Last Service Learning Day

Thursday was my last day working at NGR as a service learner. I had pulled an all-nighter wednesday night to write a paper and I was pretty loopy. I spent some time harvesting arugula and green onions at the Wise Words Community Garden, and then I spent some time packing and labeling things for the baskets. Brock (the executive director) ordered the Nola Green Roots veggie pizza from PizzaCare for us for lunch and it was soooo good. It had beets, arugula, pesto and some other stuff on it. If your ever in the mood for a good pizza hit up Pizzacare on Tulane they are big supporters of NGR and get their veggies from us. Anyways, I told them I would be happy to continue volunteering for them when I can, and off course I am an official member and get my basket full of fruits and veggies twice a month. Two new people had just been hired during my last week and I think the organization finally found some people who will fit in nicely and do some good stuff (they had some turnover issues during this semester). That's really all I suppose. Going to write my paper now! Woohoo!

Frustration

I don't know about you guys, but often times I have felt a bit frustrated with my service learning site because I feel as though they expect way more out of me than I can really provide, especially with having a full time job, trying to make ends meet, and going to school full time as well. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the work that I have done this semester and feel as though I have truly made a difference, but I have often times been overwhelmed with the expectations that have been placed on my shoulders.

I went in knowing that I was going to be "Coordinator of Computer Literacy" for the semester, but the job description wasn't necessarily thoroughly thought out nor discussed. At times, when I felt lost, I feel as though students (as well as other volunteers who I was overseeing) would get frustrated with me because I may not have known something, thus causing me to become frustrated with myself and, at times, with those who run the organization. Over time, I have become much more chilled out and comfortable with my job and that frustrates me too only because it's nearing the end of my time there and I FINALLY got the hang of everything.

Oh well, I guess it's a working progress for all, but this has definitely taught me to be much more patient and open-minded. As I've said before, despite frustrations, I will definitely miss working with my incredible students.

Peace.

Deck the shelves

NGR is on its way to opening a store at its main offices where it will sell plants, fresh fruits and vegetables, and homemade food items such as tarragon infused olive oils, pestos, and hibiscus tea. I am very interested to see what happens when the store opens. I feel like the market the store is going to appeal to are the yuppy hippies (like me, I mean lets admit it). And so they will be buying things, supporting the mission of the non-profit, which is getting fresh foods into neighborhoods that desperately need it. This model for non-profits, self-sustaining, is definitely a good one in these days of decrease donations and fierce competition for grants. But I would also be interested to see, because of its location and the ED's connection with the community, if the store builds a consumer base of the low-income residents of the New Orleans neighborhoods plagued by food deserts. I am sure it will end up a mixture of both, as the coop in the marigny is becoming. And this mixture may be the most important thing that comes out of these types of ventures; bringing together people of different means, different beliefs, races etc.

Gender Socialization and "Sexualization"

I wanted to share this article with you all. Studying gender is another academic interest of mine. Recently I was doing some research with a professor on the "sexualization of girl's clothing" from the early 1990s until present day. I came across this article which discusses the sexualization of toys. Cuuuh-razzzy!

http://www.beautyredefined.net/my-sexy-little-pony-how-toddlers-are-taught-sex-appeal/

Update

So, things are still going fairly well at my service learning site. I am continuing to love the daily interactions with my students, as they always have new stories to tell me. I had a conversation with a lady who migrated from Scotland to the United States in the 1940s and how she quickly adjusted to being "white" in America. I think yall may know this already, but my passion is learning and discussing race, racism, and white privilege in America and it was just interesting to hear someone explain to me how you "become white" in the United States. We went on to discuss her experiences witnessing (not necessarily first hand) the Civil Rights Movement (I obviously told her my academic interests which is why this discussion started in the first place). She vividly remembers hearing about Little Rock Nine, MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, sit ins, Montgomery Bus Boycott, etc.

It was interesting to hear about this from someone who is not a person of color (or a white person) because I don't often hear the opinions and feelings whites might have about this since today race is not considered an issue anymore (read Tim Wise's "Colorblind" or "White Like Me" and it'll deeper into the belief that race is no longer an issue and is a thing of the past). She made it a point to let me know that she was for racial integration-- mainly because she's religious and believes that God made everyone to be equal and have the same rights. We went on to talk about Ruby Bridges and the things she witnessed during that time as well.

There are ALWAYS interesting conversations at IWCC and I am really going to miss interacting with these awesome individuals on a regular basis.

See yall tomorrow!

If ONLY work ethic was the problem...

Check this out.

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/newt-and-trump-announce-will-turn-poor-children-into-apprentices.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

Nonprofit Frustrations

Like I always say, I love working at the Hope Lodge, and volunteering there has really made me feel like I could work at a place like this one day! But like any work place and organization there are some frustrations. I have also learned that when you're working with a nonprofit, especially one that is national or global and more corporation-like, there comes with it more rules to follow, and red tape to keep you from doing what you really think is best for the people you serve. For example, the Hope Lodge is just one of many Hope Lodges around the world that are funded and run by the American Cancer Society. This is great in so many ways, but it also means that more and more rules are made and enforced in order to avoid running into problems.

One of the biggest events is the annual Homecoming, which is a gathering of present and past guests to have a night of great service, a nice dinner, and entertainment. People work so hard to make it happen for the guests (which are usually around 100 people), and one of the most anticipated parts is the Silent Auctions. Businesses and other donors love to give nice items and every year they send the items months in advance, specifically for the silent auction. But sadly, this year, even after many people have already donated items, ACS has said we can't do the silent auction because it's technically raising money on Hope lodge property, which isn't allowed because it is a non-profit. I understand the restriction, but it's still frustrating that something people love to give to and what guests look forward to every year can't happen because of a silly rule. I'm sure my view is flawed in some ways, and I'm sorry if this sounds bitter, it's just something I've observed and I wanted to share it.

4H?

