Let’s Get Civic
#letsgetcivic By Cassondra Meadows Lets get civic! It sounds great and catchy, but is it more than just a phrase to sling around? Absolutely. Being civic-minded means thinking about our city, Washington, D.C., first. In my experience, thinking “civic” means taking action on issues D.C. faces. Communities are made up of many people with different experiences and backgrounds, not just one person. Taking civic action should not fall to one individual; it should be tackled by the community as a united group. When something is wrong or hurts our community, we should all feel compelled to act on it and correct the wrong for the betterment of all of us. But, it’s okay, someone else will make that change. Unfortunately, that’s not as likely as you might think. Don’t be afraid to take the first step towards getting to know your neighbors, finding the solution for a local problem, or even just researching an issue. We’re not saying that everyone should jump head first into complicated issues by themselves. What we are saying is that it takes a community to make real change, and it starts with one voice speaking out on behalf of a community, backing them. Here at the DC Tutoring & Mentoring Initiative, we have an inspirational example of this right across the street at the historic Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park. For many years, this was considered one of the most dangerous parks in the area. The park acquired a negative reputation within the surrounding neighborhoods that deterred community members from visiting this park. Until a group decided to take the park back. Steve Coleman was one of the leading voices in their campaign. Coleman is the Executive Director and President of Washington Parks and People. Coleman led his local neighborhood crime patrol, which evolved into Friends of Meridian Hill. He developed a volunteer patrol to get to know people in the area and help deter crime after a tragic crime. A young boy was shot and killed in front of his house. The neighborhood gathered attempting to make sense of the situation. The police were saying to stay inside, but the group knew that something had to be done. The neighbors established the volunteer patrol because they believed in thinking beyond themselves. They wanted to see real change within their neighborhood, so they took a stand. From being labeled as one of the most unsafe parks to being a hub of community activity, the park has come a long way because a few committed individuals decided to make a change. This group would go out at night on strolls to meet the people in the park. They modeled their approach after two grandparents from the Southeast who took to the streets to fix the crime in their neighborhood. The grandparents had one rule: Say hello to everyone. Coleman and his group adopted this rule along with two others: “Never carry a weapon or something that could resemble one” and “Travel and work in multiracial groups.” Coleman remarked that approaching strangers at night was not easy, but it was what was best for the community. He also found that “these people, although they seem intimidating to approach, were phenomenal assets.” These small patrols eventually evolved into a larger group that would lead community cleanup days, host performances, and sponsor other fun activities. As the group started working to bring the park back, they encountered many people who cared deeply about Meridian Hill. As the group dove deeper into the park’s history, its members uncovered different stories and reasons about why the park mattered so much to people. Coleman said, “We set about trying to bring that story back to life, to give both the memories and dreams a new chance at being real.” The group embodied a civic mindset and created real change by transforming the park into a place where community events are held and families go to spend the day. Walking into this park now, people are walking their dogs and children are squealing in delight as they play. We invite you to come out to Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park on Saturday, July 21st from 12-8 pm! Find out more and get tickets at civicfest.us! Join us as we say “Let’s get civic!”
