MacFarland Middle School Through the Eyes of a Volunteer
“They’re beautiful human beings…they’re just as awesome as any other kids anywhere else.”
Yevola Peters: At 86, Still Dedicated to Helping Annapolis Youth and Families
Yevola S. Peters has been working to combat racial and economic disparities and mobilizing people in the Annapolis community for over half a century. At 86, she is serving a new generation with the same passion that she had in the 1960s when she was at the forefront of desegregating education there. She began as a music teacher in local schools, but her firm, calm, humble, and warm approach led her away from her career in education and into the leadership of the nonprofit Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County. From that position and others to follow, she played a critical role as a force for local change and as a mentor to rising Black leaders– all the while making time to play the piano at church every Sunday. Now, with an Annapolis street named after, her commitment to service and to mentoring others is as strong as ever. She is a living legend and a great example to the next generation of community leaders. She was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina to two teachers at Claflin University. Peters had the unique experience of growing up in the presence of young adults. She would go to church with them, run behind them on the campus, and even play the piano for them. She watched her parents empower the next generation through their teaching and, unbeknownst to her, Peters would find herself doing the same thing. Although she enjoyed her childhood, Peters knew that after her second year of college she needed to leave the nest and attend a school where her parents had no chance of being her teacher. So, she traveled 500 miles north to Morgan State University. Though she was out of the deep south, she learned quickly that her Blackness still came with a price. “I was so shocked… I come to Baltimore, you can’t even go in the store, in order to buy clothes. So that’s when I call my father, I say ‘Daddy, you know you can’t go in the store?’ he said, ‘You certainly didn’t study your geography because you below the Mason Dixie line.’ “ Despite the racism that she faced in Maryland, she would ultimately settle there after graduate school with a degree. Her plan was to take this degree to teach music. However, she would face a hurdle standing in her way. “I applied for a teacher position in the school system and the only openings were in all-white schools. That was when I realized that integration actually hadn’t taken place yet,” she said. “They weren’t hiring Black teachers in predominantly white schools.” So, it wasn’t until three years later, in 1966, when Peters was given the opportunity to teach in a predominantly white school. “The children had all of the impressions that their parents had taught them.” Her white students, who didn’t know any Black people personally, believed Black people were inferior to them. Their parents taught their children these bigoted values and they trusted them. However they also trusted Peters, so she started to teach her students about African history through music. The students were incredibly receptive and she received no negative feedback from parents. As the school continued to desegregate, Peter’s focus would shift to her new Black students who needed an advocate. The Black students boycotted their school because of a lack of diversity and some would even face expulsion. Once again, Peters was there. She would help to reinstate some of the students, all the while, balancing her teaching and personal life. Her work would eventually begin to shift out of the classroom and into her community. Peters started working as a volunteer for the Community Action Agency which aimed to provide the necessary resources for children and parents in low-income communities. Here, it is where she was able to use her knowledge about the educational system in combination with her natural leadership skills to mobilize her community. Though she is modest about her impact, just this month, she received a letter from someone who worked with her in the late ’70s thanking her for her support. Today, Peter’s work is centered around combatting the systemic challenges that Black people face today. “The low self-esteem of our children and the struggles of households and families and the deterioration of families… Mass incarceration things that separation of families, all these things really play into where we are today,” she said Peters also heavily emphasized the importance of straying from individualism and buying into collaboration in order to help advance our communities. “Getting other community people to be mentors to both, not just the children, but the whole family. Once people feel good about themselves and have very good self-esteem… then attitudes and behaviors change. It is going to take that to overcome what the system is throwing at you anyway, if you don’t have strong faith in yourself and now you gotta deal with the system you are starting off in a deficit.” Peters has seen different systemic disruptors infiltrate her community and has recognized that over time, it has created overt discouragement amongst the people in her community. Attacking issues that have blossomed into generational shortcomings, at the root, is fundamental in creating generational growth. Yevola S. Peters is the definition of a servant leader. She sees a gap and fills it, or trains someone else to. Her work is ever-evolving, yet her mission has stayed the same for over 50 years. She has trained up young people, who are now training their own young people. Her impact is unfathomable, her passion is resilient, and her wisdom is immeasurable.
