Alternative Spring Break 2007

Spells and deformed raindrop transforming into priceless graffiti art

So today was my first day actually working with the students at Grandview School and it was pretty exciting.  My first experience was at lunchtime there was a little boy sitting by himself, so I decided to join him.  At first he was really apprehensive – and would not even tell me his name, but after about five minutes of me being there, he pulled out a bundle of print-offs, they were all these spells that he was collecting (he is having a competition with is brother to see who can collect the most) Anyways – then before I knew it he was teaching me how to hypnotize people, and telling me stories of when he has seen this happen before, and how cool it was.  He began asking my advice of certain tricks, and if I knew much about it.  I was having a conversation with him at the same level and we sat and chatted for priceless amounts of time. 

Today I was in “The Well”.  Actually such a neat project, especially for me because I had just finished learning a lot about how hip hop can be used for social change in Aboriginal communities, and well in this case we were using graffiti (which like hip hop also is often affiliated with much negativity).  They students received classed before we arrived about how graffiti is used as a form of expression and the respect and ownership that surrounds the culture.  Then they were given the chance to create their own tag and cover this stairwell with these different forms of expression.  My favorite part of this project was that each student was given a word to tag.  These words were virtues, inspirational, or motivations.  For example Change, Smile, Believe, Dream, Laugh, Teamwork ….

I just want to share one moment with you guys.  So I was identified as one of the people who were “artistically inclined” and was responsible for the lettering of one of the quote they wanted painted that explained the nature of the project.  Because of this I was not assigned to one student in particular.  I was going around and adding little touches here and there and I thought it would be funky to add raindrops coming from the window sill.  So I got some blue paint and started to this.  Lets just say that they were not looking like raindrops.  There was a high school student who was putting up these characters, and he was about to leave.  I asked him if he wanted to help me fix these raindrops.  By the end of the day – he has transformed my blobs of blue into a masterpiece – even signing his name in Chinese.  I was so impressed – because he did not have to stay at the school – but something sparked inside of him, something so powerful that it made him stay longer than he had originally intended. (See the podcast for more on this)   

An interesting quote from one girl working on this project, her tag was a picture of a girl in front of a closed store, with a thought bubble saying “ I don’t want coins, I want change”. 

This is what me being here is all about. Enough said.

Children at Grandview

During the reading week program, I had the opportunity to meet with Margo Fryer, the director of UBC's unique Learning Exchange and the chance to visit some science classes at Seymour Elementary Schoolto see a curricular CSL program. These meetings were both incredibly useful to me, and I'm looking forward to sharing this new knowledge with my colleagues. These side trips also meant that I didn't spend as much time at Grandview as our students - so I didn't develop the same relationships with the kids that they did - but I wanted to share a few things about these students with you, and how our students interacted with those in kindergarten through grade 7.

We had been told that students might get quite attached, and might quite quickly become attached to these new volunteers. It was one thing to hear this, and quite another to see it. On my first day in the garden, it poured rain. There was a chance that the kids wouldn't come outside at all (and as we were there to work with kids, this would have been quite disappointing, albeit understandable). Thankfully, the rain let up, and the grade 2 class joined us for games outside. They LOVED our games (we had brainstormed and shared a bunch of childhood games and camp games and came up with a pretty remarkable repertoire). Within minutes, kids had latched on to us. We played the "Fan Club Paper Rock Scissors" game - where people start out with a simple RPS game, ending with the loser becoming part of the winner's fan club... the winner continues to challenge others, developing a chain of people behind him/her chanting his/her name. The kids faces just lit right up as they were cheered on. I think we learned the power of a name... and how special it makes a kid feel to have someone take an interest in them. I think the one-on-one attention that the kids received during this week was very important. We learn outside of our classrooms (hence the ASB trip) but they also learn 'outside' of their classroom and from people other than their teachers. I think having the community garden at this school, as well as the herbal garden, the butterfly garden... and flower gardens are also very important. Kids learn about life cycles, about biology and environmental issues - their knowledge is incredible. And their enthusiasm for simple things like earth worms is refreshing.

