When classes ended for the summer at Three Angels Christian Academy, learning didn't.
This time, though, it was the grownups' turn.
This summer, ten Three Angels staff members traded their usual roles—nurse, bookkeeper, and driver, among others—for those of students, gathering to practice English, learn computer skills and first aid, try their hands at mechanics and handicrafts, and discover abilities some never knew they had.
And when Summer Club finally came to an end, there was just one problem:
They weren't ready to stop learning.
Investing in the People Who Invest in Our Children
The idea for Summer Club began with a question.
During her first year at Three Angels, HR Manager Irena Bethsabé Emilien found herself wondering whether there might be opportunities for employees to spend time together while also being exposed to new skills and experiences.
When students left for summer vacation and the school grounds grew quieter, Irena saw her chance. She initially imagined spending an hour after work sharing some of her own skills in art and handicrafts, but then she began talking to her coworkers. It turned out they had plenty to teach, too.
Dr. Fonrose knew first aid. Rose could teach English. David had computer skills to share, while Steve could teach mechanics. Suddenly, Irena's small idea had become something much bigger: an opportunity for Three Angels employees to teach—and learn from—one another.
Irena called it “Summer Club.”
Participation was completely voluntary, and ten staff members chose to take part. All of the classes were taught by fellow Three Angels employees, who shared knowledge and abilities that could benefit their coworkers both on the job and in their everyday lives.
The goal was partly professional development; a staff member who becomes more comfortable using a computer, communicating in English, responding to a medical emergency, or working with tools brings valuable new abilities to our organization and to the people we serve. But Summer Club was also about something more personal: it was an investment in the people themselves.
They didn't simply attend; they learned.
By the end of the summer, participants were able to carry on simple conversations in English. Others learned to use a computer and send emails. Staff practiced basic first aid skills that could help them respond appropriately in an emergency, while mechanics classes introduced participants to car parts, tools, and ways to respond to common problems.
In handicrafts, they discovered some unexpected talents, too. Panel, for instance, proved to be particularly gifted at working with his hands. To everyone's delight, he emerged as the top student in art class—a talent his coworkers might never have discovered otherwise!
And sometimes, what was learned was much more fundamental.
The Power of Writing Your Own Name
Among the participants was one of Three Angels' longest-serving employees. He had never learned to write his own name.
Through Summer Club, he did.
It may sound like one small accomplishment among many, but for a man who had previously needed someone else's help when a document required his signature, those few handwritten letters represented something much bigger: he could sign for himself.
There is a quiet dignity in that accomplishment that is difficult to measure.
For an organization devoted to helping children grow, learn, and discover what they are capable of becoming, there is something especially meaningful about watching that same kind of growth take place in an adult who has spent years helping make our work possible.
Learning Together
Summer Club offered something beyond the practical skills being taught, too: our staff enjoyed being together!
According to Jean Bernard, who photographed the workshops, the learning was anything but solemn. Classes were lively, with plenty of laughter and good-natured joking woven into the lessons. During Dr. Fonrose's first aid class, practical exercises gave participants the chance to play both rescuers and victims—with apparently some rather dramatic performances! The mechanics class brought its own running jokes, this time involving a certain coworker's car.
Those lighthearted moments were part of nearly every class. As Jean Bernard observed, learning in such a happy atmosphere gave staff members an opportunity to see their teammates from a different perspective.
Nurse Perard expressed how much she enjoyed getting to know coworkers with whom her interactions had previously been limited to a simple greeting. What's more, she is excited to be able to teach her own children the hands-on skills she learned—a reminder that what our employees experienced during Summer Club can travel home with them, too.
For Irena, seeing the staff learn together was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience: “We learned from one another, but we also learned how to know and understand each other better.”
"Can We Keep Going?"
Perhaps the best measure of the program's success came when it was time for Summer Club to end: they weren't ready for it to be over!
Nurse Perard wished there had been more time to continue learning, and Geraldy felt the same; he particularly valued the practical knowledge he gained through first aid and mechanics—skills he believes can be useful both now and in the future, at work and in everyday life.
Their enthusiasm has already sparked conversations about ways some of the learning might continue beyond the summer, particularly opportunities for staff to keep developing their English language skills. Those possibilities are still taking shape, but one thing is already clear: our staff are eager to keep learning!
Children will always be at the heart of Three Angels, but caring well for children also means valuing the people who surround them—the teachers who educate them, the caregivers who nurture them, and the many staff members whose work behind the scenes makes our programs possible each day.
When those adults have opportunities to learn, gain confidence, and discover new abilities, the impact reaches beyond the Summer Club classroom. New knowledge can strengthen their work at Three Angels while also becoming useful in their own lives, families, and communities.
Our staff spend their days helping children grow, but this summer, it was their turn. And if Summer Club taught us anything, it's that they're ready to keep learning.
Special thanks to Irena Bethsabé Emilien, whose idea sparked Summer Club and who documented the experience and shared its stories with us.