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Vermont YouthTomorrow A* VISTA

MembersInspired to LearnWhile in Service

Ben Fox, Granit Style……………………………….2Hannah McIntyre, The Circle of Courage………….2Tina Weikert, The Collaborative Makes Peace……..4Ashley Pelletier, Evaluating Community Needs……5Jackie LeBlanc, Reflections of a “Token YouthRepresentative”……………………………………..5Peter Luby, “Look, George. I get to tend to thepictures.”…………………………………………….6Priscilla Moore, Listening to the Past………….…...7Orion Lazo, From Somalia to Vermont…………….7Curtis Moeller, Turned……………………………...9Lindsey Lathrop, Learning to Teach……………….10Megan Johnston, Reflecting on Reflection………...10Katy Perry, Incarceration in Vermont……………..11Scott Courcelle, Leading Youth in Meaningful Hands-on Work…………………………………………….12Sarah Schummer, Community Painting inMorrisville………………………………………….13Maegan Olivos, Afterschool and Service Learning asa Means of Community Development……………..14Cara Butterly, Barn History………………………..15Katherine Buell, Developing an EducationalCurriculum………………………………………….16Lindsay Arbuckle, Imagination…………………….17Matthew Nicholson, Communication andLanguage…………………………………………...17Holley Schmidlapp, The Root of a Localvore Lies inthe Genius of a Seed………………………………..18Amy Niemczura, Cucumber Trellising…………….19Amanda White, See How They GROW…………...19Program Updates…………………………………...20

June 2008

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History of Barre, Vermont:Granite Style!

Today Barre, Vermont is a smorgasbord of activityand culture, particularly for a city of its size. Acrossthe line, it has plenty of things to see and do.There’s the Barre Opera House, which is home todifferent kinds of cultural events. If you’re intosports, the Vermont Frost Heaves play half of theirhome games at Barre Civic Center, which also hostsa number of community events. Thunder RoadRaceway is also in Barre.

The best way to see Barre however, isthrough its long and colorful history. Some of Cen-tral Vermont’s greatest attractions are located inBarre, including Hope Cemetery, the Socialist La-bor Party Hall, Vermont History Center, and Ver-mont Granite Museum, to name a few. For thosewho don’t know, the granite industry played a hugepart in Central Vermont’s history and Barre in par-ticular.

Barre is renowned for its history as a lead-ing manufacturer in the granite industry. The indus-try was established shortly after the town itself waschartered, around the late 18th century-early 19th

century. It didn’t really pick up steam, however,until the late 19th century, with the arrival of therailroad through the area. Large numbers of immi-grants from Europe and Canada had heard about thesuccess of the industry in the area, and flocked herefor work. Some of the places immigrants came fromwere Scotland, Spain, Scandinavia, Greece, Leba-non, Canada and Italy.

The Italian migration to Barre was the big-gest and most apparent, and to this day Barre con-tains a fairly large Italian population. The Italianimmigrants did a lot to form Barre’s identity. Theyestablished several local businesses as well as theSocialist Party Labor Hall and social clubs. TheBarre stonecutters were true artistes, bringing withthem their skills and craftsmanship to eventuallymake Barre, Vermont, the “granite center of theworld.” There are many memorials to some of the

key players in the industry, and most (if not all)of the memorials and monuments in the area arecarved from Barre granite. In fact, it is estimatedthat one-third of all monuments and mausoleumsin the United States are from the granite quarriesof Barre.

More recently, the Barre granite industryhas hit a denouement, so to speak, but it will al-ways be in the history books as a place of greatcultural feats and diversity.

“There is a small part of Barre, Vermont in al-most every hamlet, village, town and city inAmerica, commemorating the resting-places ofthose who have been loved and lost. Long centu-ries after other products have passed into obliv-ion, these Barre granite memorials in church-yards, cemeteries, battlefields, parks and townsquares will permanently designate and com-memorate the ideals, the tradition, the sentiment

and the devotion of the American people.” FromVermont Granite Association Web Site

The Circle of Courage

Some of my earliest memories are ofbeing in school. It was an old school that had itsown personality. There were radiators in everyroom to heat during the winter, and in the summer

Ben FoxVYT A* VISTA MemberServing at Cityscapein Barre, VT

Hannah McIntyreVYT A* VISTA MemberServing at Community

Friends Mentoringin Burlington, VT

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the air conditioning was an open win-dow. I can still remember the smellof that school, and the sounds thatechoed as I walked through its halls.There was a great auditorium where I

could get on stage and act out scenes from my imagina-tion. The seats stretched out like a cast iron and red vel-vet sea. This was my school, and though I only wentthere as a student for one year as a Kindergartener, I wasfamiliar with every nook and cranny of it. This was be-cause this was the school that my mother taught at for amajority of the time I was growing up.

I guess it is this reason that I find myself drawnto schools and anything dealing with education. On myfirst day at Community Friends Mentoring I was given abook about a “new” way to teach reading. Needless tosay, I was intrigued. I took the book home and startedreading and found myself quite drawn in.

The book was entitled, Reclaiming Youth At-Risk, co-authored by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg,and Steve Van Bockern. It integrates Native Americanphilosophies of child-rearing, the heritage of early pio-neers in education and youth work, and contemporaryresilience research. The ideas come together to formwhat is called, The Circle of Courage. This philosophy isone that has been implemented at my service site, How-ard Center, specifically in the Baird School.

The Circle of Courage is based on what the au-thors deem the four universal needs of all children: be-longing, mastery, independence, and generosity. Eachneed plays a large roll in the developmental aspects ofchildhood and help the child grow into a competent adult.

Belonging: Lakota anthropologist Ella Deloriadescribed the core value of belonging in these simplewords: "Be related, somehow, to everyone you know."Essentially behind this idea is the saying, “it takes a vil-lage to raise a child.” In most Native cultures the villageor tribe, not just the nuclear family, has a hand in raisingthe children. These are bonds that form the foundation ofrespect for all humanity. They see their neighbor not assomeone else, but as kin. It also gives the youth a senseof safety in the knowledge that if something were to hap-pen to their parents or siblings, there is a larger familythere that cares for them.

Mastery: Children are taught to carefully ob-serve and listen to those with more experience. A personwith greater ability is seen as a model for learning, not asa rival. We put so much emphasis on general knowledge,we forget sometimes about the need to master techniques.We are so independent that we sometimes dismiss thosethat have walked the roads before us. To learn from theprevious generation is a gift. One that we must not takefor granted.

Independence: Even though it is important tolearn from others, it is also very important to trust your-self. In contrast to obedience models of discipline, Na-tive teaching was designed to build respect and teach in-ner discipline. In this style of learning, from earliestchildhood, children are encouraged to make decisions,solve problems, and show personal responsibility. Adultsmodel, nurture, teach values, and give feedback, but chil-dren are given abundant opportunities to make choiceswithout coercion. The important part is that the adultsmodel to the children the actions which they expect fromthe child. It is not enough for the child to show respect, itis even more important for the child to be respected.

Generosity: The central goal in Native Ameri-can child-rearing is to teach the importance of being gen-erous and unselfish. In the words of a Lakota Elder, "Youshould be able to give away your most cherished posses-sion without your heart beating faster." In helping others,youth create their own proof of worthiness: they make apositive contribution to another human life.

This is just a basis for the teachings involved inthe book. I do not have enough room in this entire news-letter to explain all the details and ideas presented. I doencourage you, if you think that you will be doing workwith youth in the future to pick up this book and give it aread through. I even sent a copy of it to my mother sothat she could read it and perhaps present it to the boardof education in her school system.

