Big Week!

So working at City Year has been amazing! I am coming into my position as Team Leader Coordinator very well according to my boss—that makes me happy.

This last week was a very busy week! As if MLK day wasn’t enough, we had to do Advanced Training Academy (ATA). Four days filled with workshops! It all becomes a bit taxing after a while. I did learn a lot, however. The City Heroes team got trained on everything from racism to how to facilitate discussions more effectively. I mention those two because they were probably the most useful. The racism training was defiantly the most powerful. There is a saying here at city year—these intense workshops aren’t supposed to solve a problem, but start a fruitful conversation in a safe space that continues after the workshop is completed. And that it did. My team and I stayed in the office until after 8 discussing the workshop that ended at 6. The discussion was very fruitful and respectful.

Other very intense workshops happened last week at ATA. As I mentioned before, all of the workshops are done in a “safe space” so I can’t give details. But I can say that I’ve grown closer with my colleagues in this short time and have gained tremendous respect for them.

This Week started fast. We are preparing for the overnight this weekend. I have the pleasure to work with high school students for 24 straight hours… Yes!

In all seriousness, I am really looking forward to it. I get to formally introduce myself the Team Leaders and lead them in a workshop on how to co-facilitate.

With the Heroes I will co-lead a discussion on the Vocabulary/cycle of oppression. My Colleague, Colin, will start it with a vocabulary workshop. He will talk about how words aren’t just words. Each person sees the word in their own context. They are experienced different. I will continue the discussion by piggy backing off of Collin’s facilitated discussion and move into the cycle oppression. Basically, I will be going through a discussion with the Heroes on how we are taught to oppress others and ourselves by lessons taught by authority figures in their life and how those lessons are often times buttressed by media and what they see in society. I’m excited about that; these students are great so I’m expecting it to go well.

I will also be facilitating an open discussion on music and poetry! That ought to be fun! I’ll be sure to make it progressive/revolutionary writers!

Today was my first trip to my afterschool. It’s called the Dimock Teen Center. Very cool kids as usual. Today and Thursday there are video game tournaments to raise money for the cent. Today was the NBA 2k9 tourney. Those of my peers who are reading this know that I am not very good at such things as basketball be it on a video game or an actual court. BUT! Thursday will be the Dimock Teen Center Madden Football 2009 tournament. I WILL win that one! There is no doubt in my mind that I am the best Madden Football player that ever lived! And I will make every kid at the center cry! I’ll keep you posted!

When you pray, Move Your Feet

What an amazing week!

I haven't been able to post since tuesday! Sorry. It was a very hectic week! I'll go through the highlights.

Wednesday was so cold! I know it was cold because I spend the first 45 minutes of my day in the horribly cold wheather! A part of being a City Year Corps member is Physical Training (PT). They're a series of excersizes that involved some call and response. If you've seen a sports team warm-up, you should have an idea. Either way, we had to learn these in Cobley Square - in the freezing cold. It was fun. Not in the least. But I can look back and laugh at how ridiculous we looked. It looks much better when the entire corps is doing it together.

Later that day we did a series of wokshops. They were very powerful. The first workshop was based around a clip from Spike Lee's, Malcolm X and the concepts of Spirit, Discipline, Purpose and Pride. Basically, not having too much or too little of either.

Friday, I found out that I would be serving on the City Heroes team. City Heroes is a City Year program where high school students apply for a chance to complete 100 hours of service on saturdays to earn a presidential service award. Hmm, high school students giving up their weekends? Yes, it happends. In fact, over 700 high school students applied for about 80 positions available. Pretty remarkable. They came in all races, sizes, economic backgrounds, ethnicities, you name it!

My official title is Team Leader Cooridinator. Pretty exciting. My job description is to be a liason between the entire City Heroes team and Team Leaders. First, I should explain all of this jargon as so not to lose you.

My team is the City Heroes team. This team along with our team leader and a program manager run the City Heroes program. There are several roles in this program. Cirruculum, funding, logistics, etc. Team Leaders are corp members or graduate students who applied to lead a team of City Heroes. Very big job. Some corps members give up extra time to do this, other graduate or college students give up their weekends, as well. Team Leaders lead discussions and execute a lot of the ciriculum that's not done in a large group. It is my job to communicate to the Team Leaders about ciriculum, logistics, ect.

This saturday was the Heroes Training Academy. The Heroes and their team leaders were put together to discuss their goals, expectations and why they serve. The most powerful part of the day, however, was when the entire group was together. There was a group discussion about who were the City Heroe's, heroes. Most of their heroes were family (esp. moms). It was very powerful... I can't speak of it, but the heroes were very open. They let out things that some people will take to the grave. Their was a lot of trust going on in the room and a lot of tears.