It Takes a Village
It Takes a Village By Rob Sanford “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Coretta Scott King (2000) I remember my dad playing catch with me when I was 7, and my mom walking me through multiplication tables when I was 10. I remember older Boy Scouts teaching me leadership skills when I was 13, and the many moments my English teacher gave me guidance when I was 15. When I applied for college, a counselor at my school walked me through every difficult step. When I arrived at college, many more counselors appeared in the form of professors, upperclassmen, and employers. I’m the benefactor of fantastic communities, communities different in appearance but identical in purpose: providing support to one another. I would not be where I am today without the help of those named, in addition to many more unnamed relatives, neighbors, and friends that supported me. If you know what I’m referring to – if you, like me, can pinpoint the people that taught you those invaluable lessons that stick with you today – then you are among the fortunate ones. As it happens, however, there exists a population of people here in D.C. who are not as fortunate and lack that kind of support. According to results of the 2017 edition of the PARCC, a standardized exam given in DC public schools, 82% of white students are on course to go to college and begin careers, while only about a quarter of black and Latino students can say the same. 60,000 D.C. students are not reading at grade level, and over 850, or 27%, of DCPS high school seniors failed to graduate last year. “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (1961) In a city known for politics, it’s tempting to point fingers at the government. As politically engaged individuals, we can criticize city officials for inept actions or lack of any actions at all. But there’s a difference between political engagement and civic engagement. The former is respectable; born in our founding documents, it asks that first we listen closely before choosing wisely at the ballot box. But the latter is extraordinary. It asks not for passive attention, but demands that we roll up our sleeves and take things into our own hands. At DCTMI, we believe it’s on us to forge relationships, construct communities, and reach out to those in need. We believe that if each of us took an hour out of their week to be that tutor, that mentor, that counselor that plays a priceless part in someone’s life, the city would be a more compassionate and equitable place for all. Join us and our numerous partner organizations for CivicFest on Saturday, July 21st to learn how you can play a valuable role in our community. Connect with nonprofits doing the long-term work that needs to be done in education, the environment, reproductive rights, and social justice. Find out more and get tickets at civicfest.us!
Leaping Over Hurdles to get Volunteers in Schools
Leaping Over Hurdles to Get Volunteers in Schools By Erika Heddesheimer The expectations placed upon teachers in our current educational system are overwhelming, especially at schools where a majority of students are struggling with fundamentals. In D.C. specifically, two out of three kids are reading below grade level. During the 2016-2017 school year, only around 30% of students scored Level 4 or 5 on the end-of-year Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) math and English language arts assessments. Level 4 and 5 represent the students who are considered “college and career-ready,” which means that two-thirds of students lack the skills and knowledge they need to thrive. Students require more one-on-one or small-group support than teachers alone have time to provide. Reading Partners, a organization that provides tutors for students throughout the city, reported that in the 2016-2017 school year, 90% of kindergarten-2nd grade students who went through its program mastered key foundational reading skills needed to read at grade level. Meanwhile, 83% of the 11,257 Reading Partners students met or exceeded their primary end-of-year literacy growth goal. The Reading Partners program is just one example of how volunteers can play a vital role in lessening the burdens placed upon educators and helping students catch up. For schools that do not have access to programs like Reading Partners, though, recruiting and managing volunteers presents a substantial hurdle in bringing in extra help. Jay Mathews, a writer for The Washington Post, explored the hurdles for teachers in his June 11th article, “Retirees would be ‘dream’ volunteers, but few schools seem to want their help.” Mathews talked to teachers and retired educators throughout the DMV area, all of whom had difficulty bringing volunteers into the classroom or serving as volunteers themselves. The hurdles are of two types. First, the current restrictions and regulations for new volunteers present a problem. In Washington, D.C., it is required that all volunteers either get one-time clearance through a clearance exception from District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) or get a background check from DCPS. The background check includes fingerprinting and a recent tuberculosis test. This clearance is essential for the safety and well-being of the children, but acts as a deterrent for volunteers. Time commitments and cost become hurdle two and three towards volunteering in DCPS. D.C. has the sixth highest number of cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the United States, and children – especially children of color – run the highest risk of contracting TB. However, the Center for Disease Control reported only 3.7 cases for every 100,000 people. While clearing all volunteers for TB seems like the safest choice, it appears to have more negative implications than positive. TB tests and readings can cost around $70 at clinics in D.C., making them inaccessible to volunteers with financial limitations. This further marginalizes any community member who hopes to make a positive impact in a child’s life. Neighboring counties such as Fairfax County in Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland do not set as rigorous a standard for volunteers. In