Who Knew?

Who knew nonprofits could have corporate-style perks?

HDF (Housing Development Fund) has a partnership with CitiBank/Citi Foundation and we were invited to watch the Mets game last night against the Nationals - in an Empire Suite private box at Citifield! Even though the Mets lost, it was a really fun night (with great seats!) and the stadium is awesome.

I promised to talk about my organization so here's a bit of background info:

HDF may be small, but it's the nonprofit with the largest funding for affordable housing in Connecticut - one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. The income (and education) gap is huge here, which means too many families can't live in the towns that they work in. HDF acts kind of like a nonprofit bank - we finance developers of affordable housing, but we also have special programs to provide mortgage loans for low/moderate-income individuals and counsel first-time homebuyers to help them understand the complicated homebuying process and work towards achieving their goals. The people we help work hard and earn steady incomes, like police offers and teachers, but in this area, it's not enough to afford a house! All of our one-on-one counseling, classes, and clinics are free, and we even help people at risk of foreclosure (and victims of mortgage fraud) so that they can keep their homes - which is especially critical in the current economy. I really admire everyone at HDF for the work they've done assisting thousands of families, and it's so rewarding to see clients close on new homes every week because of our help, especially those that have worked with us for a long time to finally achieve their American Dream. :)

Reading these blogs, it's so cool to see all of the fellows opening doors at their organizations!

finally

After ten weeks of work here in the Bay Area, it's about time for an update about what I'm actually doing. I work for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP), whose vision is to have every member of our community graduate high school with a plan for post-secondary education or training. This scope of this vision is contextualized by a few basic facts about the neighborhoods we serve (which are East Palo Alto, eastern Menlo Park, and Redwood City): less than half the kids graduate from high school; less than 30% are proficient in math and writing; less than 10% of kids' parents attended college (and less than 4% graduated); and the median per capita income is less than $15,000. These numbers paint a basic picture of the difficulty an organization like BGCP has in making a meaningful impact on a community while practicing an open door policy that accepts any child that wishes to attend.

My work at BGCP is firstly in outcome analysis for grant writing and reporting, as well as fundraising. I'm responsible for overseeing the databases for our donors and our club members; for our club surveys for new and existing members; for our "On-Track" indicator program, for which we partner with our members' schools to collect grades and disciplinary records to help design more individual programming for our at-risk kids; and for fundraising research. These, however, are only a handful of my day to day tasks -- my position places me at the intersection of several departments, and it's the constant juggling of different projects that keeps this work interesting. Just now I'm off for a 5pm meeting at a school site about the results of their summer programs data. More posts to come about what I've learned so far and how things have changed in the workplace in just a couple of short months.

My Year

At the New York Orientation last weekend, we talked a lot about hwo our fellowship years are really "our years"-- years intended to help us develop professionally and instill a comittment ot civic service. Of course, we are all simultaneously trying to beneft our organizations. But at my job I have been impressed by the extent to which people want to make my hear here enriching. When I emailed my supervisor about having to take time off for medical school interviews, she excitedly respnoded saying that these interviews were very important. When I expressed interest in hands-on work with children, she arranged for me to help in the classrooms. I have definitely had some boring tasks and lackluster days, but most of the time I feel that the people at my organization are trying to make my job beneficial to both me and NYCCD. This is especially striking when I compare my job to my friends' in the private sector.

Unrelated, but if any applicants have questions or want to talk generally about PP55, feel free to contact me. It was really helpful for me ot talk to fellows while I applied last year, so I hope I can be equally helpful to future fellows.

I Wear Many Hats

Over the past two months at Achievement Prep here in DC I have already done an unbelievable number of different things for the school.  I’ve done basic administrative things from filing and alphabetizing to consulting student files to answering the phone and making phone calls to parents about upcoming events.  I’m also self-titled queen of our Enrollment Records database (which is really just an enormous Google Document) in which I keep meticulous track of whose DC Residency is updated and which schools have sent us their scholars’ cumulative academic records.

On Wednesday last week I had my first taste, so to speak, of what it’s like to be a lunch lady.  Our Cafeteria Coordinator was out for the day so I stepped in to make sure our scholars got their breakfast and lunch.  I also did the grossest part of cleanup, which is dumping all of the half-drunk milks into a big bucket and dumping that down the sink.  I find myself appalled at the way some children mutilate their food.

Starting this week, I am now a key person in our dismissal process, in charge of using my walkie-talkie to get children from inside the building to their parents waiting outside.  We can’t just open the doors and let the children out into the world, we want to make sure we know who is picking up every scholar.

