Blog #2

I knew that I wanted the volunteer work I did to have something to do with kids & education. I have been fortunate enough to have attended private schools but for those who can’t afford them or don’t live in affluent neighborhoods, they don’t receive the same education or the same opportunities which isn’t right especially since the poverty stricken neighborhoods are the ones that are inhabited by mostly minorities. The quality of the education that we receive and the opportunities we’re given in academia plays a major role in the jobs we will have and the lives that we will live. So the fact that money or skin color plays a factor in the quality of the education a lot of kids receive breaks my heart and I knew that I wanted to be a part of the solution to this problem.

I had a lot of trouble finding a community partner. I knew that I wanted to work with children and education. My aunt is involved with an organization that does work with kids and education in Ethiopia. Their mission is to improve the daily lives of the less fortunate and disadvantaged children and their families in Ethiopia by overcoming thee critical barriers in the poverty cycle: poor or no education, poor housing, and family instability. I did phone interviews, watched all the videos and documentaries they sent me, I was really interested in this organization and wanted to be a part of it but as a student, there were a lot of things they needed that I couldn’t give them and a lot of requirements that I didn’t meet. Especially since their U.S. headquarters is based in DC, it was kind of hard for me to be involved so I figured for this class I should find a different community partner. 

In high school I volunteered with this organization called Reading Partners. They are a San Francisco based non profit organization with programs in school districts in California, New York, Washington DC, Maryland, Texas, Colorado, South Carolina, North Carolina, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Washington. The program works with schools to identify students who are six months or more behind grade level in reading. Then a volunteer will review the students packet and do one-on-one tutoring twice a week for 45 minutes following a structured curriculum which helps the student catch up to their grade level. The government does not fill this need for quality education adequately since so many students in lower income communities are reading six months+ behind their grade level. Reading partners is accountable to the kids whose educational needs are being neglected by the government. Most of the schools reading partners targets are the schools in less affluent neighborhoods and its sad that the kids are impacted like this. These kids are so sweet and deserve the same chances as any other kid at any other school and Reading Partners works to level the playing field. I was watching a ted talk and I don’t remember who gave it or what it was about but a specific term that stuck with me was the “bonsai people”. The speaker was referencing beggars in his country as “bonsai people”. He said that their seed is as good as any other persons seed, the only difference between being that society never gave them room to grow. I see that in these kids. A lot of them are smart and willing to learn, but their skill set is just a product of their circumstances. I think Reading Partners is a great way to help give these kids room to grow.