Fairfax County, only a background check is required for volunteering in public schools. In Montgomery County, Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect online training and background checks are required for volunteers who are with students for extended periods of time. Similar requirements exist in Prince George’s County, Maryland and Arlington County, Virginia. This is the first hurdle for new volunteers getting in the door. A second hurdle is the ongoing management and support for volunteers to ensure that they are showing up on time and on a regular schedule and that they are working effectively with their students. What can traditional public or charter schools do to get the support they need for volunteers? Some have tried giving teachers a stipend to assume the added role of volunteer coordinator but this seems to be a recipe for failure in schools where the teachers are already overwhelmed. A better approach could be teaming with a nonprofit community group that specializes in working with volunteer tutors and mentors and that can embed one or two volunteer coordinators in a school. Garrison Elementary School in Ward 2 is a perfect example. Garrison works with DC Tutoring & Mentoring Initiative (DCTMI) partner organizations -– Everybody Wins and Project Northstar -– and their parent-teacher organization (PTO) to bring in tutors and mentors for students. DCTMI can help close the gap between people who want to help and students who need help. DCTMI helps recruit and organize volunteers – including retired educators – and places them with one of the myriad tutoring and mentoring organizations across the city, a process which can be daunting for an individual unacquainted with the field. Communities in Schools, Higher Achievement, Reading Partners, and many of DCTMI’s partner organizations have volunteer coordinators in place to fill the gap between volunteers and schools and ease the on-boarding process. DCTMI is able to pair the skills of volunteers with the needs of our 44 partner organizations in order to create a partnership in which both the students and mentors succeed, while also lessening the burden on volunteers and teachers.
Stepping outside the schoolhouse gates
I teach because… Every year, before embarking on a new school year, I’d sit down to finish this sentence. Such reflection is necessary to steel yourself for the grueling, ten-month ordeal that lies ahead. I teach because all children deserve a teacher who cares about them. I teach because all children deserve to grapple with rigorous academic content in a safe and engaging space. I teach because there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a student fall in love with a particular character, react to a shocking plot twist, or nerd out on a topic I introduce in class. (I’ll never forget the weeks after our mythology unit in which Kenya exclusively wrote her name using the Greek alphabet.) Every year, after state testing is over and final report cards have been dispensed, I sit down to reflect on my practice. Did I uphold these promises I made at the beginning of the year to myself and to my children? Sadly, the answer is almost always no. For every Kenya, there’s a Calvin. Getting excited about anything at 7:50am is hard, but it was especially difficult for Calvin. Every morning, Calvin and I would go through the same song and dance. He would flip through that day’s packet and express shock and disappointment when he learned that we would once again be reading in my class. “Why do we always have to read?” he would complain from his front row seat. (I kept him close. That way I could more easily administer pep talks.) “Because this is English class, Calvin. I think you’re going to like today’s reading! It’s about [dog sleds/forensic science/the Cleveland Indians logo],” I would say, as cheerily as ever. It became our greeting. On the best days, after listening to me read aloud selected sections of that day’s text, Calvin would begrudgingly open the book and follow along, forgetting to feign disinterest. On the worst days, Calvin would grunt a “good morning” to me, inquire about the necessity of reading in my class AGAIN, put his head down and go to sleep. As a sixth-grade African-American boy growing up in New Orleans, Calvin already had a lot of forces conspiring against him. Other teachers regularly reported Calvin being disruptive and hyperactive in class. (I once saw him hurdle over a cafeteria trashcan with the grace of an Olympian.) Other times, he was moody and disengaged, opting to nap during class discussions and independent work. His name came up a lot at grade-level meetings as someone who was a natural leader, charismatic and popular, but who was also susceptible to peer pressure. We referred him to our social worker and response-to-intervention (RTI) coordinator, but other students with greater academic needs were prioritized. (As much as he hated to admit it, Calvin was an excellent reader.) His mother was receptive and supportive, but seemed to be at a loss herself in terms of what to do. Towards the end of the year, the sixth-grade teachers started creating small interventions for Calvin: positive texts home when he had a good day, a “buddy classroom” where he could cool down if he was struggling in another space, field trips and celebrations when he demonstrated strong academic participation. Unfortunately, most of these were too little or too late. By the end of the year, Calvin was disinvested in our systems and missing school with increased frequency. When he was at school, he often didn’t make it to English – his first period of the day – because our culture deans had him out of class for prior behavior issues. For every Kenya, there’s a Calvin. Imagine if for every Calvin, there were a volunteer tutor or mentor. The research on mentoring is clear. One-on-one advising relationships – whether they be in K-12 schools, universities, or workplaces – provide benefits to both parties. In cities like New Orleans or Washington, D.C., where young men of color are arrested and convicted at a much higher rate than the average, these kinds of relationships can alter the life trajectories of children