Sometimes it’s not always the best thing to con-tinue to look towards the future to figure out what needsto be changed. Sometimes it is better to look back andask, “what worked?”

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The Collaborative Makes Peace

I have begun to develop a “Peacemakers” cur-riculum for The Collaborative centered onincorporating behavioral norms in the AfterSchool Program. These norms will help steerthe children to feel safe, confident, andpeace-filled during their time in ExtendedDay. I have drawn resources from a numberof sources including The Teaching ToleranceProject (always one of my personal favorites)and NOCCS.org and have placed a strongfocus on peaceful conflict resolution.

We are unfortunately living in a culture ofviolence, and I believe peacemaking skillsneed to be a priority in every school, everyhome, and every community. The followingis a list of peacemaking tools that can be in-corporated into many of the programs weserve. While my intention is for childrengrades k-6, these activities could be used byanyone, any age. Some are familiar, someare a little quirky, but all are a step in theright direction! Namaste!

Meditation: there is a reason Yoga and medi-tation have been around for so long. Eachtime a calming exercise is done, it turnsdown the stress and helps prevent tensionthat leads to conflict. Get a book on guidedimagery and gather up some kids!

Peace Tiles: VYT A* VISTA Members are fa-miliar with this from our firsthand experienceat our March training. Go to http://mixedmedia.us/peacetiles. Whether kids aremaking the tiles or another artful expression,they can connect to their positive feelings ina concrete way.

Peace Mat: use a towel or yoga mat and keepit in a place where kids can use it. Teach thekids that when needed during a disagree-ment with another, they can “take it to themat.” That means, they unroll it, sit at eachend and work the conflict out together. Be-

Tina WeikertVYT A* VISTA MemberServing at The Collaborativein South Londonderry, VT

fore this point, be sure to set up guidelinesfor how to do this so that there isn’t a brawlon the mat instead!

Magic Box: Have kids think of a place theyfeel happy, peaceful and safe. Share ideas-beach, backyard- anywhere! Once each childhas a spot in mind have them close theireyes and go there in their imaginations. Af-ter a few moments, kids open their eyes andopen a hand. Explain in their hand is amagic box. Have then shrink down theirhappy place into the magic box and keep it intheir pocket to open and use whenever theyget upset.

Make a compact: work with the kids to de-velop a compact which they will sign. Havegroup brainstorm “rules” that will help theprogram run smoothly and peacefully and asit is written, use positive language, no nos.Hang where everyone can see it

Form a UN: This goes along with the com-pact. On another day, students review com-pact and develop consequences to it asneeded. Nominate a permanent or rotatinggroup of a few kids to be the UN- those whowill talk to a student when the compact isbroken by him/her. Basically, peer media-tion rather than constant adult involvement.

Hot Under the Collar: have students think of10 things that make them super happy.Share the items with each other. Teach thechildren to memorize these and call them tomind when they are “hot under the collar”about something. It is a creative way ofteaching kids to step back, take a breath andcount to 10 before reacting.

Peaceful Puppet: the age old method of roleplaying, especially with puppets, can make abig impact and it can always be geared to-wards what the individual needs of a pro-gram are. Ideally, have older kids put theshow on for the younger kids.

Affirm, forgive, or thank: teach children toalways preserve a relationship at the end of aconflict with these tools which remind themthat forgiveness is the highest form of clo-sure. Use a handshake, hug, or kind word atthe end of a resolved conflict- it works won-ders!

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Evaluating Community Needs

From bike paths to arts centers, FEMA regulations toHome Depots – my service in Montpelier's PlanningDepartment has introduced me to the chaotic world ofmunicipal planning. Although I'm strictly a spectator tothe development of these projects, I've had the opportu-nity hear the stress and regulations that go along withthem.

One project that has stood out most to me has been thepossible development of a large private parcel of land.From my community outreach work with enVision, I'veheard of the community need for residential develop-ment and see the trends that support it. The stagnatepopulation and lack of recent development has resultedin underutilized infrastructure and a lack of affordablehousing. The population's median age is 40. There aremore members of the senior center then students in thepublic school system. Due to the employment of stategovernment and a national insurance company, thepopulation of the city triples from 8,000 to 20,000daily. The need for new development is clear, howevercommunity members have fought development of thissite since 2002.

Recently I've had the opportunity to sit in on a WorkingGroup that the Trust for Public Land formed to plandevelopment. Formed by select members of the com-munity, the group hopes to preserve the site leavingminimal space for residential development. Although Iam not allowed to say anything at these meetings, I feelthe preservation of a site within walking distance todowntown is ridiculous.

In order for any community development or planningproject to be successful it must take into considerationthe wants and needs of the community. The goal ofenVision Montpelier is to create a long-term plan toguide decisions for the next 30 to 100 years. I hopethe wants of the community are well enougharticulated in this so the needs of all can beconsidered, not a select few.

Ashley PelletierVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atenVision Montpelierin Montpelier, VT

Jackie LeBlancVYT A* VISTA Member

Serving atenVision Montpelier

in Montpelier, VT

Reflections of a “token youth representative”

This year I have had the opportunity to help facilitate anumber of committees formed from community memberswho are dedicated to planning for sustainability in Mont-pelier. One of these committees focuses on issues of gov-ernance, including: self-determination, equity, access, andconflict resolution.

Through our discussions, it has become apparent thatthere is a lack of civic engagement in Montpelier, espe-cially within specific demographics. The absence of par-ticipants under 30 is often brought up, and eyes turn to-ward me, the “token youth” of the committees. Honestly,if attending the committee meetings had not been part ofmy service requirement, I would not even be there. I aman A* VISTA member not a “youth representative.”

I have always found it hard to understand why so many ofmy peers refuse to participate in the most basic of democ-ratic processes: voting. Even before becoming an A*VISTA member, I have always voted. When committeemembers would ask me why young people don’t vote Ihad no answer. Is it the culture we have grown up in? Afailure of the education system? Our parents?

The Governance Committee discussions have promptedme to begin asking my friends what their reasons for notvoting are. Most replies indicate that people my age dis-trust the voting structure and feel that their vote does notcount. My response is always; “how do you change thestructure?” No one seems to have answered that yet, butso far my best answer is to become engaged in civic ac-tivities.

Apparently, no one my age buys into my answer, becausewe continually have minimal youth representation atcommittee meetings. enVision Montpelier is planning for30 to 100 years into the future and most of the regularparticipants in the project will not even be alive in 30years. It is clear to Ashley and me that the young peoplewe have worked with are extremely well-informed oncurrent issues and are full of ideas and energy – but notfor committee meetings. But is there an alternative

(Continued on the next page)

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means for discussing ideas and developing goals andstrategies between different demographics?

Research for our recent enVision Montpelier communitystakeholder meeting led me to some of the followingstatistics from The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagementin America, a product of the John F. Kennedy School ofGovernment at Harvard University:

Participation in clubs and civic organizations hasbeen cut by more than half over the last 25 years.Involvement in community life, such as public meetings,is down by 35 percent over the last 25 years.

I have grown up with the idea that it is my duty as a citi-zen of the United States to vote, and the purpose of ourpublic education system is to educate the population tobecome an informed citizenry of a functioning democ-ratic nation. Through my service at enVision Montpe-lier I have also learned the importance of participatingon a local level. This sense of obligation to my commu-nity will stay with me when I move on this fall, and Iwill continue to press my peers for reasons why they arenot involved and don’t vote.

“Look, George. I get to tend to the pictures."