Tuesday at Anna's we broke away from our usual routine and had a guest 4H teacher come in to have a session with the kids. Instead of feeding the kids dinner and getting them back to working on their homework directly after, they got to eat their dinner as a lesson was taught by our guest teacher. Growing up, I was never a part of any type of program like Anna's Arts, and I don't think I had ever heard of 4H. I feel that the demographic of the students at St. Anna's is ideal for a program such as 4H because I know that these kids benefit from the subject matter. Our guest 4H teacher, Ms. Susan (who was great and very well-liked by the kids), had prepared an interactive lesson that taught the kids the ins and outs of good health and good hygiene. It is sad, but many of our kids come to us with stained clothes that obviously were not washed, hair that is dirty and un-groomed, and many of our students have evident signs of decaying teeth. It is easy to over look these little things once you are working with the child and getting to know them, however, it is such a touchy subject that I don't think any of the volunteers feel comfortable mentioning anything to the student or to the parents when they come to pick them up. Obviously, we don't want to offend anyone or make implications that parents are negligent. I honestly believe that most of it is just that the families don't have the means to pay to wash clothes, buy toothpaste, etc. so these things have been put on the back burner. The great thing about Ms. Susan's visit was that the kids learned basic hygiene standards like showering or bathing every day, cutting your finger and toe nails, washing your hands often, brushing your teeth, and so on. At the end of her lesson she even did a little quiz about things she went over and gave kids the chance to win prizes such as hand sanitizer, toothbrushes and toothpaste, floss, shampoo, and many others. Overall I think it was one of the most beneficial days for the kids!

Chauffeur for the day

When I went to do my service work on Tuesday I got to do something different than I normally do. Normally I work at the desk, and do little chores around the Hope Lodge, but I got approved to be a driver for the shuttle. The shuttle is one of the most helpful aspects that the Lodge offers because a lot of people come to stay during their cancer treatment and can't afford to bring their cars, so they're stuck in a new place without a way to get around. The shuttle brings those without cars all over New Orleans to their appointments (which can be downtown or in Metairie or anywhere else) and then they call and we pick them back up. Also, even though we're not supposed to, we bring them to the grocery store and other places to pick up the necessities because it's one of the only ways they can get the things they need. I really enjoyed doing this yesterday because it allowed me to talk to the patients one-on-one and hear their story, and when there were multiple people I got to hear about all of the things that they had to go through that day, and just to be a listening ear.

Also, on December 10th, we're having a Homecoming for all of the patients who stayed there to return and see the friends they made while they were there. So if anyone is interested in volunteering let me know!!

Front lines vs. Behind the scene

Just did some more development related work for NGR. Turns out the last development lady quit (nobody told me, I was so confused about where she went!) and they just hired a new person. He graduated from my high school three years before me, then Loyola. He is like practically my age! It gives me confidence, hope. I can do this type of work! I am qualified (or will be shortly when I get that stupid piece of paper). Anyways, that makes me feel good. I drafted up a donation request letter and did some research on an Americorps grant we want to apply for. Grant writing is SO complicated and frustrating. Especially federal grants. They are certainly not going to make it easy to get that money- no such thing as a free lunch. For real. I don't know why I am attracted to this kind of work. Maybe because it puts me in pressure situations, where I work best. Maybe because its so vital- non profits don't exist without their grant writers. Maybe because its almost like a puzzle that must be figured out. Maybe because I would rather decipher contorted directions than deal with the actual people suffering from social injustice face to face. Being behind a desk in an office is easier psychologically then being out there on the front lines of non-profit work. Interesting things to think about, eh?

Workin in da garden

This morning I went to Wise Words Community Garden and harvested for an hour. There was a NOLA Green Roots member there and I really should have struck up a conversation with her, she seemed very nice. But it was very early (7 am) and I was in a pensive mood. We harvested arugula, green onions, mustard greens and some peppers. I wish I had talked to the member because it was my chance to try to get to know the group of people NOLA Green Roots serves. Alas, hopefully I will have another chance. I went back in the afternoon and did some office work; reorganized their filling system, added events to their online calendar. I learned today that NOLA Green Roots is going to build another garden, to be run and managed by a private development company. This is the model which the ED wants to use to expand the business; NOLA Green Roots uses their expertise to build and start community gardens which it then hands over to be run by someone else. This is truly aligned with their mission; building sustainable communities through gardens. Right now NOLA Green Roots has built three gardens and manages them all (from which they get veggies and stuff for their members). But I think we need gardens everywhere! So using their expertise to start new gardens is a great idea.

Ahh... I think I may have ran him away.

The last week has been pretty crazy for me! First, our enrollment has doubled-- we started off with about 6 or 7 students overall and now have about 14 that come. It's crrrrrazy! Thankfully, there are some other volunteers who are covering other shifts throughout the day. Initially, I was the only instructor, working Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am until 12:30pm. Now, because of this insane upward motion (of students), we now have a Monday morning shift (8:30am-12:30pm) and Tuesday/Thursday afternoon shifts (2pm-4pm). Again, thankfully we have some other dedicated folks that are willing to come in and help out. Otherwise, we would have to turn students away and that's DEFINITELY not what we want to do.

As discussed in class a couple of weeks ago, I was having trouble with one of the students who was saying some unnecessary things about other students in the class. Well, I took your advice and confronted him about the issue. I was very polite about it, and I was definitely extremely professional. For the most part, I THOUGHT he took it well, but then I assumed he didn't because he was not showing up to class after that. Well, this past week, I was informed that he formally withdrew himself from the program-- without an explanation. Now, I'm sitting here feeling completely terrible about the whole thing. Did I run him away or something? I talked to my boss about it and she said that these kinds of things are bound to happen and suggested that I not sweat it. Well, being the education advocate that I am, I can't help but feel bad at the fact that I may have run someone off-- meaning, I took away their education (in a way...????).

Anyway, with finals around the corner, I am excited to be almost done with my service learning! I AM EXHAUSTED! However, I will definitely miss my students and co-workers and I plan on working with them again when I return from England next year!

Peace,

J.C.