who struggle behaviorally or academically in school. As teachers, we strive to make social and emotional connections with each student every day. Research has shown, and common sense confirms, that the more positive connections we make with students, the more likely they are to be motivated and academically successful. (Research on marriage, parenting, and leadership echoes the powerful impact of these connections.) The reality is that managing a class of 29 students inevitably causes some to go overlooked and not receive the regular affirmation they deserve. Simply put, there was always more I could be doing for Calvin. There was always more everyone could be doing for Calvin. So I joined the DC Tutoring & Mentoring Initiative. Calvin loved attention – his running monologue from the front row of my classroom made this abundantly clear. Imagine if he had been able to share his brilliance, charm, and love for the San Antonio Spurs with a one-on-one mentor or tutor who was devoted to him for an uninterrupted period of time. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been labeled as a “behavior concern” so quickly.
Our First Outreach Workshop & Breakfast
Thank you all who came to our first DCTMI Outreach Breakfast & Workshop! We had a great time learning about all of you, from individual volunteers to long-time partners. DCTMI is planning to do more events like this, with the next Breakfast planned for Sunday, October 22 from 10-12:30. Here’s a summary of what we covered, for those who couldn’t make it. The breakfast started with a quick meet-and-greet and a short ice-breaker. Tom opened by talking about how our public campaign to get a tutor or mentor for every student who needs extra support can both transform education in DC AND provide the shared purpose we need to get people working together across class, race and ideology for the common good — in the District of Columbia and as a model for the country. After that, we launched into the nuts and bolts of canvassing, with a focus on good, positive interactions. The Breakfast finished up with a few practice runs, one person playing the canvasser and the other a prospective volunteer. Directly after the breakfast we carpooled over to Taste of DC (and Army 10-Miler) at RFK Stadium and put what we learned into action. Overall, we passed out hundreds of flyers and recruited more than a dozen volunteers — and some, we hope, who will link us to their employers, who in turn will sponsor employee teams to support our partners! Once again, thanks to all who participated.
Northstar Tutoring
Living in a family with low income can be difficult for any child, especially if the child wants to be successful in school and in a career. There are many academic support programs for students in the DC area, but if the student comes from an underprivileged family the student won’t have the finances to pay for that support. That is why Northstar Tutoring provides tutors who will help these kids achieve academic success, as well as be there for them as a mentor. Located at the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights, Northstar offers free one-on-one tutoring to underprivileged kids from Pre-K through 12th grade. When students arrive, they receive help with their homework and are given folders with math and reading worksheets. At the end of the day, based on what subjects the students need improvement in, the tutors indicate what materials the student needs in the folder for the next week. Tutoring sessions occur for an hour and a half from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 85% of the kids who come to the tutoring sessions attend on both days, Director of Northstar Jen Townsend said. However, some tutors can only come once a week, so a student could receive help from two different people. Tutors at Northstar also act as mentors for the kids. Being a mentor for a student makes the tutoring sessions easier because both the mentor and the student get to learn about each other and figure out how to work efficiently together. It helps with student attendance to the sessions as well. “The more they get to know each other, the more they don’t want to let each other down by not showing up,” Townsend said. One of the responsibilities that comes with mentoring is taking the student on a daytrip once every month, visiting places like museums on the National Mall, the movies, or Nationals Park. The tutors plan this daytrip so it fits into their schedules. Another part of being a mentor is being involved with the student’s life. Some of the students’ parents do not speak English, so the tutors will go to school meetings or doctor appointments with the parents. Kellsie and Minerva, two of the students at Northstar Tutoring, said the tutors make it easier for them to understand their homework and the practice materials given to them. They get to know the tutors better after working with them every week and going with them on the daytrips. They both agreed if they were to ever participate in a tutoring program at their schools, they wouldn’t get the same experience as they did at Northstar because they have formed special bonds the tutors there. Northstar provides a computer lab and library at their facility, which are necessary for the students’ educations, Townsend said. Some kids don’t have access to computers and many are given assignments that require the Internet or other computer programs. The library provides books to kids who are excited about reading but don’t have books at home. Tutoring at Northstar gets people involved with the DC community and young students’ education in the district. “The kids are desperate for someone to guide them and make a big impact on their lives,” Townsend said. “You will never regret helping out a kid in need.” In the future, Townsend hopes to open up more locations, especially in Southeast. She doesn’t want to increase the variety of programs that Northstar offers, but wants to broaden the scope of what they are already doing, which is tutoring and mentoring. To learn more about Northstar Tutoring, visit northstartutoring.org. If you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out the online sign-up form.
