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Sunshine Club

Using waiting times for personal growth

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History 

 

Clinical Psychologist Lindsay Spencer started working at the COE in August of 2008. Upon her arrival, Lindsay noticed that children often sat in the patient waiting area for extended periods of time while anticipating their medical and psychosocial appointments. The anticipation was sometimes clouded by fear of what awaited them on the other side of the consulting room door. She was often greeted by their tired faces after the long wait. In an attempt to address this issue, Lindsay worked with a number of volunteers. 

 

Together they harnessed this captive audience and created an environment where the children can play and learn. The hope is that they are reforming their perceptions of the COE from a foreboding clinical setting to one which generates laughter, fun and relationships while learning more about their own wellness.

 

With the Teen Club addressing the needs of children ages 10 -19, it became apparent that there was an opportunity for Baylor to develop a structured program for children 10 years old and younger. Hence The Sunshine Club – Rays of Hope, was born. 

 

Derived from the wellness wheel model, The Sunshine Club takes a preventative holistic approach in addressing the needs of children 10 years old and younger who are HIV positive. This club will form as a precursor to the Teen Club (ages 10 -19) and in doing so complete Baylor’s psychosocial approach to Swaziland’s children/HIV positive children. 

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While waiting to be seen by a clinician, pre-adolescent children are given the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities, such as playing games, colouring, and drawing. The Baylor Swaziland social workers supervising them can sometimes interpret important cues from their drawings and behaviors, such as abuse. The children can articulate their feelings in a more relaxed and comfortable environment.

Goals 

 

  • Break the negative stigma attached to coming to the clinic. Provide an opportunity for children to have a positive experience when attending medical appointments at the clinic.

 

  • The Sunshine Club’s goal is to infuse healthy and sustainable life skill lessons to children 10 and under during clinic visits.

 

  • Understanding that early intervention is extremely important in the development of healthy children, The Sunshine Club aims at executing its preventative and holistic approach at an early age in these children lives. In doing so, we aspire to create healthy habitual behaviors amongst these children that will ensure a future full of hope. 

 

  • Make the transition into Teen Club as smooth as possible.

 

  • Provide a structured and effective tool to enhance the skills of volunteers offering their services at Baylor, by allowing them to chose an area (Ray) in which they feel their expertise would be most valuable.  

 

  • Gives the child an opportunity to interact with different age groups and to improve social skills. Provides also a fun learning experience through activities such as games, toys, puzzles, physical exercises, and more.

 

  • Provides older youth opportunity to develop leadership skills

 

  • Physical exercise and fresh air!

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