When I was first introduced to this program by my mom I were extremely skeptical as well as resistant, not only because my mom would always come home complaining about the kids she had to work with or because of their attitudes and other various issues, but because of a much deeper insecurity that haunts many "privileged" or "blessed" young African-Americans.
I thought I wouldn't be able to fit in with the rest of the interns, being an African-American not to mention a young lady there are already endless amounts of prejudice and stereotypes put not only against me, but also on the people of this world who look like me. It's a shame this stereotype immediately came to my mind, but it did. Over the years I've had to deal with the ignorant side of people, people who would take one look at me and automatically call me the "sell-out" or "white-girl". Of course I could go on and on about why people choose to judge others by how they present themselves or because of how they want to perceive others, but that's a total different story for a totally different time. But what I will say is why people stress about being accepted and having people like you for you; its quite simple actually, nobody wants to be alone. Everyone wants someone to share their epic and meaningful lives with at least someone, many people overlook this reason as to why people want to be accepted, and yet often wonder why the world is filled with loners and outcasts.
Walking the halls of Stone School for the first two weeks, I felt alone. In a box that the world had already assigned for me, an assigned chair with the label "outsider". But as I introduced myself to the others in the program, they were extremely different. They treated me with the same respect as everyone else. It felt like, they had the key to my box, and set me free. I no longer felt like the outsider but finally apart of something, something I knew was great.
While I was thinking about writing this essay, I knew I wanted to touch on the stereotypes I faced as well as let the rest of the world know what the other half of the world lives like, through fresh eyes. What I mean is, while aiding the Staff at Bryant Community Center, I noticed that the kids that come and go throughout the day, didn't have the advantages I did growing up. Some of them, came from broken homes and shattered dreams. Most of them depended on the dinner served at the center because they knew there wouldn't be any when they returned home. More importantly, some of the children never knew what having a home was like, all they had were four walls that occasionally kept them warm during winter, and cool during the summer. I knew that while working there (even if it was for a short amount of time) I wanted to make a difference in their lives, I wanted to show them that there was life outside of the shell of existence they always knew. Of course this is not an easy task to do, especially if your by yourself, but I was determined. I never really knew if I had changed any lives as I planned, but the smiles on their faces when the walked through those double doors re-assured me that I had some sort of impact, and that felt awesome!
This program is most definitely the best and most rewarding experience of my life, I would recommend being apart of this program to any and everybody, because I believe in everyone having a chance to make a difference no matter how big or small. An opportunity such as this one, is extremely hard to find. Not only are you helping other people but your also benefiting as well, by learning about various skills some adults haven't even acquired yet.
After reading my essay I hope I have peaked your interest about joining this program next year, the more interns the better.
As always thanks for reading and god bless ♥
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Self-Exploration
Good Afternoon everyone,
As most of you know, the YouthWorks summer employment/traning program is nearing its end. As a result of this, many of the supervisors as well as the volunteers at 826 are trying to prepare us for the "real world" and making sure we take as much out of this opportunity as possible. In order to accomplish this, we've been talking more profoundly about "where we see ourselves in 5 years" and "what are our goals for the future". Today at 826Michigan we were presented our final prompt, of course this one is about "Self-Exploration". The sheet given, had four questions, questions that are thought-provoking and in need of a serious answer that can often predict and finalize our plans for the future.
The first question was, as always, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
Ever since 5th grade people have always asked me this question, of course along with time my answer changes but now that i'm older and getting closer and closer to crunch time i'm now taking this question a lot more seriously. In five years I hope to see myself entering my first year in college, working on getting my B.A in Peforming Arts (Voice), being involved in numerous musicals and talent shows, getting as much exposure as humanly possible, and with a 4.0 GPA as well as have a forrest green Jeep Laredo.
The following question, "What do you need to do in order to get there?"