Partner Feature: Life Pieces to Masterpieces
few years ago, Ben Lasso was looking for a job. He didn’t have a set vision for his future and didn’t see any real direction in his life. That is when he came across Life Pieces to Masterpieces, an art mentoring organization running out of Drew Elementary School in Capitol Heights. When he came in to be interviewed for a mentoring position, he couldn’t believe what he witnessed there. He thought that it was “too cool to be real.” Now 23 years old, he said that Life Pieces has helped him find himself and discover talents that had previously been unknown to him. It has also taught him what it means to be a mentor and example for young boys. Life Pieces serves young African American boys and men, ages 3 to 25. Their mission is to awaken their innate creative abilities with love and support, physical and emotional security, and an environment where they feel comfortable expressing themselves through the arts. The program brings in kids from 25 different schools in the area, giving rides to those who need them. One of the founders of Life Pieces, artist Larry Quick, believed that young boys needed a free place to go after school, as well as a friendly environment where they could create art. “[Quick] wanted a space for boys to be able to be their true selves and express themselves artistically without fear of judgment,” Community Engagement Coordinator Andrew Blickle said. Every day after school, young ‘apprentices’ ranging from Pre-K through middle school are brought to Life Pieces. They are free to express themselves through painting, drawing on color sheets, and other art activities. Because the kids have such a range of interests, they are given the choice of participating in other activities besides visual art, such as performing arts and sports. The apprentices also receive help with their homework and learn about different educational subjects from the mentors. These different programs are offered to broaden their horizons and teach them something that wouldn’t normally be taught in school. Mentors also have the opportunity to teach the apprentices about something they are passionate about. On Fridays, the “I Can” program is taught by one of the mentors on anything the volunteer would like to teach. Some of the past workshops have included screenwriting, physics, and Taiko drumming. This program lets the apprentices tap an interest or talent they might not have known they had before. Some of the mentors that work at Life Pieces are junior mentors, apprentices who are pursuing a high school or post-high school education. These students mentor the young apprentices during the after school program, then attend the Saturday Academy program on the weekend themselves, where they receive help with their education and professional track, like becoming an education aid in the classroom or working towards their own academic success. Because of their location in Ward 7, Life Pieces has found it challenging to bring volunteers from the other side of the Anacostia River. Life Pieces has made strides to tackle this issue by shuttling volunteers to and from the Capitol Heights Metro Station. Life Pieces is looking for volunteers who are comfortable with themselves and carry themselves with positive energy to make a positive impact on the boys and young men. Someone who is confident in themselves and has experiences they want to share with students would be well respected and honored. Before signing on to be a mentor, it is required to undergo a DC Public School background test, which includes fingerprinting and TB test. Life Pieces strives to teach these boys and young men the values of life and how to respect one another. But the apprentice impacts the mentor, too. Blickle said that the bonding experience that mentors and apprentices share is something that will last forever in the young men’s memories. “All you need to volunteer is an innate creative ability, which we all have, a desire to share it, and a desire to learn about others,” Blickle said. “In doing so, you get the opportunity to grow your character, your professionalism and meet these extraordinary young men.” To learn more about Life Pieces, visit lifepieces.org. If you are interested in volunteering, you can fill out the online sign up form.