On AppreciationFor several months I had been working at The In-SightPhotography Project with a somewhat limited enthusi-asm for the photographic medium. Oh, I appreciate anice photograph; it’s just that I appreciate photos in asimple, child-like way. “Tell again about the purty pic-tures, George,” I would say to my site supervisor, Eric.After a while, I sensed that he –and our colleagues andstudents and volunteers, all photographers, amateur andprofessional- were growing tired of leading me by thehand. It is a lonely thing to be the only person in thedark –the way Adam must have felt when he thoughtabout the apple- and so I set about understanding theworld of photography.

In college I became a serious sociology junkie, and Ithought that perhaps learning the historical and socialcontext of photography would help me to take more of

an interest. So I got my hands on the most scholarly textI could find, An Illustrated History of Photography, andbegan absorbing everything I could. I found in the bookmany interesting stories, like that of the French photog-rapher Nadar, who took the first aerial photographs in ahot air balloon over Petit-Becetre, and the internationalphotography cooperative Magnum, dedicated to truthful,just visual representation of the real world. But to my

surprise, I also found that even a condensed, animatedversion of the history of photography could be incredi-bly dull. It is a history of chemicals and gradual refine-ment of processes. I struggled to finish the book.

My high hopes for cultivating a photographic streak hadbeen sidetracked several times throughout my service.After learning how to load film into a 35mm camera, ittook a month and a half before I learned how to processmy film. Though I felt some initial excitement at seeingthe negatives, they went on to collect dust (which, I’mtold is very bad for negatives) on the shelf from Novem-ber until March.

But six months after starting my service at In-Sight, Ifinally hit on something that helped me to appreciate theart that everyone else who walked through the doorloved so deeply - the darkroom.

If you have never watched a negative be turned into a

Peter LubyVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atIn-Sight Photographyin Brattleboro, VT

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suddenly dissolve into spring, in all its rich detail.

When I see a photograph now, I see more than the pic-ture. I see the photographer standing in the dark, silentand trying to imagine what will appear. My trip to thedarkroom didn’t change my life, but it helped me totouch the world that everyone around me lives in daily.It’s the world of light and contrast and agonizing pa-tience and surprising loveliness; a world that I can at lastappreciate.

Listening to the Past

The Kellogg-Hubbard Library has excellentand varied programs available to the public. Eventhough my assignment doesn’t include programming, Isuggested Mr. Curtis Whiteway as a speaker. I first readabout Mr. Whiteway years ago in the Times-Argusnewspaper. Since he had helped liberate some of theconcentration camps at the end of World War II and wasthe sole living witness to some of the atrocities, he hadbeen invited to Israel to be proclaimed a “RighteousGentile,” but couldn’t afford the airfare. Fortunately,after the article appeared, Mr. Whiteway receivedenough money in donations to allow him to go to Israel.

Years later, when I was taking a class at theCommunity College of Vermont, the teacher invited Mr.Whiteway to speak to the class. Mr. Whiteway told ofcoming across a pile of eyeglasses that was several feethigh in one of the camps. The magnitude of deathsstruck him as he tried to figure out how many peoplethis huge pile of eyeglasses represented since not every-one wears glasses.

After the war, his wife advised him not to talkabout these things in public. They were so horrendous,people would never believe him. He suffered night-mares for 37 years. Then, Mr. Whiteway started hearingabout “revisionists,” people who claimed the Holocaustnever took place. He was invited by a Vermont teacherto speak to students, and he has been traveling aroundthe country giving speeches ever since. Once he startedgiving speeches about the atrocities, he stopped having

nightmares.

Mr. Whiteway will lecture for the Kellogg-HubbardLibrary on Wednesday, June 4th at 7pm. His lecturewill be important, not only because he is one of the fewsurviving eyewitnesses to the liberation of the camps,but because he continuously warns against any form ofdiscrimination and the dangers of hatred.

From Somalia to Vermont: An Insight to a CommonStory Heard at the

King Street Youth Center

Here at the King Street Youth Center (KSYC)

we provide enriching activities for youth from all walks

of life. During the daily routine we play with or read to

children of four or five different ethnicities and cultural

backgrounds. All the youth here have amazing stories,

yet for a new inductee into the KSYC staff culture, one

particular group of kids may seem extraordinarily resil-

ient, and it usually takes a bit longer than normal to get

accustomed to how to work with them. The Somali-

Bantu refugee children have different diets, playing

styles, and cultural norms than most, and can even

Priscilla MooreVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atKellogg-Hubbard Libraryin Montpelier, VT

Orion LazoVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atKing Street Youth Centerin Burlington, VT

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switch in and out of three languages if they don’t want you

to understand what they are saying. One should not men-

tion to them that they own a dog, or talk about eating pork

or seafood, and it’s easy to misinterpret their loud play and

aggressive body language as fighting. These youth arrived

here after seeing things and experiencing events that most

of us will never see or understand. It helps when working

around them to understand a bit about their families and

what events led to their arrival in the Burlington and King

Street Youth Center communities.

In the historical tale of Africa, shifts in power

usually correlate with violence. This is not unique to the

Somalia story (Ex: Sudan, Rwanda, and recently Kenya),

when in 1993 tensions arose between the Islamic Courts

Union and the Transitional Federal Government who both

claimed rule over Somalia. At this same time, the region of

Puntland was attempting a breakaway, dividing warlords

and tribes alike. The Civil War had been going on since

1988, but had been restricted to the Benadir region, and in

1993 the violence spread to all corners of the country, dis-

placing thousands of families. By 2006, 1.8 million people

in the Horn of Africa had been pushed to the brink of star-

vation due to civil war, flood, and drought alike.

With the help of the UN and the African Union,

160,000 refugees made it to refugee camps in Kenya by

2006, with an estimated arrival of 400,000 total by 2008.

Other camps were set up in Yemen, Djibouti, and Ethiopia.

The United States set up a Somali-Bantu refugee program

from 2000-2003, aimed at matching families in the camps

with organizations here in the US that would help bring

them here and establish a life for themselves. Most of the

families that are involved in KSYC programs are products

of that program. The resiliency of these kids and their par-

ents is astonishing, and the lengths that they have had to go

to just to survive in our society are remarkable. They are

now deeply involved in their community partly through the

Association of Africans Living in Vermont and the King

Street Youth Center, where the families have access to

English and acculturation classes that teach them every-

thing from how to greet people, write their address, use a

computer, and get a job, as well as after-school programs

for their children. The mothers frequently meet outside the

youth center before their acculturation classes and put all

the groceries they bought on the ground so that they can

each pick through the whole pile to take what they need,

and never more!

All of the Somali-Bantu families here at the youth

center were once farmers, cooks, or tribal leaders at one

point. They have witnessed the destruction of their daily

lives and have had to experience fleeing from the only

home they have known, living in a refugee camp, and liv-

ing with the day to day angst of not knowing whether or

not someone will sponsor their family to move to the U.S.

Yet their positivist attitudes pervade the negative, and it

tends to rub off on you when you are around them every

day. Their constant wide smiles are a reminder that we can

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always stay positive in light of misfortunes. Most of the

older kids here also remember their homes in Somalia or

life in the refugee camps, and many of them met their cur-

rent best friends there; an experience sure to bond them for

many years. Of his life in the refugee camps, one youth

said, “I liked it there ‘cause we could wrestle and no one

would get us in trouble. Lots of friends lived really close

and I didn’t have to go to much school… I remember

learning English and it sounded funny.” When asked if he

had plans of returning to Africa he replied “No way man,

you’re crazy, I’m not going back there.” As fond as his

memories are, he still understands how unstable the life-

style is in his place of origin.

