Young Wonder Award of 2009

This award goes to a person who has demonstrated outstanding achievement before the age of 25



Terrence BrooksA seminary student at Dallas Theological Seminary, Terrence applied for our AmeriCorps program. When we first interviewed him, we only had positions in our After-School Academy for elementary students. I knew he would be a great role model and figured he would adapt to teaching young children. However, before our programs started, we were given space in a new building that we were able to open up as our Teen University.

Because of Terrence’s experience working with college students at Huston-Tillitson and because of his future interest of starting his own non-profit program, I thought he would be the perfect person to run our Teen University. I couldn’t have been more right.

At 24-years old, Terrence works 30+ hours a week (in addition to his full time class load at DTS) with the 6th-12th graders in the Roseland TownHomes housing development. He has a personality that connects him with people. His determination to inspire success in the young people he works with is contagious, so much so that though the teens grumble, they continue to look up words in the dictionary at his direction and they continue to watch the “educational movies” that he brings (and have even challenged people, “How is this movie going to be educational?” when people not so aware of the process have come in). The students even arrive at 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning to go on college trips.

However, Terrence is not just a fun person that the teens love to be around. Terrence holds them accountable and has high expectations. He forces them to face consequences for bad choices and then proactively challenges them to think through their decisions.

Most recently, Terrence connected with a group of middle school boys. The boys started coming at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning to create a set of rules and consequences, take a typing test, and follow Terrence’s more stringent rules that he has for younger students. He noted that these younger boys are his new focus since he has already set up the structure for Teen U and has Brittany, Dranoel, and Jeffrey in place to oversee it while he focuses on the younger ones.

Terrence is an up-and-coming leader who has already come up. What he will inspire in the teens and how he will develop a college-focused program is something I excitedly await to see.

Creating connections...role reversal

To give our college students extra moral support, I used to go visit each of them at their respective colleges each year.

Unfortunately, my workload has increased at the same rate as the number of college students, it seems. So, it's been harder to take the time to visit.

Last week, I was supposed to meet with a recruiter from Texas A & M-Commerce. I seized the opportunity to meet with him in Commerce so I could go visit some of the students.

I forwarded the email, letting them know I'd be in town and inviting them to lunch. I immediately got a response from Lewanna. "You know Luis?! What are you guys meeting about??" Turns out, Lewanna (junior, Education major) and Bridgette (graduate school, Higher Ed Administration major) both work with Luis!

After a text conversation with Luis during lunch, Bridgette and Lewanna took me on a golf cart tour of the new buildings on campus (Kristina, freshman music major, had to leave).

When I meet people at the university or in a college program, I try to introduce students to them. I want them to know people and have the same connections I do. This time, however, it was my turn to let them connect me. As we talked at lunch and as I stood with Bridgette and Lewanna when I met Luis, it was obvious how well-respected they were within the administration department.

I'm a networker. I love making connections. This time, the roles were reversed. Bridgette and Lewanna connected me instead of the other way around. I realized that my credibility probably rose with Dean Holley and Luis when they found out I knew two of their best student workers.

Thanks, Bridgette and Lewanna!

Perseverance to forge new paths

I love this picture!

Though this is not near all of the college students, these are a few of the young adults who have gone on to college...some who will be completing soon.

All of the people in this picture grew up in our Kids Kamp/University of Values program. Some were students, some volunteers, and some ultimately became the teachers of the program. (Two of them are not yet in college, but definitely plan to go).It's fun when they get together and reminisce.

As we cooked together and then played games, the students talked about lessons learned, talked about how they were passing their knowledge on to kids below them, and just had a good time laughing and getting reacquainted. Some exchanged numbers so they could help each other find jobs or provide other information.

Most of them lamented the fact that their friends from high school have taken different paths. Because of that, they no longer have much in common and much to connect on. As Lewanna explains, forged paths are easier to follow. The students above are persevering and forging the path to make things easier for those behind them.

Spotlight: Gary Van

I always tell people Gary Van is my heart. I have known him since I moved to Dallas. He was 11 years old and shy when I met him.

The shyness didn't last long. As soon as he entered junior high, girls became his big past time. He became the "mac daddy," as the boys liked to call themselves.

Gary grew up in East Dallas, where I live. The "gang" in our neighborhood is 223. They wore red as much as possible and threw up a sign that meant "East Grand" (the street that ran through our neighborhood). I never sensed that these guys were dangerous. To me, they all seemed to be gang member wanna-be's. Some were more troublesome and annoying than others, but never in a way that threatened my safety.

Once in junior high, Gary seemed to go down hill. He began getting in trouble a lot at school. Each day after school he always had stories about what this or that teacher had said to him or how he had been kicked out of some teacher's class. He expressed his frustration that teachers would cuss at him. As a good adult, I tried to convince him that it must be something he was doing to provoke all of these teachers. Gary used to tell me he just wished he could have a recorder in his pocket so I could hear what the teachers said and the way they talked to him.

Now I know Gary was no angel at school. But it never made sense to me because I can only think of one time in the 14 years I've known him that he lost his temper in front of me (not at me, though) and wouldn't calm down when I asked him to. Gary's a comedian. Always has been. I wish I'd have had the connections to get him into stand up comedy. He's such a story teller...always making people laugh. But, from what he told me, the school started associating him with his neighborhood, East Grand.

In high school, when he walked into the school, they would pull him aside and check his nails to see if had been smoking weed. They made assumptions about him based on his friends and were constantly questioning him. He talked back to teachers and got into fights. He began getting shuffled from alternative school to alternative school. I found out later that he had also begun selling drugs during this time period.

After being sent to an alternative school in DeSoto, he gave up. He used to tell me that the teachers got rid of him because they didn't want to deal with him. While in DeSoto, he didn't get in trouble. He realized that he wasn't the bad kid they made him out to be. But his reputation followed him. He went to a different DISD school than he attended before DeSoto, only to find the assistant principal from his old school had transferred to the new school he was attending.

