Be part of a CNS team of volunteers to help facilitate child and youth activities at the Ursula Sherman Village Family Shelter. We’re looking for people who can provide enrichment programs in art, crafts, games, sports, and chess. Now scheduling two summer events for July and early August, and planning for ongoing offerings during the school year, including a chess club.
The CNS Community Action Working Group has worked with BOSS’ Step Up supported housing program, our neighbors on University avenue. BOSS is now asking if we could help provide enrichment programming for the children in the Ursula Sherman Village Family Shelter.
The Ursula Sherman Village Family Shelter is specifically looking for volunteers to provide a couple of summer activity sessions in July or early August before children head back to school, and they’d also like ongoing programs during the school year. This can be an art or craft project, organized outdoor game(s), science activity, or other active play. A large number of children currently housed at the shelter are in the age range of 4-9 years old with several middle and high school youth.
The Village, located at 711 Harrison Street, also hopes to have a long term relationship with Congregation Netivot Shalom by offering a weekly time slot during the school year for a children’s program (possibly Sundays from 3:00-4:00pm), staffed by a single volunteer or a group of rotating volunteers. They also want to create a weekly chess club, (ideally an after dinner time slot around 6:15-7:15pm). This could be facilitated by one chess lover or a small team. They would like this to fill a regular program slot, but the specific day of the week is flexible.
Resources to support volunteers
A staff member would be present at all times volunteers lead an activity, so the volunteer role is one of an activity facilitator, not childcare. The family program has a large grassy area for outdoor activities, a well stocked art room with art supplies, chess and checker boards with game pieces, and lots of supplies needed for youth enrichment activities. The shelter, however, only has a couple of staff members working with families, so they can only create a very small number of activities for youth.
Background
The family program is run separately from the rest of the adult shelter. Families typically stay at the Village for 18 months to 2 years until they are capable of managing on their own. They continue to receive support from the center once they have achieved stability on their own.
History
In 1967, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, closed state mental hospitals in favor of community-based care, but the facilities were never built. As former patients found themselves homeless, members of Berkeley’s Jewish community stepped in to fill the gap by creating the Hillel Streetwork Project. Leading that effort was Ursula Sherman, mother of Claire Sherman, a librarian and lifelong human and civil rights activist in Berkeley. The Hillel Streetwork Project established the first shelter for homeless disabled adults in California, and the organization managing it later became BOSS -Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. Their mission is to “help homeless, poor, and disabled people achieve health and self-sufficiency”. The shelter was renamed Ursula Sherman Village in 1991 and grew to include shelter beds for families, a children’s learning center, playground and gardens. In addition to serving as an emergency center, the Village provides temporary housing for up to 14 families, in need of shelter.
Join the volunteer group
We hope to meet this request with a group of volunteers from CNS. Your willingness to volunteer would mean a lot to the children at the shelter. You are welcome to volunteer along with your own children, so it can be an ideal way for members of all ages to take an active role helping others. For more information and to volunteer, please contact Esther Brass-Chorin estherbrass@gmail.com. Esther is currently coordinating the volunteer programming with Shelter staff throughout July and August. Judith Radousky will take on this role starting September 1st.