Similarly interesting stories and family histories

can be told about many of the other kids who attend the

King Street Youth Center. At any point in time in one

room a staff member could be speaking to children from

Vietnam, Burundi, Nepal, or various parts of the U.S. This

creates a unique social dynamic that in some ways is repre-

sentative of the U.S as a whole – people from all walks of

life contributing and working together. The Somali-Bantu

families provide a curveball of sorts in the way we ap-

proach taking care of our youth and families. For an accu-

rate and personal depiction of what these people have been

through and what the transition from life in Somalia to life

in the U.S might have looked like, try watching Rain in a

Dry Land, by Anne Makepeace.

While pondering what lessons I had learned during thisyear, I came to realize that those with the most impactwere things you can not learn from a training or abook. Certainly, I did learn a great deal about data-bases, fund-raisers, copy proofs, agendas, and so on.However, the real core of it came down to more fullydiscovering who I am, what the world is, and how Ihope to relate to it. Although such realizations neednot spring solely from service activities, it was my yearof service that brought me to them.

With such a nebulous basis for an article, I decided itwas best not to confine my thoughts to mere reporting.Rather, I would open up the arena of artistic suggestionthrough the use of a poem. I hope you enjoy it!

Turned

There was once a young man straight from college,who thought himself all full of knowledge.He had earned his degree, you’d have to agree,spending rather little time on filigree.

But now was no time for indecision,he still couldn’t understand nuclear fission.A path must be made before it could fade,for him and his upcoming accolade.

The time was drawing nearly nigh,when his hopes might soon run dry.Where’s his real job? Oh, how macabre,to have to live without corn on the cob!

Then a small thought he heard in his ear,“Come away with me now, away from hereto new lands.” And more fans?“To a place fit for your hands.”

So up and away, the man bravely went.The trip in itself, made him nearly half spent.Just him, his four limb,on only a whim.

At first the time was quick and full,but after awhile he began to mull.What about dew? And the crew?

Curtis MoellerVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atLakes Region Youth Orchestrain Rutland, VT

10

Is this what I’m supposed to do?

And on this route he flailed about,somewhat akin to a down and out trout.He mailed, sometimes failed,and very rarely sailed.

Yet during the mull things rarely grew dull,for his tasks and notepads always were full.While making X to Z and flea to bee,quietly it said, “Now do you see?”

What is there to see, that did not always be?There still is no patch for this scratched knee.The hurt, and all the dirtare now clinging to my once clean shirt.

“Then my task here is finished and done.The woes of the world cannot be out-run.You must shout out, never do doubt,the heart-ache of a land without.”

And the young man grewand somehow knew,that he must again take his handsinto foreign lands.

Learning to Teach

I have never claimed to be a teacher. It actually scares me alittle. Lesson plans, chalk, attendance book, 45 minutes withall eyes on you, or at least that’s what you hope. It’s all a bitoverwhelming when you’re only 5 years older than your stu-dents and you didn’t expect to be doing it. But there I was asan AmeriCorps* VISTA teaching my very own job skillsclass during 7th period to a bunch of juniors and seniors thatare waiting for the last bell to ring. TIPS (Training Internsand Partnering for Success) is one of Linking Learning toLife’s programs and it is being replicated and expanded bothcountywide and statewide. Not only do students go througha pre-employment skills course, but they must complete a40-hour unpaid internship to gain academic credit and sum-mer employment. So, my first challenge was the course,figuring out how to get these kids interested in what I had tosay and really benefit from the experience. This is wheresome of that good ole service learning comes in.

I first thought back about my high school days and how I feltsitting in those chair/desk combos that inevitably give youlong-term back pain (where do they get those anyway?). Bylunch time, I wanted nothing more than to be out in the sun-shine. Sure, I wanted to go to college and find a job, but Ifigured my guidance counselor would help me figure thatout. So why would these kids be any different from me?And how could I gain their attention long enough to havethem learn something? How do I create engaging lessonplans? With more questions and anticipation building, I de-cided to consult a colleague that has both teaching experi-ence and enough energy to keep anyone entertained. Wefirst reviewed the curriculum that we had developed for TIPSand looked at the calendar that I had set. We then wrotedown what topics I would want to accomplish each day andwith this, I started creating individualized lesson plans. Inever realized how intense lesson plans can get. Not only doyou have to consider the material you want to cover, but howthat links to the state’s framework of standards and what itspurpose and objectives are. Then you have to figure outcreative ways of presenting the material and what activitiesyou would like to incorporate and what supplies you wouldneed for them. Yikes. To teach three classes for 6 weeks Ieventually created 18 different lesson plans all the while try-ing to find internship placements for my students. If it was-n’t for the people I serve with, their teaching experience andthe excellent teachers’ resources out there, I would havenever been able to get through this and feel as accomplishedas I do now.

In retrospect, I probably wouldn’t jump at the chance toteach another high school level class. I learned a lot aboutthe school system that I would have otherwise turned a blindeye to and it has changed my perspective on a lot of things. Ialso learned how to keep a rambunctious group relativelycalm for 40 minutes (give or take). And finally, I learnedhow to ask for help because let’s be honest…when you haveno idea what you’re doing, it’s really the only thing you cando.

Reflecting on Reflection

When I began my A*VISTA position, coordinating the Link-ing Learning to Life youth leadership program PILOT, Iknew that reflection activities should be incorporated into theprogram. Although, when it came time to design the reflec-tion activities for the youth participants in this program, my

Lindsey LathropVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atLinking Learning to Lifein Burlington, VT

Megan JohnstonVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atLinking Learning to Lifein Burlington, VT

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mind drew a blank. I realized I had never designed any typeof reflection activities for youth programs before. How wasI going to incorporate reflection activities into our programin a way that is fun, engaging, and meaningful for teenagers?

In order to learn more about creative reflection activities, Ibegan consulting online sources and speaking with co-workers, friends, and project partners about reflection.Through my research I discovered that activities designedspecifically for the purpose of reflection serve a very impor-tant purpose. Reflection activities provide participants withthe opportunity to process what they have experienced in astructured setting, and as mentioned in the article,“Designing Meaningful Reflection” on youthleadership.com,reflection, “allows individuals to look back on, think criti-cally about, and learn from their experiences.” This articlealso notes the importance of reflection in leadership pro-grams as, “an essential step in connecting what youth areexperiencing to their larger community or role in life.”

As I explored reflection activities more, I learned about nu-merous ways to include reflection exercises into youth pro-grams; such as through written expression, art projects, andgroup discussions. The majority of the reflection exercisesthat I’ve incorporated into the youth leadership program thatI work with include small group discussions with guidingquestions as well as time for individual written reflectionusing a set of questions, some of which include, “Did any-thing you learn today really surprise you?” and “What werethe most important things you learned today?”

Adding reflection activities into my program has provided anoutlet for the youth participants to share reactions, concerns,likes and dislikes, and connect what they learn to the “bigpicture.” Each reflection activity we’ve completed hasproven to be a great learning experience for everyone in-volved.

Source: Youthleadership.com, “Designing Meaningful Re-flection” (http://www.youthleadership.com/reflection.html)

Incarceration in Vermont.