WWLTV St. Anna's link

sorry, forgot to attach it! Here's the story link:

http://www.wwltv.com/on-tv/wwltv-reporters/paul-murphy/Treme-Church-Vandalized-With-Hate-Messages-Graffiti-134151083.html

Vandalism

This past Thursday at Anna's Arts was very exciting. I knew it was going to be a big day because our director had notified all of us that the primary funders of the Anna's Arts program were coming to check up on the effectiveness of the program. However, I was really shocked when I pulled up to the church and saw a WWLTV van in the parking lot. I went in and was informed that St. Anna's chapel had been victim to a hate crime just a few hours earlier. The church doors are unlocked during daylight hours for parishioners to come in a pray, and apparently, Thursday, the church had some uninvited visitors. People came in and carved swastikas into wood work, drew swastikas and racial slurs onto prayer cards, and desecrated a statue of an angel by breaking its fingers off and marking it with graffiti. It was extremely unreal that this happened. I'm not sure why this was done, they possibly were mocking the episcopalian church for its accepting nature of varying races, genders, and sexual orientations. Whatever the case, it was definitely unnecessary and created for a very hectic day with the kids! I hope the funders were pleased with what they saw, but with a TV crew in the middle of one of our classrooms our kids were very hyped up! Anyways, I'm sure I will hear whats going to happen with our funding, and hopefully it is good news!

Also, here is the link for the WWLTV story on the vandalism:

In the Kitchen at Anna's

Today for service learning, instead of working with the kids on their homework like I usually do, I worked in the kitchen making dinner. The volunteer that usually does the cooking wasn't there today, so kitchen duty was all mine. Before today I never realized how much work goes in to feeding 20-25 kids. The director, Katie, plans the meals, and she really puts a lot of work into feeding the kids a healthy, balanced meal. I spent basically the entire three hours today in the tiny St. Anna's kitchen just to prepare all of the food and clean the pots and pans. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it.
As the kids waited in their little line and got their plates and thanked me for the meal it really made me feel good. At first I didn't feel like me cooking was going to be a big deal, but it definitely was. Katie thanked me over and over again because cooking for that many people is not an easy task, and apparently, no one really likes to take it on. I feel really good about today, and I feel like I really was a big help.

Zen of Green Onions

I suppose I am cutting the green onions so that New Orleanians without regular access to fresh foods can have the health (and soul) benefits of fresh, healthy, locally grown foods. That is the big picture. Also, it is quite meditative to do repetitive motions like that for periods of time.

When I was living on the Ashram in Virginia we all had to work in the kitchen or housekeeping a few hours a week, I loved working the cutting veggies shift. You could meditate while you worked! It was good for the soul. Working in the garden is also good for the soul, and that is one of the things NOLA Green Roots provides garden members- the chance to do some meditative communing with good ol' mother nature.

I spent today harvesting a ton of arugula from the Wise Words garden in Mid City. It is beautiful, there are tons of beds bursting with stuff and a huge chicken coop with little ladies prancing all around. The arugula spelled wonderful as I harvested it. My back was killing me in about 1 minute though, and I thought about people who have to do backbreaking labor like harvesting all day everyday. I thought about migrant workers, and sharecroppers back in the day. I said a little prayer (or whatever you might want to call it) giving gratitude for all the amazing opportunities I have had in life, and tried to send a little positive energy out into the universe.

Changing it up

I haven't been doing any development work lately, for some reason. I have the sneaking suspicion that Deidre, the development lady, is avoiding me. I have been doing basket prep and garden work lately. I like this work cause it doesn't tax my brain so much, but its hard to make the connection with social justice when I spend 3 hours cutting green onions.

More on what I was talking about it class: I am perplexed by the executive director. He is intelligent, a good businessman. A terrible communicator. And weird. I feel like with my limited experience I could teach him some things about being a boss and a communicator.

Things I have been wondering about: NOLA Green Roots is combatting food deserts and building sustainable communities through gardens. I wonder, of all there members and volunteers, how many are actually the at-risk communities the non-profit proposes to help. When I worked at Global Green, we found that the people who were gonna work with us or who were interested in what we were doing weren't the same people we were targeting (as, were not poor or working class). You have to make a real concerted effort to reach that group, and I wonder if NOLA Green Roots is being succesfull at that.

Income Inequality

http://video.pbs.org/video/2160792049

Really interesting video on income inequality.

AWESOME video "A Call to Men"

In case you guys have never heard of TedTalks, this site shows lectures of all kinds. Since last week and this week's lessons focus on "gender," I thought I'd share this great video on "masculinity" and what is expected of men. It's a bit long, but it's great!

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1PbsV6B80&feature=player_embedded

Let me know what yall think!

Service Learning this week - Opening up a new world!

Each week, my service learning experience gets more and more exciting! This week, my students have been working on how to navigate the internet, but more particularly, how to use sites like google and bing in order to use other sites and gain valuable information. You guys should have seen the glow on their faces! It’s like they were introduced to a new world! It was amazing. Many of them had never heard of google or bing. (Of course, I assumed that everyone at least knew about the sites.) Taking it slowly, I showed them that sites like google and bing will open up new horizons. I explained to them that using these sites was like going to the grocery store, going to the produce section, and having the opportunity to choose your favorite tomato (out of 100 of them). Thank God it made sense to them because when I explained it to my friends, they seemed confused. Haha.

Another thing that we focused on was using online maps—i.e.: google maps and mapquest. When I explained what these sites do, again, they were so excited. Apparently some were still using the maps you buy in stores. This, of course, makes it easier on them as they can go from A directly to B (by using search engines and what not). One student mentioned that she would use this for her weekend trip. I was thrilled.

I’m not sure if I told you guys what site we use to learn the material. We are using a program called LearnerWeb (www.neworleans.learnerweb.org). You won’t be able to look at it without signing in, but if this might be something that interests you, let me know and I will give you my log in information so that you can play with it!

Again, each week gets more interesting. This week, by seeing the excitement in my students’ faces, the fact that I am making a true difference in someone’s life was reconfirmed yet again.

Until next time,

J.C.

Peace.

Defining Race

Hey guys! Check this out. This highlights the fact that race is a social construct!

http://www.good.is/post/defining-race-has-never-been-easy/

Heartbreaking Story

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141672992/native-foster-care-lost-children-shattered-families

LISTEN TO THIS STORY! It is a little long but worth it. A heartbreaking story about institutionalized racism against Native Americans. Makes me sad to be a part of a country where we still can't manage to learn our lessons after hundreds of years.

Service learning update 10/17- 10/21

This past week of service learning was by far the most enjoyable yet. It gets easier each day. I now feel completely a part of the Anna’s Arts program; the kids expect to see me on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the directors and teachers of the program rely on me those days. I feel like I really am contributing, and it feels awesome.

