The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Yesterday was another Family Learning Workshop, and it definitely stretched me. Here's why.

First of all, I am not sure I've really explained CFY as an organization. If I have, I apologize; feel free to skip over this :)

CFY is a national organization whose mission is to partner with students, teachers, and parents in low-income communities to harness the power of digital learning to increase educational outcomes. We do this two ways:

1) CFY has a digital learning platform, http://powermylearning.com/, which is a K-12 Learning Platform, and free to anyone with internet access. It has over 2,000 educational games and tutorials. It's available for teachers, students and parents. Teachers can customize lesson plans and activities to help students build new skills. Parents can link their account to their students' to monitor their learning. Students can play fun games, and not even know they're learning! If you have a minute, my favorite game on there is World of Goo. You can find it in the Science tab under Physics, or search World of Goo.

2) The second way we live out our mission is through our Digital Learning Program, which our Family Learning Workshops are a part. Most Saturdays this fall, we go into the schools and host a workshop for the sixth grades students, their parents, and their teachers. The families learn how to connect their computer, and then learn how to implement powermylearning at home. The teachers learn how to use powermylearning in the classroom. At the end of the workshop, the families go home with their Home Learning Centers, which is a desktop computer equipped with Microsoft Office, Windows XP, and Launchpad, a mini version of powermylearning, so if the family doesn't have internet, the students can still play some games. During the workshop the families also take a survey to see if they are eligible for discounted internet through CFY.

This is the context for Saturday's workshop. I was serving as Volunteer Coordinator in the Bronx. It took me about 90 minutes to get to the school from my house. My role was to make sure staff were supported by volunteers, the volunteers were having a great time, and were engaging the families.

The morning went great. I didn't have any hiccups with my volunteers. They came on time, they were excited to be here, and they were ready to work. I had enough Spanish speakers which helped too.

The Bad.

The afternoon was a mess. I had a group of buildOn students coming to volunteer. BuildOn is a national organization that partners with high schools across the country to provide volunteering opportunities for high school students so they can gain leadership experience and serve in their communities. They are also high schoolers. They came with a liason who was chaperoning them. I could not have done it without her!

The first student came 30 minutes early. Then there was a group of about four that trickled in, and they were ready to go at 12, which was when they were supposed to arrive. I knew I had three classrooms I needed to place students in, so it was a perfect number. I oriented them, and was just about to start the tour of the school to give them the lay of the land, when another group of about six showed up. Half an hour late. I decided that was fine. I would give everyone the tour, then orient the late comers while volunteers on time would help staff out with half-time set-up to get ready for the next batch of families. That went well.

When it was time to orient the late batch, my morning volunteers were back and ready to talk about their experiences. I ignored the students, gave them some pizza, and visited with the morning volunteers. They had a great experience, and talked about wanting to come back. Great!

I oriented the late comers, and then took them to the auditorium where they would meet the families, and escort them to their classrooms. Remember, they are high schoolers. During the tour of the school, the of course were not paying attention, and didn't connect the dots that when I say, "You are serving in this classroom, so when the families are dismissed from the classroom, you will take them to this room," that meant, "Listen up children! You need to know where to go, because you will have 15 families following behind you, and you need to lead them here!"

As is predictable, they did not know where to go. I got them all in the right classrooms, then was about to eat lunch. It's 2:00. They're liaison finds me, and says, "Allison, there are two more students coming! Isn't that great?" Is she kidding me? The workshop has started. They need to be oriented. I need to eat. I look for them. I don't see them. I go eat food, because at this point I have turned into a savage beast needing to prey on pizza to calm my inner rage. I finally find them. I orient them in 3 minutes instead of 30. I send them back in the classroom. I breath a sigh of relief.

Oh. Did I mention I found out as the families were dismissing that they were opening up a fourth classroom? I had to reorganize my assignments. Luckily, the liaison knew her students, and took care of the reorganization. Also, with 30 minutes of the workshop left, two more students come to volunteer. By this point, I don't even care. I'm ready to go home, although I was annoyed they showed up so late. What does that say to the families? Whatever.

The Ugly.

During my rounds (checking in on the rooms, checking up on the volunteers) I find out from the Family Trainer (the teacher in the classroom) that a parent beat his son in front of everyone, then left the room very angry. The child is sitting by herself. She doesn't speak English. Great. High school students witnessed this.

I find the Program Manager, CFY's liaison to the school, and explain the situation. She finds the Parent Coordinator for the school, and alerts her to the situation. We gather the Family Trainer so he can talk to authority, but there's no on to run the workshop. In the meantime, the child is sitting by herself, because her dad is gone. He never came back. She spent the whole workshop by herself.

The Good.

