Thursday, May 26, 2011
Photo of the Week: May 26, 2011
Students at the Marshall Elementary School End of Year Celebration Party
Saturday, May 21, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: MK Han
AmeriCorps members Mike Hart and MK Han
Why do you serve?
For me, college was a time to learn about myself and grow on an individual level. I did reach out to the community I was in by volunteering at an elementary school once a week, but felt like I could do more. That is why I decided to look into AmeriCorps during my senior year because it provides the opportunity to take the focus off of myself and put my energy into meaningful service. It has been so rewarding, and how funny and awesome it is that I have grown more spending one year focusing on others than I did spending four years focusing on myself!
Can you think of a memorable service experience?
My year of service has been filled with lots of memorable moments: building relationships with the volunteers, breakthroughs with the students, and discovering my strengths and weaknesses. It is the culmination of these individual experiences that has made my AmeriCorps service meaningful.
What would you say to someone who is thinking of serving?
As I was about to graduate college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew that I needed to do something, and I wanted that something to be meaningful. But I wasn’t ready to make any permanent decisions about my future. AmeriCorps was the perfect solution because here I am making an impact and gaining really meaningful experiences while having the time to figure out what the next stage of my life will hold.
AmeriCorps offers you the opportunity to make a difference but it is ultimately up to you to take on the challenge. So do it!
Friday, May 20, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Barbara Howard
Wil Hingston and Barbara Howard about to begin a Reading Coaches session.
In her own words, Barbara Howard serves because “I enjoy volunteering and I love reading with kids!” Her enthusiasm for these efforts and her bright smile have been brightening the South Boston Boys and Girls Club since she joined the team in October. When asked about a meaningful service experience Barbara had to take a second to think about it, expressing how all of her service is meaningful and memorable. However, she eventually told one story of a second grade boy who came to her crying one day this fall. When she asked the student what was wrong he responded that he just wanted to read! Naturally, Barbara offered to be his reading coach. During their first sessions the student really struggled, but eventually they had a breakthrough. Barbara describes this moment, “His eyes lit up and his whole face smiled. That’s how you know they know what they are reading. His reading has progressed so much,” she continued, “it brings tears to my eyes!”
When asked what she would tell someone who was thinking of serving she replied without hesitation, “it’s the most rewarding thing you possibly can do! It helps you and it helps the kids.” She also described how great it feels to know that you got up each day and accomplished something meaningful. To the students and staff at the South Boston Boys and Girls Club, Barbara does this with genuine happiness each day.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Sydney Perkins
AmeriCorps *VISTA Sydney Perkins (center) with Experience Corps Members at a recent Coffee Club
Sydney Perkins is a Recruitment and Training AmeriCorps VISTA member. She looks for prospective volunteers to join our Classroom Literacy and Reading Coaches programs and leads trainings for both programs.
Why do you serve?
Growing up, I felt a wealth of community and familial support. I had role models and community members who helped guide and encourage me. Now that I have grown, I want to be able to do the same for others, perhaps by reading with a young person in need of a little extra attention. I jumped at the chance to become involved with AmeriCorps through a structured year of service with Generations Incorporated. To serve with Generations Incorporated has been particularly rewarding because of the relationships built across the different generations of people involved.
Can you think of a memorable service experience?
Normally I serve in a capacity building position at the organization, but twice a week I am a Reading Coach at an after school program in the South End. These meetings have given me the chance to build a personal connection with one of the students involved in our program, reminding me of the significance of my service each time I meet him. He is seven and has been overtly reluctant in sitting down to read. He seems to purposefully disagree with much of what I suggest, as well as carry a bit of a “tough guy” attitude. Figuring out our relationship as a mentor and mentee, how to inspire and how to work together has been a challenge. One day, on his birthday, after reading together for a few months, I gave him complete control of the session. He was thrilled at first and not surprisingly chose not to read. After a couple rounds of cheating through a literacy matching game, he turned to me and said with irritation, “I’m bored. Will you make me read now?” Without waiting for a response, he stormed off to the bookshelf. Despite his regular refusals to read, perhaps he enjoys reading with me after all.
What would you say to someone thinking of serving?
