Join Young Children’s Council!
Photo courtesy of Molly Wilcox
With the vast amount of clubs to join on campus, it can be difficult to choose what clubs you want to be a part of. Let Young Children’s Council (YCC) be on your list of clubs to join. YCC used to be a club intended solely for early childhood education majors, but now, the club is open to all majors, for any student that is passionate about working with kids regardless of whether or not they are majoring in education.
YCC focuses on creating a relaxing environment to take your mind off of the busy school week filled with classes and assignments. The club meets bi-weekly on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in South Hall room 235. At each meeting, club members receive pen pal letters from students at one of the elementary schools in the surrounding area. This activity brings back the fun of handwriting letters; something that has been lost in the age of modern technology. Not only does it bring joy to our members, but it also helps the students practice their penmanship, which is pretty cool!
One of the best things about the pen pal program is how funny each letter can be. Kids will ask if you have ever pet a chicken in one sentence, and then ask if your parents let you watch the Bills game on a school night in the next. You never know where the conversation will go with them, but I can assure you that it will never get boring.
On occasion, meetings will host guest speakers. This semester, Dr. Michael Rozalski, a professor in the education department, came in to educate our members on different classroom management skills. In the past we have hosted an ASL professor, a social worker, and the Epilepsy Foundation to come in to talk about their careers working with children.
In addition to our meetings, YCC hosts a monthly Saturday storytime hour over at Wadsworth Library for families in the community to hear stories, craft, play games, and connect with the SUNY Geneseo students in the club. It is an optional activity for our club members to be a part of, but we always encourage people to join us. It truly is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
One of my favorite parts of being a member of YCC is all the friends I have made since joining the club. Some of my best memories at Geneseo are with the girls I met through the club. At first, I did not think YCC would be the club for me because I have no interest in becoming a classroom teacher. However, the love and acceptance I received from the members of the club showed me I was wonderfully wrong!
It is never too late to join the club. While we may not be able to provide you a pen pal until the start of the spring semester, everyone is more than welcome to join us at a club meeting. For any information about upcoming events and fundraisers YCC is hosting, make sure to check out our Instagram @ycc_geneseo. The last meeting of the semester will be held on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The theme of the meeting is “de-stress before finals” featuring tote bag painting, treats, and music. Grab some friends and join us for our last meeting before the stress of exam week comes up. We hope to see everyone there!