Neighborhood Field Day is step forward for DCTMI
We had a pretty good turn out June 24th at our DCTMI Neighborhood Field Day at Meridian Hill Park. We gathered around 30 people to our event and signed up 10 volunteers to be tutors or mentors. We are thankful the rain cleared up in time for our event. The rain would have put a damper on our recruiting efforts, pun intended. Although the event didn’t plan out as scheduled, everyone had a great time playing soccer and Frisbee and eating the tasty food spread. We were happy to see parents bring out their young children out to enjoy themselves. Even though it wasn’t a big crowd, we were able to get our message out to the parents, as well as people walking their dogs or other passersby. As this was our first event, we are still learning how we can bring a mixture of different age groups to our Field Days. We attracted the family group with our different sporting activities, but would like to reach out to young adults and adults. For our upcoming Neighborhood Field Days, we plan to bring more activities that will entice other generations. Hosting live music and food trucks at our events might increase the attendance number of teenagers and young adults. Yoga sessions will hopefully bring out the adult crowd. DCTMI would like to thank everyone who came out to our Field Day, especially Capoeira Fitness DC for their Brazilian dance fighting demonstration and music. It was what Brazilians call “espetacular.” We also want to thank Emily Grassett and Anna Hodges from MINT DC for coming out. We hope we can work with these groups for future DCTMI events. Thanks to the National Park Service for supporting our event at this beautiful, historic park. Many of the people who showed up for the event said that Meridian Hill Park was a great venue; it is perfect for kids to run around and for adults to hang out or exercise. The Field Days are a great way to bring everyone together to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. Hopefully by bringing the community together, we can recruit more tutoring and mentoring volunteers to change the lives of kids in the DC community.
The Power of Mentoring
The Power of Mentoring: From D.C.’s Dunbar High School to Georgetown’s Business School Emma Brown recently wrote an article in The Washington Post about a student who rose from poverty in DC to a successful graduate of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. When being interviewed about his success, he spoke of the impact that two important mentors in his life had on him while at Georgetown and how important mentors are for non-academic support for students. “Just 9 percent of the nation’s poorest young people earn a four-year degree by age 24, compared with 77 percent of [those whose families are well off financially], according to census data. It is a divide that both defines and reinforces American inequality.” – Emma Brown, Washington Post Johnathon Carrington, 21, a new Business and Finance graduate of McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, recently gave an interview in which he recalled how vital mentorship and apprenticeship was for him throughout college and its long lasting effects afterward. As a straight-A student, Carrington graduated as valedictorian of D.C.’s Dunbar High School, where a few miles away he lived in a subsidized apartment complex riddled with drugs and violence. Georgetown was a new experience for Carrington both socially and academically. For the first time ever, Carrington admits he experienced serious academic challenges and struggled to find his place on a campus where students were mostly white and far wealthier. But he persisted and saw it through to the end, Emma Brown writes. When asked what he attributes his ultimate success in college to, Carrington responded that his “network of support,” which included his mentors Deborah Coburn and George Seff, was an integral part in his determination and motivation to finish strong at Georgetown. David Peake, a classmate who grew up in a neighborhood like Carrington’s in Chicago, described being a black man at an elite college as “an everyday struggle,” saying, “You get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Mentorship was also important in Peake’s life as he leaned on the support of his mentor Rashid Darden, a 38-year-old Georgetown alumnus who also graduated from a public high school, when one of his best friends from back home was killed during his sophomore year. This is a key example of a mentor being so much more vital to students for non-academic needs than academic. Life happens to everyone, but students who have support from mentors know that there are people in their corner to help them along the way. Carrington’s two mentors, Deborah Coburn and George Seff, had a lot to do with getting Carrington through his time