Justin was particularly good with the children - and he devoted even more of his reading week to these kids than most of us - he stayed each night for the after school program - played basketball with the kids and made the most of every moment. He really has a gift with kids. His "hot dog tag" was a total hit, and I'm sure the kids at Grandview will be requesting that one for a long time. It was sad to see him Thursday morning taking two kids by the hands in the school yard. I could tell from a distance he was trying to say goodbye. He walked them over to the large map of Canada painted on the asphalt. I saw him walk from “BC” to “Ontario”, to show the students where he lived and where they lived. Later he told us the map helped him explain to the students why he couldn't come back today.

I didn't really have a chance to see Felipe interact with the kids, as I was in a different group and occasionally away from the school. But he certainly left an impression. As we prepared to leave the school for one final time, a group of young students clung to him, all teary eyed.

I went to Grandviewwith my origami paper - something I loved as a child. I was looking forward to teaching kids how to make paper cranes... but I didn't expect that one shy little girl would teach ME how to make origami. It was nice to take a step back and let her teach me something.

On Wednesday, my group was in the gym. This 'mural' was quite basic, stencilled words (the school's motto), the logo, as well as primary colour letters shapes and numbers. It was especially hard to get students to focus in here. So, before I knew it, I was left with a full class... it was a big group, and they didn't want to play any of my games. They were so hard to control - I felt useless!

We played a few games, and finally half of them went to paint. Managing 10 was certainly better than 20! There was one child who was especially hard to work with. He really tested my nerves. I went home feeling very frustrated. Alone, or even with the occasional intervention from a teacher, I could not control that class - and that one boy really frustrated me. I felt I had been totally ineffective, and I didn't know how to deal with him. I think I would have continued to hold onto that frustration had it not been for Thursday morning.

We arrived at the school early again, so to take part in the singing circle. This final singing circle was even more beautiful than the others. There were so many Carleton students (as well as Michael and Rachael) singing along and sharing books with children. We sang our favorites - that Joni Mitchell song among others. And we finished with Country Roads. Around this time, I noticed that child that had tested me the day before. He was entirely transformed! He belted out the chorus! The day before I had felt there was no way to get through to this child, but here he was, attentive, pleasant, and enjoying himself. The staff at this school are incredible - and I think programs at Grandview, such as this morning singing circle with the staff member on guitar - are doing great things to boost school spirit, enhance student learning, and bring smiles to the faces of these kids.

(Revised, reposted)

Building Community through Laughter and Singing

"Why do you think that singing and playing games create community?"  I pondered out loud. Our 'Team Seagull' considered this question on Thursday morning as we did our final reflecting exercises at Grandview Elementary SchooI. In the meantime, I thought about the importance of asking questions.

“We have become convinced that structured reflection – a key component of the Community Service Learning model – facilitates “thick” experiences.  Reflection is an active and conscious practice that allows the exploration of new thoughts, perspectives, and experiences… it facilitates self-examination, broadens understanding and connects theory and practice. Reflection cultivates meaning and enhances the quality of community engagement.” (Fryer & Newnham, 2005).

This quote from the Director Margo Fryer and Coordinator of Community Service Learning Jodie Newnham at the UBC Learning Exchange underscores the importance of reflection as an integral element in Community Service Learning (CSL).  Over the previous four days we (UBC students, students and faculty from Carleton U) had spent a lot of time ‘reflecting’ on our own, and with the help of various facilitators.  In my experience, ‘reflecting’ sometimes gets confused with ‘describing’ experiences, so my purpose with the ‘why’ question about laughing and singing was to get the students to analyze, synthesize, and integrate their experience – to reflect by asking deeper questions of themselves. My intention was to get us out of our comfort zone a little – that is, to get us out of our heads where our western society places the most ‘value’ – and to connect our heads with our hearts and bodies, to our feelings and emotions.