The service I have been a part of this year has been incredibly meaningful. I feel I’ve been a part of something greater and that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life. Choosing to serve with AmeriCorps for a year has given me the opportunity to try out some of my interests and potential skills, while becoming part of a new organization in a new city, Boston.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Alana Hill
Alana Hill serves as an AmeriCorps Program Associate at Generations Incorporated (GI). When she started her service, she had high hopes of making a positive impact through helping others, yet no concept of how much she would grow from this opportunity.
Why do you serve?
The last semester of my senior year was a blur of excitement and uncertainty. In those final months of college, I was forced to face the reality that I didn’t have the faintest idea of what I wanted to do after graduation. I realized that whatever I chose should be something worthwhile and selfless. In the end I chose to join AmeriCorps and serve with G.I. because their mission aligned closely with my own ideals of community building. After reading the Program Associate (PA) position description and learning more about G.I. and their philosophy of uniting older adults with children who are struggling with literacy, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the organization. I was placed in Dorchester at the Kenny Elementary School where many of the older volunteers I work with have lived in the area for generations. Part of the success of G.I. is that their programs are designed to maximize community involvement by placing older adult volunteers at sites located in their own neighborhood.
The first month I spent at my site went by in a blur. There was so much to do and so many new people to get to know. Over time I became more comfortable and confident in my role of ensuring the program runs smoothly. I credit most of my success this year with the connections I’ve made not only with the older adult volunteers I assist, but also the children they serve.
Can you think of a memorable service experience?
One third-grader in our program was several reading levels behind most of her classmates. She had lost any confidence in her ability to read, which in turn made her reluctant to practicing her reading. Over time, I’ve noticed a major shift in her demeanor when she comes to her reading sessions. Her once permanent frown and crossed arms have turned into smiles and hugs. I’ve seen the trust and friendship between her and her reading coach (a trained older adult) grow throughout the sessions. It took time to get this 8 year old to feel comfortable enough to take risks with her reading but she was supported every step of the way with her reading coach. Seeing the positive change in her is a reminder of how valuable this program can be and why I chose to serve in the first place.
What would you say to someone thinking of serving?
For anyone considering doing a year of service, I would say not just to think about doing it but to take that consideration and act on it. None of your expectations of what a year of service can do will adequately describe the monumental experience and personal growth it provides.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Susan Faaland
Robert Street and Susan Faaland
Susan Faaland is an AmeriCorps member who has served at the St. Stephens Episcopal Church After-School Program in the South End since October 2006. She spends fifteen hours a week reading one-on-one with young students, most coming from the Blackstone Elementary School.
Why do you serve?
I serve because it gives me the chance to work with children in a constructive way. I appreciate the stipend, but if it was to be reduced it’s okay. It’s helpful to receive in these economic times. I very much like the camaraderie with the other volunteers and staff. I have learned a lot about Boston that I didn’t know before. It’s a chance to do something constructive with my time and I enjoy being on a schedule.
Can you think of a memorable service experience?
There is a young man who came back to our program after being away for awhile. I heard he was getting in with the wrong crowd. Before, his head was down, he had a low voice and didn’t smile or talk much. Now he seems happy. He smiles and it’s so nice to see. He is talented.
What would you say to someone thinking of serving?
It’s valuable to become involved in community service for friendship and helping children to learn English. They’re fun to work with and it clues me into the modern world. It’s good for older people too. It’s a worthwhile way to spend time and adds a nice dimension to your life.
Monday, May 16, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Brigid Goggin
Brigid Goggin serves as an AmeriCorps Program Associate with Generations Incorporated. In the above photo, she is assisting George Chavez in a post-reading exercise at the Jordan Boys & Girls Club in Chelsea, MA.
Brigid’s Memorable Service Experience:
Recently I gave a training to a group of Revere Experience Corps members on how to help kids with their writing during a Reading Coaches session. I have been very interested in the training side of the organization and I, along with other Revere Program Associates had observed a need at the sites in Revere.
Teachers were asking for a larger focus on writing and our volunteers were feeling uneasy on how to best help for certain grades. I too was finding it difficult to know how to work with our students since they had very specific expectations in class and they were all at different levels struggling with different things. I decided to close the knowledge gaps and brainstorm ways we could approach the issue. Working with teachers at the Whelan school and talking with the training team back at the office, I was able to put together a set of expectations for each grade and strategies to address those expectations for students at all different levels.
