One week of City Year: complete!

We did a ton of stuff this past week, but I will try to brief you on some highlights.

The first two days were going over a lot of info on City Year as an organization.. how it began, what it stands for, and why they do the things they do. Basically, City Year's vision is that one day it will be normal to ask every young adult where they will be doing their "service year." City Year is very much about service and making the community a better place through the service they do.

On Wednesday we all loaded up on buses and drove out to Camp Whitcomb Mason in Hartland, WI until Friday, where we bonded as a "beloved community" and learned more about City Year culture and ideals.. which are very important to the organization. I won't take the time to discuss them now, but feel free to ask if you want to know more!

On Friday we found out what schools we will be serving at this year! NWS was my first choice, so I was happy to be chosen for this team! I'll give you some info on NWS.. The attendance rate is 82%, suspension rate is 69%, and Reading and Math for 6th-8th grade are all below the 50% percentile. This school has seen it's challenges and has become one of 11 schools in milwaukee called a "turnaround school" receiving federal funds, a new principal, and no more than 50% of its teachers allowed to return from last year. I know this school will be one of the most challenging, which is why I chose it. I want to work with the kids with behavior problems who might not have the needed support at home from their parents. I want to show them that I believe in them, care about them, and see their potential. It will be tough, but I trust that it is where God wants me and He wants to use me there.

I also want to talk about one of the activities we did at camp called the Privilege Line. How it works is that everybody stands on a single line and then the leaders call out 70+ statements, and if they apply to you, you take one step forward or back. Some of the statements included, step forward if your parents have a job that requires a college degree, step forward if you have ever attended a private school or summer camp, take a step back if you ever had to miss a meal because your parents didn't have the money, take a step back if you grew up in a single parent home, etc. It was incredible to see the diversity in our group when the activity was finished, and I walked away from it thinking "who am I to have been born into such privilege?" I didn't do anything to "deserve" being born into a privileged family who loves me. Why me? Why wasn't I born into unfortunate circumstances or with parents who don't support me or love me?

This world is so messed up. In a perfect world, everybody would have equal access to food, health, and love. But we live in a broken world. The world is full of sin and people taking more for themselves than they need in order to feel powerful and successful.. and people not loving others. In some way, whether we realize it or not, taking more than necessary affects the baby who is born with nothing.. who's parents are tempted to steal in order to provide for their family. It's a staggering and overwhelming thing to think about..

We talked about this idea of a "beloved community" that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about and how we can have this kind of "beloved community." I think what it would take to have this community is that everybody would have to value the same thing: putting others above themselves and sacrificing things for the sake of the community as a whole all for a single purpose: bringing glory to God. I don't think it's possible without Christ, and I don't think it's possible on this side of Heaven.. because we can do all the service we want and put others above ourselves and make that choice for ourselves.. but we can't convince other people to do the same. Only Christ can change hearts. And as long as there is still sin and self-gain, a perfect beloved community cannot exist. I don't mean to be a Debby Downer, and I'm not saying we shouldn't strive for a beloved community.. but without Christ, the effort is in vain. It makes me long for Heaven and a perfect community where there is no pain and everybody is loved all the time because we will be in perfect relationship with God.

Well I talked at you a lot just now. I would love to hear any responses to my thoughts and won't be offended if they are different. I like talking about this stuff with people, so by all means, let me know if you have something to say about this! =]

One Year Later.. City Year

So I haven't done much blogging (or any at all for that matter) this past year. Here are a few highlights: I graduated from UW-La Crosse in Therapeutic Recreation with a minor in Psychology, completed a 16 week internship for TR in the Spring at Bethany St. Joseph's Care Center, and got accepted to an AmeriCorps program called City Year in Milwaukee. For the next 10 months I will be tutoring kids in the classroom (I don't know what grade yet) who need some extra help to succeed. The program is aimed at the dropout crisis from high schools across America, which in Milwaukee is about 40%. I'll also be participating in community service projects to enhance the schools and community of Milwaukee. I am excited to begin, and I figured it would be a good time to become a better blogger so my friends/family can know what exactly I'm doing. We'll see how it goes!

I have almost all of my stuff moved to Milwaukee, and our house is beginning to look like home! I absolutely love the neighborhood we're living in.. there's so much diversity! (At least more than I'm used to in La Crosse.) College students, families, professors, older people, black people, white people, etc. all living in the same area! It's surprisingly refreshing to be surrounded by people different than me. I enjoy sitting on our porch and seeing everybody walk past. =]

Tuesday was registration day for City Year, and I got to meet a few fellow corps members. Although a lot of the day was spent doing paperwork and other important things, there were get-to-know-you games mixed in, which reminded me of camp. I am a fan of the cheesey camp stuff, so I think it will be a good time. =] I kept thinking the whole day that in 10 months I am going to know a lot of these people really well, and it is probably going to be hard to say good-bye to them, so I better cherish the memories as they come.

Anyway, I'll move to Milwaukee for good on Sunday, and City Year Basic Training starts on Monday! We'll be doing a service project and then going to a camp for a few days later in the week for some team building. Meeting and getting to know that many people will probably wear me out, so prayers for energy and the capacity to build relationships with my team would be appreciated!

Oh man, I almost just lost everything I wrote, but thanks to the "back" arrow, it came back! I better submit this before I mess up something else. I'll become an expert blogger one day, just watch. ;}