He ended up dropping out of school and getting his diploma by paying $350 to some online high school in Florida. They sent him a large test packet. Once completed, all he had to do was send it back in and, viola, he received a diploma.

I convinced him to enroll in community college. He did. But only lasted for a semester. Instead, he took a job at Sam's, where he works to this day. Gary is now 24-years old. He will have six years of service at Sam's next month. He has since gone back to school to become certified in air conditioning repair. He is working on going into business with a friend of his.

The other day he called me wanting to get a little boy into the summer program that we offer. He explained that he's been spending a lot of time with this little boy, helping with homework and trying to influence his behavior. He told me that the little boy's brothers all have dads that are involved in their life. This one little boy is the only one in the family who doesn't have that and so he acts out. I don't think Gary realizes how much that parallells his own situation.

Though I've known Gary and know what a great guy he is, I never expected him to mentor other children and take the role so seriously. But he is. Gary wants this child to have opportunity--educational and otherwise. He was very insistent about enrolling him in our summer program instead of just sending him to a rec center to play all summer. He remembered what the program was like when he was a part of it many years ago and wants this child to experience that as well.

Community. Resources. Relationships.

With the kids and adults I know who live in these communities, mentoring happens in ways we don't even realize or recognize. Sometimes all that is needed is knowledge of and access to additional resources that can help support those efforts.

Life is hard. Mentoring is harder.

Vacation had started off pretty good. I had cleaned most of my house and had prepared two different meals--great for homemade leftovers. I was looking forward to coffee shops, reading, blogging, and working on some other longer-term projects.

About two hours into my coffee shop relaxation time, I got a phonecall from one of my 24-year old "kids." I have known him since he was about 11. He's always confided in me, for some reason, despite the fact that he recognizes that our experiences are completely different and there's no way I can possibly understand some of his circumstances.

About junior high, I began getting worried about him. He was such a quiet and shy kid in elementary school. Once he got into middle school, things started changing. He got involved with girls and became the girl-magnet. He was constantly in trouble at school. He transferred from school to school, trying to avoid problems. But, somehow, problems followed him. Evidently, he didn't like or respect most of the teachers and administrators at his school He wasn't a bad kid though. He became such a comedian and was *always* very respectful to me.

He made it through high school by resorting to an online diploma program. Once he had "graduated," we worked to get him into college. He only lasted a semester. But, he went out on his own and began working...a job he has to this day. A few years ago, he started going to a trade school for a certification that he recently finished.

I was worried about him early on but, unlike many of his friends and relatives, he has made some great choices over the years.

Today, though, his phonecall was out of frustration. One of his not-so-wise choices over the years was having four kids with two different moms. He has spent lots of money in trying to establish paternity and child support. Throughout that process, one of the moms has caused him a lot of grief, sending him back and forth to court and not letting him see the kids when she doesn't feel like it or when her new boyfriend is around.

Today I couldn't empathize with him though. I have no sympathy for him. He knew the girl was "messy" and trifling, yet he had not just one, but two kids with her. He hasn't followed up on the sporadic court processes (however, I wonder if he really knows how to do that in the way that would help his case. He's only 24!). He's spent thousands of dollars on attorneys trying to get his child support straightened out and I don't know enough about the process to tell him what he's doing right or wrong.

He may not be the best dad yet, but I get the sense he's trying. His dad has been in prison since he was a little kid, yet he's always been his role model. I thank God he finally got past trying to be like his dad.

After an hour of us arguing back and forth--me stressing responsibility and him saying he's giving up--I was exhausted and exasperated. Not only does he continue to spend money on child support and attorney fees for two of them, but he still has two other kids who need his attention...one who is sick right now and needs medical attention.

I don't know what to tell him. He's frustrated...and stubborn. Everything I offer he's supposedly already tried. He's tired. He's irritated. He calls me for the answers and I don't have them. I want to help him but I don't know how.

His solution is to get some "quick money" by selling drugs to help him get back on his feet. I know he tells me this for shock value, but I also know it's not unlikely. It's something he knows how to do...and it's the way his friends make ends meet. At this point, he doesn't care about the long-term consequences.

He wants to provide for his kids but he keeps running into brick walls. And now he has exhausted his money trying.

I want him to face the struggle...to figure it out. I want him to do that...I NEED him to do that for himself...his kids...his younger brother and sister...and for the community where he grew up. I need him to do that so *I* know it can be done. I want him to set the example that life can be tough, but you can persevere...but I don't know that it's that easy.

I know he's not the only one who has been in this situation, but I don't know what to tell him, how to encourage him, or what to say to challenge him. I don't know if our hour-long phone conversation made things better...or worse.

Growing up in the inner city is not just physically and economically challenging, it is mentally challenging as well. It's very hard to fight a community mindset and example that being moral, doing things the "right" way doesn't pay off. Living in the inner city makes it hard to worry about long-term consequences when immediate consequences are so prevalent.

Unfortunately, his (and others') choices are not within my control. I cannot will him to do the right thing. It's hard to know when to listen and when to direct. I can only hope I made the right decision and have the right balance of pushing, challenging, and caring.

President-elect Obama: "A new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

"Barack Obama is our next president." Typing that statement still overwhelms me with emotion. I've watched his speech three or four times and have the same feeling.

I am a very passionate and emotional person, but I don't shed tears often. On Tuesday, as the screen flashed the statement above in big, bold letters, I could feel the emotion welling up from my chest. As I stood in the middle of 6000 African-American people crying, dancing, praying, and some in complete shock, I wondered if I had the right to be so overcome with emotion. After all, I'm not Black...I haven't endured what they have to get to this day.

I held back the tears until I started receiving multiple phone calls and text messages, most of which were from the young adults that we have dubbed the apathetic generation...all of whom were Black and Hispanic. The emotion came faster than I could hold it back. My tears were for them.

For the 23-year old young man who text'd me after he voted, explaining:

"Obama's my idol! He just became one of the reasons I want to make sure I pursue my degree and perfect my speaking skills. He presents himself in a way that I wish I could at interviews and important outings."