At first when I read this, I thought "What a obvious question", but then as I kept writing it came apparent to me that I don't have as much time as I thought I did, I mean I have already completed a year in high school. My time is definitely limited. But, I do know that I need to obtain and maintain at least a 3.5 GPA, and hopefully keep working at it so I can get and become the best and have a 4.0. Along with maintaing a excellent Grade Point Average, I also need to have private study with a voice teacher, aka private voice lessons. Not to be cocky, but I know I have good potential but there is always room for improvement and there are some things I would like to learn in order to be the best of the best. In high school, I need to be participating in Theatre Guild and Future Stars (being a sophmore i've already been apart of both groups). After successfully completing that, i'm pretty sure and im hoping everything else will fall into place.
The third question asked "What skills have you learned/gained from this program that will help you accomplish these future goals?"
In this program and my internship I have learned so much! We have covered almost everthing needed to be successful in the work place; such as: resume-building skills, people skills/conversational skills, interviewing procedures, entreprenurship skills, filling out applications for school and jobs, and budgeting. For the professions that I am interested in, I have found these newly discovered skills beneficial to my future aspirations.
In the forefront of my mind going and succeeding in college is a major importance to me. The only problem I now face is, trying to figure out which college I want to go to. Sure this problem can be solved easily; apply to many different colleges; but then again I want to be accepted into the best of the best, a college that can broaden and further expand my talents, and take me places I would have never imagined. Along with going to college and exiting with numerous credentials, one of my many aspirations is to open a successful Fashion Design Studio, which will also can be in retail.
Looking back and reading what i've written, you may say that I am ambitious. Yes this is true, but to me ambition is nonsense without direction and dedication.
As always, god bless and thank you for reading ♥
As most of you know, the YouthWorks summer employment/traning program is nearing its end. As a result of this, many of the supervisors as well as the volunteers at 826 are trying to prepare us for the "real world" and making sure we take as much out of this opportunity as possible. In order to accomplish this, we've been talking more profoundly about "where we see ourselves in 5 years" and "what are our goals for the future". Today at 826Michigan we were presented our final prompt, of course this one is about "Self-Exploration". The sheet given, had four questions, questions that are thought-provoking and in need of a serious answer that can often predict and finalize our plans for the future.
The first question was, as always, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
Ever since 5th grade people have always asked me this question, of course along with time my answer changes but now that i'm older and getting closer and closer to crunch time i'm now taking this question a lot more seriously. In five years I hope to see myself entering my first year in college, working on getting my B.A in Peforming Arts (Voice), being involved in numerous musicals and talent shows, getting as much exposure as humanly possible, and with a 4.0 GPA as well as have a forrest green Jeep Laredo.
The following question, "What do you need to do in order to get there?"
At first when I read this, I thought "What a obvious question", but then as I kept writing it came apparent to me that I don't have as much time as I thought I did, I mean I have already completed a year in high school. My time is definitely limited. But, I do know that I need to obtain and maintain at least a 3.5 GPA, and hopefully keep working at it so I can get and become the best and have a 4.0. Along with maintaing a excellent Grade Point Average, I also need to have private study with a voice teacher, aka private voice lessons. Not to be cocky, but I know I have good potential but there is always room for improvement and there are some things I would like to learn in order to be the best of the best. In high school, I need to be participating in Theatre Guild and Future Stars (being a sophmore i've already been apart of both groups). After successfully completing that, i'm pretty sure and im hoping everything else will fall into place.
The third question asked "What skills have you learned/gained from this program that will help you accomplish these future goals?"
In this program and my internship I have learned so much! We have covered almost everthing needed to be successful in the work place; such as: resume-building skills, people skills/conversational skills, interviewing procedures, entreprenurship skills, filling out applications for school and jobs, and budgeting. For the professions that I am interested in, I have found these newly discovered skills beneficial to my future aspirations.
In the forefront of my mind going and succeeding in college is a major importance to me. The only problem I now face is, trying to figure out which college I want to go to. Sure this problem can be solved easily; apply to many different colleges; but then again I want to be accepted into the best of the best, a college that can broaden and further expand my talents, and take me places I would have never imagined. Along with going to college and exiting with numerous credentials, one of my many aspirations is to open a successful Fashion Design Studio, which will also can be in retail.