Since October, Mobius, along with the Ver-mont Department of Corrections, Vermont Chil-dren’s Aid Society (Kids-A-Part Program) and 12 dif-ferent mentoring programs throughout the statehave being working closely together to find and trainmentors for children whose parents are incarcerated.Throughout the year I have been working with thisgrant on a daily basis. Being one of the main con-tacts for this grant and the population it aims toserve, I have done a lot of outside research on thistopic. I was even able to attend a national confer-ence for all the federal grantees involved withmatching mentors with this special population.I have learned a great deal during my time spentwith this grant and find it crucial to speak about this“overlooked, not forgotten” population of children asmuch as possible. The United States leads theworld, by a significant amount, in incarcerating itscitizens. A quote from a recent New York Times ar-ticle reads, “the United States has less than 5 per-cent of the world’s population. But it has almost aquarter of the world’s prisoners.”

Taking this fact into consideration and thenapplying it to the children of these prisoners what Ihave been doing. We have to use national averagesto calculate the number of incarcerated fathers inVermont because our correction system does not askor keep track in any way whether the men in prisonhave children or not. Therefore if nationally, 55% ofmen in prison were fathers, 44% of whom were livingwith their children prior to their incarceration, then,in Vermont 3,400 are fathers and 2,700 were livingwith their children prior to their incarceration.

Vermont is actually unique in terms ofwomen’s incarceration in the state. A programcalled Women and Families United goes into theprisons and asks about families, children, and otherpersonal living questions that the Department ofCorrections does not ask. Therefore the numbers wehave regarding the number of incarcerated mothersin Vermont is very accurate and not estimated.These facts read as follows: 80% (or 812) of 1,015(Continued on the next page)

Katy PerryVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atMobius, The Mentoring Movementin Burlington, VT

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women incarcerated in Vermont are mothers ofyoung children, 75% (or 761) were the primarycaregiver of their children at the time of their ar-rest. This means that in 2007 approximately 2,030children were affected by just their mother’s incar-ceration in Vermont.I know these numbers are daunting and I havemany more facts to spew if anyone is interested,but don’t loose all hope. Statewide and nationallythere are organizations working to make the pris-ons more family friendly, create lasting relation-ships with children and their incarcerated parents,and helping support the caregivers who are oftennot taken into consideration but play a huge partin this process. Our organizations focus is on men-toring but after the first month of this grant werealized that before we could recruit mentors forthese children a larger dialogue needed to bestarted. We, as community members, need to startbreaking down all the negative stereotypes andassociations we personally have with incarcera-tion. I know before I started working with thisgrant I assumed a lot and knew even less aboutprisoners and the system which often times keepsthe same people in and out of jail on a regular ba-sis. I urge you to speak about incarceration andthe structures in place in our society that keep peo-ple in poverty, that seem prejudiced against mi-norities, and that don’t support reentry into thecommunity. Without community wide support andconversations these cycles will continue and evenmore children will be affected by their parents’ in-carceration. Please ask me for more information ifyou would like. I can also send out the presenta-tion we gave throughout the state that containsmany facts about these children and what theyoften go through during their parents’ arrest andincarceration.

Leading Youth In Meaningful Hands-on Work

Prior to beginning my service year as an A*VISTAmember, I had worked a lot with youth. I had worked at asummer camp focused on building community throughcelebrating our individual identities and which created anopening for people to contribute to something bigger thanthemselves. I also had spent the better portion of the past

two years working at a residential environmental educationprogram designed to teach 4th – 8th grade students aboutecological systems and sustainability. Transitioning intomy new position, serving with the Montpelier Parks De-partment and Conservation Commission, I have begunworking with youth in an entirely different way, and I amlearning a lot in the process.

My service here with youth falls neatly into the cate-gory of developing meaningful hands-on opportunities.There are many programs designed to teach youth, espe-cially those that are unfortunately labeled as “at risk,”powerful lessons by putting them to work. Being particu-larly interested in engaging younger people to start takingresponsibility for the world that we all share I am verygrateful to have this opportunity to work with youth in anew way. I recognize that many of the most powerful les-sons to be learned in the coming year will be my own.

Through my experiences here thus far with youthand conversations with my site supervisor, MontpelierParks Director Geoff Beyer, I’ve gained some very impor-tant insight. The amount of mental unrest and illness inour country is staggering. This unfortunately holds truefor adults, youth, and increasingly younger children. Thereasons for the high rate of general unrest in our modernworld could easily fill volumes. I do not intend to statethat I am an expert on such things. That being said, I dobelieve that I understand some of the major causes of oursociety’s collective unwellness, which I know can be alle-viated by physical and meaningful work.

Simply stated, I believe that many people are unwellbecause they spend too much time working in the world ofconceptual thought. For many of us we spend a large ma-jority of our time in school and then in our work livesstuck inside our brains and behind computers dealing withthe written word, math, science and all sorts of abstractthought processes. It seems that relatively few peopleamong our 300 million US citizens spend much time at alldoing actual hands-on, physical work. This is a uniquesituation in human history when the majority of people inour society spend their time working more within theirminds than with their hands to solve problems and providedirectly for themselves, their families, and members of

Scott CourcelleVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atMontpelier Parks and ConservationIn Burlington, VT

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their communities.I think that this is particularly important to recognize in

the case of youth. Our current educational model oftenoffers very little opportunity for students to use their handsand do any sort of applied or meaningful work. While thissystem works for some it is torture for many who begin toperform poorly simply because they (understandably) can-not see any real purpose for their time and efforts. So theyfail in an enormously flawed system, often feeling that it istheir own shortcoming or inability and become labeled as“at risk.” In the best of scenarios programs like VermontYouth Tomorrow (VYT) come into play. Given the op-portunity to do hands-on meaningful work those same “atrisk” youth often thrive. They gain the ability to take own-ership in what they are doing and feel pride in their work.In the process they begin to build their own sense of placeand value within their communities. Also, stepping out ofthe world of concepts and abstract thinking and movinginto a world of accomplishing meaningful things with yourbody goes a long way toward restoring a healthy balancefor us all. So if you are feeling really stressed out andknow that you don’t get out enough, you might want totake a break and devote some of your time to working in agarden or doing some kind of physical work and I wouldalmost guarantee that you’ll start to feel better immedi-ately.

Community Painting in Morrisville

Setting up at the Hyjinx Community Festi-

val, with a spontaneous public art engage-

ment was a completely new experience for

me. I have had previous experience in com-

munity art, but those prior experiences were

widely known about, and the painting par-

ticipants were aware that they would be

painting, and thus prepared. When setting

up at Peoples Academy, no one (except for me and my

supervisor) knew what would be happening. This was an

idea that could have gone either of two ways: I could have

spent the time painting while others looked on warily and

didn’t chose to participate, or people could be excited and

want to express themselves. In the planning, I chose to

purchase two large masonite boards 40” x 30” and thirty

10” x 10” masonite boards for those that didn’t want to, or

were unsure of contributing to a larger work of art. I was

nervous upon set up…. Questions such as “Will anyone

really want to paint?” and “How will it be working with

high school kids?” swarmed through my head. This was

my first experience working with older kids, though we

did have people from as young as 3 through 50 something

adults who contributed in the form of brush strokes, paint

globs, and water spray.

From the beginning to the end of this activity I truly

learned through my service. Trial and error: Ask a group

of high school boys and be denied, ask a group of 14-16

year old girls, and they shyly begin to put paint on a ges-

soed piece of masonite board, moments later welcome in a

group of boys to contribute. “Abstract” is what I told them,

and that is what people did. It was interesting to watch

people approach the project, and I’ve learned a great deal

about spontaneous painting as well as working with di-

verse age groups. Prior to this experience, I had primarily

worked with young children- never adults and never teen-

agers. In this exercise I gained knowledge of

the components of both groups. People were

surprised to see public painting, at first a touch

wary which quickly evolved into excitement.

