Highlight: Spring Youth Programs

Hi!

My name is Emili Pezall, and I serve as the Youth Empowerment Specialist at COR. 

I have been with COR for almost 2 years (coming up at the end of July!), and I recently transitioned into this role in January. These past few months have been incredibly rewarding as I have had the opportunity to work consistently with our students each week.

Every Tuesday during the school year, we welcome students from Kindergarten through 5th grade alongside our wonderful interns and volunteers for Kids Club. On Thursdays, we gather with our middle and high school students for Youth Impact Group. Throughout the semester, students participated in a variety of activities designed to support their personal growth and development, including social-emotional learning, college and career readiness, life skills, mentorship opportunities, and creative group activities appropriate for their ages and tailored to their language learning skills and interests. 

As I have continued getting settled into this role, I am excited to share a recap of all the amazing things we accomplished together this semester!

Kids Club (K–5th Grade)

• Spaghetti and marshmallow tower competitions
• Rainbow cloud jars
• Junior Achievement financial literacy sessions led by First State Community Bank 
• Outdoor games including soccer, Red Light Green Light, and a student-created game called “Groundies”
• Personal hygiene presentation led by a City of Refuge health intern
• Mother’s Day artwork and crafts

Youth Impact Group (6th–12th Grade)

• Team-building games and outdoor activities
• Drum circle music session with Logan from Compass Music
• Students sharing personal stories and poetry
• C.A.R.E. presentation about job skill opportunities
• Visit from the University of Missouri Robotics Team — Professor Culmer and undergraduate students introduced SPOT the robotic dog and Grace the humanoid robot
• Presentation from the Columbia Farmers Market with MaryCatherine Crook
• Educational bingo activities (they love Bingo!)
• Auction with “COR Credits” – a monetary system we created to help reward student engagement and teach them how to save and spend
• Skincare presentation from a COR health intern
• Cooking dinner together with Eraste, our Career Empowerment Specialist who leads the COR cooking class

To close the semester, we had a sweet sendoff for some of our long-time Youth Impact Group volunteers. While we celebrated with food and kind words, the students were able to say goodbye, gather advice and hear the volunteers’ future plans. A couple students specifically stayed late as we cleaned up for the night to continue talking with and taking pictures with volunteers, capturing fond memories of their time at COR. 

Sometimes the growth in these relationships is not tangible week by week, but it is so special to see how consistency impacts our students in powerful ways and how much they value the relationships with the volunteers as well as with peers. 

It has truly been a joy to work alongside our students, volunteers, interns, and community partners this semester. If you ever want to be more involved with these programs, please do not hesitate to fill out the volunteer application on our website. Thank you for supporting COR so that we can create meaningful opportunities like these for the youth! 

Gratefully, 

Emili  

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