at Georgetown, by checking on him, supporting him financially, and holding him accountable for the work that he needed to be doing. His business-school adviser, Deborah Coburn, met with him biweekly. And in the background was George Seff, an Arlington father of two, who met Carrington occasionally for a meal and helped him out with money for books. The two met after Seff read about Carrington in The Washington Post four years ago, and sent him a check in care of Dunbar High. “It wasn’t the first time I had done that. But Johnathon was the first and only kid who responded with a thank-you note,” Seff said. “He’s a solid kid, he’s got a good head on his shoulders. I’m totally rooting for him.” Carrington plans to start in private wealth management. Though he has been warned that it can take six months for new graduates to find a job, he is hoping to move more quickly. As challenging as Georgetown was, he said that he is grateful to the people in his life that were there for him as he navigated his academic and career paths there. And he thinks he will appreciate them even more as time passes. There are so many students out there like Carrington, who have the knowledge, intellect, and ambition to chase their dreams, but lack the resources or emotional support. Being a tutor or mentor is a way to pay it forward and give every student the opportunity to achieve their goals, just like Deborah Coburn and George Seff did for Jonathan Carrington. Just a few years of mentor support changed Carrington’s life! Being that person for someone means taking responsibility for the educational and career opportunities for the young people in your community, which is the first step in positioning them on a launching pad to soar – both in their personal lives and professionally. Many think they don’t have enough time to commit to such a task, but a little support and compassion goes a long way!
My Cinderella Night: Reflections on College Nights and the Future of DCTMI
DCTMI and Student Education and Leadership Fund (SELF) hosted two College Nights, at Washington Leadership Academy on May 4th and Dunbar High School on May 5th. College Nights were formed in an effort to bring volunteers and students together. We had two main goals. First, our recruited volunteers had been having difficulties following through the whole volunteering process, whether it was background checks, training sessions, or answering our emails. College Nights would serve as short and introductory events that would enable individuals to volunteer without stressing about the process. Our second goal was to help young high school students learn about post-secondary options while offering them an additional support system. Of course, this event was a Mount Everest to plan and climb. At times, I was definitely perceived as a stalker with my constant emails, calls, and visits to school partners and volunteers. Tom Pollak, DCTMI’s director, would be cheering me on to continue contacting people; so, in reality, I was just a messenger rather than an actual stalker. After the initial planning sections, more worries arose. Would there be enough pizza? Would there be enough volunteers? Students? We ran into various problems, but the adaptability and calm demonstrated by everyone was extraordinary and showed the goodwill and enthusiasm that people brought to College Nights. I was joyfully overwhelmed by the willingness of both volunteers and students to come and engage with each other despite long, tiresome days. It was beyond exciting to watch students ask for contact information and additional resources. Volunteers, as well, came up afterwards, looking for more ways to get involved. So, what happens now? Well, personally, I will be leaving DC and returning to my homeland of Pennsylvania, but DCTMI and SELF will continue to hold these nights to form relationships and interactions. In addition to College Nights, we look forward to connecting our community to other tutoring and mentoring opportunities throughout the city. Without all of us, it is hard to imagine a bright future for all our students and our future; as the old proverb says, it takes a village. Let’s learn and work together to make a difference. To do so, DCTMI is here to help volunteers remain involved in the long-term. Thank you to our students and volunteers. Thank you to Executive Director Stacy Kane and the administration and faculty at Washington Leadership Academy. Thank you to Dunbar High School, especially Assistant Principal Marc Gomes and Counselor LaShawn Ricks. Last but not least, thank you to Sebastian Amar and Guy Johnson, our partners at SELF. Want to get involved? Know organizations that would like to work with us? Have a community space for future College Nights? Contact us at info@dctutormentor.org or call/text us at 202-688-1261. [soliloquy id=”1801″]