9:52 a.m. - 2005-09-08
go forth and...
Last night, I hung out with Sarah Lozecki and Amanda. We drank coffee and talked about girl things. It was so very nice.
I also had my orientation for my after-school program job that will be starting on tuesday. I discovered they have made me the 7th grade and up teacher. Sigh. I can't figure out if this was A. random, B. just how the schedule worked out given which days everyone is working or C. that I'm the best teacher and therefore, get the hardest age group. I, of course, would like to think that it's C. but I don't really believe that. These kids are tough, that's for sure. 13 and 14 is a hard age to be and a hard age to respond to when everything is about fitting in or standing out in just the right way but not too much and coolness and respect. I'm a little sad to not be working with the younger ones because they provide the best stories, like the Kermit Invents story which I still think is one of the greatest things that's ever happened. Anywhere. Ever. Equal to, say, the first man on the moon.
Volunteering for the hurricane is turning out to be a bit of an undertaking. If they can't make it a little simpler, I guess we can maybe take that as a sign they aren't desperate for volunteers, in which case, maybe we should all consider the day-to-day programs in our own communities that are in need of people to devote consistent time. The only time i've ever really seen a change in a person's life...you know, like a homeless person, an "at-risk" youth or an addict...is when another, more stable person comes along side them and invests. Example: Little Big Jon and the Jared/John L. combo. For those of you who aren't familiar with this wonderful web of relationships, there was a boy who came to the shelter with his incredibly unstable family, when i worked there about 5 years ago. The family has been nearby every since and my friends Jared and Jon basically just started hanging out with this kid, encouraging him, playing video games, just being stable men in his life. Five years later, this kid is 16 and pretty much the only stable person in his family. There is no way to measure the impact those guys have had. But I firmly believe Jon is 100% better off having had them in his life. So, while i still definitely encourage anyone who can get the time off work and figure out all of the logistics to go and be of service in the Gulf region...consider what you could do to make a real, lasting difference in your own community.
My community has a mentoring program that I just got trained for called "Career Literacy for African American Youth" which matches a mentor with a student for one hour per week in a school setting. You help them understand everything from why post-secondary education is important, how to apply for financial aid, what kind of part time job they could have that would help them acquire new skills, how to think toward the future about what kind of job they'd like to have, etc. It's a year long committment and you're with the same student all year. There are tons of great programs like this out there. Again, I'm not poo-pooing the hurricane stuff. But I know that that situation is getting a ton of media attention (obviously) and therefore everyone is aware of it and focused on it. My point is...just do SOMETHING. It's so easy to get caught up in our own little worlds and believe that we are way too busy to make time...but there is so much to be gained from investing in others. Sorry if I sound like a volunteer coordinator.