On Thursday I had an experience with one of the students that I will never forget. I had been working with this particular third grade boy on his homework since he got to our program directly after school that day. At his school the teachers give out packets every Monday and the entire packet is due by that Friday, so we were working our way through, as usual, trying to finish everything up. The last thing we do is to go over spelling words, his least favorite area of study. It was about 6:40 by that time, and the kids leave at 7. I called out his first word, and he was very hesitant to spell it, as usual; however, that day was worse than most, and he actually started crying. I asked what was wrong and he told me, “What about my project?” It was then I found out that he had a major project due the next day that counted as 25% of his reading grade; it required him to make a display board of a favorite family recipe and write a paragraph of why it was his favorite. With his current grades, failure to complete the assignment would lead to him failing reading. I had to get the director of the program, and together we walked the student home, and talked with him and his grandmother (his primary caretaker). He was hysterical by this point, and we found out that he couldn’t do the project because his grandmother not only could not afford the materials required to make it, but also could not read; therefore, she was unable to help him with his “family recipe” project. The grandmother did not seem phased by this at all as she stood there with a 40 oz. in her hand; it was really heartbreaking. Luckily, the director of our program was able to contact his school, get him an extension, and he will finish the project with us at Anna’s Arts next week. So many of these kids are so victimized by their circumstances, and at Anna’s Arts we are trying to teach them to break the cycle.

Week of Oct 19th

Over the fall break my roommate and I went to Wendy's to have a quick dinner before going out. We drove over from school and parked in the parking lot around 7:30pm. Starving, we raced to get inside Wendy's to order first. We walked in, got right in to the queue, which was empty, ordered and proceeded to wait for our food. I noticed two guys coming in (black guys) through the front door. They weren't particularly intimidating, nor threatening but something very odd happened. We heard a voice come across their microphone system:

"WE ARE RECORDING AUDIO AND VIDEO FROM THIS WENDY'S AT ALL TIMES. ACTIVE MONITORING OF THIS WENDY'S LOCATION IS 24/7." Or something to that effect...

Having heard the announcement, the girl at the cash register hit a button and responded, "No baby, we good."

The two guys looked at each other and responded "What the f*ck? I guess we some real gangsta ass (n bomb)'s"

The two guys ordered their food, at which time one of them got a call from a girlfriend/girl who seemed upset that he had to work late tonight. They ate their food, and left.

This was easily one of the most racist things I've ever seen, my roommate and I could have walked in with the intention of suicide bombing Wendy's and there would've been no announcement. The two guys walk in and INSTANTLY, as if a panic button was pressed, there was an alert from the security company.

Update on SL

Hey guys!

My service learning is going pretty well, though it's not exactly what I expected. I truly enjoy being one of the computer literacy coordinators and love working with the people I help regularly. Going into this service learning project I kind of had assumed what I was going to expect: I thought that I would be working with middle-aged African Americans who are wanting to learn how to use a computer for leisure purposes and to have that back them up professionally (The reason I assumed African Americans is because of the New Orleans population and I viewed data that included drop out rates and what not.

This, by far, is not the turn out. Thus far I have 4 white students (3 of which are over the age of 70 and 1 of which is in between 60-70 years old), 3 African Americans (1 of which is in his 50s and two of which are above 65 years of age) and one Latina who is in her late 30s. Each of these individuals have their own specific reasons as to why they are taking computer literacy courses. Some are in the class to gain more knowledge on the use of internet, some are wanting to learn everything from using a mouse to navigating the internet, and others (like two of my older white ladies) use this time to interact with others, well because they don't have much to do. (They seem to not necessarily have a keen interest on ACTUALLY using a computer-- they enjoy talking to me! Haha!)

It's crazy that I assumed that I would be interacting with people who have had little to no educational background, and again, that isn't the case. 7 of the 8 students have college degrees, some including master's degrees.

I am actually really excited to continue working with them and learning why, in fact, they're participating in the classes (besides learning to use a computer). It seems to me that many of them are here to socialize with others who might have had the same learning experiences as them when younger. I don't know... I guess we'll see what happens! There's always something new at Incarnate Word Community Center!

Until next time,

J.C.

PS - This is my update for last week. I won't be doing SL this week since I'll be going out of town.

Peace.

10/12

Yesterday, the US government thwarted a plan by a group of Iranian special forces in conjunction with Mexican gangs to assassinate the ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The terrorist had plotted to use a "WMD" to blow up the Saudi embassy in Washington, thus killing the Ambassador and all in the building.

If it comes out that the Iranian government, in particular the higher ups, planned this assassination, what do you think will happen in the coming months? What will the US do in response is there is conclusive evidence of this? Had the plot been successful would that (like 9/11) be grounds for a Just War, in regard to that theory?

Class and Race: Video in New Orleans post-Katrina

I happened to find this sequence of videos today that correlates with our reading on Class, Race, and Hurricane Katrina. Here's the link if you guys would like to check it out.

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/new-orleans-totally-fixed-1

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/new-orleans-totally-fixed-2

Children with troubled pasts, and the adults in their lives

After a few weeks working with Girls Hope, I have gotten to know a little bit about the children, their families, and the women living in the home with these girls. The 8 girls living in the home are being raised and taken care of by just a handful of 20 something year old women, not very unlike myself. It has lead me to take a step back and wonder what kind of impact that has on these girls who are in a vital stage of their lives for growing and maturing. I was able to talk to one of the "house moms" about this and was really a great help for me to understand this odd and unconventional home life. The children accepted into Boys Hope Girls Hope go through a rigorous application period, lasting months, which prepares them mentally for what they are about to take part in. She explained to me that, although there are definfetly sometime problems within the home, the children and young adults in the program all understand that they were chosen to be here because they have something special about them. These boys and girls were chosen because their situations at home were not permitting them to fully exercise their intellectual abilities.

Being a part of Boys Hope Girls Hope calls for a lot of committment from the children and young adults in the program. They are away from their families for the majority of their week and are living with people who were once strangers to them, but in an odd way, now their family. This family model of the organization is what makes it so special. The house moms have expressed to me how hard it sometimes to be the authority figure when they are not so far passed childhood themselves, but that it is a challenging and rewarding role.