These buildOn students were AMAZING. I asked one of the students, a junior in high school and a guy, to sit with the girl until her dad came back. He stayed the whole time, and did a great job. He knew French. I have no idea if that was helpful to him in helping her, but I was so happy to see him sitting with her. It was really amazing.

Also, of the four classrooms, there was only one English classroom. Of the fourteen student volunteers we had, there were only two that spoke Spanish. Most of the kids were placed in a Spanish classroom. They complained for the first bit, but after the workshop got going, they were involved. Every time I would check on them, they were helping students, and being engaged. I rarely saw them off to the side. It was truly a gift from God.

That was my day yesterday. It was long. It was exhausting. It was stretching. But it was also rewarding. Who knew high school students would step up to the plate like that? Who knew they could be such great role models for sixth graders? Who knew they would indicate interest in coming back to volunteer again? I thank God for them, and their commitment to volunteering, and supporting their neighborhood. They attend the high school across the street from this school. Bless them.  

¡No tu canta sola!

Sorry I haven't updated my blog for a big chunk of September. Things have been crazy here.

Last Friday was my first day in a school. We went to a school in the South Bronx. It was about a half hour subway ride from my work. We arrived about an hour before the school let out, and we set up for a pep assembly. All the sixth grade students in the school were at the assembly. We wanted to pump up the energy so the kids would be excited to come back on Saturday morning with their parents. It was a really fun pep assembly. The kids were excited, and they kept the energy up. Each home room had their own cheer, and they were excited to chant. It was really fun to see. The best part though was seeing my colleague J.C. dress up as their Eagle mascot. The costume was ridiculous, and the only way he could see was through the eyes on the side of his head. We also managed to get a CFY t-shirt to fit around his giant Eagle head. The kids ate it up. However, we gave away a couple t-shirts via raffle, and when the assembly was done, some of the kids that didn't get a t-shirt accosted him and tried to rip his shirt off! I don't understand what they were so angry about...the next day they got a free computer. When given the choice between a free t-shirt and a free computer, I'd take the computer, thank you very much.

The next morning I had to be at the school at 8:15. It took me an hour to get there, because transportation is so sporadic on the weekends. We didn't have any volunteers that day, because it was training day for our new part-time staff. Since there were no volunteers, there weren't any volunteers for me to manage. I was a volunteer in the classrooms, and got to see what the Family Learning Workshop is like. It was so fun! We had four classrooms, two English rooms, one Spanish room, and one bilingual classroom. We had about 40 staff total, it felt like we overpowered the families!

I floated from room to room and felt silly having so many staff in each room. In the afternoon session, I ended up hanging out for a long time with a little four year old. Her mom had two girls in sixth grade, and she must have been the only available relative for the girls (CFY policy is in order to receive the computer, both student and parent must come for the full three hour workshop). The girls spoke English, but the mom spoke mostly Spanish, and the little one spoke only Spanish. I noticed she was being a pain...hanging on mom, demanding all of mom's attention; basically being a typical four-year-old. I went over to her, and asked if I could color with her. She said yes. Soon we were friends. She is so smart! I would point to a body part on the Sesame Street character, and ask "¿Cómo se dice en español?" "How do you say this in Spanish?" She knew all her body parts, including teeth! I would also ask her where I should color next, and which one I should use. At first, she was very particular, but soon, I must have proven myself to be a trustworthy contributor to her artwork, because when I asked what I should color next and where, she said, "Lo que quieras." (Whatever you want.) Needless to say, I was honored by this new responsibility. Towards the end of the workshop (three hours is a LONG TIME for a little one to entertain herself!) we were coloring a picture of Big Bird with the alphabet on a chalk board behind him. I asked her if she knew her alphabet. She got most of them. I tried to remember the Spanish pronunciation of the letters, and she laughed at me. Then we sang the English ABCs together. She loved that. Unfortunately for me, the room got really quiet in the middle of our song...it was a bit awkward. She then said, "¡Tu canta!" ("You sing!") I told her, "¡No canto sola! Cantamos juntos." ("I won't sing by myself, let's sing together.") She would have none of that, and we would go back and forth about whether I should sing a solo or not. Finally, I convinced her to sing with me, but she stopped after D, the terd. I loved hanging out with her; I guess I love preschoolers after all. Kudos to you Prairie View, for recognizing that in me before I knew it myself.

It was a great first Family Learning Workshop!

A Feast for your Eyes

Imagine, Dear Reader, a bass beat so loud it resonates within your entire body. Imagine people everywhere dressed in feather customs and not much else. Imagine smells of Jamaican spices wafting through air. That, Dear Reader, is the West Indian Day Parade.