Looking back and reading what i've written, you may say that I am ambitious. Yes this is true, but to me ambition is nonsense without direction and dedication.
As always, god bless and thank you for reading ♥
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Putting A Smile On Every Face
Hey guys!
This week and last week in this internship has been extremely demanding but incredibly fun as well! It's been demanding and hectic because we (the interns and Mr. Justin and I) are coordinating a community carnival for the kids/families in the Hikone community. Running this carnival has been stressful, but hopefully everything comes together nicely and all the kids have a great time, because of course that's what this is all about, making sure the kids are happy!
Today, the team had sort of a "down-time day". We went to Briarwood mall as well as the dollar movie. It was tons of fun and I think everyone needed it. After the mall and movies, we went back to work and went shopping at the Dollar Tree for various supplies needed for the Carnival. We managed to get some of the necessities but not everything was available to us, so we're going to have to search elsewhere, and that shouldn't be a problem, I mean we sort of have time.
Besides preparing for the Carnival on Thursday, I have been working on scheduling trips for us to various local child care/day care centers and possibly having interviews with their directors. So far I have managed to schedule one visit at the Community Day Care Center in Ann Arbor. When I was first given this assignment, I already had in mind what day care I wanted to call first: KinderCare. As a young girl, my mother enrolled me in their program. I knew they wouldn't remember but I figured (from what I remembered) that it wouldn't be a problem. But as it turned out, they basically gave me the "run-around", I would ask for their director and for some reason she would always be "out of the office", or "away from her desk", I took this experience and took a lesson from it: Lesson #1 - If you don't think that something can happen, just tell the customer/person that's asking what's really going on. Don't tell them, to call back later or give them the "run-around", just be straight up and professional.
But anyway, today as been great and i'm hoping that for the duration of our internship everyday can be like this one!
As always thanks for reading, and god bless ♥
This week and last week in this internship has been extremely demanding but incredibly fun as well! It's been demanding and hectic because we (the interns and Mr. Justin and I) are coordinating a community carnival for the kids/families in the Hikone community. Running this carnival has been stressful, but hopefully everything comes together nicely and all the kids have a great time, because of course that's what this is all about, making sure the kids are happy!
Today, the team had sort of a "down-time day". We went to Briarwood mall as well as the dollar movie. It was tons of fun and I think everyone needed it. After the mall and movies, we went back to work and went shopping at the Dollar Tree for various supplies needed for the Carnival. We managed to get some of the necessities but not everything was available to us, so we're going to have to search elsewhere, and that shouldn't be a problem, I mean we sort of have time.
Besides preparing for the Carnival on Thursday, I have been working on scheduling trips for us to various local child care/day care centers and possibly having interviews with their directors. So far I have managed to schedule one visit at the Community Day Care Center in Ann Arbor. When I was first given this assignment, I already had in mind what day care I wanted to call first: KinderCare. As a young girl, my mother enrolled me in their program. I knew they wouldn't remember but I figured (from what I remembered) that it wouldn't be a problem. But as it turned out, they basically gave me the "run-around", I would ask for their director and for some reason she would always be "out of the office", or "away from her desk", I took this experience and took a lesson from it: Lesson #1 - If you don't think that something can happen, just tell the customer/person that's asking what's really going on. Don't tell them, to call back later or give them the "run-around", just be straight up and professional.
But anyway, today as been great and i'm hoping that for the duration of our internship everyday can be like this one!
As always thanks for reading, and god bless ♥
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Pediatrician: A Rewarding Career
Working in the Childcare Internship, we have been exploring and looking further into other possible career paths in the Social Services industry. One of the, I wouldn't say popular, but most (in my opinion) rewarding career path was Pediatrician. My partner, Atiya and I researched this job together. Some of the questions we were asked to answer were: what does someone in this job do (responsibilities), what skills and capabilities are required to do the job and well, what kind of education and training are needed, how much does this job pay and is this type of job growing or changing?
To qualify as a pediatrician, one must have four years in medical school, as well as have three years in residency followed by a written exam provided by the ABP (American Board of Pediatrics). While researching the educational aspect of being a Pediatrician, I was shocked at how little amount of time one needed to be in Medical school as well as residency.
