Blog Archives: February 2013
The Ripple Effect of Mentoring in Action
It is 3:15 on a Tuesday afternoon and outside L. C. Webster Elementary School in North St. Paul there is a bustling of students clambering into cars, buses, and otherwise milling around waiting for their rides to come. Spread throughout four classrooms and a gymnasium inside the school, however, many students are turning their attention to the next hour. These five rooms and varied groups of students are composed of Webster students , their teachers, and high school students from ISD 622, North St. Paul, Oakdale, and Maplewood. These students have come together in the interest of providing a learning environment unlike that provided in the classroom during the school day; they’ve come to explore art, both performance and hand crafted, engineering, reading, the Boy Scouts, and sports. The elementary students stay for the opportunity of the co-curricular activities and to be in community with a high school mentor. The high school students join them in these “Sparks Time” afterschool activities because they are aware of the effect that the achievement gap is having in their community and have decided to act against it. By joining these young students in exploring a wide array of interests, the teachers and high school mentors provide an environment rich with inquiry and role modeling. In turn, and through the processes of serving, these high school students learn how to be of service, they learn about their capacity as role models and citizens, and as teachers, and, along with the young ones they serve, they learn how to participate as team members, actors and creators, and even improve their reading and communication skills. This desire to create a community of possibility through inquiry and service in an environment struggling against the pressures of the achievement gap is the very picture of service-learning.
Four years ago Angelica Torralba-Olague and her first group of students from ISD 622 joined NYLC at the summer National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and has returned each following year. Since then the program has taken various forms and served in varying capacities within the school district, but it has always maintained its strong emphasis on student leadership and being of service to its community. Two years ago marked the premier of Students Working on the Achievement Gap. SWAG as it is popularly known, aimed to empower high school students to tackle the issue of the achievement gap in their schools by positioning them as mentors to younger students, and following its success in year one has expanded to include “Sparks Time.” SWAG is still active, emphasizing one-on-one mentoring with students and their class work in the afterschool setting differing slightly from “Sparks Time” which offers a host of different activities and learning outcomes, switching topics every six to eight weeks. Since its inception Project SWAG has also seen the creation of a student-led college access and visit program and a student-led staff training for school staff working with young people in service-learning. Angelica says that, leaving NYLT, her students had “the foundational knowledge about service-learning and the achievement gap” and NYLT had “instilled in them the passion to share and the ability to direct and plan their own service-learning projects.” “The SMART Youth Solutions to the Achievement Gap™ handbook, was pivotal.” As this group continues to expand its ambitions it relies on the high school mentors to recruit and train new mentors, cultivating an aura of service in their school community.
From upper left: Matilda Cooke sits with a student from Webster Elementary as he reads, ready to aid if needed. She says that her role is to help them improve their reading, and that she comes back because the kids and the atmosphere are “just amazing.” High school students help the elementary students with their reading and other homework in the model that SWAG was created on.
Middle Row from left: Cheng Xiong aids a student with her handwriting and learning how to write the letters “U” and “S.” A substitute teacher watches over a group as they create with each other using beads. A high school mentor is seen seated at the table in the foreground right side of the picture.
Bottom row from left: students in this group are working with Kinex as a way to understand how to work with each other, how to engineer stable structures. They begin with simple bridges and work up to the more complex coaster structures. A group playing soccer, an activity that is just plain fun, but also cultivates teamwork, role modeling, sportsmanship, and coordination amongst other valuable skills.
Get Inspired at the National Service-Learning Conference
H2O for Life has been a participant in the Annual Service Learning Conference for the past 5 years. The conference is always a highlight of our year. Teachers and students alike are bubbling with enthusiasm, and eager to share their passions while learning more through exciting service-learning sessions.
Years ago at an NYLC conference in Albuquerque I attended a session led by teacher Jini Loos and her students from the Haverford School. The students eloquently told their story about their support of a project in the Congo. Their photos and testimonials brought tears to my eyes and inspired me to create H2O for Life as a service-learning opportunity for schools across the nation to participate in a global connection.
Now, six years later, and hundreds of school connections later, I am honored to be a part of the service-learning community. H2O for Life engages, educates and inspires youth to study the global water crisis while taking action to change lives for students in schools around the world. Initially, we looked at our program as a solution for developing world schools to receive water- and they do! But, the power is in our own classrooms. Students quickly realize that water is an important issue in their own back yards. It’s time to educate our youth to be better stewards of water and advocates for this precious resource that is critical today and for future generations. Raising local awareness and providing local solutions paired with the global school action that we provide through school partnerships is relevant and meaningful. Students learn that their actions have impact. There is plenty of time for you to visit our website, choose a global school partner and go into action during this school year. We know that becoming an H2O for Life school will change lives for your partner school and will change your lives as well.