The hesitant girls that began the project came

back later to add more, and their skeptical

friends (who were

quite possibly “too

cool”) soon saw the

fun in this spontaneous art

form. The evolution of the

piece of artwork was also amaz-

ing to see. Both pieces started

off as beautiful splotches and

drips of color and evolved as

the layers were placed on the

boards. It was interesting to

Sarah SchummerVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atRiver Artsin Morrisville, VT

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watch those who were cautiousto add color to enhance whatalready existed, some chose tocompletely cover up all the pre-vious work others had put intothe creations to make it theirown, in sense to lay claim to theartwork. I think an exercise likethis says a lot about the diversepersonalities of human beings.As I’ve said before, it was inter-esting to watch the evolution: asuccessful service learning pro-ject.

Afterschool and Service Learning as a Means ofCommunity Development

What is it about Vermont that makes it so unique? The an-swer to that question is clearly a matter of opinion, but for apolicy junkie and recent college graduate like me, I believe ithas a little something to do with the New England townmeeting. If you haven’t been to one of these events yet, Ireally recommend going; the town meeting is truly a sight tobe seen. My first meeting was at Burlington High Schoolback in early December of 2007. Senator Bernie Sanders,along with various school board representatives, teachers,and principals, led a discussion on the upcoming reauthoriza-tion of the No Child Left Behind Act. The meeting was in-spiring and sparked my interest in school reform, afterschoolprogramming, and community development. In light of this‘standardization’ of education, afterschool programmingprovides the breath of fresh air needed to stimulate students

beyond the classroom setting and encourage community in-volvement and service learning.

Recent school reform efforts place a strong emphasis onstrengthening schools so that children can succeed academi-cally. There is more to success than academics, however,and schools cannot be solely responsible for the education ofstudents. Communities and families, must work together toprovide a total educational experience for youth. Amongother assets, afterschool programs can play a vital role inreconnecting schools and communities. They can helpschools move beyond the constraints of the regular day andembrace the surrounding neighborhood, capitalizing on theresources and perspectives of organizations and individualsoutside of school. Successful afterschool programs recog-nize the importance of strong community connections andactively pursue them.

While some families can afford to enrich their children’seducation with sports, academic tutors, private lessons andcultural activities, other parents may have more limited op-tions, including many of the 40 percent of families catego-rized as working poor or receiving public assistance. (i)Many children in these families are among the 14 million K-12 youth responsible for taking care of themselves afterschool, and do not have the same access to enrichment ac-tivities. (ii)

When community-based organizations and schools worktogether to develop afterschool programs, students are ex-posed to new and creative learning styles in informal, relaxedsettings that allow them to further explore topics of interestand discover new passions that they may have previouslyknown little about. The informal setting gives them thecourage to try new activities in non-threatening environment.As a result, their interest and motivation to participate areenhanced. (iii)

Afterschool programs that involve community-based organi-zations have the unique ability to reach at-risk children andyouth who are disenchanted with school, hard to reach, ormay be isolated from their communities. (iv) Research onchildhood resiliency, development, and prevention of high-risk behaviors confirms the importance of positively con-necting youth to their communities. (v)

Children and youth benefit when schools and families valuecommunity partners and engage them as resources. Further,youth learn about the importance of contributing to theircommunities, and are in turn appreciated by those communi-ties. Community-based service learning programs provideyoung people with valuable real-life lessons that are hard toduplicate in the classroom. By participating in these pro-grams young people have the opportunity to learn citizen-ship, responsibility, discipline, they develop problem-solvingskills, self esteem is enhanced, they learn about new career

Maegan OlivosVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atService Politics Institutein Burlington, VT

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options, improve academic motivation, school attendanceincreases, they perform better in school, and prepare forfuture work. (vi)

The benefits of community involvement in educationthrough afterschool programs are tangible and real. Thecommunity as a whole benefits from having well-roundedyouth who are productive and responsible communitymembers. Adults and community members are able to re-consider any negative stereotypes they have of youth whenthey have positive interactions with young people. Theyare then more likely to hold a positive view of young peo-ple, voice their support for afterschool programs, and playan active role by volunteering or mentoring. (vii) Youngpeople gain valuable experiences when engaged in com-munity service learning opportunities provided by after-school programs. (viii)

Afterschool programs are a solid bridge connectingschools and communities. Quality afterschool programswork with communities to connect children and youth withresources, community-based organizations, volunteers, andmentors. In many places, the afterschool program servesas a hub of activity for children, youth and families byoffering an array of community activities. Partnershipsbetween schools and community-based organizations sup-port academic achievement not by mimicking schools, butby complementing the schools’ academic focus with amore holistic approach. This relationship not only bene-fits the participating children and youth, but strengthensthe programs, the schools, and the community at-large.

(i) Douglas-Hall, A. et al (2006) Basic facts about low-incomechildren: birth to age 18. National Center for Children in Pov-erty, Mailman school of Public Health, Columbia University.(ii) Afterschool Alliance. (2003) America After 3 P.M.: AHousehold Survey on Afterschool in America. Washington, DC:(iii) Harris, J. (2007) Making a difference in the lives of youth:strategies for engaging parents and communities in afterschoolprograms and activities. Conference proceedings from TheBridge from Afteschool and Back. Vancouver, WA.(iv) Kahne, J. et al. (2001). Assessing after-school programs ascontexts for youth development. Youth & Society, 32, 421-446.(v) Fletcher, A.J. et al (2005) A guide to developing exemplarypractices in afterschool programs. Center for Collaborative So-lutions, the Community Network for Youth Development, andthe Foundation Consortium for California’s Children and Youth.(vi) Decker, L.E., et al. (2000). Engaging families & communi-ties, pathways to educational success. . National CommunityEducational Association, Florida Atlantic University.(vii) Fletcher, A.J. et al (2005) A guide to developing exemplarypractices in afterschool programs. Center for Collaborative So-lutions, the Community Network for Youth Development, andthe Foundation Consortium for California’s Children and Youth.(viii) Ibid.

Barn History

An element of my service that has piqued my in-terest has been the history and landscape of Cen-tral Vermont. I grew up in Southern Vermont andspent very little time north of Route 4; so uponaccepting my VISTA position with the VermontYouth Conservation Corps I packed my bags andmoved to the Winooski Valley.

Earlier this decade the VYCC purchased and re-stored the West Monitor Barn property in Rich-mond. The facility now serves as the Leadership,Education and Training Center for all of the or-ganization’s programs as well as the headquartersoffice. When first built in the early 1900s theMonitor Barns of Richmond were leaders in thedairy industry of Vermont. With an innovativedesign they allowed a greater flow of air to passthrough the building, thus increasing ventilationand decreasing cow mortality. Although the pro-gress of technology soon made them impracticaland it became nearly impossible to keep up withthe changing industry.

Changing hands and purposes throughout the next100 years the has me hungry for more informationand answers would have to be the history of theMonitor Barn property. The Vermont Youth

Cara ButterlyVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atVT Youth Conservation Corpsin Richmond, VT

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Conservation Corps now owns both Monitor Barnsas well as many acres of mature forest and agricul-ture soil. During my first year of service I con-ducted a research project with a the high schoolcrew I was leading centered around the property’shistory with a focus on when the barns were builtand the time frame the dairy was in full production.Since then I have gone on to carry out more re-search independently in hopes to weave the elementsof history and ecology together that surround thisremarkable piece of land. What I have learnedthrough the process of researching this topic hasbeen fascinating and driving force for me to con-tinue learning more about it and sharing that infor-mation with others.