For the 25-year old African-American teacher who explained to me that she thought she had high expectations for all of her students, but after Obama became president, she realized she had never thought it would be realistic for her African-American students to say, "I want to be President."

For the 23-year old young man who has worked hard to get past neighborhood influences of drug dealing, friends who are in prison for murder, and friends who have been killed...but who called two days after the election saying, "You've got to help me find a newspaper from yesterday! I want to frame it!"

For the White grandmother who called me in tears Tuesday night because, though she is a democrat and an Obama supporter, this election has a whole new impact on her because of her 3-year old bi-racial grandchild.

My tears came because of the African-American children I have known for years...and how I know this election impacted them.

But my tears also came because I know this election was for ALL of us. As Barack Obama said in his speech on Tuesday night,

"...our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

We are all connected.

My hope...and the reason I voted for Barack Obama...is because I believe he will help us understand that we ALL have a shared destiny. I believe he will help us see that people of all cultures, ethnicities, skin colors, and places of the world need each other and can benefit from the relationships that develop.

Phone victims

Phone Victims... P.V. It's becoming our own "gang" symbol.

A couple of weeks ago I took about five teenagers to another church to blend with their teenagers in hopes of creating a partnership.

As we sat in on their meeting, the group was trying to figure out what they wanted to call themselves.

Though the teenagers I know and call on come from many different neighborhoods, I suggested that our teens should come up with a name for themselves as well. We don't meet on a regular basis, but I have several who I know are consistent and will come to take advantage of a good opportunity...or will come if I sound like I desperately need their help. It didn't take very long before Vanessa piped up, "Phone Victims!" she offered.

Everyone laughed and agreed that they are my "phone victims" so it was a fitting name. Personally, I don't think that sounds like a very good group name, but they didn't offer up any other suggestions...nor did they ask my opinion.

Though I could be offended by them dubbing me as an evil captor, ever since they came up with the name, I have watched them eagerly tell everyone they come in contact with of their "Phone Victim" status and caution new teenagers I meet (sometimes introduced by the Phone Victims themselves), then roll their eyes...in typical teenage style...as if they were unable to choose whether or not they were there. (mind you...most of the time they ride the bus to get to wherever or whatever we are doing).

When I first moved to Dallas, I read a book called, Real Hope in Chicago. It's an easy read that I highly recommend if you want to understand how to do urban ministry...or any kind of "ministry" with kids, for that matter. On pages 118-122 Wayne Gordon talks about how to invest in people. His points have always stuck with me in a very profound way:

1. See Fifteen Years into the Future.
2. Make them feel important.
3. Don't Go Anywhere Alone
4. Be Accessible.
5. Expose Them to Other Role Models.
6. Involve Your Family.
7. Remember Those Who are in College.
8. Love, Love, Love.
9. Let them Fail.

I have always heard that kids like discipline and structure and like for adults to be involved in their life. Despite their outward resistance, I truly believe that. I think kids like the praise and accolades that happen as a result of their good and responsible behavior. I think they want to hear what the respected adults in their life think...about anything from politics to ethics to everyday opinions.

I also believe that they like to be Phone Victims.

Developing our future leaders

At the beginning of the summer, Marcus Martin, of Education is Freedom informed us at Central Dallas that we would be recipients of two interns through the Mayor's Intern Fellows program and let me know that I would get one of them.

My intern, Michael, was an extremely quiet guy when he first started working this summer. With our recent staff cutbacks, I was very excited to have been granted a free intern (sponsored by another corporation) but because of his quiet demeanor, I wasn't quite sure how to use him at first.

We started him on several administrative tasks then, as the summer progressed, he helped with our "Urban Experience" teen program. He seemed to open up as the summer went on. I admit, I felt a bit of pride and success when I saw a small grin creep across his face or heard a small chuckle from him. By involving him in our Urban Experience program, he also got to know other teens that I've worked with for many years and quickly became one of the group.

Yesterday was Michael's last day. We attended a lunch banquet sponsored by the city of Dallas, AT&T, and Education is Freedom. The banquet celebrated the first year of the mayor's vision of pairing kids from low-income schools with new opportunities and connections in order to "...produce a sense of aspiration, to give kids a chance to see what options can be later in life."

As I listened to the experiences of other teenagers participating in marketing analysis, law firms, and other corporate internships, I wondered if Michael missed out by not being at a company that could give him "bigger" career experiences than our non-profit.

Last night, however, I spoke with his grandmother. As she and I talked, she explained to me…sounding somewhat disappointed…that Michael has an overly quiet personality. She explained that she and his dad have really tried to get him out of his shell. She went on to talk about how this summer has really been good for him. She said he comes home happy and she has seen how much it has helped him. I assured her that he has now been sucked into the group of teens I call on to do different things--volunteering, college trips, and such--and that Michael's internship was only the start of a long-term access to opportunities. She seemed thrilled.

Though I often try to convince people that our education department needs more funding and needs to be allowed to grow, I don't think even I realize how important our work with kids and teens really is and how much impact it has on their development and their future.

I am very impressed with Mayor Leppert's vision and implementation of that vision. The Mayor's Intern Program provides students with the opportunity to interact with top of the line corporations and help them gain experiences that will more than likely influence their future careers.

Though I know that having high school students work at a company for the summer may sometimes seem like it could take more effort than provide benefit, I truly hope that more non-profits and corporations sign up so that next year becomes an even bigger program. I would love to see efforts like this begin in other cities and towns as well (that's a hint to all of you out there with connections!! :) ).

All of our children deserve the opportunity to "dream and envision who they can and will one day become."*

*(taken from the mission statement from our After-School Academy).

Asking for Care, not Favors

The "voice" of the community is so important. We can learn so much when we listen to the struggles (and solutions) of the community from the community's point of view. Below is a recently published article written by one of the students who keeps me updated about her progress.

--------------------------------------------------------------

http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/site/current.html
Virtual Mentor. April 2008, Volume 10, Number 4: 242-244.

Asking for Care, not Favors: Experience of Immigrants in the U.S. Medical System
Immigrant patients are often bewildered when they need to seek health care in the U.S., and that care usually comes from physicians who are unsympathetic to their plight.

