The Valley is a unique Oasis site. See, there are no children living at The Valley. Instead, this site is a school with children who go home to a guardian in the evening. In fact, 95% of the children in Oasis have a family member who is their guardian. Oasis believes in families, so the model of care we dream about includes children going home to a family as often as possible.
However, having children come to school with Oasis and return home at night is actually much harder than taking the children in to live. Because every family is on a journey, the added pressure of poverty and past trauma can make home environments even more difficult. When you give to the children of Oasis, you provide social workers who help whole families navigate the difficulties they are facing.
Fred became the site director of The Valley shortly after that site became all guardian care children. When he arrived, he recognized that there was a problem. He saw that the children didn’t say simple things like “Thank you” or “I’m sorry.” They didn’t care for their school uniforms or classroom supplies. They didn’t care for themselves with basic hygiene. Something was very wrong.
In Fred’s words, he recognized that children were being raised two ways. They would come to school and experience one culture, but then they went home to a different culture. Fred knew from the beginning that he was called to Oasis by God. This is a ministry where every child is an opportunity to share God’s love, see love transform the child, and then see the child transform his or her community. When children meet God’s love, excellent character like manners, respect, and gratefulness become the norm. Inside this knowledge, Fred set to work.
The biggest change was morning devotionals. Every school day at every level began with morning devotionals. They would teach on topics like gratitude, being fearfully and wonderfully made, and accepting the unique gifts of every person. But, the lesson would not end there. Throughout the school day, that topic would continue in the classroom, in sports, and in after-school clubs. Even more so, each staff member would intentionally model these characteristics and compliment every child showing these things. It was more than a lesson; it was a lifestyle. Hearing these truths over and over again, children began to change.
M was one student who was really struggling with his attitude. He wouldn’t go to class if he didn’t feel like it. He would speak out if he wanted to talk, whether it was interrupting someone else or not. He did his thing, his way, no matter what you’d say.
The Valley staff knows that change takes time. As they met about M and his struggles, they agreed to start slow and get to know him. To do this, they decided M must come every single day, even on the weekends. Staff members would spend time playing with him. On Saturday, when most kids are not on site, Fred would play one-on-one with him. When other kids left school for the day, M would stay late and spend time with Fred. M is one of the best kids at basketball, so staff would make it a point to tell him “You are capable of doing great things!” They’d remind him that he’s fearfully and wonderfully made, unique, special, and gifted. He began to believe it.
Then they made him the Assistant Captain of Sports. He had a role, leadership, and responsibility. He rose up to the challenge. In physical activities, he plays every sport. He’s a champ at table tennis, so he was asked to coach other children. Today, he is a changed boy. He might struggle to learn or get a good grade, but teachers never complain about his behavior. They simply want to help him achieve all that he can. Leading others motivates M to continue improving. He shows respect to all of the staff. In church, he used to be a disruption. He would make jokes and get others laughing. But now he leads others, respects them, and still brings those laughs.
This is the Oasis culture – seeing every child transformed by love into leaders who change communities. By becoming a Graduation Advocate, you can make sure children like M don’t just get an education, they get transformation.