In Denver, we invite you to join teachers from Salem Hills Elementary school that will share how H2O for Life has enhanced curriculum and service for their entire school. We’ll also have a great story to share about an upcoming climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro with a focus on “Women and Water. Director of Schools, Steve Hall, will be climbing the mountain. He’ll be tweeting, blogging and sending video as part of the online climb. Individual students and classrooms are invited to participate in the virtual climb through curriculum provided by H2O for Life. Further information is on our website.
Don’t forget to visit the exhibit hall in Denver. You’ll find many engaging organizations that are filled with resources and ideas that you can take home with you. Come to our booth and create your own H2O for Life bracelet.
Check out this video to learn more about H2O for Life.
Join us today, and share your story with us in Denver.
Let The Music Play at Without Limits
Having attended NYLC’s 23rd annual National Service-Learning Conference in early 2012, my colleagues at the National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) and I were excited to hear that the next installment of this incredible event would arrive on our front porch here in Denver in 2013.
When the good people at NYLC asked if I would help to organize entertainment for the conference, immediately my eyes widened and mind raced. With a few minor connections (or so I thought) to “The Music Business,” I envisioned blowing the proverbial roof off this place. I would bring in the biggest local acts – a growing list that includes some well-known bands with national hits – and mix it up with some dance groups, big bands, marching bands, and local flavor like mariachi and powwow. To top it off, I’d reach out to some out-of-state connections to really rock the Colorado Convention Center.
I was ready. I was excited. I was extremely confident.
And then reality set in – I was a bit delusional.
Phone calls and email inquiries went unanswered. When some bands did take my call, I was quickly grounded by some exorbitant and unyielding demands – from monetary compensation to backstage “riders” fit for the likes of The Rolling Stones or Madonna. Yes, I knew I was swinging for the fences by going after some relatively big-name acts, but I did think I would strike out so many times.
I surprised myself by being surprised that some national acts with major 2013 tours already on the books weren’t willing or able to put on a 25-minute set for a great cause.
When I did manage a minor breakthrough and began to draw some interest from an act, it quickly became apparent that many musicians and entertainers have a hard time agreeing to a performance that is scheduled three or four months down the road. Some made commitments on a Monday only to send a late-night email on Wednesday indicating a change of plans.
Oy. A bit of panic set in. Would I let down the NYLC? The entertainment at the 2012 conference in Minneapolis was so good, so varied, and so professional, that I no longer imagined surpassing that effort – I just wanted to get close.
And then some area colleagues stepped in to save the day.
Lisa Guilfoile, my office neighbor and co-worker at the NCLC, got things on track by suggesting longtime Denver favorite Wendy Woo, who has played some of the most popular venues around the country. Wendy was the first to agree to play, and she broke the ice.
Then Dr. Ana-Maria Medina, an assistant professor of Spanish at Metropolitan State University of Denver, joined the committee and rattled off a long list of potential acts in 10-minute phone conversation. That really got the ball rolling.
Soon, my inbox and voicemail were filling up. Musicians, magicians, poets, artists, and dancers were reaching out – word was getting around fast. One musician who has agreed to perform, Scott Milroy, said he would take the day off from his 9-to-5 job just because he wanted to be part of this wonderful event. One young comedian said he didn’t have any performances online that we could review, but he offered to come down to our office here in Denver to show us what he can do – that offer, let’s just say, remains up in the air.
With the holiday season here and everyone’s schedule packed full, it seems like there hasn’t been enough time to make this work perfectly. And there still are a few holes left to fill, and the dates of the conference are only getting closer.
However, thanks to help of our service-learning and youth-minded friends, along with the sterling reputation of the NYLC, there indeed will be entertainment to give us all a little boost throughout the day.
Let the music play!
Brady Delander is an assistant editor for the National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) at the Education Commission of the States (ECS) in Denver.
Gather and Network at the National Service-Learning Conference
Each year the Service-Learning Young Professionals event gains steam at the National Service-Learning Conference. The National Service-Learning Partnership created the Service-Learning Young Professionals as a grassroots gathering. Often held in a hotel suite year after year, the event is growing in size and numbers as new professionals enter the service-learning field. This year the event will be better than ever and promises many opportunities to network with others from around the country.
At my first National Service-Learning Conference in San Jose, California in 2010, I was able to connect with other young professionals from the field because of this event. This completely changed my conference experience and made me feel a part of a larger community. Those attendees that I met introduced me to leaders in the field, recommended workshops I should attend, and are still people I connect with today.
On Thursday, March 14th, Service-Learning Young Professionals will be gathering at Howl at the Moon in Denver, CO. Howl at the Moon is a lively piano bar located in Denver’s historic district known for their nightlife, restaurants, and arts. This event is open for everyone 21+ interested in service and service-learning at the conference, we encourage young professionals as well as experienced veterans to attend.
Howl at the Moon Doors open at 7 pm and the piano show begins at 8 pm. Be sure to let the door person know you are with the young professionals gathering and come before 9 pm to avoid paying a cover. There will be appetizers for all in attendance thanks in part to Roundabout Ventures and the Generator School Network. We can’t wait to see you there!