Developing an Educational Curriculum

While applying for a job a few years ago, before myVISTA position was even a glimmer in someone’s eye, I wasasked during an interview where I saw myself in ten years.It seemed like a typical interview question, and I did not skipa beat. I went to my standard answer, which just happenedto be the truth: I see myself working at a non-profit conser-vation organization that bridges the gap between traditionalconservation corps and outdoor education organizations. Ielaborated, indicating that I had experienced the pros andcons to both types of programs geared toward youth, and Iwanted to bring the best from both into one experience as away to enhance the role of youth in the conservation move-ment: combining the formal challenge of leadership devel-opment theory with the valuable education of service-basedlearning. I wanted to create a Leadership Development Pro-gram that used conservation and trail work as a vehicle forpersonal growth.

Well, it hasn’t yet been ten years…but I’m doingwhat I set out to do. Almost by accident. I came to myVISTA position at the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps(VYCC) knowing I was going to build capacity for many ofits existing programs, and not knowing exactly what, butnever thinking that I was going to fast-forward my careerpath. Within the first week I had found my niche and har-nessed my passions into developing a pilot Leadership De-velopment Program. While most people go through gradschool, write a thesis, formulate hypotheses, and then sum-mit Mt. Everest before ever getting the chance to put theirideas into action, I simply became a VISTA.

Since the onset of my service as a VISTA, I havecombined formal research and my personal experiences withleadership development to write an educational curriculumfor the first ever Leadership Development Crew at theVYCC starting in early June. College-age young adults fromall backgrounds will come to this crew with raw potential tobe leaders among their peers, back at their institutions, andwithin society. The Leadership Development Curriculumhopes to transform that potential into true leadership compe-tency. A short term goal for the program is for the VYCCCorps Members to return next year as highly qualified CrewLeaders for our summer trail crews. One of the longer term,and perhaps more important goals is for these Corps Mem-bers to act as leaders in all aspects of their lives and use theirexperience to advocate for youth programs and conservationof our environment.

Through research into adventure-based learning,other leadership development programs nationwide, and ageneral compilation of any and all thought-provoking initia-tives and activities, the curriculum was born. This curricu-lum is based on the 5 stages of Experiential Education: Fo-cus, Action, Support, Feedback, and Debriefing. This crewwill work on technically advanced trail projects (imagine a25 foot bridge over a roaring brooks, or a 300 foot section oftrail that needs a 3 feet high rock retaining wall to preventerosion) while focusing their mental energy on workshopsand activities that range in topic from conflict resolution togiving effective feedback to developing plans for food re-supply.I’ve experienced many challenges, and many over-whelmingdays sitting in a pile of books and publications, staring at the40+ page document I’d created, and cowering from the list ofover 60 workshops I need to prepare. But, the point is that Ihave experienced this, and now I have this experience. I willcontinue to push the boundaries of my career goals and theVYCC’s expectations of our crews throughout my VISTA-ship. And I will most certainly use this experience as anopportunity to take my passions and goals to levels unreach-able before I was lucky enough to be granted the chance byVISTA to dive headfirst into this program development.

Katherine BuellVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atVT Youth Conservation Corpsin Richmond, VT

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Imagination

Where has my imagination gone? Have you ever askedyourself the same? It is sometimes easy to create a list oftasks that need to be accomplished. After all, many ofus do this quite regularly. All that practice makes it eas-ier and easier. The more I make the little check boxes,the more I can visualize my goals, but when the goal isto “design and build the Farm and Nursery Program,” asubset list forms with one big word: IMAGINE. How doI imagine and create a program that is in line with myvision and, most importantly, my beliefs in life?

Food is what all animals have in common as a directconnection to the earth. We forget though, that humansare included in that group; we are just animals, with verysimilar needs to squirrels, lions and even the other ani-mals we eat. If we humans are lucky, we consume thedelicious food multiple times each day.

With the frequency of which we come in contact withfood, it’s important to teach kids where it comes from,long before the grocery store, packages, and deliverytrucks, back when it came out of the ground...or it atleast ate something that did.

Scott Courcelle, a fellow VYT A*VISTA, told me astory of a 7th grade girl he taught that was astounded(and “seriously grossed-out”) when she heard that thewheat in the pancakes she’d eaten that morning was“grown.” I see a major problem with this. If kids don’tsee how we need the earth to provide incredible fruits,vegetables, and seeds for us and our health, they will ofcourse not see why we need to be good stewards andtake care when making our footprints on the earth.

Where are the teachers? Perhaps they had planned toteach about food but a day of standardized testing found

its way into the calendar instead. Or perhaps their imagi-nations are lost too. When our education system relieson using nationwide, generic textbooks to teach studentsalmost everything they learn, how can we expect ateacher, with a classroom filled beyond capacity andendless worries about test scores, to be able to visualizea totally different type of program? Experiential, work-based, and alternative education programs have comeabout because adults remember what an imagination is,how it works, and that it could be as valuable to them astheir list-making abilities.

As I go through the daily grind of “service,” makinglists, checking off boxes, and setting up meetings; it oc-curs to me that my job is to imagine. My job is to visu-alize an incredible education system where young peo-ple learn not through sitting and listening, but by doing.They will begin seeing their connection to food and theearth by working in the garden and eating what theygrow, and be inspired to use their own imaginations.After all, isn’t that what being a VISTA is all about:imagining a world without poverty, where there is trueequality, and where people are happy, healthy, and free?

Communication and Language

When talking about serving youth with barriersto employment, barriers to life in general, thelanguage that one uses has to be determined bythe audience. After nearly thirty presentationsto both youth and adults changing my ap-proach is like flipping a light switch for me atthis point, I am able to adjust communicationstyle to what seems appropriate and effective.This might seem like bland “service learning”for the project that I am doing at the VermontYouth Conservation Corps (VYCC), but it isone of the most delicate. Verbal communica-tion is immensely important when workingwith folks who have serious visual impair-ments and, in some cases, other physical dis-abilities.

Along with the tight community thatmakes the “VYCC experience” so powerful is

Lindsay ArbuckleVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atVT Youth Conservation Corpsin Richmond, VT

Matthew NicolsonVYT A* VISTA Member

Serving atVT Youth Conservation Corps

in Richmond, VT

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a set of transferable life and work skills that ourCorps Members leave with at the end of a session;things like increased self-confidence, leadershipqualities, and more developed, well-rounded com-munication skills. The LEAP (Learn, Earn, andProsper) program challenges Crew Leaders to en-sure the personal growth of the Corps Memberswhile doing it with a certain awareness of eti-quette. Our 2008 Inclusive Trails Crew will in-volve four Corps Members with visual impair-ments working alongside four Corps Memberswith full use of their vision to complete conserva-tion work, possibly even reconstructing a trail sys-tem designed for users with serious visual impair-ments. The challenge is providing a realistic workexperience while maintaining an environment thatis natural, without barriers, and allows all to enjoy.The Crew will be fully responsible for getting thework done in a timely manner, with a professionalattitude, and positive personal accomplishment.

It’s no easy task to engage individuals, es-pecially youth, when talking about jobs. It is inter-esting to experiment with techniques and key lan-guage that gets kids to listen and even respond towhat you are saying. This is something that I’vepracticed diligently and hope to transfer to mycrew leading experience this summer with resultsthat meet VYCC’s expectations.