The parade happens every Labor Day in Brooklyn to celebrate New York's massive West Indian immigrant population. I attended with two of my roommates, and we had a blast! CBS estimated three million people attended the parade today. It started at noon, and the parade was still going on when we left around three. I think it ended around six. There was so much delicious food to sample, and such lively people to watch! My personal favorite were the huge, elaborate costumes. Most women wore giant feathered headdresses, sparkly make-up, and beaded bikinis. Men were similarly attired minus the make-up and bikini. They wore speedos instead! My personal favorite, however, was the elaborate floats which were attached to a person's clothing so that it looked like an extension of their outfit.

It was swarming with NYPD. This news article explains why (Mom, you may not want to read this): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48889620/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/#

Below are some pictures from the event :)

Coconut Water :)

It was swarming with NYPD

Add caption

For these pictures and more, check out my Facebook album at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151213435261458.511623.665646457&type=1&l=910ecd2a12

CFY = Cooky Family (Yo)unit?

*Disclaimer. CFY actually doesn't stand for anything. It just is CFY, and it is the agency where I spend 42.5 hours of my week every week. Also, I realize kooky is actually spelled with a "K", and unit doesn't actually start with a "Y", but work with me. I can say some lofty thing about how each member of the team of CFY-NYC is very important, yet we all work work together for a common goal. Therefore there is a (yo)u in unit.  Also, the cuckoo bird is cooky, and it makes sense that the noun and adjective begin with the same letter.

I started work on Monday morning at 10 am. I found my placement on Sunday with the hope that I wouldn't get lost on my way to work the next day. Those of you who know me well are guessing that is unavoidable, and in fact expect me to get lost the first day. As is my nature, I met expectations on Monday. I can proudly say that while I took several wrong turns, I was able to logic my way back, and arrived at work on time (only because I allotted an hour for a half hour commute...). Success!

My work is in a 25 story building on 8th Ave in the main drag of NYC. I took the subway to work. Next week I'm hoping to walk, so that I can get some exercise in my day. When I finally made it to work, I was greeted by the security guard who is keeper of the elevators. Actually, greeted is too kind of a word... acknowledged is more like it. I had my picture taken while standing a yard away from the security guard, and then was allowed to get on the elevator.

CFY offices are on the 10th floor of the building. I walked in, and was warmly greeted by the Office Manager Melissa. I introduced myself, and she bubbled over expressing her joy to finally meet me. Ok. That might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it would not be an exaggeration to say the mood of the office was ecstatic that I was finally here. My supervisor, Jasmin, told me, "We've been waiting for you...I'm so excited to be a team of two instead of a team of one!"

Jasmin introduced me individually to each member of the office, and everyone was happy to meet me, and welcome me to CFY. I was happy to feel so warmly received, and that the walls were painted bright red and orange, and that there were red couches to sit on if you needed to get off your desk :)

The first day was information overload. I found out a bit more about what I am expected to do, and tried to match faces to names. I've gathered that I am responsible for maintaining current relationships with community volunteers, and ensuring their continued participation in our programming, as well as recruiting more volunteers from faith-based organizations. It's a pretty tall older; I am replacing four volunteer coordinators.

Tuesday (one day later) I left for a two night retreat with my co-workers. I felt a bit weird about it, since I literally met these people yesterday, and here I was spending three days with them. However, my anxiety was not needed. I was warmly welcomed to the team, and even made some friends with my colleagues.

We left Tuesday morning by charter bus to West Cornwall, Connecticut. Here's a link to the place we stayed for those of you that want to take a closer look: http://center.trinitywallstreet.org/index.php. The grounds were beautiful. Everything was green; there were trees everywhere. For a Kansas girl, this was a rare treat! I think my favorite part of the place (besides caring the same brand of tea that Mojo's does!!!) was the classical music which was always played inside. I felt like Miss Elizabeth Bennet viewing Dracy's expansive grounds while sipping a cup of tea, minus any romantic inklings.

My biggest take-away from the retreat was how supportive, caring, respectful, and fun-loving the staff at CFY are. We were asked to bring an object that tells a story to share with the group on the first night. I was expecting people to bring a drawing their three-year-old niece drew for them, and say a shallow story about how they like baking chocolate-chip cookies with their niece. That was what I was emotionally prepared for. Oh ho ye of little faith! 

While some did share on that level, most shared a much more personal story. We heard stories about a childhood filled with parents abusing alcohol and drugs, having a life threatened while walking home on a Saturday night, being the first to graduate from college in the family while living in a rough neighborhood, the list goes on. I was so impressed by the level of vulnerability everyone was willing to put themselves in, and by how warmly their story was received.