Also starting this week, I’m an art teacher!  A 5^th grade math teacher, Ms. Arellano, and I are now the co-leaders of the APA Art Club, which is basically a mixed media art class for 4 through 6 graders, planned and executed by the two of us.  Last week, in my sometimes role as school ambassador, I attended an orientation for the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative’s Arts for Every Student program.  AFES sponsors schools to send students on field trips to a variety of art-related shows, exhibits and programs to make sure that art is included in their education.  Not only that, but this week happens to be Arts in Education Week and the DC Collaborative is holding a sidewalk chalking contest for art classes.  Whoever makes the best chalk drawing in the theme of butterflies or the arts gets at $50 gift certificate to the Utrecht store (aka fancy art supplies), so I’m having the scholars plan their ideas and then tomorrow or Friday we’ll head outside and chalk it up so I can send in our contest submissions before the 18^th.  What I like about art class through the enrichment system is that since each scholar can only be in one enrichment program, he chooses which one he wants.  This means that the vast majority of our Art Club scholars really wanted to be in the art enrichment.  When asked on the first day why they choose art, the scholars gave us some really advanced and impressive answers about outlets for creativity and the ability to express emotion through art.  It’s going really well so far!

My other ambassadorial role is to the community at large.  This job is a combination between that and being an event planner.  Yesterday, my boss and I went to meet with two local property managers about the series of community engagement workshops I am developing.  It’s actually going to happen, ahh!  The first one will be on October 11^th.

I’m also a cheerleader in the sense that I am on our pep rally committee, planning activities for our weekly community gatherings called Preppy and Proud, which take place at the end of our early dismissal Wednesdays.  (Remember, we’re Achievement Prep.)  We’re developing ideas for how to fit 204 scholars into our limited indoor space and do something fun and meaningful as a community.  We want this to make those scholars who earned Wednesday extension and therefore miss Preppy and Proud jealous.  As our Head of School would say, we want to “spur them on with envy.”  This is fun, and you’re missing it because of your behavior over the past week.  Get it together for next time.

I am also basically a general school go-fer.  Whenever people see me they know that they can count on me to quickly and competently do whatever small but important task they suddenly need completed right this very second or else!  I make copies, I use the paper cutter, I hand out announcements to go home with the scholars.  I man a post in the stairwell during transitions to make sure they are silent and respectful.  I share an advisory in the morning with a 5^th grade English Teacher and the Scholar Support Coordinator named after SUNY Cortland, which two of our Platinum Teachers attended.

I do a little bit of everything, some things more than others, but even though I feel fairly certain that I’m working the longest hours of any PP55 Fellow (6:45am to about 6:00pm every day, and much later if we have a night time event), the days go quickly.  They are filled to the max and there’s always something to do.  I’m never bored.  This is going to be a very intense year.

ETM Academy

For many of the PP55 fellows who are working in education, summer is a strange time to begin work. On the one hand, school is not in session, so it allows a fellow to ease into the position, learn about the organization, internalize work flow, and determine what the job entails before the school year begins. On the other (or same!) hand, school is not in session, which means that during the early weeks of the fellowship, the mission of an organization may seem abstract or at least far removed from the everyday happenings in the organization.

I can certainly say that I have felt both of these points. Especially as I work on grant proposals for Education Through Music (ETM), I have felt somewhat disconnected from the words on the computer screen; I ask myself, “what is 'ongoing professional development?'” “What does computer-assisted instruction look or sound like?” Or even the more basic, “who are ETM music teachers?”

I recently attended the first day of ETM Academy, a professional development series for ETM music teachers. The workshop was held at M.S. 180 in the Co-op City area of the Bronx. Although the students had not yet returned to school, this was my first opportunity to see the music classroom at one of ETM’s partner schools. Our music teachers were buzzing before training began, and I could only imagine what the first day of music class would be like for students heading back to school.

The morning session included discussions and hands-on activities focused on topics including classroom management and lesson planning. There were even a few sing-alongs (cue "Hip Hop Turkeys") to give examples of how to coordinate music class curricula with holidays, geography, etc. Because ETM Music Teachers are largely trained as music educators, ETM Academy is meant to reinforce their previous training and help them find creative ways to teach the ETM curriculum.

After lunch, we got a sneak peek of a brand new, state-of-the-art Music Technology Lab at M.S. 180. This classroom houses 30 student work stations that are completely decked out with Mac computers, keyboards, electric guitars, and all kinds of music software. The ETM Music Teachers were introduced to this amazing technology. While only two ETM partner schools anticipate having technology labs this school year, the session also introduced various websites that host free activities, games, and programs that music teachers can incorporate into their lessons by reserving computer rooms at their schools.

All in all, I learned so much about ETM through the Academy. In the days that followed, many of our music teachers visited the office to pick up supplies to decorate their new classrooms. Rolling out sheets of colorful paper for their bulletin boards or cutting out letters to spell "I love music," the teachers were so excited and inspired to start school.

This is the first full week of school, and we have already heard some great things about the first days of music class. I can't wait for my first site visit to observe our programs in action!

Reason number 3,562.........

.......why I love New York City.

Wonderful animal statues pop up out of nowhere, and no one even bats an eyelash.

Tons of transitions

[x to y ...]

Chicago to New York. Advance Illinois to CASES. Spring to summer to fall. Three-person office to two-person office. Two roommates to one roommate. Old court setup to new court setup. Old mentor to new mentor. And so on..

All this's to say, this is definitely a time of tons of transitions. And, honestly, I haven't quite gotten it all straight yet. Haven't figured out how to best articulate (not to mention in the context of something like the tenth anniversary on 9/11; crazy to be in NYC for that today(. Looking forward to getting some more clarity, and to sharing more pieces on this blog.