Another attribute one must have to be a Pediatrician is the ability to teach, topics such as Nutrition, Injury and disease prevention. A Pediatrician must be an advisor (being able to advise young adults/any client on healthy eating, exercising etc.), must be able to diagnose illnesses, prescribing treatment and to counsel families in areas such as, keeping each other healthy and making regular doctors visits. A Pediatrician specializes in the health of infants, adolescents and young adults up to the age of 21.
Some personal attributes an Pediatrician must have include being hardworking, trusting, loyal and have an endless amount of communication skills as well as listening skills. The salary for todays Pediatrician would be in a nice size margin, but to narrow it down it would be about 80,000 dollars between 130,000.
After researching this profession we had to answer the final question: Is this type of job growing or changing? When Atiya and I read this question together we were dumbfounded at the numerous answers and ideas that we came up with. For me I was thinking more along the lines of the profession changing along with the clients, meaning the specifications of a Pediatrician would change along with the needs of the young adolescents. On the numerical side of the question (Atiya's point of view), the Pediatric field is one of the largest growing jobs in america today, being in the previously stated field provides 13.5 million jobs, it is also the 8th out of 20th occurring projected to grow the fastest.
Besides answering the questions, I learned a lot about this career. I discovered how important Pediatricians are as well as medical doctors. I believe any job that helps others, especially children is a extremely rewarding career.
Thank you for reading, and as always god bless ♥
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Communities: Giving Back
So far, in my internship as a camp counselor at Bryant Community Center everything has been going absolutely amazing, the kids are great and I hope their enjoying themselves throughout the day because I know we are :). Recently Atiya and I are putting together a field trip for the kids to go to the Hands On Museum. A lot of work had to be put in for this, and im hoping that everything turns out as possibly perfect as possible; while coordinating this field trip with Atiya we both began to think about the benefits of planning this trip would bring to us, concluding the conversation we talked about how awesome it would look on a resume! I hope this trip will be highly educational for them as well as ensuring them a good time. I used to go to that Museum a ton when I was their age, it was my absolute favorite trip we would take in summer camp.
A couple days ago 826 camp and had a routine session with us, one of our tasks was to come up with a short but informative paragraph on what we do during the days we're at our home base (stone) as well as what we do at our sites (community center work). While we were writing, a lot of questions arose, such as "do you think what we do is important/why do you think our volunteering is important?" I most definitely believe that being a volunteer camp counselor at any community center is important because it gives us an inside look at our community as well as other communities we don't see often. In my community (Bryant) there are tons and tons of kids with less advantages than I, it saddens me to see them struggle but when they enter the center its as if none of that matters anymore, whether its from creating a mask or playing capture the flag they always have a smile on their face and for me its a honor and a privilege to have something to do with that. Not only are we helping the kids in the community we are setting good examples for the future generations, I know for me volunteering always seemed like a chore, something that could never be interesting of to become a benefit to me; this experience has completely changed my perspective on volunteering. Hopefully this chance to be apart of communities will be around for a long while because I believe everyone should have this opportunity to give back and in a nutshell see what the other half lives like.
As always thanks for reading and god bless :) ♥
A couple days ago 826 camp and had a routine session with us, one of our tasks was to come up with a short but informative paragraph on what we do during the days we're at our home base (stone) as well as what we do at our sites (community center work). While we were writing, a lot of questions arose, such as "do you think what we do is important/why do you think our volunteering is important?" I most definitely believe that being a volunteer camp counselor at any community center is important because it gives us an inside look at our community as well as other communities we don't see often. In my community (Bryant) there are tons and tons of kids with less advantages than I, it saddens me to see them struggle but when they enter the center its as if none of that matters anymore, whether its from creating a mask or playing capture the flag they always have a smile on their face and for me its a honor and a privilege to have something to do with that. Not only are we helping the kids in the community we are setting good examples for the future generations, I know for me volunteering always seemed like a chore, something that could never be interesting of to become a benefit to me; this experience has completely changed my perspective on volunteering. Hopefully this chance to be apart of communities will be around for a long while because I believe everyone should have this opportunity to give back and in a nutshell see what the other half lives like.