The Root of a Localvore Lies in the Genius of a Seed

“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if interms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teachthe people,” in Confucius’ words these are the choices wehave before us, and they lead us to decide what actions wechoose to take to ensure a sustainable future. Food Works,Shelburne Farms, and the Northeast Organic Farming Asso-ciation (NOFA) of Vermont, in collaboration with 75 publicschools, have been educating youth about where our foodcomes from by weaving the history, science, and math oflocal farms into their curriculum through its Food EducationEvery Day program for over the past ten years.

A Localvore is one who enjoys the splendor of freshfood grown within a 100 mile radius and the ancient traditionof seed saving is integral to this growing and sustainablemovement. Whether you’re a VISTA thinking in terms ofyour year of service, or a fellow educator working withyouth, you can be sure to expect great wonders from a seed,just like Thoreau did in his garden, who believed that “thesmallest seed of faith is better than the largest fruit of happi-ness.”

Here in Vermont, where local often implies organic,seed saving on an individual level is not as necessary as inother parts of the world, it but certainly adds to the homegrown experience. It may not be easy to do, but it’s un-doubtedly the Iron Chef of sustainable food systems. Beans,lettuce, and tomatoes are good things to start with. Youcould even complement your beans by integrating them intopart of a Three Sisters Garden. Beans can easily vine upstalks of corn as well as give nitrogen back to the soil. TheInternational Seed Saving Institute is a helpful resource forbeginners, as seed saving, like most other things when doneat first, will be an experiment.

To begin, let your bean seed saving group hang outfor about 6 weeks after you’d normally harvest. By this timethe pods should be brown in color. If your growing season isshort and you’re afraid of frost, try uprooting the plant andhanging it in a cool dry place until its ready. You can proc-ess the brown pods by hand, remove the large chaff, andwinnow the remaining particles. Be careful, finding a cool,dry location is often the trickiest part about seed saving. But,with a little determination “to know beans” like our dearfriend Henry David at the Walden Community Garden,you’ll be well on your way!

In partnership with the Ferrisburgh Central ElementarySchool, the Walden Project has used Farm-to-School grantfunds to purchase “preserving the harvest” equipment, devel-oped “Fresh Foods” curriculum, and created mentoring rela-tionships. In deed, our seeds are like our youth. They both“embody the past and the future” (The International Com-mission of the Future of Food).

Holley SchmiddlappVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atWillowell Foundationin Vergennes, VT

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Cucumber Trellising

For the afterschool gardening class I havestarted teaching at Westminster Elementary School, Ihave been doing research on cucumber trellises for thekids to build in their school garden. I have completedmost of the research from a book called The OutdoorGarden and through personal interviews. The bookshows a design using upright poles, driven into theground every 7 ½ feet, with a 15 foot crossbar on top. Anylon or plastic netting (think soccer netting) can bestrung across the top and on the sides. Alternately,strings could be tied to the top and plants can attach tothem via tendrils. A professional gardener highly rec-ommended a vertical trellis rather than an A-frame.

I have also asked co-workers, teachers at theVermont School and Youth Garden Conference, andother experienced gardeners about designs they haveused in the past and the easiest, most fun designs forkids to build. Some of my favorite suggestions includecreating a tunnel using chicken wire, letting the cucum-bers crawl on top of it, and the kids crawl below it, andcreating an A-frame using willow branches and tyingthem together at the top. A variation of this is shown inthe picture above from the National Gardening Associa-tion website.

A trellis can be as simple or complicated as youwould like it to be, as a quick Google image search willdemonstrate. Ultimately in my class, the kids will de-cide the type of trellis we build. It is important that kids,rather than adults, make the decision for the kids to feelownership and responsibility towards their space.

See How They GROW

While attending the VT Statewide AmeriCorpsconference last month I stumbled into a workshop onpeer coaching. It may have been a conscious choicewhen I registered for the conference, but more thanlikely it was a second choice that sounded mildly inter-esting at the time. How wrong I was. In the brief work-shop I learned a practice that I will use personally andprofessionally from now on.

How often have you found yourself stalled,overwhelmed by a task that you don’t know how tomove forward with? You’ve had to have been there atleast once. Maybe you worked your way through it ormaybe someone helped you brainstorm some ideas. Inthe best case scenario you figured out how you weregoing to approach it, and then you took action. Howgood did it feel? If someone told you how to do it,would you have taken his advice? Would it have feltlike such an accomplishment if you had? The theorybehind peer coaching is that the coach lets the coacheefigure it out on his own, but asks guiding questions tolead the way. This allows the person being coached togain confidence in their own ability to solve problemsand accomplish tasks.

The practice is quite simple, and with only afew modifications can be adapted to all kinds of situa-tions. The steps follow the acronym GROW, whichstands for Goal, Reality, Options, and What. For eachstep the coach will ask the person open-ended questionsabout his situation. It is important that these questionsbe asked in this order, but the wording of the questionsmay vary depending on how the conversation goes. Andthat’s exactly what this should be, a conversation, not aformal, “I’m going to ask you these questions to helpyou figure out your problem,” kind of dialog. These arethe suggested questions:

Goal – What do you want to accom-plish? What are you commit-

Amy NiemczuraVYT A* VISTA MemberServing atYouth Horticulture Projectin Brattleboro, VT Amanda White

VYT A* VISTA LeaderServing at

Washington County Youth Service Bureauin Montpelier, VT

20

ted to? What’s your goal in thissituation?

Reality - What’s missing? What’s work-ing/has worked in the past? Whatdo you have going for you?

Options - What can you try? What areyour alternatives? What are somepossible ways that you could dealwith this?

What - What will you do? What’s onestep that you can take? What canyou do right away?

At first glance this seemed hokey and definitely toomuch like common sense to really be effective. But believeme, it works. I have used these questions while talking tofriends about interpersonal relationships, I’ve used themwhile listening to a family member vent about a work issue,and I have used them in my role as a VISTA leader. Thequestions are a great tool, not only in helping someone prob-lem solve, but also to show you’re invested in the person’slife. Instead of just empathizing and saying, “that sucks, Iknow how you feel,” or trying to offer advice by sharingyour own similar situation, simply asking questions showsyour empathy and helps someone through the situation. Tryit.

The Vermont YouthTomorrow AmeriCorps*

VISTA Members featured in thisnewsletter have accomplished the fol-

lowing since they began service:

Raised more than $69,776 incash donations and grants

Procured more than $20,261 in in-kindDonations

Managed 577 communitymembers to serve as volunteers

and mentors who gave 3891hours of their time

Made 46 community presentations,to more than 1,019 people

Collaborated with more than 107community organizations andstakeholders

Developed or enhanced 29youth program curriculaor service projects that

involved 404 youth

Accomplish

ments

We would like to say goodbyeto Tina Weikert and Maegan

Olivos who both finishedtheir service this quarter.

We will miss you!

If you know anyone who would beinterested in serving as an Ameri-Corps* VISTA with Vermont YouthTomorrow please contact:Amanda White or Nic Nicoletc/o Washington Co. Youth Service BureauPO Box 627 / 38 Elm StreetMontpelier, VT 05601802-229-9151vyt.vydc@gmail.com

During the last

six months

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Vermont Youth TomorrowA*VISTA Program

Director - M. Kadie SchaefferAssistant Director - Nicholas NicoletTeam Leader - Amanda White

Email: VYT.VYDC@gmail.comPhone: 802.229.9151

Vermont Youth Tomorrow A*VISTA ProgramWashington County Youth Service Bureau/Boys & Girls ClubP.O. Box 627 / 38 Elm StreetMontpelier, VT 05601-0627