NOLA Green Roots Zoning problem

In my urban politics class yesterday we were talking about the number one thing a city has control over- land use. Favorable zoning and land use laws bring businesses into the city, which provide a tax base and jobs. New Orleans is currently working on revamping the zoning all over the city, and NOLA Green Roots might be in trouble. We have a compost center, and under the new zoning laws, unless the land is zoned industrial, we might not be able to have it anymore. Yesterday I wrote a letter to the city asking for consideration when changing the zoning laws as related to urban gardens and farms. I thought about the fact that if we were a business, paying big taxes and created jobs, that we would easily have the ear of someone important in the city. As a non-profit, who doesn't pay taxes and serves a virtually invisible population (low-income people), we might not get the attention we deserve. But I think in New Orleans right now there is a upsurge in awareness about social problems and all the non-profits have been acknowledged as a vital part of the city's rebuilding and renewal process. I have been so proud to be a part of the non-profit world for the last few years!

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

I've often talked about how working at the Hope Lodge keeps you grounded. As you meet all of these people, who are so resilient and are fighting for their lives, you realize how blessed you are to just be alive. I see them every day, but the ones that break my heart the most are the children. They come in each day after their treatment, and all I can think is that no one deserves to suffer through cancer, but for these children, cancer is almost all they've known for most of their lives. Today a little girl walked out of the elevator with her dad, with her mask over her mouth, and even through all that she goes through she was so excited to walk across the street to play on the levee. That little girl (and her parents) are stronger than I'll ever be. I know this is kind of a depressing thing to talk about, but that's all I could think about today during my service work. It's discouraging, and yet encouraging at the same time to keep me volunteering.

Night Out Against Crime

Today at Anna's Arts for my service learning, we set up a booth for this event at the corner of Rampart and Elysian Fields. The turn out was disappointingly small, but those who did show up were students of Anna's Arts and their relatives. We had a good time!

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/07/in_new_orleans_area_at_least_n.html

Donor Relations

Elizabeth is right: raising money is REALLY important in non-profit work. The last time I was at NOLA Green Roots I helped draft donor letters. Thank you letters to donors, letters asking donors to give another donation, letters to businesses asking for donations of goods. It might not seem like this is rewarding like working with the client population might be, but in a weird way it is. I went to a development workshop once and the woman leading it said the main reason people support non-profits is to feel like they are part of something. Donor relations is very important therefore- you have to do a lot to make the donor feel like your non-profit is the right one, and then after they donate you have to maintain that relationship so they feel like they are a part of a good thing. The letters I wrote asking for donations were for a store NOLA Green Roots is trying to open up that will sell plants and homemade goods made by members from garden products (like herb infused olive oils yumm!). I agonized over those letters, to make just the right impression, to insure that our real message came across, and I really feel responsible for if the store can open or not. When I do see the store up and running one day, I can't imagine how proud I will feel!!!

Giving Hope

I learn something new every time I do my service work, and this is what I learned yesterday: At the Hope Lodge, and pretty much any place that does work for those in need, raising money is a huge deal. I've learned that you have to be a pretty creative person when you work at a nonprofit because you're always thinking about new fundraisers, ways to get the word out there, getting the people you help more encouraged, and so many other things. You are a man/woman of all trades, as opposed to doing one job each day. Every day is something new, and you never really know what is going to be demanded of you, but you have to be up for it and willing to give it your best whether you like it or not. For example, yesterday instead of visiting with the patients and doing my normal work I was asked to laminate a bunch of papers and tape them on signs for a the Walk for Life. Normally that job seems like it would be super boring, but because I knew what I was doing it for, and because the energy was so positive around me, it was pretty fun. When I was at the Hope Lodge yesterday the directors were all discussing how much their job keeps them grounded; it is a constant reminder to always be grateful for what you have, life can always be worse. There is always something to be thankful for, and there are always people who can use your gifts for something good.

CourtWatchers Observations

Over the past couple internships, and more so in this current service learning project, I have noticed something that has bugged me, and as this is a social justice class, don't just it's just what I've seen.

Male African American lawyers dress way better that Caucasian lawyers.

The actual order of "best dressed" goes
1. Black Male
2. White Female
3. Black Female
4. White Male

I first noticed this having seen an African-American's really friggin' nice 3 piece suit, and I thought to myself "Damn. I want to tell him that's a nice suit." Then I kind've backed up and was thought is it wrong to tell him that he's wearing a nice suit? I realized what I had said to myself originally was "Damn, that black dude's wearing a really nice suit." From that point on there was no coming back from being, maybe not racist, but definitely stereotyping.

I noticed it having seen all these white guys suits being rumpled or having tons of creases in them, and since the black lawyers stand together and the white lawyers tend to stand together, the difference was very apparent.

But, my compliment to the man would've come off racially to myself, having subconsciously led in with "that black dude's...." even though he would've never known, I felt like I couldn't say anything since I felt already "outted?"

Then I started thinking what might be the underlying implications of this?

The obvious answers came up:
1. White men assume that they will be taken seriously as opposed to blacks who feel they must have to "dress the part" in order to have the same respect.
2. White women are generally seen as "less strong willed" than Black women, so they have to dress to the look the part as well. Which leads White women to come in at #2 and Black women at #3.

So what do you think? Am I wrong? Am I a racist?
What I observed was definitely obvious, my fellow intern independently noticed the same thing.
Black guys wearing 3 piece pressed suits, white guys walking in with the same jacket they'd been wearing for the past 2 years without it being dry cleaned.

Claire Lavergne- Anna's Arts- week 10/3-10/9

Work at Anna's Arts is going well. I feel relieved and excited each time I finish a day of work there because it is fun and tiring, and I feel like its an accomplishment to have made it through another day. The kids are starting to all know my name and respect me more than at first. We had a new volunteer today and the kids just knew they were going to be able to get away with anything around her and walk all over her. It made me feel really good not to be the new teacher anymore. The more days you put in working with the kids, and the more you stand up to them and discipline them, the more they grow to respect you. I'm really glad I am beginning to figure that out because the kids are more well behaved around me now, and they know that I won't let them do whatever they want.