As always thanks for reading and god bless :) ♥
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Enriching Lives...Well Trying To Anyway
Hey there guys!
Today we (Atiya and I) coordinated/ran a couple of activities for the kids! It was so much fun, although I must admit the kids were a tad bit resistant to begin with but when we got the game started and began playing with them the kids got really into it and I think we all had a great time together!
The first game we played was froggy murder! (I know not very kid-friendly but tons of laughs and fun) they really enjoyed that, probably because as a part of the game tongues had to be sticked out at each other, and we all know how much fun they have with that! After what seemed to be 3 million rounds of froggy murder we turned to my game which was sharades! This is my most favorite game of all time because I love to act out things and seeing what the kids come up with and how they put their own creative spin on it. Playing sharades was definitely the loudest/chaotic game we played though because of all the screaming and shouting out guesses, but besides that I think our games were a most definite success.
After playing those two games we had to rotate kids, more and more laughter came along with them. I think that was my favorite part of today, seeing their smiling faces! But back to what I was saying, after playing those games I went with the group of kids who went to the park, we all played basketball (counselors included) it was fun but for the more competive kids it wasn't as fun, but we encouraged them and reassured them that it was just a game and they eventually got into the game and points weren't a concern to them anymore!
A couple hours later when everyone at the park was sweaty and out of breath, Laura and Mercedees prepared dinner for us! Beef Stroganof, YUM! Dinner is probably the one time out of the day where all the counselors and kids come together and actually interact with eachother, because elswhere we're all spread out and don't get to see everyone at the same time, so dinner is pretty cool, and having pretty interesting conversations with them. I can't wait to come back for more! The kids, the food, the center everything is pretty amazing, I love my internship!
As always thanks for reading, and god bless <3
Today we (Atiya and I) coordinated/ran a couple of activities for the kids! It was so much fun, although I must admit the kids were a tad bit resistant to begin with but when we got the game started and began playing with them the kids got really into it and I think we all had a great time together!
The first game we played was froggy murder! (I know not very kid-friendly but tons of laughs and fun) they really enjoyed that, probably because as a part of the game tongues had to be sticked out at each other, and we all know how much fun they have with that! After what seemed to be 3 million rounds of froggy murder we turned to my game which was sharades! This is my most favorite game of all time because I love to act out things and seeing what the kids come up with and how they put their own creative spin on it. Playing sharades was definitely the loudest/chaotic game we played though because of all the screaming and shouting out guesses, but besides that I think our games were a most definite success.
After playing those two games we had to rotate kids, more and more laughter came along with them. I think that was my favorite part of today, seeing their smiling faces! But back to what I was saying, after playing those games I went with the group of kids who went to the park, we all played basketball (counselors included) it was fun but for the more competive kids it wasn't as fun, but we encouraged them and reassured them that it was just a game and they eventually got into the game and points weren't a concern to them anymore!
A couple hours later when everyone at the park was sweaty and out of breath, Laura and Mercedees prepared dinner for us! Beef Stroganof, YUM! Dinner is probably the one time out of the day where all the counselors and kids come together and actually interact with eachother, because elswhere we're all spread out and don't get to see everyone at the same time, so dinner is pretty cool, and having pretty interesting conversations with them. I can't wait to come back for more! The kids, the food, the center everything is pretty amazing, I love my internship!
As always thanks for reading, and god bless <3
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Admiration, Qualities and Leadership
Today, at 826Michigan we participated in a activity that forces new and interesting topics to blog about. Our task was to fill out a particular worksheet with two questions on it, very broad but all the same interesting topics. After answering the questions we passed them around and had our peers read and also ask questions based on our response. These new questions, would impose new sub-topics within the big picture, broadening our posts, making them not just one sentence or one paragraph posts.
Question # 1 (yes I know, not very "wow! in-your-face" type of intro but I have no idea how else to put these) "Write about a professional that you've met in your childcare work that you admire?"