Kimberly Aparicio

To this day, I get nauseated at the sight of the green cap from a bottle of Pompeian olive oil. Home remedies were the closest I got to visiting a doctor's office while growing up in inner city Dallas with an extended and ever-present Guatemalan family. For stomach aches the diagnosis was always "un empacho"—chronic indigestion—and, as much as I dreaded getting sick, my grandmother would do all she could to soothe my pains. She would start by massaging me with warm oil, then thump on my stomach to hear if it sounded hollow or obstructed. She would then pick me up by the skin of my back only to finally wrap my stomach with a tight cloth called an "ombliguero." The final step was drinking three to four teaspoons of olive oil with salt (while pinching my nose) to cleanse the digestive system.

Not many can say that their earaches were "cured" by inserting a large paper funnel into the ear with the outer tip burning to "suck out all of the bad air" that was causing the pain. By these and similar methods I managed perfect attendance throughout elementary school without ever seeing a physician. Although they arouse considerable humor now, the process of diagnosing and curing my illnesses was serious business. As I, now a medical student, reflect on those times, I realize that my attitude toward medicine was shaped not by a one-time epiphany but by the constant reminder of how different my experiences were from those of most of my classmates.

For my immigrant family there was no insurance policy, nor any savings account for emergencies—calling 911 was seen as especially wasteful because the bill would come later with a charge for the ambulance ride. As my father always said, "There is no money to get sick." What I had instead were the herbs, teas, ointments, and wonder pills from pharmacies in Mexico and Guatemala that ostensibly cured everything. Prayer for health was always a central part of my family's approach to illness. When a family member was pregnant, Parkland Hospital would deliver the baby. I grew up thinking that physicians were the people you went to when all the home remedies failed. Even trusting a physician was hard for my family, especially for my Spanish-speaking relatives, who often could not talk directly to their doctors.

When seeing a doctor did become necessary for my grandmother, I was the family translator, with the responsibility of telling the doctor her symptoms, no matter how personal, awkward, or uncomfortable it became for both of us. This arrangement was usually met with frustration by the doctor, who often responded demeaningly, as though just seeing us was doing us a favor. My grandmother never complained because she, too, felt as though he was doing her a favor. Practically, she had two options: She could either stop treatment and lose the progress she had made, or she could endure the scolding attitude from her physician because she had no where else to go.

After a certain point in her life, going to the doctor every couple of months became routine for my grandmother. When I couldn't accompany her, I would ask her what he had said about her illness, but she couldn't tell me because no one had translated for her. As she would later tell me, the trip was spent initialing some paperwork she didn't understand, sitting for hours in the waiting room, then seeing the doctor for 10 minutes only to be greeted with frustration, no explanation of her progress, and perhaps an identification bracelet as a souvenir. There was no end to this cycle, and each time it happened she missed work and spent money without learning anything about her health.

After being a long-time patient in the Parkland system and now a citizen of the United States, my grandmother recently opted to go to Guatemala for health care. She believed that doctors in the United States looked only at disease, processed her through the legality of the paperwork, and moved on. When she told me she was leaving for this reason, I couldn't help but think of the irony of it all. She rejected the health care system just as I, her trusted link to it, began the formal medical training that she had lost hope in.

Perhaps what I find most striking is that this isn't just a patient who is simply reluctant to follow doctor's orders. Rather it is a reflection of an ongoing lack of trust in the medical system on the part of the immigrant population, fueled in part by a lack of compassion, the very essence of the patient-physician relationship. While many will point out that the reasons why many immigrants are less likely to comply with medical advice are their legal status, culture, lack of education, inability to pay, and language barriers, we seem to neglect the possibility that the problems may begin at the bedside.

My experience as a medical student, as an employee in a hospital, and as an immigrant patient have provided me with valuable insight into the inadequacies of health care delivery and availability in the U.S. Having viewed the medical profession from these various perspectives, I have seen the difference in attitude that workers have toward the immigrant patient. There is not exactly a reluctance to diagnose and treat them, but bedside manner seems to be an unnecessary amenity for patients who "don't know the language and shouldn't complain because at least they're being treated." We would like to think that this attitude isn't lurking in our hospitals, but we know it is. The problem is not whether the immigrant population is receiving proper medical treatment, but the way in which we are administering it. By simply adopting the idea that "we are doing them a favor," medical systems create a barrier far greater than that posed by language difference. As a furious patient once told me after seeing her doctor, "I come here for help, not to be treated like a child for not knowing English."

What will happen in a couple of months when my grandmother returns from Guatemala, feels ill again, and goes back for treatment after having received medication and possibly even a different diagnosis from other doctors? As both her granddaughter and a medical student, this concerns me. To be sure, the immigrant population has to learn to trust the American medical system, but that trust must be earned. For their part, as the demographics of their patient population continues to change, American physicians must recognize that earning trust takes more than cold competence. No, their patients from the South will not expect their stomachs to be massaged and wrapped in ombligueros. What they will expect is to be treated with dignity and respect.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kimberly Aparicio is a first-year medical student at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and a 2006 graduate of Southern Methodist University, both in Dallas.

Communities "with promise"

Close your eyes for a minute. What comes to mind when you think of "at-risk"... at-risk schools, at-risk kids, at-risk communities?

What does the community look like?

What are the schools like?

The families?

The homes?

The initiative of the people?

What did you see??

I have never liked the term "at-risk." It implies negative all around. It is a term that addresses the deficits of people and places. It is self-defeatist.

"At-risk" advertises an uphill battle that is too difficult and too overwhelming to win and focuses people on looking for the negative.

What if, instead, I used the word "promising" or "with promise?"

I don't know about you, but for me that conjures up a completely different image. Sure, it's only semantics, but it changes the focus. People and communities "with promise" allow me to think about the possibilities. College...safe neighborhoods...working people...engaged kids and parents...clean neighborhoods...grocery stores...working street lights....

There are possibilities in a "promising" neighborhood.

