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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The children of Needham are overachievers in many ways. They undergo hours of community service to give back, dedicate huge portions of their days to sports teams or musical groups, and strive for perfection when it comes to academics. Since 2011, the Youth Services VIP Program has presented another way for Needhamites to excel. Through the VIP Program, Needham kids of all ages have been giving back to each other. The name “VIP,” which was adopted from a program in Westwood by Katy Colhart, stands for “Valuable Interactions among Peers.”
“We wrote a grant in 2011 through the Congregational Church, through their outreach committee, to put it together, and we get seed money to purchase all of the games and the arts and crafts supplies,” Colhart explained. “We started with 12 pairs and we’ve grown to 19 pairs.” Each pair is made up of an elementary school student (grades three, four, and five) and a high school student (grades nine through twelve). The pairs meet once a week from November to April for an hour to take a break from the outside world and connect with another person. “It’s really just for socializing. It’s for socialization, that one-on-one mentoring, away from technology, away from screens,” Colhart said. “But it’s kind of old school with arts and crafts and board games and chit chatting and just having that one-on-one attention.”
One pair had been together for two years. Lucy, a junior at Needham High School, and Alena, a fourth grader, played Mancala together while discussing their day-to-day lives. “My older siblings did this, too, so I just knew from them. And I’m also involved in other youth programs, so I found out from them,” Lucy said. Alena shared that her favorite game was Life, to which Lucy added, “We play a lot of Life.”
Colhart answered one of the VIP Program’s most asked questions: “People always ask who is it geared towards; it’s not geared specifically towards any particular population, which is kind of wonderful,” she said. “A lot of times, the littles [little VIPs - that is, the elementary school students] are referred from guidance counselors at schools who think that maybe these kids could have a little bit more interaction. I think for some, it might be they’re the only boy in their family and they want some boy time.” The program has only grown as time as gone by, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
“I think the philosophy behind it is important, too. I don’t think kids get to play as much as they used to, and so I think it’s a win-win for everybody involved,” Colhart said. “I think everyone thinks it really benefits the littles, but it really benefits the high school students, too! They get to take a break and play and be reminded that they’re children once a week.”
Once a student is in the program, he or she can stay in it; some of the pairs have been together for as many as three years. Hopefully, the program will stay strong for years to come, maintaining a strong bond between the children of Needham, creating a stronger community.
