ABSTRACT
Recruiting volunteers for after-school programs or community out-reach initiatives may be a complex process for finding people that are altruistically motivated and have empathy for children. This chapter explores the foundations of volunteerism and setting up after-school initiatives that are based in multicultural humanistic psychology. The author explores the program Kidz n’ Coaches and its creator, Professor James D. Smrtic as a case study to explore this new paradigm and praxis. Professor Smrtic’s tenure as program director has ended, and has given Kidz n’ Coaches to new faculty members at Mohawk Valley Community College. This chapter prepares readers to understand the author’s personal involvement in Kidz n’ Coaches to frame the phenomenological study of growth-promoting relationships within the next chapter.