"Promising" is what came to mind as I watched the video below. John Carter noticed that kids and parents in the Turner Courts neighborhood had promise. He, therefore, founded The Turner Twelve, a group of twelve students he follows from 6th grade through college. His first group is in college...and now helping with the second group of twelve.

In a promising community, we recognize that there are many more than twelve who are capable of making the same types of achievement.

Watch the video. I think you'll be impressed.

Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile!

Opportunity.

That's all some people need.

They'll take it and run with it.

A few months ago I was asked to choose a teenager who could represent Dwaine Caraway's district 4 for the Dallas Youth Commision.

After thinking it through a while, I thought Chantel would be a good fit for the position. I don't think I could've made a better choice!

Thursday I took Chantel to the second meeting (the first one ended up being cancelled because there wasn't a quorum). As the students waited for a quorum and as I sat back in the corner reading while I waited, I heard Chantel ask the group, "Was I the only one excited to be here today?!"

I smiled to myself. I thought about how sometimes it's just a matter of noticing something in someone and then nurturing that "something special." Sometimes it just takes an opportunity to get someone going.

As we were driving to the meeting, Chantel explained to me that she had finished her activities at the school and was sitting around talking to friends when one of her friends said, "It's 6:00! You've got to get to your city council meeting!" Knowing that she was going to have to catch the bus to get to Turner Courts, where she was supposed to meet me, her friend quickly offered to drive her so she could get there on time.

It reminded me of Akeelah and the Bee....though the community isn't necessarily noticed...and though they aren't the ones given the opportunity, they come together to ensure the success of the one with the opportunity and the most apparent ability to succeed.

During the meeting they talked about starting a recycling program in each of their representative schools, doing a Youth Service Day, and using meetings to discuss and help address some of the relevant issues they see in their communities and schools. I could see Chantel's wheels turning.

On the ride home she told me how her brain was clicking and how she wrote notes about her ideas during the entire meeting. She kept thinking about the different ways to engage the school and broader community to get involved in the recycling program so that Lincoln could be the "winner"...despite the fact that she is only one person and three of the other Youth Commission members all go to Greenhill.

She has also recently been chosen to be the intern for Radio One (94.5 and 97.9) as well as the Youth Intern for Atlantic records through her radio/tv cluster at school, which she thinks will give her ideas for publicizing the recycling program.

Chantel has ideas. When I first asked her to be on the committee, she said she went around the school telling people she was going to be on the Youth Commission and asked for ideas and thoughts about what they wanted her to address with the city.

Chantel can be a change agent. She just needs the opportunity and the venue. We need to recognize and nurture so many other kids in their skills and talents that they could develop if only given the opportunity.

Daverse lounge

Lighted only by glass globes suspended from the ceiling and Chinese paper lamps scattered throughout the room, Daverse Lounge feels as if you are walking into a type of club. There is a low buzz of talking as people stand in line for free Starbucks drinks and then search for a seat.

The environment absolutely amazes and enthralls me--not because of the club-like atmosphere and the free coffee (though free Starbucks is always exciting!). Not because it is primarily for teenagers (though there are a few adults scattered around who go so they can take in the event as well).

Daverse Lounge amazes me because it is the only place I've ever experienced where people can come together and just be. At Daverse Lounge, the environment is set up so that all judgment is suspended. Teenagers come from Highland Park High School to South Oak Cliff and everywhere in between. They come to present their deepest thoughts and emotion in the form of poetry.

Teenagers listen to each other with rapt attention as one speaks of inner struggles and fears as she tries to understand her own sexual preferences. Another has formed a poetic response to girls at school who have told her to lose weight. Still another grapples with her dual identity of being Hispanic and African-American. A 11-year old boy stands up and waxes eloquent for a good 3-4 minutes about the state of our country, the political game we play, and how war is affecting us. Two young men have created a tag team effort to describe their "difficult" life of being "pretty boys" that girls don't take seriously. Yet another young man stands up and speaks of his virginity and his intent to stay pure.

I commend Will Ritchey for bringing it together and creating such an amazing environment where everyone is accepted, applauded, and patted on the back.

It is socially conscious. It is spiritually energizing. It is...

Real.

Honest.

Safe.

Accepting.

Wouldn't it be nice if church had those characteristics??

What happens in the end?

My friend and co-worker pulled me aside this morning. When he asked me to sit down I figured it couldn't be good.

"He's out there again," he explained about one of the teenagers we've both known for quite some time. "He's gone back to crackin' safes, robbing, and drugs. Easy money."

My heart dropped.

The last time I saw the teen, which was several months ago, I knew the light in his eyes was gone. He seemed to have lost his spirit and will to press on. But I really didn't think he'd go back to the life he'd lived as a young child. I thought he was past that. For some reason I thought being around positive people, realizing he could do just fine academically in college, and working a legitimate job would be enough to convince him that the old lifestyle wasn't worth it. I knew he was still friends with the old guys, but I thought he was stronger than their influence.

As I talked with my co-worker, the lump in my throat grew as I told him about other teens who are also making some bad choices...choices that all seem related to money...choices that are causing them to drop out of college...choices that are going to make their current financial situation a life-long reality. Every single one of them have the potential to be whatever they want to be, yet they fall into the trap of feeling like they have gone "without" all of their life and deserve more.

It upsets me that they feel the need to buy things they want...things that are overpriced and brand name (like a $150 pair of jeans or $125 pair of shoes). It angers me that corporate executives feel justified making $5 million a year salaries and then feel the need to cut wages at the bottom of their companies but don't offer cut their own wages. It bothers me that we have created a society that markets spending and debt as a good thing. It infuriates me that payday loans and drugs are targeted at our inner city communities so that wealthy people can gain money on the backs of poor people who just want to survive.

Today, I'm not sure I know how to compete. I don't know what to do to change a mindset. I cannot fathom what we are up against in order to design a program to counter it.

You can tell me all day that, "even if you only help one child, it's worth it." ...and believe me, I love appreciate, and look up to the Jessica's, Kieva's, Shantaye's, Anabeli's, Erica's, Kimberly's...but I can't rest easy and my heart will not stop hurting knowing that the other ones aren't making good choices...and knowing that I/we/CDM doesn't have an answer.

