Ashley- 826 Chicago- Day Four

This day might have been my favorite. We got to 826 Chi that morning and were told we were going to another in school workshop. From my experience the day before I had a better feel of what to expect and was a bit more prepared for the work. This time we were to work with an 8th grade class that was working on a creative writing assignment 826 Chi had created for them. Unlike the 7th graders the day before they had already been given the assignment and had first drafts for us to go over with them. First Zach, one of the 826 staff, split the class into groups. Once they were divided each group took turns working with the volunteers that were stationed in another room. I was very interested as to what kind of things they would have come up with because we were told they were given free-range on what their subject could be. I sat in a desk that faced an empty seat that was to be filled with a student and their writing assignment. The first young girl I worked with was very uncomfortable with her abilities as a writer and was very hesitant to read me what she had written. I told her that reading her paper out loud would not only let me know what we were working with but also help her find mistakes in the grammar. She then shyly agreed to read it to me. As she hurriedly read the story from her spiral notebook to me as I tried to follow what she was trying to say. It was a bit of a jumble as far as the organization went and her subject matter was very dark. It touched on a little bit of everything including rape, murder and middle school melodrama. I tried to be encouraging and help her figure out what she was trying to say. I focused on helping her put the events in an order that would best work for her character development. I am not sure how much of a help I was but I hoped that it at least made her think a bit about her approach. My main focus with her was confidence. Then next girl blew me away. She sat down with a big grin bursting with pride for her 13 page typed paper. Her story was very easy to follow had well developed plot twist and again held some of the melodrama. She had written about a young girl who was supposed to get close to a high school boy to get information about his father’s company for her uncle. Every part flowed smoothly into the next. My only critic was that there was too much detail. Every element was described so much that it made it hard to get the big picture. Overall, I saw a real passion for writing in her so I wanted to be sure to let her know how well she had done. I gave her a bit of advice to be selective on the details but that she had a real talent. My focus with all of the kids was confidence building. I just saw that a few words of positivity went a long way with this age group which also made me wonder if they were getting many words of encouragement in their home lives. I just hope that someone showing support and interest would make their next writing assignment a little easier to take on.        

Ashley- 826 Chicago- Day Three

The day started very early for myself and three of the other girls. We were going to an elementary school to help with one of their in school projects. We were working with three different 7th grade classes. They were being assigned a photo project that would be paired with a writing assignment. It was titled the me that no one knows. The goal was to have them take a photo of a part of them that people may not know about. We went in the classrooms and first introduced the project and then ourselves. With our introductions we had to say who we were and an interesting fact about ourselves. This part was a bit of an unexpected learning for me. With the first class my interesting fact was that I liked to scuba dive. When I said this I could tell that it was not so interesting to them because it wasn’t very relatable. So with the next class I tried to think of something that they might find more interesting or at least could relate to. So I chose to tell them that I had just done a Harlem Shake video with my work. It seemed to work. When we started to go around and help with the writing prompt a few of the kids started asking me questions about the video and it was much easier for me to connect with them and have them more open to me helping them with the assignment. This just taught me that I needed to find a common ground in order to make them feel comfortable with me helping them.  The prompt for the start of the assignment was asking them to make a list of how they saw themselves and then make another list of how they thought other people saw them. This was difficult enough to leave some kids staring at blank pages. So we went around asking them question to help them come up with something. In the first class I felt like it was much harder for me to get them thinking. May be it was the group of kids, my approach or the early morning but it was a bit like pulling teeth. The second class was much better. They were interested in the video I did so they were talkative right away. We discussed future dreams and current home lives. I felt like they did a really good job of brainstorming. It was interesting to see the same social dynamics in that class as I experienced at that age. There is always the loud well-liked crowd and the quieter lesser known kids. At the end of that class’s session one of the more outgoing boys came up to me and shyly told me he liked my eyes. He’s friend who was clearly the ringleader of the spot-light-seekers was sitting next to him. He then leans over and tells me he liked my ass and proceeded to hand me a piece of paper he  tore off of his worksheet with his phone number on it. I was shocked at how forward these kids were compared to people I went to school with in 7th grade. I later found out that the second guy was actually 15 and had been held back several times. This made a bit more since and further showed me that this was a different world then the one I had known at their age.        

Ashley- 826 Chicago- Day Two

On our second day we were able to take some time to explore the city. 826 had us come in around 1pm so that we could stay later that night for new volunteer training. So that morning we set out with a vague plan of what we wanted to see. It consisted of the typical bean picture excursion and sightseeing. First we started walking and decided to check out the public library since it was right next to our hostile. At first it was not all too impressive. Each level was the same, rows of books and wifi users stationed at large oak tables. We continued to the top floor and followed a sign that led us to a roof garden. This was an open room with a glass ceiling and marble floor. It was gorgeous and certainly not what you would expect after wandering the rows of books. After that we headed to the Bean. It was thoroughly entertaining. Many a picture was taken. Our next stop was a café for lunch. Then it was off to 862. That day they had us help with decorating for a prom fundraiser they are having in April. It is Comic con themed. Our task was to find papercrafts that could be used at the prom in bigger scale. It was actually very entertaining. I was not complaining about having to spend the day in the city and then do crafts to help decorate. Around 3pm the children started to arrive for tutoring and this time we were stationed at the writing tables. That is where the tutors send the children to do a writing prompt. The prompt this week was asking the children to write a story telling what kind of party they would have if they held a 30 hour dance party. Every answer was very unique but I think my favorite kid to work with was a young boy named Christian. At first he refused to write. Then after I got him talking about anything other than writing he was fine. Then I simply had to ask him questions about his party. The best part was seeing him get excited about his story and watching him run with it. All he needed was someone to believe that he could do it and tell him his ideas were good. He was just a kid that needed one on one attention. That is why the 826 program is so good for the community because there just aren’t enough teachers to provide that kind of support. Seeing his excitement made my day even more so than getting to explore the city.        