This proved to be the easy part. I don’t mean to say I did not enjoy giving the training. The volunteers were very receptive and engaged during the training, and I felt really good about the conversations that happened that day. The biggest challenge turned out to be the use of the knowledge at the site. Not all volunteers who serve as Reading Coaches were able to attend the meeting, so there were only a few people per site who were on board the writing train. And having the knowledge didn’t open the door to perfect sessions and huge improvements. At first this was discouraging. How could a training be successful if it didn’t magically fix all the problems I worked so hard to address?
But then it hit me. Like all things, the training was simply one brick in the foundation we are working to build to help our students. The whole experience really taught me that all we can do is provide the best tool box possible to our Reading Coaches along with a strong support system, and try our best to connect with the children we see every week. Sometimes, success will be obvious. A 1st grader just wrote a sentence all by herself! A 2nd grader learned about adjectives! On other days, success will be harder to label, but is still present in the connections made between a coach and his/her student or the smile seen on a kids face when they come down to read. I feel very happy to have contributed to the tool box, in addition to the daily support I am able to provide to the wonderful Revere team. And it was a much needed boost of motivation for everyone involved after a long winter. It’s going to be a good spring.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Zakk Tapp
Zakk Tapp is the Program Evaluation & Training *VISTA at Generations Incorporated. He assists in managing the SES program as well as evaluation efforts across all programs.
Why do you serve?
My decision to serve is deeply personal; I have witnessed first hand the effects that service can have on an individual as well as the community. Through the impact that others have had on my life, I have been given the opportunity to pursue goals that would not have been otherwise possible. My hope is that I am able to replicate these effects that I have seen in my own life. Furthermore, I fully believe in the work that the organization I serve with does.
I also believe that a year of service provides invaluable real-life professional experience. I have been gifted enough to have had a support network around me of fellow volunteers and supervisors that have fostered a truly unique experience. Professionally, AmeriCorps has given me the tools to successfully transition into a career field that would have not been otherwise possible.
Can you think of a memorable service experience?
The most memorable experience of service this year has been the improvement that I have been able to affect in a student that I tutor twice a week at a local community center. Because part of my position involves administering our tri-annual assessment, I have really been able to take ownership in the success of the student that I have had the privilege of tutoring. Seeing measurable improvement in a student’s reading ability is what drew me in to this organization and it is what helped me make the decision to continue with a second year of service.
What would you say to someone thinking of serving?
AmeriCorps is a real life-changer. It is extremely accessible and provides invaluable skills that you will ultimately have with you for the rest of your personal and professional life. Through service I have acquired many of the necessary skills that I know will really allow me to thrive in the field of work that I want to go into after my year of service.
Furthermore, it provides a year of intense personal growth. You will truly understand poverty after this year while simultaneously having the opportunity to make real change. The ways that a year of service will change your life are too numerous to count. It gave me the opportunity to gain some real experience while helping grow an organization that I believe in from the inside out. It’s a truly amazing experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Esther Williams
Esther Williams reading with Fatimah Sillah. She has served at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club in Roxbury since 2006.
Esther Williams serves at the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club for many reasons. First, she really enjoys it and it is something to look forward to each day. She especially loves seeing her students’ progress “skyrocket” from October to the spring; “It’s wonderful to see them blossom” she says. When asked about a particularly memorable service experience Esther’s face lit up and she began to describe one second grade girl with whom she has been reading this year. “She is a pleasure and a joy” Esther said, “she loves to read and she likes school and boy has she got a memory!” Esther expressed how rewarding it is to look up and see this student sitting next to her, “she just comes into the room on her own because she likes reading so much!” This student even brings in her own reading log to record the times and books that she reads with Esther. A true reward for Esther is seeing how this student “stays completely focused and demonstrates confidence in her ability. It’s hard to believe that she is in the second grade!”
To others considering serving, Esther, a long time member of many other community organizations as well, offers passionate words of encouragement “get involved in what’s going on in your community! Whether it’s with the police, your church The Boys and Girls Clubs, or politicians, there is so much to do and it is so important!”