...Kids are using reimbursements from student loans to pay their drug addicted mother's light bill.

...Kids are flunking out of college because they are unprepared academically.

...Kids are being sucked in by friends who are making "easy" money and are convinced they aren't going to get caught.

Why do they feel so invincible? Why do they think that they won't end up in their parents' financial situation when they are making similar choices?? Why can't they see that many of their friends HAVE been caught?? Why can't they see that dangerous lifestyles with guns, drugs, and theivery often ends in prison or death??

I wish they could see their own beauty...what they have to offer. I wish they knew and understood about themselves what I know about them. I wish they believed in their own beauty and worked from that belief so that the world could see in them what I have been allowed to see.

My friend assures me this is just a minor setback. For today, that's what I have to put my hope in. I have to believe...

the ending isn't written yet.

Moving forward...Creating a plan

I like learning new things. I like "a-ha!" moments. I like figuring out how things work.

My latest "a-ha!" moment started when one of the college students came to me explaining that in order to get back into college, he would have to pay for the entire semester without help from financial aid. I already had the feeling that was going to happen.

After the semester had started this fall, I noticed he was hanging out in Dallas an awful lot. He finally explained to me that he wasn't going to school this semester because he had failed some of his classes and his GPA had dropped below a certain level. He tried to explain to me that the school counselor had told him if he just sat out this semester, his financial aid would be reinstated in the spring. From an experience with another college student, I knew that wasn't right, but he chose not to listen when I explained that he would have to pay the school before he could continue. (Don't kid yourself if you think that our government's money is flowing freely to students! If students don't perform, financial aid does not continue paying for the classes!)

So, he sat out a semester and, sure enough, when he went to enroll for this spring, they told him in order to re-enroll, he had to pay for the entire semester himself. They explained that once he paid his expenses and proved himself by doing well in classes, his financial aid could be reinstated for the fall.

But that's not my a-ha moment.

After visiting with his counselor and finding out that he was going to have to pay for classes all by himself, he called to ask for advice and help in figuring out how to get the money to pay for next semester. I asked him how many hours he planned on taking this coming semester. He said 12 or 13. I suggested he go back to his counselor and create a plan for the rest of his college career. Once he had the plan, I suggested he write a letter of appeal to the scholarship he had received but had to return because he didn't go to school this semester.

When he called after his afternoon meeting with the counselor, he was somewhat shocked and a little disappointed, "It's going to take me two more years to graduate!" In order to graduate in two years, he will need to take 17 hours for a couple of semesters. This information didn't surprise me. Actually, after watching him set out semesters and take classes back and forth at El Centro and Texas A & M-Commerce, I was actually surprised he could get out so soon!

Although he was disappointed, HE HAD CREATED A PLAN!!!! He knew the plan and he knew what it would take to graduate. He could see light at the end of the tunnel. And because he had a written out plan, he recognized what kind of effort it will take to make it there. He wrote his appeal letter to the scholarship fund (this is an excerpt):

I made things a lot harder for myself because I didn't take care of business in the beginning. I know it is imperative I make a budget and stay with it. I plan on getting a job on campus, this way I know for sure my work schedule will not conflict with class and study time. Here is a estimate of what it would cost me to attend Texas A & M University in Commerce...

Tuition 2,068.00
Room & Board 2,870.00
Books 495.00
Total 5,433.00

In case there was a delay with employment opportunities, I have been doing what I can to put funds aside to go towards my education. I will also continue applying for other scholarships. I know that there is no grantee I will get the full amount of the scholarship I'm applying for, but I would be extremely grateful for any amount that is granted to me.

Somehow that led to my a-ha moment. I've been working with these kids to get them into college...and it IS happening. They are getting in. They are going. But I've never really thought about the fact that they don't have a plan on how to get out and what to do when they finish. After talking to Terrance, what I realized is that many are just taking classes. It's almost like we've created a mindset that being in college has become the end goal. It is progress though. When I first came to Central Dallas we were working on moving them from a minset of being in high school to graduating from high school. Now we're moving from the mindset of being in college to graduating from college. I'm encouraged by that. ...but I also recognize that we have to move quickly so we don't lose kids along the way.

Terrance is a great guy. I have seen his frustrations and his determination. I'm sure there will be more frustrations. But he is hanging in there. I know he can get there. Some days it takes more effort and energy than others to convince him of that. However, I am looking forward to a few years from now when I will visit the 45th floor of some office building and have to go through his secretary to see him sitting behind his mohagany desk in his suit and tie making business deals.

Sometimes you have to know "the rest of the story"

Growing up, whenever we were in the car at a certain time of the day my dad would flip through the stations to find Paul Harvey. I can still hear Paul Harvey saying, "and now you know...the rest of the story. Good day!"

I recently learned "the rest of a story" from one of our college students:

On the phone, he refused to tell me why he wasn't in school. He had his reasons and I "wouldn't understand." But he did agree to meet me to take care of some stuff.

Once we met up, the story gradually came out:

He was living with his sister, who was taking care of the bills. His life was working out just fine. He was working and going to school. He was doing so well that he received a few promotions at his job. He decided to buy a car. Life was manageable...until his sister lost her job. All of a sudden, he was faced with paying the rent and all of the bills in addition to his own. However, recognizing the importance of having a roof over his head, he did what he had to do...he used his credit card. Recognizing he needed more income than output, he began seeking more hours, more jobs. He was quickly falling behind. By the time he got the three jobs that he now works, he was already too far behind to easily catch up.

His sister is now working again, but still not able to pay all of the bills. He continues to work his three jobs to help with the bills, pay on the credit card, make car payments, and handle any other bills he might have. Unfortunately, having three jobs doesn't leave him time to attend school. He estimates that he will have everything back in order in 8-9 months. Unfortunately that means he will probably be out of school for an entire year.

He had no semblance of a smile on his face when he told me, "Life sucks."

I have to agree with him.

Injustice sucks.