Week 3, Standardized Tests

I could not go to my service learning project today due to near 12 hours a day of study for the LSAT. The bottom-line for me is that standardized TIMED tests are BS. Nontimed I can answer about 95/101 questions and score ridiculously high. Add a 35 minute time limit to each section, and that is reduced by about 15-20 questions. Going to law school and being a lawyer is all about being prepared, whether its doing endless amounts of Conn Law readings or working up case research, everything takes an extended amount of time. They say the LSAT is the best standardized test to gauge how you'll do in law school, but I question how being able to do 26 questions in 35 minutes really relates to how well I would do legal research or perform in trial. I guess what you can take away from this is: I'm really stressed out about this test that basically sets up the rest of my of life, and I don't think it's fair because it doesn't allow me to show my skills.

Elizabeth- Hope Lodge Week 3

Yesterday was my third time spending the day at the Hope Lodge, and I like it more and more every time I go. I am getting closer with the people that work there, and busier and busier as I am getting acclimated to all the things that need to be done. Since it's basically a home away from home for over thirty patients and their family, all the things that we do at our homes need to be done at the lodge. I spend a large portion of my time behind the desk, answering the phones (which is actually a lot more fun than it seems because I get to talk to the patients that are coming and help them figure out what they need to know, and they're always so grateful), and filing. But when I'm not doing that I'm finding it a lot easier to go up and visit with people, especially since they're already starting to get used to seeing me. What has made me most joyful this week about working there is seeing how appreciative the patients are. So many of them have been there multiple times and keep on having to come back for more treatment, and they are so grateful that they don't have to pay for housing.

J.C. Romero - Week of Sept. 26-30, 2011

Things are moving right along at my service learning site. On Tuesday, we finally started registering students for our computer classes. As of now, because I am the only volunteer working in the lab, we will be offering the classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am-12:30pm (those are the hours that I work).

When I was registering students yesterday, I came across some really interesting people. I was able to speak to two folks that really stood out to me. The first one was an 80-something year old Irish Roman Catholic priest who spoke nonstop about his transition from Ireland to the United States in the 1940s. The other was 70-something year old African American New Orleans native. I would consider her a middle-class citizen.

She and I sat and discussed SO much concerning the changes that there have been in society (in the New Orleans community in particular) over the years. She amazed me with some of the things she said. We started off speaking about education. She couldn’t believe that penmanship is no longer taught in the schools. She was disappointed, as was I, that children in the 8^th grade do not know how to write in cursive nowadays.

Then we went on to discuss how we have become an “informal” society. I wrote down something she said to me—“I remember that going to Canal Street was a big deal! Everyone dressed up to go and walk on Canal Street back in my day. I don’t know what has happened,” she told me.

We then spoke about race and laughed at those that say that we are now a “colorblind society.” She spent a significant amount of time telling me how hard it was for her to be a member of society because she’s a black woman. The one thing that I can remember her telling me is that she applied for a secretary position (I don’t remember if it was in the 50s or 60s) and that the manager told her that she was EXTREMELY qualified for the position; however, she (the manager) had to wait to get permission from the Dallas corporate office because she was a black woman, so they would keep her information and get in touch with her eventually. As she (Mrs. “D”) was walking out, she noticed them throwing her application away. She said she was distraught by the fact that she was more qualified than many other applicants, but because of her color she wasn’t given the opportunity to fulfill the duties.

I know that none of this is new to us, but it’s just really nice to actually sit down with someone who has experienced the things we have read in books firsthand.

I am even more excited to work with this program because not only will I be helping individuals learn how to use computers and such, but I am certain that I will meet people from all walks of life that will teach ME things that I may not know and/or allow me to listen to some of their stories.

Happy posting,

J.C.

PS – Excuse my grammar! I wanted to make sure this was in before class!

Second week at Girls Hope

I started my second week working with Girls Hope and defintietly am starting to get a better understanding of the kids and adults living in the home. The girls all remembered me and were excited to see me back. I worked closely with a different 5th grader from last week and my experience with her was great. I felt like I was actually helping. Before working at Girls Hope I was nervous about how the girls were going to accept me as a stranger coming into their home and lives. I was able to express this with one of the "house moms" and she had some great insight on it. She felt the same way and has been able to obseve that the children have developed an attitude of accepting change and moving forward. With so many people in and out of their lives, they live by this in positive and negative ways. After spending more time with these children I have come to notice how hard it may be for some of the workers to leave after their expected time is up.

Claire Lavergne- Anna's Arts- week 9/26-10/2

Since blogging last I have had two more days at Anna's Arts. When I walk into the church most of the kids now know my name, and I have just about all of theirs down as well. When I am working with the kids one thing that always gets me is the way they talk to one another. I guess they have been influenced by their parents, older siblings, or other relatives, but many of the kids 4-10 years old speak crudely to each other. Sometimes they use bad language, but others it just rude like, "Her hair done be fake miss, that's some ugly weave," just talking about a classmate's hair. I know all little kids have grammatical problems when speaking, or pick on each other but just the way some of these kids speak astounds me... I can't even repeat some of what they say, and they're 7 years old! When each child is separated and working independently with a teacher or volunteer, with out distractions, they can get so much accomplished. Its when one of their peers walks by and makes a comment or throws something or acts out that they get off track. They feed off of each other's energy. That is why St. Anna's goal is to be able to work one on one with the kids at all times. However, because there are not enough volunteers to do this, St. Anna's often becomes a mad house. At first it scared me how off the wall things got, and the fact that you had to discipline the kids... I didn't feel like it was my place to do so. I think I've gotten over that now though, and I've learned to isolate the kid(s) that are instigating the problem by misbehaving. Every day at St. Anna's is difficult and exhausting, but at the same time its fun and exciting. I look forward to many more days here!

Food Deserts in New Orleans

NOLA Green Roots is a network of community gardens throughout New Orleans. They are teaching youth, low-income residents, and senior citizens hot to grow fresh fruits and vegetables at a low cost. Their gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants as well as lessons on satisfying labor needs, improving neighborhoods, building a sense of community and connecting to the environment (mission statement on NOLAgreenroots.com)

On my first day at NOLA Green Roots I collected some data for grant writing purposes (to show need). I spent a lot of time on the USDA Food Desert Locator-http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/fooddesert.html collecting data about food deserts in New Orleans. Over 131,000 people in New Orleans live in a food desert! Thats about a third of our total population, and many of those people with little or no access to food are low-income. I also generated some sample thank you letters for donors and created files for individual donors. I'm excited to see what happens next week!