Emily- Guidance Center- Day Five

We got done volunteering a little earlier on Wednesday which was kind of nice because we were all pretty tired from the day before.  After getting the wrong address and trying to find the right location we finally made it to the right school.  We worked with another Headstart program at the Romulus Center.  Lela and the rest of her staff were so sweet.  They provided breakfast and lunch and once again my group and I were just blown away by how much kindness we were shown.  The Romulus Center had a big project for us to do of redecorating the parent bulletin boards.  We decorated with some fun spring time colors and made the boards more fun to look at.  While cutting and laminating letters to put on the board, I had a really good conversation with Monica and Sean about what we each wanted to do after college.  After lunch we sorted books and delivered them to the classrooms.  I got to read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to a classroom and the kids were so cute! I really enjoyed spending time with them.  My group and I had the pleasure of being read to by a little girl named Kaleeha who was also adorable, and very smart for being only 3 years old!  We left the Romulus Center and went back to the church to take a nap.  We cooked a tasty dinner of chicken, salad, baked potatoes, and more!  Byron and Patty joined us for dinner and it was fun to visit with them some more.

Emily- Guidance Center- Day Four

Tuesday was our very long day of volunteering at the Aquinas Center.  The Aquinas Center is part of the Guidance Center’s Headstart programs, preschool for families of lower socioeconomic status.  We started out by cleaning out a huge and rather disgusting storage room.  Everyone was a little intimidated because we weren’t exactly sure how the staff wanted things arranged and what would be ok to throw in the trash.  But we did our best and made a big difference.  We got rid of things no longer needed, did some heavy lifting, put together new shelves, and did a lot of sweeping.  We were pretty warn out by the time lunch rolled around but it was cool to have completed the storage room because we weren’t sure if we would be able to finish it but we did!  After lunch we began helping Emily, a Headstart and United Way staff member, prepare for the literacy event to take place that evening.  We set up snacks, crafts, games, and book tables to prepare for the families and kids that would attend.  Clifford made an appearance and read to kids.  On Thursday we did another event like this and Neal read to some kids which was pretty cute to see.  I worked with Maureen and some staff to fill up the drink coolers and we got ready for the kids to arrive.  I worked at the crafts table and I had so much fun talking with kids and helping them with their open-ended craft projects.  My heart was touched when a little girl named Irene colored me a picture of Clifford.  It made me want to cry it was so sweet.  After our long day we were pretty exhausted but excited for another adventure.  Byron and Patty took us to dinner in Mexican town.  I enjoyed some very delicious chimichangas!

Emily- Guidance Center- Day Three

After the weekend everyone in the group was really excited to finally start volunteering.  We had a hard time waking up but we made it to the Guidance Center right down the road in time for a lovely welcome breakfast and orientation.  We met the volunteer services coordinator Jessica, the director of philanthropy and communications, Al, and the director of strategic initiatives, Joe.  The three of them gave us a fascinating history of the Guidance Center which has been around for 55 years.  The non-profit organization encompasses so many different aspects and it was so interesting to hear about all of the wonderful services it offers.  We went to one of the 20 buildings that make up the center and began volunteering at the Developmental Disabilities unit to make photo copies, clean and sanitize toys and the sensory room and the gym where some of the kids play.  We worked with Sara, Rick, and Rubina.  Maureen and I made some spring time decorations for the unit’s little conference room.  Other members of the group were able to sit in on some occupational therapy sessions and they said it was super interesting to experience that.  We had a busy day of cleaning but we ended the day in a fun way by participating in an obstacle course with a young boy named Danny.  Back at the church everyone was pretty tired but we made a delicious dinner of pigs in a blanket and mac n cheese-pretty impressive considering we only had a microwave and toaster oven.  Everyone really opened up and we had some great discussions about anything you can imagine.  We also made some delicious Oreo balls and grew a lot closer as a group.  

Emily- Guidance Center- Day Two

Everyone in the group got a good night’s sleep and we woke up to attend the 10:30 worship service at the church.  The congregation consists of only 11 members but they are a committed group who seems very close.  The members include Pastor Byron and his wife Patty, Charlotte, Michael, John, Janet, Marlena and her sons Jacob and Lucas, Ida, and Liz.  Everyone was so friendly to us and greeted us with hugs and smiling faces.  It was a little strange practically doubling the size of the congregation but it was nice to feel so welcomed. Neal grew up Jewish and said the service was his first Christian church service.  I loved that even on the second day of our alternative break we were being introduced to new experiences. We joined in the congregation in singing hymns and even had the chance to play musical instruments.  The church went above and beyond my providing us with a pizza and salad lunch after the service.  Marlena provided a homemade peanut butter pie which was delicious!  After lunch Byron and Patty were kind enough to take us to the Henry Ford Museum.  It was incredible!  I have always loved museums and we saw some really interesting things.  We were able to see the chair that Abraham Lincoln was shot in, the bus Rosa Parks rode on at the beginning of the busy boycott, and many former presidential cars including the one JFK rode in the day he was assassinated.  Byron and Patty gave us some great advice about things to do around Detroit and even gave us some extra money.  Meeting them was a huge blessing.  The rest of the day we rested and went to the YMCA for showers and then to the local grocery store Meijer’s to get food for the week.  I felt like the group had really started to bond.