Poverty sucks.

I'm beginning to think poverty is a cruel joke, set up to make people think if they work hard enough they can get out. It seems like the only way to get out is to have someone adopt each person in and take care of all of their financial needs until they get out on their own. Who wants to be taken care of by and become indebted to someone during the time of your life you're supposed to be gaining independence??

I had to tell him how much I admired him. I know where he was and what he was doing 7-8 years ago. The guys he used to hang out with are in and out of jail. Somewhere along the line, he made a decision to make a change. He's been a very impressive young man ever since. When he had time, he would always help whenever I called.

Now, there's nothing I can do. He's going to have to dig himself out. There simply aren't enough individuals to help straighten out people's financial situations so they can get back on track and start afresh. And no one wants to be someone's charity case. People just want to make their own living. Unfortunately, working doesn't always mean that you can make a living.

Through all of this, I pray that by the time he gets out of debt, his motivation to complete college won't have waned.

And now you know....the *rest* of the story.

The college process: Academic readiness

College has begun for many of our young adults (see the list below). As with all college students, entering and going through college is a learning process. However, this year as I've helped kids enroll, I don't know that we can be smug and satisfied just because we have a list of kids in college.

The students I've worked with are not prepared academically. Though I believe any student going through college is better off than one who doesn't, we need to be careful that we are not setting our kids up to fail.

Probably 90% of the students I know have to take at least one remedial or "developmental" class their first year. Many of them have to take all 3 developmental classes (reading, writing, and math)...sometimes more than once until they can pass them. Developmental classes cost the same as any other college class, but provide no college credit hours on their transcript.

I've been reading a study from the Pell Institute, Raising the Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students. The study supports what I've noticed:


Older students and students enrolled part time are factors that are associated with lower graduation rates.

Financial problems are often a factor, but there are also non-financial risk factors:

• being financially independent (many of our students are completely on their own for all practical purposes. They receive no financial help from their parents for any college, or other, expenses)
• delaying enrollment after high school (although this has been a motivational factor for some, as stated before, students entering college as an older student is associated with lower graduation rates)
• having inadequate academic preparation ("Students from low-income families are less likely to receive high quality K-12 education, which severely limits their college choices and financial aid opportunities. They also don't often receive the same information and encouragement to attend from families, teachers and counselors as do their more advantaged peers" pg. 8)
• having extensive family obligations (though they are in school, many of them are trying to make money to support their parents...some of whom are working at jobs that don't pay enough to make ends meet and some of whom are not working for various reasons and their children feel obligated to help them pay their bills, thus creating a system where a college student is supporting two or more people while trying to make time for their own education so they can ultimately do better financially and help their family. Unfortunately, a current, lower-paying job sometimes wins out over looking at the long-term benefits.)
• lacking experience with the college environment (which is self explanatory, but I will address the lack of experience with the financial part of college in the next blog post).

Paul Gorski in his article, The Question of Class, does a good job of addressing some of the systemic disadvantages and injustices low-income students experience, challenging our assumptions about students in poverty and the obstacles they face. Before we begin blaming the parents, he argues (and I whole-heartedly agree!), we need to address the reality of the systemic injustices in our society.

The obstacles to a student from a low-income neighborhood are huge, but not insurmountable. However, it is not fair for us to leave it up to the students and put all of the responsibility on them when we, as a society, have not done our job to prepare them. We *must* get involved and do more on the front end of their education.

Shantaye Moore--graduate school, Texas Southern University
Kieva Moore--graduate school, Stephen F. Austin
Tiffany Johnson, senior--Baylor University
Fredrick Williams, junior--Lamar University
Ashley Johnson, freshman--Langston University
Albert Ross, sophomore--El Centro College
Johnas McKinny, sophomore--El Centro College
Jessica Orogbu, junior--Texas A&M-Commerce
Keith Davis, junior--Texas A&M-Commerce
Josephine Davis, freshman
Oscar Aparicio, sophomore--University of Texas-Austin
Kimberly Aparicio, Southwestern Medical School
Veronica White, junior--University of Texas-Arlington
Steven Roberts, freshman--El Centro College
Yuridiana Salinas, freshman--El Centro College
Lewanna Hobbs, freshman--Texas A&M-Commerce
Ronyell Byers, sophomore--El Centro College
Britney Brown, sophomore--El Centro College
Terrance Johnson, junior--Texas A&M-Commerce
Yasma Campbell, junior--Texas A&M-Commerce
Bridgette Miles, junior--Texas A&M-Commerce
Erica Lopez, junior--University of North Texas
Anabeli Ibarra, junior--Eastfield College
Monica Ibarra, freshman--Eastfield College

Trip to Colorado

With the technology grant given to the After-School Academy, we have been able to do many new and neat things. One of the benefits was that we received three digital cameras and three digital voice recorders. On our trip to Colorado, we split the group into three groups of three and gave each group a camera, a voice recorder, and the task of creating their own video about their trip. One can be seen below and one can be seen to the right in the sidebar. I have yet to load the third one into youtube.

Take 5 minutes, sit back, relax, and enjoy the narration, the photos, and the peacefulness of Colorado in the video below...produced by the Dallas-Salida All-Stars (Vanessa, Rocio, and Gustavo) about their trip to Colorado:



The video in the sidebar to the right was produced by D.C.N.(Dezaree', Checo, and Nazareth).

Maturing through a trip to Colorado

I've decided that the more diversity in a group, the better.

Our group of 9 consisted of 5 Hispanic, 1 White, and 3 Black teenagers; 1 college student, 2 entering college this fall, 1 Senior in high school, 2 younger high school students, and 3 middle school students. The maturity of the older ones encouraged the younger ones to step up...and they did. The positive ones in the group outweighed the negative ones...changing any inkling of a negative comment to a positive word of encouragement.

Whether it was putting together a tent...












Climbing a mountain...










Rappelling off the side of a mountain...











Or helping clean up...