Karin

9/21 Court Watchers Tom Hasty

This week in the Justice System:

Everyone thinks about the justice system as how they see it on Law and Order, or JAG. But the reality is that the justice system is a decently well oiled machine. There are no demon lawyers (for the most part) in the criminal justice system. Prosecutors and defense attorneys participate in mediations, which are basically a back and forth determining facts and degree of punishment. Public Defenders do a very good job to get their clients the best possible outcome, while state attorneys do the best for society as a whole. State attorneys are governed by guidelines to which they must abide in respect to suggested sentencing. There is a lot of wiggle room within those guidelines. For example, possession of cocaine is a federal offense with a minimum mandatory of a year. The maximum could be 10 years depending on the facts in the case. The degree to which a state attorney would pursue guidelines is determined upon various factors such as cooperation, severity of the crime, likelihood for the defendant to become an HO, or Habitual Offender. In a given day the Judge may hear about 40 cases in a New Orleans court. So, the idea that every case will be tried or even has the potential for trial is false. Whether it is fair or not, most cases are grounded on solid facts, therefore defendants who wish to take their cases to trial are very misguided. Also, jurors tend to the throw the book at defendants as opposed to the PD's and SA's trying to resolve the case for the best possible outcomes.

Bottom Line:

Take the plea.

First days at Hope Lodge

So yesterday was my second time going to the Hope lodge, and I'm still loving it! Throughout the day I do some secretary and cleaning type of work: answering the phone, checking if the dishes are unloaded in the kitchen, filing, etc. But while I do all that I get to interact with the patients that live there. They are usually glad to have someone to talk to, someone to tell what they're going through, or even someone to help them not think about what they're going through. I'm still getting settled in all my duties, but I'm really looking forward to the day when I know their names and they know mine. It's been really interesting to see the family members who come to stay with the patients. They're mostly the husband/wife, and they've devoted their entire time there to their spouse and to taking care of them. You can tell how tired they are, but they never seem to give up.

J.C. Romero - Week of Sept. 19-23, 2011

This week has been (so far) and will continuing being a week full of figuring out logisitcs for us at Incarnate Word Community Center. As I mentioned before, we are beginning a brand new computer literacy program. I finally know the name of the EXACT program we are using and it's called LearnerWeb. Basically what this does is test each student from the beginning to determine his/her area of weakness. Many of our students will more than likely start off with learning basic things such as using a mouse and keyboard, but there are few others that might start off by learning how to navigate the internet, check email, etc.

I am continuing to work on a "outside curriculum" binder which will consist of other side assignments that students can work on besides using the LearnerWeb site. Our goal is that by the end of the week, we have a solid curriculum, so that we can begin registering students for our program next week! It will definitely be a hectic week for me, but I am so excited to actually start working with members of the community. I'll let yall know what's happening!

Happy posting,
J.C.

Announcemnt: 9/21 class will begin at 7:00 p.m.

We will begin our 9/21 class at 7:00 p.m. See y'all then.

Lead Poisoning

Lead is a serious issue here and in most major cities. There was lead found all over New Orleans, including uptown. Danneel Park on St. Charles had to be remediated.

The issue is lingering from when cars used leaded gasoline. The fumes from the car were released into the air and settled on the ground, sides of buildings, etc. This then washed into the soil and leaves us contaminated today. Major intersections are the worst areas, as are those areas close to highways. Lead paint continues to be a problem in older homes.

Here's an article about abatement & fundraising:
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/heavy-metal/Content?oid=1255562

And here is the New Orleans lead map:
http://www.wdsu.com/news/26823837/detail.html#maps

First Week, 9/19-9/25

Today was my first day at Anna's Arts for Kids and it went really well! Along with myself there were five other volunteers and the two program directors to work with about 25 kids. This was kind of overwhelming because they try to keep a 1:1 ratio of volunteers and kids, but since it is the beginning of the school year they said to expect chaos. And it was quite chaotic. I got to help some of the elementary students with their homework which proved to be challenging because almost all of the kids have ADHD and/or lead poisoning from neighborhood playgrounds. Our program director told us about the recent discovery of lead in the soil of public playgrounds around the Treme area which, among the kids who have gotten lead poisoning, affects their concentration, learning abilities, and disposition. It is astounding to me that lead poisoning is an issue at this point in time. I thought it was a thing of the past, but seeing that it is an issue today among these kids is sad and somewhat bizarre. Going to the Treme area and working with kids from there is unlike anything I've ever done, and when I learn of problems like theirs with lead poisoning I am really taken aback and moved out of my comfort zone. I know that lead poisoning would never be an issue in playgrounds in the area I grew up, so its just unreal to me that it is happening in Treme.

I really enjoyed getting to know some of the kids on a personal level and meeting their parents when they came to pick them up because I got to see a little more of what their lives are like. These kids are really strong little people, and they're living a life so different from my own. They've seen things that I couldn't even imagine having seen at their age from my suburban bubble, and I really can't wait to get to know more about them and hopefully have some impact on their lives.

Clare Hearns - First day at Girls Hope

Today was my first day volunteering with Boys Hope Girls Hope of New Orleans and I already got a pretty good insight of what these children are like and how the organization is run. I am working at the girls home which has 6 girls living in it along with 3 or 4 "house moms". Two of the girls are in the fifth grade at Holy Name, 3 of the girls are juniors at Dominican High School, and the other girl is a junior at Lusher. I had to a chance to talk with one of the girls from Dominican who has been in the program for over 4 years. She explained to me all about their schools, study schedules, and living situations. The high school girls have study hours dependent on their gpas and the younger girls have mandatory homework time after school. The home is a great atmosphere for these kids. They have family dinner every night at 6 and everyone is very close and supportive of one another. The children are not deprived from their families while they are there, they get to see them often. All the children are very devoted to their educations and building a successful life. I look forward to working more with everyone at Girls Hope and learning more about the children and the organization.

relevant and interesting NPR story

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/17/140539204/do-new-voting-laws-suppress-fraud-or-democrats

Heard this the other day and it reminded me of our class discussion last Wednesday. These new voting laws seem to be conscious institutional discrimination, in my opinion. Check it out!