I chose Mercedees (Bryant Community Center Counselor), her specific duties there include preparing and serving lunch, snack and dinner and running numerous activities. She is extremely nice, a very sweet person. Ms. Mercedees carries herself in a demeanor that demands respect as well as attention. She is very professional and is a definite authority figure. Looking past her profound authority the kids take a shine to her, they respond well to her and she loves having a good time with them all. What I admire about her most is her good heart and intelligent mind; both are attributes I strive to have and carry with me throughout life.
Question #2 "What skills do you have that make you good at your job?"
Some skills I say I acquire are my leadership, communication and organization skills. I also pride myself in my confidence, that I believe without would make dealing with kids extremely difficult. Along with that my ability to bring people together to accomplish tasks at hand, and my managerial skills. I believe myself to be a people person which is most important when having a job in the Child Care field.
An additional question, one that my fellow readers proposed: "What does it take to be a leader?"
Being a leader takes extreme confidence, and being able to talk to anyone and everyone. Leaders most definitely have to be comfortable presenting things, proposing ideas, organizing them and executing them with the most prestige. Another important trait that a leader (in my opinion) must have is willpower and motivation. Leaders exhibit (in a group format) the most if motivation of the group, if the leader does not have motivation it is most likely that the rest of the group members as well as the project will fall. Along with these, a leader should have the type of presence that demands attention (this is not a "must" trait in a leader but most definitely a profound trait). Leaders must be willing to take risks as well as always thinking ahead and always always think outside the box.
As far as internships go, mine is going excellent! The kids are great, I love the environment and everything about the community center. Especially in my neighborhood I think the center provides kids/teens and some adults positive activities to do when they have free time instead of participating in the stereotypical "ventures" they are often lead into. I am extremely excited and looking forward to working more and being more involved with the center and teaching these kids/teens and some adults a better path to take that will lead them to a brighter more rewarding future.
As always god bless, and thanks for taking your time out to read this. ♥
Question # 1 (yes I know, not very "wow! in-your-face" type of intro but I have no idea how else to put these) "Write about a professional that you've met in your childcare work that you admire?"
I chose Mercedees (Bryant Community Center Counselor), her specific duties there include preparing and serving lunch, snack and dinner and running numerous activities. She is extremely nice, a very sweet person. Ms. Mercedees carries herself in a demeanor that demands respect as well as attention. She is very professional and is a definite authority figure. Looking past her profound authority the kids take a shine to her, they respond well to her and she loves having a good time with them all. What I admire about her most is her good heart and intelligent mind; both are attributes I strive to have and carry with me throughout life.
Question #2 "What skills do you have that make you good at your job?"
Some skills I say I acquire are my leadership, communication and organization skills. I also pride myself in my confidence, that I believe without would make dealing with kids extremely difficult. Along with that my ability to bring people together to accomplish tasks at hand, and my managerial skills. I believe myself to be a people person which is most important when having a job in the Child Care field.
An additional question, one that my fellow readers proposed: "What does it take to be a leader?"
Being a leader takes extreme confidence, and being able to talk to anyone and everyone. Leaders most definitely have to be comfortable presenting things, proposing ideas, organizing them and executing them with the most prestige. Another important trait that a leader (in my opinion) must have is willpower and motivation. Leaders exhibit (in a group format) the most if motivation of the group, if the leader does not have motivation it is most likely that the rest of the group members as well as the project will fall. Along with these, a leader should have the type of presence that demands attention (this is not a "must" trait in a leader but most definitely a profound trait). Leaders must be willing to take risks as well as always thinking ahead and always always think outside the box.
As far as internships go, mine is going excellent! The kids are great, I love the environment and everything about the community center. Especially in my neighborhood I think the center provides kids/teens and some adults positive activities to do when they have free time instead of participating in the stereotypical "ventures" they are often lead into. I am extremely excited and looking forward to working more and being more involved with the center and teaching these kids/teens and some adults a better path to take that will lead them to a brighter more rewarding future.
As always god bless, and thanks for taking your time out to read this. ♥
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