K-Pop and Volunteering … How I came to Become a DCTMI Intern
With COVID-19 crippling Fall 2020 plans and in-person schooling, I did not have much luck with my internship hunt. I was grappling for opportunities with big name companies to jump-start my professional development, but received few calls back and was ghosted by countless interviewers. After expressing this disappointment to a friend, she referred me to DCTMI, striking a personal chord within me. In my first year of high school, my mother forced me to volunteer at our local library. I despised shelving books and organizing CD disks for an hour every Wednesday, thinking it was a waste of time. I would always think, “ this better look good on my resume.” But as the months and eventually years passed, I returned each season with increasing enthusiasm. I befriended other volunteers and was sent Christmas cards from the staff. Every March there was a party hosted specifically to celebrate the volunteers with cake, free books, and bingo. And during every shift, folks young and old would politely ask me to help them find the picture book section or where large print text was. A set of exchanges that I will never forget was with this young woman who frequented the library. During the period that I volunteered, my music taste was very uncommon but a very big part of my life. I loved Korean pop music, most specifically EXO and BTS. I would stay updated with the bands on social media, watch their live streams, and buy their albums. But I never met another person that shared this passion, especially considering how popular American pop and the Top 40 Hits were in my small town. When I saw the woman watching videos of the Korean bands on the library’s public computer, looking just as fascinated as I was, I approached her. We gushed over the music and the idols then we parted ways. This went on for months. We would cross pathways as I was shelving books and she would slip me sheets of paper scrawled with songs that she recommended to me. Eventually, she stopped coming to the library and I ran out of new tracks to listen to, but the bond that we had over this band was something special; so special that I did not even need to know her name. When senior year rolled around, I was asked to speak at the high school’s National Honors Society’s induction on volunteerism because I had the most volunteer hours in my graduating class. As I addressed the audience that night, I stressed the importance and simple beauty of genuine community interaction and cross generational connection—volunteering is more than a resume section to check off. Meeting and developing relationships across interests and generations, I learned a lot about unique individuals in my area. I also learned a lot about my own values, one being my passion for volunteerism. With DCTMI, their emphasis on civic leadership and community engagement greatly aligns with my personal beliefs and builds on my previous experiences. As a York, Pennsylvania native and DC transplant for college, I did not have many opportunities to become more involved in the local DC culture as a full-time student. But now with all classes moving online, I want to dedicate my energy to inspire and show others the beauty of volunteerism and community building, even if it is from a computer 80 miles away.
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.
Spotlight: Jan’s Tutoring House
Jan’s Tutoring House www.janstutoringhouse.org Fueled by the belief that education is a shared responsibility and that students should be challenged to meet their full potential, Jan’s Tutoring House has been fostering positive character development in the District’s youth for twenty five years. Founded by political activist and public servant, Jan Eichhorn, in March of 1990, Jan’s Tutoring House originally operated under the name Friends of Tyler School, a reflection of the organization’s relationship with mentoring students at John Tyler Elementary School in Southeast DC. Eichhorn served JTH tirelessly as Executive Director until shortly before her death in 2009. Renamed posthumously in Eichhorn’s honor, Jan’s Tutoring House continues to provide one-on-one tutoring and mentoring services to DC’s inner-city youth. Operating almost entirely with volunteer help, tutors and mentors at JTH are paired to work with one child between the ages of 5-15, and must commit one night per week of tutoring for at least a year. Programs at Jan’s Tutoring House, which include after school tutoring as well as summer camps run by certified teachers and volunteers, foster important relationships between students and mentors, empowering and challenging youth while equipping them with skills and knowledge to accomplish goals. Youth in Mind Inc. www.youthinmindinc.com Youth in Mind Inc.’s (YIMI) mission is to educate, equip and encourage youth from age 7 to 17 in DC metropolitan area. YIMI was found in 2006, but the spirit of YIMI sprouted long before 2006, when 6 girls gathered around one day to have a tea party. It all began when the daughter of Joyce Perry, the founder of YIMI, invited some friends to celebrate her birthday. They brought jewelry and scarves and enjoyed a princess tea party of their own, liking it so much they decided to meet again the next year. In fact, the girls insisted that they should make a “princess club”; this was the beginning of YIMI and, as they say, the rest is history. Joyce Perry admits she had never imagined founding Youth in Mind would have been in her future. In fact, her original assumption was that the girls would stop meeting as they grew up. But the meetings fostered such a positive and empowering environment that an 8-year-old girl who attended the first birthday tea party is now in the 10th grade, serving as a youth leader for the organization. Most of Youth in Mind’s mentoring programs specifically target a female audience, but the organization recently launched a program called ‘Young Men of Valor’ to meet the needs of male students also wanting a community of empowerment. To YIMI, mentoring is about touching young lives based on an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders and mentors at YIMI are passionate about serving area youth and providing them opportunities to improve their lives and better equip them for their futures.