On the previous Tuesday evening I had lead the Carleton University students in a short piece of group work on the relevance of asking questions as a way of living a deeper and more engaged life.  A life, I suggested, lived as a ‘quest’ is a life that is lived with an openness; a life that approaches the world with an open hand, an open heart and an open mind. It invites us to live courageously, in spite of our fears of the unknown or of being rejected.  I asked them to explore what that feels like in their bodies, to see if they could connect with that spaciousness that ‘questing’ or questioning allows.  I left them some time to discuss with each other, "What would be some ‘good’ questions to live by?" and here are some of those thoughts:

What’s really going on here? What is my intention in this moment?  What’s being asked of me here and now?  What is beautiful or valuable here? What am I missing? How can I empower? How can I make a difference?
Am I asking the right question?
How can I love myself more in this situation?  When was a time when your were really surprised or filled with wonder – and can you carry that feeling with you a you approach life?  What problem would you most like to solve? How would you want to be remembered? 

Our Carleton U group was so affected by the community sing-along that greeted us each morning when we entered Grandview Elementary, and we found the game playing, with the children as well as with our own CSL ‘pods’ – immensely bonding.  Why was this I wondered? 

So, I asked the students again, why does singing and playing games create community?

The student who answered that question really helped all of us understand a little better – “When we play games we makes mistakes, and we show our vulnerability,” said Justin, “and we can laugh about it.  And the kids see that, and they get the message that’s it’s OK to try and make mistakes with us.  It builds trust.”

Exterior Views of Grandview

A few shots of Grandview Elementary School - we were not allowed to take photos indoors while the children were present (to protect the privacy of the children), but we hope to have some copies of photos that the professional photographer took to publish on this blog soon...

Grandview Singing Circle

So here is an audio clip of the famous Grandview Singing Circle (click here) - the music that welcomes students, parents, staff and visitors to the school every morning. We purposely went early to the school in order to participate, and I know this will be a cherished recording for many of the Carleton students (so feel free to add it to your iTunes or whatever). There was nary a dry eye this last morning as we gathered to sing. And you will notice how the music is a joyful presence amongst the usual school chaos and morning announcements .... never mind, we keep singing.... 

When asked if they would participate in another CSL program, Carleton students said...

"Absolutely. It is a privilige to be able to engage in a two way learning exchange project where you can learn so much from yourself, from others and be able to impact change in the community."

"Yes, I would always like to engage in these service learning projects because I discover the more I'm taught, the less I know."

"For sure because it was a great way to connect with the community and make an impact on the lives of others."

"Yes! To gain knowledge through experience and be able to have one new perspective I didn't have before."

"In my own community... leaving everything behind is very hard."

"Ditto."

"Yes, because I'll never forget the friends I've made with ASB"

"These experiences seem like a microcosm for the whole human experience. The learning and the teaching and the reflection. The difference is we are more conscious I believe of the ability to affect change at that moment and these projects can teach us to learn and grow all of the time."

"Yes, but I want to do this locally, to learn more about my community and I want to see more people involved."

"Yes because it iis a great thing to help people and it was a great experience but I would also prefer if it took place in Ottawa."

"Yes! It was an amazing experience!"

"Yes. It's a very valuable way to spend one's energy, time and money."

"Yes, because it was inspiring and taught me so much of the world around me."

"I absolutely would. I feel that through CSL it has taught me to be more aware and involved and to appreciate our communities."

Endings

[Written on Thursday night, posted on Friday morning]

It’s Thursday night, and I am sitting in the airport, reflecting yet again on how the week has unfolded. Today, we went to Grandview School again, where the various groups spent time reflecting on the three days that they had spent with the Grandview kids. A lot of the reflection is about what the opportunity to have served meant to our students, what have they learned, and what have they helped the kids learn. Then we were joined by the kids who did a formal viewing of all the work that had been done inside the school during the week, and there were thank-yous and good-byes. In particular, we Carleton folks owe a huge debt of gratitude to the folks at UBC who did so much organizational work, and who so thoroughly incorporated our students into the project. We also a huge debt of gratitude to the Grandview School community who made us so welcome in their midst, and who continually emphasized the importance of what we were doing, even though it may have appeared that we were there such a short time and had little opportunity to make a difference. We were constantly being reassured that what we were doing mattered.

