Welcome to our featured writers series, where once a month we invite someone from the Syed Pillar community - donor, volunteer, or just interested in the cause - to write for our email series.

Our featured writer for today is Morgan Nelson Anwar. Morgan has grown up in Texas and now lives in Houston with her husband, son and two stepdaughters. Morgan works as a Technology Manager in the Oil & Gas sector. Over her career she has seen a small number of women in leadership positions in her industry. She works through various women’s organizations and mentorship of her colleagues to empower women to take on these leadership roles.

Supporting Syed Pillar’s Mission:

Morgan worked as a public school teacher for 3 years and saw firsthand the impact that teachers can have on students. A teacher can be many things to a student; a mentor, a friend, a source of knowledge and someone a child can trust. She believes that providing education to children gives them a solid foundation for not only positively impacting their lives but also the lives of those around them.

The Importance of Play in Promoting a Healthy Child:

People often think of education as teaching a child colors, letters, reading, and writing, but studies have shown that play is essential to a child’s development. Play is not merely about a child having fun, but it also allows them to practice, elaborate on and perfect skills before it is necessary for adulthood. Play is also important to a child’s brain development and helps a child better understand how to engage with the world around them.

In Denmark and many other Nordic countries, the curriculum for early childhood focuses more on play-oriented than learning outcomes. 

Unfortunately, children who experience poverty are less likely to being given the safe environment and free time in order to have these play based experiences. That is why organizations like Syed Pillar are so important by not only providing access to learning but also a safe space where a child can go to be a child.

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/119/1/182/70699/The-Importance-of-Play-in-Promoting-Healthy-Child?autologincheck=redirected

Playing! What an easy way to connect with our youth and provide them with safe and healthy ways of learning social interactions. Think about a child in your life and their favorite ways of playing - how can we continue to encourage this? How can we learn from them?

Interested in writing for Syed Pillar? Check out our volunteer form to sign up. Feel free to talk about whatever inspires you - education, community, giving back to the people around you. Whatever your heart desires.