Week 13: Leadership Committees Continue

Students worked hard in their leadership teams creating the story board for the PSA, the proposal for Mr. Underwood, the in-kind donation letters for local businesses, and a letter for the Courier. We also took a break to play a fun game as a group. Overall, the students are working hard as we only have a couple more sessions before GYSD! Keep it up!

week 12: leadership committees

Today we debated and divided into leadership teams to divide and conquer. There are four groups of two with one substitute. One group are the Experts who are in charge of learning more about the issue and creating the petition. The second group is of the Writers/Directors of the PSA on puppy mills and homeless animals. The third group is in charge of Fundraising and Event Planning for the Global Youth Service Day event. The final group are the Journalist in charge or getting the word out about our event. I am very excited about how much work the students did yesterday--we are definitely in good shape for GYSD!

Peace,

Laura

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - It's a day ON!

Monday was absolutely fabulous! I am so proud of all of the Everyday Leaders who participating in our service kick-off on January 18th. When you all could have been sleeping in, playing outside, or watching TV, you came out and served. You carried on in the spirit of service of Dr. King.

We served at the A.G. Rhodes home on Boulevard and Woodward close to the Old Fourth Ward and the King Memorial Center. Students came prepared with interview questions to tap into the residents' knowledge about MLK, the Civil Rights Movement, and the 1960s. It was an inter-generational exchange of stories that off the students should be proud of. They were excited and learned a lot from the seniors.

Great work! Next week, Everyday Leaders joins forces with other students to form the ACMS Environment Club!

Peace,

Laura

Week 10: Preparing for MLK

We had a busy week getting ready for our first service project: the MLK Day of Service on MLK Day (It's a day ON!) On Monday, January 18th, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his dedication to service, we will serve with residents at A.G. Rhodes home on Boulevard just north of I-20. We have prepared interview questions for the seniors to talk to them about their experiences with the Civil Rights Movement and their feelings on Dr. King.

Everyday Leaders prepared for the weekend by watching parts of the PBS special, Citizen King. Citizen King is a great documentary not only highlighting Martin Luther King's more notable accomplishments, but it goes beyond the I Have a Dream speech into more of his work with the Poor Peoples' Campaign as well as his opposition the Vietnam War. We a held a group discussion following the film.

Students also decided that on Global Youth Service Day, the group will create a Homeless Animal Awareness Campaign and share it publicly. The students are hoping to host this at Grant Park's Dog Park.

Head's up - the Environment Club is start on January 25th.

Looking forward to next Monday!

Peace,

Laura

Week 9: Choosing a GYSD Project

Yes, we are still working on choosing a GYSD project! This is a tough process because the students have many great ideas and equally strong personalities! :) It's a good thing, because we a learning the art of listening and formulating ideas. Yesterday, the students thought critically about the project ideas, trying to figure out what the project would mean to them, their peers, and the community, how many volunteers they would like to involve, and how they would like to involve the community. Noah McGee led the students in a debate over the issues and then I assisted them in re-organizing their ideas. They have narrowed the project down to two choices and unfortunately, we did not have a clear winner. First thing when we come back from break, the students will make their final decision, create a checklist and timeline and we still start to move forward! Whew! A lot of tough work!

Students did come to a clear consensus that they would like Hunter Peatman to design our t-shirt. Congratulations, Hunter! As soon as he submits the final design, I will start checking prices and collecting money/sizes. Unfortunately, the guy who did the t-shirts for us last year and for the school is serving overseas--anyone know of a custom t-shirt maker in the area who will give us a good deal?

Have a wonderful break!

Peace,

Laura

Week 8: Choosing a GYSD Project

We had a lot of fun on Monday with different mind games to illustrate how easy it is to get into a rut with our thinking. We also had fun with some teambuilding games. The students were champs with the hula hoop game, and did a great job connecting with their parents (while blindfolded!) during the barnyard game. It was also really funny to watch the students walking around with their eyes closed making pig and bird noises!

The main focus of the day was brainstorming in groups different project ideas for Global Youth Service Day that directly address a root cause to homeless animals. It was difficult because it is much easier to thinking of "band-aid" projects like fundraising and drives and harder to address why we homeless animals is a problem in our society and how to eradicate it. Students have narrowed down their choices and through a series of questions and discussions, they will decide on their project next week--just in time for winter break!

This week, we also have Robby from Trees Atlanta coming to introduce the Enviro Club that will be led by Everyday Leaders. Certain Mondays (1-2 / month) will be dedicated to working on environmental issues affecting ACMS directly. We will invite other students to the Enviro Club. On the Mondays that there is no Enviro Club, Everyday Leaders will focus on their Global Youth Service Day Projects.

Have a great day!

Peace,

Laura

Week 7: Examining the Issue - Becoming the Experts

Whew! We worked hard last night! The students spent the two hours really starting to dive into their issue: homeless animals. The more they learn about the issue, the more creative they will be able to be with their projects, and the more impact they will have on the issue. Student watched videos and read articles to learn more about the causes, effects, and resources available. Student dove into topics on spraying and neutering programs, feral cats, dog fighting, lost pets, cockfighting, causes of homelessness for pets, and puppy mills. We learned a ton, and next week students will start to brainstorm ideas for projects to address one or more of these issues.

Also, I wanted to note that this week was the first week that all 11 students in the club were present. I really hope that we have many more weeks of everyone in attendance. Each week the students make big decisions for Global Youth Service Day and it is important to have everyone's input so that all students are on board with group decisions. Plus, it adds more ideas and makes team building easier.

Have a great week--I'll see you next Monday!

Peace,

Laura