The teenagers participated without complaint. Their positive and willing attitudes created an enjoyable trip for all involved (fyi...I haven't always been able to say that! :) )

Each evening, at our devotional times, Mr. Edd would ask them to reflect on their day. Their eagerness to reflect and apply what they were learning to their personal life was encouraging. On the rappel site, I had heard Nazareth telling someone, "You need to rappel...even if you're scared! If you do this now, you will realize that you can conquer anything. It will help you later." Each evening they each had something new to share.

We saw several shooting stars when we camped out...roasted marshmallows and made s'mores over a campfire...spent an hour and a half by ourselves being completely quiet, listening to the sounds around us, and reading our Bible...learned to fish (and caught some!) in a lake surrounded by the beautiful mountains...hiked a portion of Mt. Shavano...swam in a pool filled by the natural hot springs of the mountains...visited the quaint town of Leadville...learned neat facts about mining, the Stage Coach road, the names and history of the mountains...and realized that having new experiences can change the way we look at life.

Though we didn't get to do an audio blog about Day 4, below are some reflections about Day 2 and Day 3:

Wilderness Trek--Day 2

Nazareth reporting:



Wilderness Trek--Day 3

Nazareth reporting:

Get an education!!

I read Larry James' blog every day with my morning coffee. The focus of his blog is:

A repository of ideas, resources, commentary and opinions concerning the issues facing low-income residents of the inner cities of the United States and how mainstream America largely forgets or, worse, ignores the day-to-day realities of urban life for the so-called "poor."

Because of this, he and/or his readers often speak about education. I have seen many comments that suggest if urban residents (teens and adults) would simply get a college education, their life would be better. While this may be true enough, allow me to explain why this is way more difficult than it seems.

Yuri, an 18-year old Hispanic young lady, came to me last year (while a senior) and told me that she was going to quit school and go to Job Corps. When I asked her why (she was an A/B student at the time), she explained that the people at her school told her it would be a good thing for "someone like her." They explained that if she went to Job Corps she would be trained in a skill and get paid while they trained her.

After a lengthy talk, Yuri told me she would think about staying in school. Obviously she did. She invited me to her graduation and told me she was planning to go to college...but she needed help. She asked to set up an appointment and asked if she could bring a friend who also needed help. We met today at 11:30.

We started their FAFSA (financial aid) online, but realized they had to have a PIN number. They applied for that, but will now have to wait for 3 days to receive it before we can finish the application.

I began to ask them questions about what they had done toward applying to college (both are planning to go to the local community college).

note: Community college is a much easier process than a 4-year university. Though this process is time consuming, the 4-year would be MUCH more time consuming and MUCH more difficult.

Have you filled out your application for the school yet?...Taken your ACT/SAT?...Taken your THEA?...Applied for Rising Star?...Gotten your transcript from your high school?...Know anything about the TRIO program that works with first generation college students?...Do you have your parents tax forms?...your social security number?...your parents social security number?...an ID?

Though Yuri could answer yes to most questions, Checo could not. He explained he was busy in school trying to pass the TAKS test to make sure he would graduate. Yuri was willing to help and coached him on several things she and I had talked about earlier this week.

I asked more questions:
How many hours do you want to take?
I don't know...what's a "full load?"
Do you understand how hours work in college?
No.

I went on to explain how classes and hours work. I explained how many hours they will have to take each semester if they want to graduate in 4-4 1/2 years. I explained that they will have to take a placement test to see if they need developmental classes (90% of the kids I work with do). I let them know that developmental classes count for no credit and cost them money, but they must take them to be ready for college level classes.

Both were very receptive and attentive to everything I explained.

Then I started giving "assignments." Go to the school. Get your transcript (You will have to pay $3). Get a Rising Star Application. Meet me on Monday at 8:00 at El Centro. Be prepared with two pencils, paper, ID, tax information, and anything else you think you might need. Check your email this weekend to see if you have received your PIN yet. We will complete the FAFSA on Monday or Tuesday.

Before they left, Yuri asked me to fill out a recommendation form for one of her scholarships and to print an essay she wrote for her Rising Star application. After reading her essay, I refused to print it until she made corrections. Though she speaks fluent English, a lot of her mistakes were grammar mistakes due to mix-ups in translation and sometimes simple errors because of a lack of experience with computers. I always spend the time editing for the kids because 1) I find that teachers often won't/don't, and 2) If she is applying for a scholarship, I want her to have the best chance possible.

By the time we finished it was 2:00...and that was just the first day. There will be many more.Some of those hours will be spent explaining how college works, talking to FAFSA people on the phone or in the office when they don't receive their financial aid on time, figuring out how to register for classes without their financial aid money, encouraging them to keep going to class even when a $6/hour job seems to be making them more money, and so much more.

Kids/families know education is a good thing. But sometimes the obstacles to get there are daunting. Their perseverance and willingness inspires me.

Maybe we're the ones who need an education!

What our future holds

Saturday evening, as we all got together for our pastor's anniversary dinner, I got a chance to see and talk to Fredrick.

He's home from Lamar University for a couple of weeks before he goes back to begin summer school and resume working. He only gets the chance to come home a few times each year because Beaumont is about 5 hours away.

As I watched Fredrick, I sat in awe.

Fredrick has been a part of Central Dallas Church since he was around 7 or 8. When Fredrick comes home, he blends back in as if he never left...except he has left...and he will be a junior at Lamar in the fall.

Not long after Fredrick arrived at the dinner, six little boys (all under the age of 7 and all cousins...but not related to Fredrick), came racing to the front door and tumbled into the community center. The boys chose their table nearly before their families even got in the door. Fredrick joined the boys. I don't recall him being asked to sit with them or to watch over them, but he did. ...Bathroom trips...dinner supervision...Fredrick was on the job. Afterward, he followed them to the games in the recreation area and hung out with them while they played.

I don't know that Fredrick realizes the impact of what he did and continues to do--from persevering through college challenges to role modeling for young children. He does it naturally and effortlessly. Whether he realizes it or not, I know he is making an impact.

I look forward to the day when some of the kids Fredrick has inadvertently mentored are in the same place he is...and turning around to mentor other kids just like Fredrick did them.