J.C. Romero - Week of 9/12/11-9/16/11

Hey everyone!

I hope that all of ya'll have had some great experiences at your learning site! Yesterday was my first day working with the Computer Literacy and GED Program over at Incarnate Word Community Center. Again, this is a program that is run by Catholic Charities of New Orleans. It was a great first day, since I will be kind of serving in the capacity of Coordinator of the Computer Literacy Program, which hasn't started yet. I started helping create a computer program curriculum and actually am still in the process of doing that. That's what I will be doing the remainder of this week, as well as next. I met some of the GED students yesterday and they are a great group of individuals! 100% of them are African American and come from all over the New Orleans area. I am a bit overwhelmed with all of the duties, but am really excited to be such an essential part in getting this program up and running. I'm certain that it'll be great and I am positive that the 70 required hours are going to fly by working with this organization.

See ya in a bit!
-J.C.

Hope Lodge

Hello!

Yesterday was my first day volunteering at the Hope Lodge (or American Cancer Society's Patrick F. Taylor Hope Lodge, if you prefer the longer name). It's a housing facility for cancer patients who are receiving treatment or surgery in New Orleans. Instead of commuting back and forth everyday or renting hotel rooms, as many are from all around the country, the Hope Lodge provides free housing, food, and transportation for as long as the patient needs (there is one patient who has been there for over two and a half years). Everyone that runs the Lodge is extremely welcoming, and truly passionate about their jobs. They reminded me many times that the most important aspect of their job and mine is to make the patients feel at home-which means stopping whatever I may be doing in order to talk to them, ask them how they are, or if they need anything. I'll also be helping with Bingo nights on some evenings, which is one of the efforts the Lodge makes to take the patients' minds of their situation. I'm really excited to be there, and to observe how a facility like this works. I hope everyone else is enjoying their new service jobs!
See you in class!

Boys Hope Girls Hope of Greater New Orleans

Hey everyone!

I've confirmed with Boys Hope Girls Hope of Greater New Orleans and am very exciting to start working with them. The organization started in St. Louis and is now in various cities across the country. They take in displaced children up to the age of 18 whose lives are distressed for a handful of reasons and do not have a family to take care of them and give them the guidance and resources needed to become educated adults. Boys Hope Girls Hope houses children and send them to respectable school across the city while tutoring and mentoring them. I will be working at the Girls Hope home in Mid-City acting as both tutor and mentor for the girls. On week days I will be going with some of the girls from Holy Name of Jesus school to help tutor them and on weekends I plan on staying all day to spend time with them and offer assistance with more than just school work.

Hello NOLA GreenRoots !

I had an interview today with Nola Green Roots and will be starting there next Thursday. This organization was started by two Loyola New Orleans graduates! They run a network of community gardens and a compost program with restaurants around the city. They are concerned with food justice, health and education. New Orleans has areas of food deserts- areas where fresh or healthy food (or food at all) are not easily available/close. The Bywater/9th ward area is a food desert- that is why the New Orleans Food Coop is opening a grocery store there, and Nola Green Roots has a community garden there. They also have gardens in the mid-city area. For $45 a month you can be a stakeholder- you don't have do anything and you get two huge baskets of food a month, as much herbs as you want, and access to free workshops about cool things like canning and stuff! For $35 a month you can have your own piece of the garden to work. It is pretty enticing, I encourage everyone to look into it.

I will be helping out on the Development side- grant writing, donors relations etc. Excited to get more experience in that kind of work. During my interview they asked me a question about what kind of issues that we talk about it class do I think I will encounter at the job. Very interesting indeed. I am excited to see just what issues I do see. I'm sure I will be surprised; both in a positive and negative way I imagine.

Claire Lavergne- Service Learning Decision

Hi everyone! After the serve fair I finalized my service learning and will be working with Anna’s Arts for Kids. It is a great organization, and I am really excited to begin work! Anna’s Arts is an after school program at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in the Treme area. The Treme area is well known as a rough neighborhood, and St. Anna’s church serves as an escape from it all. Unlike any church I have ever been to, posted along the wrought iron fences are numerous “murder boards” which show every murder committed in the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina. The boards exhibit thousands and thousands of names and ages of victims, and the date they were killed. In an effort to change the status quo of the neighborhood and decrease the amount of names on his list, Director Darryl Durham created Anna’s Arts for Kids. The program focuses on tutoring, etiquette, sports, music, and art. Their goal is to help the children of the Treme area grow into successful and well rounded adults.

I cannot wait to start my service learning because I feel like the people behind this program are 100% committed to making a difference, and they love what they do. They are able to teach young children, the majority of them underprivileged, things that they otherwise would never learn simply because of circumstance. I have to attend two sessions, one Friday and the other Saturday, before starting next week.

Good luck to everyone, I’m excited to hear about the sites y’all picked!

J.C. Romero - Week of 9/5/2011-9/9/2011

Hey guys! So, this Tuesday will be my first day participating at my service learning site. I will be working with Catholic Charities' Adult Education Program, but focusing on computer literacy and GED students. I'm kind of nervous, but excited at the same time. I have served as a volunteer ESL instructor before and have done so for many years, but this will be quite different because I won't necessarily be working with foreign students, but with adults from our own community. I'm most excited to hear personal stories from these people and I hope to serve as a role model/mentor to those who really want to succeed in life. Something that I often don't tell people is that I, myself, am a GED graduate. At first, it wasn't something that I was proud of. However, I had to overcome many obstacles and struggles and thankfully through all of my hardships, I have been able to become a strong individual with so many goals-- and I hope to promote that and use that to help "guide" these people.

Apparently from what I discussed with the Adult Education Coordinator, the computer literacy program is brand new program and I will be the first instructor. I will also help in developing a new curriculum for the program and I am REALLY excited to be doing that since education is one of my main areas of academic interest! I think that this semester will be a great one considering that I am working in a field that I am very passionate about.

I hope that everyone has a rad first day of working at your sites! I'm sure y'all will do an awesome job! See you on Wednesday.

Peace,
J.C.

Welcome!

Hi Everyone,

This is where you will post your thoughts, share your experiences, and include information about your service learning site. Please post at least once a week. Happy posting!