But the highlight of the day was when our own Carleton group met for a debriefing and reflection. Erin kept emphasizing the importance of the learning part of community service learning, and she organized a wonderful way for our students to articulate many aspects of what the week had meant to them, and pushed them to probe deeper behind the experience. Indeed, although the many splendours of Vancouver beckoned, they spent almost two hours talking about their experiences this week, answering questions such as what did we learn, what did we help the children learn, what most upset us during the week, and what difference did the week of CSL make in our lives. It turned out to be quite emotional for some, and with many indicating that they still had a lot to digest. I have been tremendously impressed by their commitment, their compassion, their curiosity, and their intelligence. They have been superb ambassadors for Carleton University during their time here. My hope is that they will be inspired to take a leadership role within the university in encouraging others to consider how they can become engaged with the community.

bananas unite, reflections and closing circles

Hey guys!

Well I just wanted to write a quick note to update you on the day.  Today was our last day with the students at Grandview School and it was pretty emotional. I just wanted to share a few things with you.  Just as we were leaving the school - I popped my head into Christine's office - the young, hip and totally fantastic person who runs the garden program at Grandview school.  I just wanted to thank her personally, tell her how impressed I am by all the things that she is doing.  The way she interacts with the youth, and gets excited about her job emits this energy - energy that is without a doubt adding to the spirit at Grandview. I could not tell her this without glassy eyes, I think because the things that these staff does for the youth - just amaze me. 

You know in the past I have found leaving an environment where there are youth who are living challenging lives, and this time around, I really tried hard to not get too attached, and just be in the moment.  But that is impossible.  Leaving is difficult, but what makes this experience a bit unique for me, that these students at Grandview have so much support and love all around them, there will be amazing programs in the future, we are not the last group of people to come through the school and empower, that I am 100% sure of this, and this fact alone is what makes leaving Vancouver so much more comforting.  I just am forever amazed by the staff at the school, and there was something about Christine that I will never forget. 

Today it was neat to see the children interact.  Some tears were shed by some of the students and amongst us as well.  It was something that I was not expecting, but it felt good. We finished the program by coming together with reflection - and I loved hearing from all of us, it was amazing to hear what others learned, and just the overall impressions.  Thanks for sharing guys- it was pretty inspiring for me.  And of course the bananas united with on last round of banana peeling, slicing, smooching, eating, and of course GOING BANANAS (Erin is a sight to see.... makes me smile!)

I just wanted to quickly thank Rachel and Michael for coming out - you are a crucial part of this program.  Davene - we could not ask for a better student representative - your hard work has certainly paid off. 

Erin puts her heart 150% into everything she does, thanks for the stories and support, it goes a long way.  And finally thank you to the other participants - it has been a blast - I cannot think of 14 other people I would have wanted to share this experience with... and I cannot wait to see you all back in Otown!

Well guys - I hope to share more of my reflections with you guys once it gels a bit more.  For now Candice and I are hanging out - and I am off on an adventure on my own tomorrow. 

It was great sharing with you all - I hope you enjoyed hearing our stories!!!

CSL and Curriculum

Today, Erin, Rachel and I had the chance to see curriculum based CSL in action.  UBC has a strong interest in extending its CSL to projects that are related to and evaluated as part of courses in which students are enrolled.  They are building on the Reading Break programs that have been in place for several years, working with schools on projects that the schools identify as useful.