Their was more powerful segment. At the end of the day the students recieved their City Heroes T-shirts. In order to make the service that they're doing more meaningful, the heroes dedicate their service to someone or a concept. To see these selfless students dedicate their service to little brothers or sisters who look up to them, people who have helped them, parents, relatives, or even City Year, was very powerful. These kids were energized and read to serve their community to the fullest. I was very impressed!

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Today, I had to be up and at 'em at 5 AM. My team and I had to be at the Reggie Lewis Track Center at 7:30. Not fun. But, it is my favorite holiday! Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I love this holiday!

Either way, we had to be at the track center becuase it was Heroes Opening Day. That was the venue were it was held. Today all of the City Heroes and Young Heroes were sworn in! It was really cool! I absolutly love the high school students I work with! But, there were other exciting things that happened today. I found myself chatting with the Mayor of Boston Thomas M. Menino! I talked with THE Executive Director of City Year, Sandra Lopez-Burt! Wow!

Although I was not able to talk with her, Sen. Sonia Chang-diaz was at the opening day, as well. She gave a beautiful speech about MLK day and the service that goes along with it. She centered here entire speech around an African proverb: When you pray, Move your feet. Meaning don't just hope for change, go get it. She lit a fire under the Heroes and made sure they just weren't hoping, but doing. I'll carry that proverb with my for the rest of my life.

The Highlight of the day, however, was the march. Over 500 people marched in Boston today. I was amazed at the support we recieved from drivers whose commute was elongated. I was happy to be back inside when it was over, though. It was cold. Afterwards we ate lunch and said our goodbyes. Great day!

I have to say, I absolutly love this job!! I love my team, team leader and director first and foremost! I love my fellow corps members and the students I work with. I told the Executive Director of City Year today that I feel like i'm stealing--I would do this for free! She told me not to tell anyone else that!

Submerged in Activism

I began my first day as a City Year Rep. today. It was very long. Like any leadership based organization, we began the day with name games and team building. I've done it all before. It's always fun. I find myself amongst a lot of very strong leaders - I enjoy that.

The most powerful part of my day came unexpected, however. Around noon found myself walking to lunch with one of the City Year Directors, Christian. Very cool guy. I believe we were walking up Massachusetts avenue when I noticed a huge bulding called Tent City. Christian had been explaining to me the history of development in this particular part of the city. Interesting, but I didn't see the importance other than making conversation. However, when we approached Tent City, Christian stopped. He explained that due to the increasing development, poor citizens were being forced out of there homes. Where this particular building was, Christian explained that it was formerly a park for the area citizens. An activist, whom I can't name, refused to allow developers move people from their hard earned homes.

He took action. He organized to have over 500 tents set up in the park. All were inhabited. Lead by this man, the people stayed in the tents until the city gave in. In what I imagine was a compromise, the City of Boston built them an apartment complex - Tent City. I was amazed! The tangible result of activism was directly in front of me. All I could let out was, "wow." He probably thought I was a bumbling idiot or uninterested.

Still, as we continued to walk to lunch, he pointed out Dr. Martin Luther King's old residence when he attended Boston University. I was knee deep in the history of great idea's put into action by indefatigable idealism. Together, they brought about results - real change.

That in and of itself made for a great day. Not to mention that my fellow new comers and the team leaders were very nice and helpful. Tomorrow (or shall I say today), we get to do a lot more than boring paper work and tortorous "webinars." I will be taking my first trip to a Boston City School. I'll keep everyone posted!

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

"you ask me why I do not write something... I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions and into actions which bring results." This quote by Florence Nightingale influenced the title of my blog. I chose the first title because, over my several years in undergrad, I have written hundreds of pages pontificating about how I think the world should be. Sometimes, the subsequent reactions were "Joe, this was good, but not exactly what I assigned." I would comeback with "I know, but..." and then I would do the assignment over. Well, I want to turn my words into more than moral hubris.

Aristotle's quote, "Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way... you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions," influences the subtitle. I chose the second title because isolated acts of activism rarely amount to anything. Results take continuity. Change doesn't come in a day or a week, it takes years of gradual improvement and unrelenting dedication to the change one wants to see--often with setbacks and obstacles along the way.

Well, having recently graduated, I have a chance to turn my pontification into something tangible. If you want something to change, go change it. Hence, I will start my career in activism as a City Year Rep. on Tuesday 13th January. I'm very excited! As hard as it may be to believe, I love doing more than talking.

I hope through my actions with City Year Boston I can attain moral excellence through habitual service. I want to make my feelings about poverty, education, and social justice mean something--I want my feelings distilled into actions which bring results. City Year has been praised for its results, so, here I go.

In the infamous words of Dr. Collar "you're not here just to punch your ticket to the good life! No one is gonna stamp your forehead!" It seems I took that to heart as I'll qualify for food stamps. But, what I don't make in money I'm sure ill make in friends and the satisfaction of helping ones who don't yet know how to help themselves. I hope you all enjoy my blog. I'll try to keep up with it daily. I'm sure everyday will be an adventure....