Bringing Ultimate Frisbee to Quilla Huata

by Lizzie Grobbel

As part of the Peru’s Challenge volunteer experience, the EGL group had the privilege of working with the Quilla Huata schoolchildren on two separate occasions. The children range in age from kindergarten to 4^th grade. The Quilla Huata school has one teacher for the kindergarten class, one for the first and second graders, and one for the third and fourth graders. The school also provides the children with a nutritious lunch each day. Peru’s Challenge volunteers often work with the schoolchildren on art projects, sports, hygiene, and English. Prior to leaving for the trip, we collected nearly 40 Frisbee discs for the children that were generously donated by the Detroit Ultimate Frisbee League and the Ann Arbor Ultimate league.

Our first day of working with the children consisted of an hour of sports lessons. We split up into two groups based on age and worked on the ultimate Frisbee basics of throwing and catching. A couple advanced groups moved onto throwing to a runner and running for discs. There was no shortage of energy during the lesson! Apparently the disc resembled an American football to some of the children, as some running and tackling with the disc was spotted.

Our second day with the children included both sports and art. Again, we split into two groups by age. One group of EGL students started with the older children and instructed them on making paper “snowflakes”. They learned the English word for snow and decorated their own handmade snowflakes. The other half of the EGL students taught another ultimate frisbee lesson to the younger group. This time, we focused on the finer and more social points of ultimate, including sitting in a circle while calling a teammate’s name and throwing to them. A few errant discs landed on some unsuspecting members of the circle, but overall, it was a calm game in which the kids’ throws noticeably improved. The groups then switched places. The younger group had quite an artistic flair with the snowflakes and loved learning how to cut heart shapes into their snowflakes.

After our two sessions, it was a joy to see each individual child’s personality begin to shine through. They each had unique interests and talents. They were incredibly patient and understanding of some of our members’ rudimentary Spanish. It was an inspiration to see their happiness and love of life.