Saturday, April 25, 2009

IALHEA Youth and Social Justice Conference and sound bite: networking is the key to being successful.

The event was very inspirational and motivating. I love seeing young people do something to help their communities. It shows the promise in these students, as well as, their leadership skills. This conference fostered these young students’ achievements. Being in the audience along with students from the early outreach program, I felt honored to be presented with these students’ projects that are committed to their passion for change.

The two workshops that I chose to go to were about Gentrification, Housing, and Youth in Logan Square and the other was about The Dream Act. I learned a lot of new and interesting information in each. I was able to connect with the students and other participants. The documentary that was shown by two Latino students from Kelvyn Park High School on gentrification in Logan square was phenomenal. I was able to talk to them and exchange contact information, so I can have them present their project to my students this summer for Each One Teach One. I was also able to get information from the Latinos Progresando/ College-Bound Youth Group about there upcoming events and there plans of petitioning to get The Dream Act passed.

A group of young men are juniors at Roberto Clemente High School, off of Division in Humboldt Park, created a project at their school to unite the African American students and the Latino students. These men were very bright and articulate. They kept our attention by giving us a description of their intentions with their project and the changes they’ve seen since they began their project. Just like the other group from Logan square, I was able to ask them to talk to my students this summer. All were very excited and very flattered. I believe that everyone should be aware of what they have done. We had a different experience when talking to each group; however, talking to the students showed us that the event was successful in fulfilling their goals was uplifting and inspiring young African American and Latino students.


I was able to make a lot of connections at this conference for my organization. The most important thing I learned in class is that networking is the key to being successful. It funny how this small this world is and how important networking really is. Usually one Friday a month, the manager team of Each One Teach One gets together to get updates on our progress, Our last meeting a lady that happened to be listening in on our meeting was able to talk to Janisse and get information for her son to be apart of the program, but the was I was positioned I actually didn't get to see her face. Today at the conference in one of the workshops. I met a lady who is a grad student at Governors University in communications. She was talking about a back to school event that she holds every year, so I was able to connect with her on that. She notice that I was affiliated with Each One Teach One and we realized that she was the same women listening in on our meeting. lol.

At the beginning of the semester i was very timid about stepping outside my comfort zone. I was very reserved when it came to completing a new task; however I have gone tremendously. I am no willing to stepping outside of my comfort zone to get thing done because if I don't how else would it get done. I have learned that I have to take more responsibility in the things I do and don't expect anyone else to complete my task. I am getting better at planning and creating an agenda. I have gotten better at time management. I know carry around a planner with all my appointments and my to do list for the week. I am know able to be more forward to get something that I want. I don't make haste to do things anymore. I take my time and thoroughly think about what I want to do and how I will get it done. I learn that hard times is amazing when i am having a hard day or week. I have now found my calling in youth development and/or social work. My goal at the beginning of the semester was to start my own non profit organization, but i have realized why i should start my own... when i can work with someone Else's organization and build from there. This is no point in starting a new organization when there are others out here that need guidance in completing their own goals and objective. i will be a blessing to someone else. The whole planning wall and first steps was a new concept for me, but it was easy to understand. i am going to teach my students a lot of things that i have learned in class and conduct a lot of workshops we did in class. I like that this class was straight forward to the point. There was no room for BS in this class and it help us learn that we can't just do minimal work and expect to succeed in life. We have to bust our bust to make a change in our own lives and other, but we have to do what is needed to make that happen. We can;t sit around and believe that everything will be handed to us. We have to to go search for what we want and pursue it. We can have people along the way that will push us in the right direction, but we have to do the "dirty" work on our own. we have to want the things we want in like and go for it. Today at the conference a saying by a man name Allen Bryson has encouraged me tremendously, "Remember to 1) learn something, 2) teach someone, 3) become someone, and 4) change someplace." This wasn't much about this class that i didn't like because as frustrated as i was with trying to complete all my interview, it was assigned to me for my own good. it pushed me to be more open and aggressive towards people. I hated every bit of it in the beginning, but after each interview the next one got easier and was always refer ed to someone else to help me out. i just had to make the effort to find those people who would actually sit down with and openly talk about their success and how i will be successful too. Leadership for change should be a bigger class because i feel students should be grouped together by there goals and create a project and present it at the end of the semester. A project that could be implemented in our comm unites. I know this idea may be too much for a class, but it would be fun to see projects that students have done. it shows there leadership and the motivation for change. If high school students can do it, we can too.


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Business Meeting

In the meeting this week, I have ask my roommate to keep on me about completing all my work for the end of the semester. She is usually good at checking up on me and making sure that I'm staying focused, but I need her to be super duper tough on me. She is my personal nagger. Imma regret this later on because she is a good nagger. She bugs me now with all the nagging about doing my work and not having the T.V. on at the same time. She has agreed to make sure that I cut all ties with my T.V. and Facebook for the rest of the semester.

Keanae has her handsful as well. She has plenty of test and quizzes to study for and i'm going to make sure that she studys hard. I have set up times with her every night to study nonstop for an hour per subject for the rest of the semester. Along with the non stop studying, i have been told to confiscate her phone. She talks non stop on her phone and it becomes her biggest distraction. We are shooting for all "A's."

Sunday Meeting

I sat down had some "me" time. This Sunday I realized how much I have gotten accomplish; however, I feel so behind. Last week I did slack off on completing my theory paper, but my first step for this week was to get halfway done with my paper; I did that in one day. I was able to send out e mails to students interested in my non profit org and I received three of those e-mails back. I decided that will accomplish everything that I need to do. There have been e-mails that I have not got responses to, so I made sure to write down that I needed to resend those e-mails during the week. I have resent those e-mails and have one person respond back. On my list, I included my plans of continuing to do my research paper, even though it hasn't been assigned yet, I needed to e-mail Angela about talking to someone at her son's school; accomplished that. I think that the Sunday planning helped me get more organized, even though I have a planner to let me remember things I need to do. I was able to go back over my planner and make sure tha ti got everythign done and add more things to my list.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Steps...

It is getting harder and harder accomplishing my goals. Everything is not working out the way it is suppose to be. I'm trying to graduate on time, but i can't do that unless I pass this SOC 385 class this semester. This classis kicking my butt. I said i would attempt to get halfway done with my paper and I've done that, but i'm getting so discouraged. I don't want to feel like this anymore. Hopefully I will get a good grade on this next paper. To stay positive I constatntly have to tell myself.. I WILL PASS THIS CLASS. EVEN IF IT KILLS ME. I won;t let it stress me out. God know I don't need anymore stress in my life. I CAN DO THIS. I WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Steps

It is getting a little hard completing all my steps. This are just getting so stressful and I can't focus much anymore. I'm trying to keep my good grades so I can graduate on time which is one of my steps

Buddy System

My buddy is my roommate Keanae. We usually use this buddy system and didn't even realize it. This time our meeting was a little bit more scheduled. She was there for me during my hard times... and vice versa. We plan to talk again next week tuesday at the same time. I like the buddy system

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

First Steps

I'm in the process on completing website for my internship. I am now looking for people to proof read my information and critique my website.

Besides that i have successfully worked with a partnership with U of C for my program. Also, this weekend while I was volunteering at the Boys and Girl club, I was able to talk to the program director about partnership with my program I work with, Each One Teach One. I talked to him about office space and recruitment of his students for our program this summer. He is willing to work together as a team to make a change in these young peoples lives. I am currently working with him and negotiating.