So today, Davinia, who coordinates the school based CSL projects, and who has been instrumental in incorporating our students into the project at Grandview school, kindly invited us to visit a school where a number of UBC students are engaged in science projects with elementary students.  In particular, Rosie Redfield was there to meet us.  She is a faculty member in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.  She is teaching a first year Biology course, and gives her students the opportunity to complete a project, worth 15% of the final grade.  So this year, her students were working in the school on a project related to water quality.  The students have been studying about water all year, and will eventually be making a presentation about the quality of water at the school to the School Board.  The UBC students were helping the students to learn about testing the quality of water.  Eventually, the UBC students will have to produce a report on their experience in the project.  Rosie kindly spent an hour or so with us, talking about the challenges of doing CSL.  She notes that she teaches a very large class (over 400 students) and has no teaching assistants and only minimal marking assistance.  A key to her being able to offer the CSL opportunity to a subset of students is the work done by the Learning Exchange in coordinating the project.  Last year, her students were engaged in an ongoing project throughout the term, but that proved to be extremely resource intensive in terms of giving the students the support they needed to complete the project.  By confining it to reading week, using a well-developed model already developed by the Learning Exchange, it becomes more doable.

We talked about how much the students learn during the process.  Rosie was candid in indicating that she did not think that they learned a lot more biology as a result of doing the work.  But they learn about how elementary students learn, and as a consequence, about how they themselves learn.  They also start to think more about how biology is used in the real world.   In writing up their report, they will be forced to reflect on a variety of questions, such as what biology did the elementary school students learn, what biology did the university student learn, and what else did they learn.

We also talked to a couple of the UBC students about why they were doing the project.  For them, the emphasis was on service, the chance to volunteer, the hope that they might be making a difference, even if only for the short term, in the lives of the children that they were working with.

Tomorrow, the President of UBC will be visiting the school, and Rosie will be there again, taking time from her very active reasearch lab, because she believes CSL is a good idea worth promoting.  Even with scarce resources, it can be made to work.  With more resources, it can be made to work really well.

A magic dragon, a dancing heart, and the real realities of the DTES

I cannot think of a better way to start my day – being greeted by cheerful and inspiring music, one of the favs being Puff the Magic Dragon.  This is what Grandview public school does when they welcome their students to their school; something so powerful that sometimes even the elders or parents come in a join too. Today I really practiced living in the moment, and embracing those times where you are just content with your surroundings, at peace with myself, and learning the simple ways to spark an interest, and inspire our youth – even if it is as simple as setting a positive tone for the day. 

See the podcast for more stories about this. 

It is seconds after a discussion with a front line worker and a some police officers in the DTES – and I feel like I have gained an entire new perspective on homelessness in Canada.  We talked about several things… but what I loved the most was that we were talking about some of the issues that face homelessness.  It all comes back to PSYC 1001 when we talk about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.  For a human to be able to function they need the basic biological foundations. Without the proper sleep and water and food humans cannot function.  Judy was talking about how these people are so deprived in these basic necessities that they cannot even develop a sense of direction to know where the places they could get help are. 

The dynamic trio discussed how important experiential learning is, and how often the people behind the pen in policy writing are not experienced on the street and do not have root of the issues developed, yet they are determined the ways things function.  It is so simple, more function humans = less homelessness.  So how do we get function?  How do we help these people?  HOUSING opportunities.  Once somebody has a place where they are safe and can sleep more than three hours a night, within a few days they have what they need to be able to function and take the next steps.   

We talked briefly about 2010 and some of those housing opportunities.  This discussion led me to ask some questions.  I want to leave you with some of them:
-    Where is the gap in the services that we provide?
-    What are some of the biggest barriers?
-    What is the difference between the DTES that we know today and 40 years ago when homelessness was not as much of a prominent issue?
-    What types of programs is this money allocated to fighting homelessness going to?
-    Where does this problem begin?

For me this came down to a realization of the lack of funds, and my personal struggles with funding for great initiatives.  Why is funding such a huge struggle, especially for such a prominent issue – one that is facing CANADA as a hole!!!  Some of the answers that I received come down to ineffective programming, and the gaps, or lack of collaboration between the social networks in the community and the different levels of government.  WOW – for the first time in a long time – I am thinking to myself – “IF ONLY I WAS THE PRIME MINISTER – I get it!!!  Why don’t they???”.  Of course I need to snap myself back into reality – and realize that it is more complicated, the government is more complicated then what I see.

Best of all – the police we also talking about how it is important to target our youth – empower them – and help them become the change they want to see in their community.