When Tatiana Williams asked Carlito Aldamay, 10, why he thought Snickers was better than Reese’s, he was initially unsure.

Aldamay initially said it was because he didn’t like Reese’s, but Williams wanted a better response.

“Oh, I know! Because of the yellow stuff, the caramel!” he said.

Williams, a sophomore social work major, smiled and said, “There you go. That’s a valid argument.”

Williams and Gwen Raeford, an adjunct professor at Syracuse University, are two volunteers for the student community service organization ‘Cuse Spot, which kicked off its annual program at Wilson Park Community Center on Tuesday. The program recruits Syracuse volunteers to teach hands-on skills and activities to children ages 7-14. It will run through Friday with daily morning and afternoon classes.

Whitney Marin, one of the co-directors of ‘Cuse Spot, said the purpose of the program is to provide activities for children in the Syracuse area who have a week off from school and need programs to occupy their time.

“Some parents might not have places for their kids to stay, so our program is a more active way of getting (the children) involved in something instead of just sitting around,” said Marin, who is also a television, radio and film major at SU.

‘Cuse Spot was founded by two SU policy students in 2010. Four years later, the program has more variety in its courses, said Emily Park, the program’s director of public relations. These courses include ice skating, cheerleading, cooking, foreign languages, bowling and origami.

“We learn every year what we did best, and even though we might have some things completely unique, we still like to continue certain traditions,” said Park, a senior policy studies major at SU, referring to the party at the end of the week that celebrates the conclusion of the program.

In a debate course, Williams, the student volunteer, teaches the fundamentals of structuring and proving arguments, she said. Raeford conducts a crime scene investigation class and helps the children measure evidence.

As a first-time ‘Cuse Spot volunteer, Williams said she didn’t know what to expect going in. It was unsettling at first, she said, but having decent people skills and making it fun for the kids makes it a great experience.

Raeford, who’s volunteered for three years, is also a science teacher at Nottingham High School. She said it is different working with younger children as opposed to teenagers.

“I gave them activities that we do in high school, and it was more rigorous than what they’re used to, but they were able to follow right along and understand what a formula is,” she said.

Xueqing Hua, a sophomore marketing major, volunteered to help with Raeford’s class. She said she was accustomed to working with children because she has a younger brother and sister. She is familiar with working with kids and likes doing so, she added.

Kristen Conway, also a co-director of ‘Cuse Spot, said the program allows for a mutually beneficial relationship for the children and student volunteers.

“The children of the Syracuse community are provided with positive role models from SU, while SU students get the opportunity to build upon their own experience and add dimension to their character by getting involved,” she said.

One of those children is Ciara Smith, 10. After Williams’ debate class, she said she had fun participating in ‘Cuse Spot’s program.

“I just really liked going back and forth to prove our points,” she said, “it was fun and cool.”

Published on February 19, 2014 at 12:10 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu