New Places and New Lessons

I have been in New York for a month, and time continues to fly for me here. Today was my first day at the Community Service Program, and I can already tell it is going to be quite a learning experience. I will be working with people who need help staying in their apartment, finding or keeping public assistance, an emergency supply of food for their family, or just someone who cares about them. From what I can tell, these people are not at the point of being referred to the employment program office yet because they have more immediate needs that must be met first. As time goes on and I have more experiences that allow me to make judgments in that way I will be sure to pass them along. Today I had a great conversation with the director of the program where we bounced ideas, offered advice, and just simply talked candidly to get to know each other. She has a great heart to serve those in need, and I know I will learn a ton from her, and the rest of the staff, during the next five weeks.

I am happy with how things went during my four weeks at the Employment Services office, and I am excited to continue to spend time with the 9th grade group over the next five weeks. These kids are so great to work with, and the two leaders that I am helping do a fantastic job with them. They are so excited to have me share information with the group to get their wheels turning, and it is so fun for me to get involved in their activities. The kids are getting a lot of information and experiences that most 15-year-olds don't, according to my recollection. So far we have discussed the upcoming election and its implications, poverty, both domestic and global, and the concept of building something from the ground up that represents something they are passionate about. A couple of them have even approached me after I shared my story with them to inquire about how they could do something along the same lines. They tell me that there is something they really care about and that they really think they would like to do something about it the way that I am trying to do something about poverty. Just hearing that a young person in 9th grade has that kind of selfless vision gives me hope for future generations, and to hear it from more than one person in a small group is even more encouraging.

Most likely I will still spend Friday mornings with the adult employment participants, as well, which is really nice. Friday mornings are when we bring it all together with the group and get them ready to take their resume to an interview and nail it. They all get so excited and nervous for interviews, and we really just have to tell them to take a deep breath and believe in themselves because they each have the tools they need to be successful, if they would just use them. I will try to keep tabs on who finds a job throughout the rest of my time here. Having a total number for the ten weeks I was here will be really interesting to see, and fun to share with you all.

There are a few photos from my weekend in New England. My friend, Adam, and I went to see the area and visit our friend, Steve. We spent most of our time in Boston, with one night in Attleboro, Massachussetts and one afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island. Of all the places we visited this weekend, I have to say that Boston was great and probably overall my favorite, but Providence was a very pleasant surprise. I didn't expect it to be horrible, but the feel of the city was so comfortable and friendly, and the scenery was beautiful. The whole time I felt like we were walking around the set of a TV show. It has the feel of a city that I want to settle down in and raise my family. I know those last two descriptions are somewhat vague and subjective, but what I'm trying to say is that it was really nice. Another place I really liked was Cambridge, just outside of Boston proper, and the home of Harvard University. Enjoy the photos and I will be posting again next week with more feedback from my undoubtedly new experiences this week.