On the last day, we did "A Walk of Joy." This meant everyone had to line up in two lines, and one person would walk down the middle with their eyes closed while being guided by another staff member. While walking, co-workers would whisper expressions of gratitude in their ears. I thought a few people would say something to me since I have only been here for four days. Oh ho ye of little faith! Most everyone thanked me for coming, for selflessly volunteering a year of my life for service, for jumping straight into CFY, and for being open and vulnerable enough to participate in all the activities. You can imagine how inspiring, strange, and humbling an experience it would be to walk, eyes closed, down a path of people you met two days ago, and have 35 people thank you for your presence, your open-mindedness, and your support. Pretty powerful.

I'm home now, and have a four day weekend to do with as I please! Suggestions on how to spend labor day in NYC?

In other news, you learn a lot about your co-workers, and the way their minds work after playing a rousing game of Balderdash!

A Whirl Wind!

This past week I was in San Antonio for orientation. There were 45 MVSers this year, and we all stayed in the San Antonio Mennonite Church. It was cozy! We shared four toilets, and three showers. All of us were on air mattresses in various rooms across the church.

It was a bit of a mess for me to get to San Antonio. I had a flight scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and the plan was that I would get to San Antonio Sunday night. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed four hours, causing me to miss my connecting flight in Dallas. When I tried to reschedule, there were no flights going into San Antonio until the next morning. It was a rough start. I made the best of it though, my mom and I went to the Olive Garden, and then had a How I Met Your Mother marathon.

When I finally got to San Antonio, everyone was out and about exploring the neighborhood the San Antonio VSers will be staying in. I was able to hear their reflections on exploration. Then Regina Shands Stoltzfus, a professor of Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies at Goshen College, came and did a two part seminar on Anti-Racism. I think I would have benefited a lot more from it if I hadn't already been stressed from flights, and waking up early, and entering a new place. It also felt a bit like a review from my time in Chicago.

Overall, the best part of orientation was getting to know all the other VSers. Staff said that this year's VSers meshed really well together, and connected better than previous years. We definitely connected, and felt supported by each other as we anticipated starting our assignments. I really bonded with the other Manhattan VSer, and the VSers in Rochester. We shared our faith stories with each other, and now hope to keep in touch throughout the year.

I left San Antonio early Saturday morning, and arrived in New York City Saturday afternoon. I'm all moved in...at least until my parents ship me the rest of my stuff. My room is pretty small. It's long and narrow. I have a lofted bed, a book shelf, a couch, a wardrobe, and a chest of drawers. It's cozy.

The people in Menno House are really nice, although most of them are moving out within the month. We'll have a whole new house with new people to decide the rules and house culture. It should be good!

Later this afternoon I'll go to Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship (MMF) which is the supporting church for MVS. Tomorrow is my first day of work. The adventure has begun!

Fundraiser Meal!

I had my fundraiser meal at Faith Mennonite Church on Sunday, July 29. Good news! I needed $2,000, and we exceeded that amount. Thank you all so much for your support!

Thank you to Janora, Mary, Sara, the Social Committee, the Board of Witness and Outreach, my grandparents, the middle school youth group, Mark, Alice, Monica, Victoria, Ryan, Liz, Claire and of course my parents for a successful meal!

On the menu was New York Style hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, celery, carrots, and cake. We had an array of condiments including onion sauce, caramelized onions, and kraut. If you're interested in making your own hot dog sauce, here's the recipe.

It's a very humbling experience to be vulnerable enough to ask people to donate money. This is the second time I've done something like this, and it never fails to amaze me how much people believe in me, and how willing all of you are to support me. Keep the prayers coming! I leave on Sunday...

Below are some pictures our fearless photographer Claire Unruh took for your viewing pleasure :)

Anna, a member of the middle school youth group,
helps my grandma dish up her hot dog.
The middle school youth group helped carry plates.

The social committee helps serve the food.
Pictured here are Allen, Vicki, Chuck and Joni.

Looks tasty Sam!

Paul, Andrea, Merrill, and Max dress their dogs.

I'm serving the plates. Jane, Mike and Naomi look ready to eat!

One More Month!

I leave in a month and a day. Time is flying! Things are coming together for my fundraiser meal. It's on July 29 at noon at Faith Mennonite Church. Come if you can!

I had my last interview with my placement yesterday. I will be a volunteer coordinator for CFY (http://cfy.org/). They donate refurbished computers to low income middle school students. My job will be to coordinate volunteers for the Saturday workshops where we teach the students and their parents how to navigate the learning platform for CFY. Every Saturday they have workshops in schools across the five boroughs of the city. It should be an adventure!

I will be staying at Menno House (http://www.mennohouse.org/), in Manhattan. The VS unit is housed there as well as other residents, and guests. It sounds like quite the mix of people. Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship is the Mennonite church I will be worshiping in (http://www.manhattanmennonite.org/templates/System/default.asp?id=27176). As I understand it, they meet in a Quaker Meeting House on Sunday evenings.

I hope to learn a lot, have some adventures, and enjoy living in the city!