive Recreational Programming
Two additional components of the recreation program focus on building community spirit and developing healthy lifestyles. A variety of campus activities, ranging from holiday celebrations to student recognition banquets, enable residents to strengthen relationships among their peers and staff. Home unit outings to sporting events, amusement parks and other activities provide opportunities for residents to spend time together away from campus.

Understanding the importance of developing healthy lifestyles at an early age, the recreation department began a wellness program last summer. The program provides a regular schedule of fitness and exercise for residents.

Playing as a Team
As she evaluates the success of the recreation program, Ashley understands the important role of developing positive relationships between staff and residents. She also values the strong support of homeparents, social workers, campus life staff and members of the religious education department who work closely with her department to develop effective programming.

"The team approach is the key to creating a successful program," she said. "We are fortunate to be able to draw from different perspectives and resources across campus to make decisions about what's best for every child."

As she plans for the future, Ashley remains committed to ensuring that the needs of children are met through the avenue of recreation.

"We must continue to work together to create programs that help our students free the strengths that are within them and programs that make them aware of how good and worthy they truly are," she said.

This article appeared in the March 2004 issue of Sunshine. Methodist Children's Home, Waco, Texas