pirates, storytelling and makin'ze'difference

[thoreau]

Last month I started volunteering for the 826 Valencia project here in SF. It is a nonprofit "dedicated to supporting students 6 to 18 with their writing skills. It's a program to help students get excited about writing." They pair students with writers (like me) to teach in a gentle way that good writing skills are fundamental building blocks to a successful future. Until this program - I had very little patience for "kids" - but it's brought a whole new mentoring side out in me I love very much. It makes me wish I'd thought about getting a elementary teaching certification. The best part about it all - is that it's all pirate themed. So at the gig I'm "RRRRRRRRRRRROBERT" :) LOL! and the kids love it - "Hey RRRRRRRRRRRROBERT" they'll say. I tutor on Thursday afternoons and sometimes on Sunday afternoons if kids ask me to come in. While I can't type kids names (confidentiality and all) I can say - that these 'city kids' have a very unique world view - and it feeds me a lot to work with them.

Today I went in for my formal evaluation before I'm allowed to tutor and work on new projects without a "pirate buddy." It went well. They say that I resort to humor a bit too much - and to take a more scholarly tone. Not a major criticism - but - they said - I tend to have the loudest group. (go figure huh?) But - they've invited me to get involved in a couple of their 'new for 2008' projects. I'd suggested a "make your own font" workshop for middle school and high school kids - talking about the power of type and then helping each student develop his or her own true type font. So they'd leave with the "bobmcdiarmid" font they could then load onto their computers and share with friends and family. So I'll start developing that class. I'll also work with them on 'storytelling field trips'. 826 Valencia hosts groups of elementary school students for "writing a short story in two hours" - but the best part? is that they have professional illustrators and book binders in who illustrate the story for each pair of kids and each kid leaves with a bound book. Very cool. Well - - each of these field trips is hosted by a "THE EDITOR" a theatrical character who helps the kids pick the "right" illustrator and the "right" typesetter. and dramatically reads each short story at the end of the session. (8 - 12 three page short stories) The readings are recorded and MP3s are cut to CD for the students to take home. So - they've invited me to play "THE EDITOR" at some of their workshops (when my day job will let me go because it's a daytime gig). Honestly - they couldnt' have found two projects that fit my skills and interests better. and I'll continue to tutor on Thursdays and Sundays.

I am so thrilled to be part of such a fun program.

I'd be interested in hearing how other people on LJ volunteer. We recently had to tabulate how many volunteer hours we put in for a work project - and I was honestly - shocked to hear how little people volunteer. I mean - I know "what works for me doesn't work for everyone else" - - but that said. I think volunteering is very important part of being an adult in today's society.

So how do others help out? (and that includes - do you donate clothes? or money to a charity rather than do in person time?) Discuss!!

Comments

[bear-left.livejournal.com]

Lately, most of my volunteering has been in the form of check-writing, & that frustrates me; I did TONS of volunteering from late high school through my early 30s (when I had to step back to finish my dissertation, & when I was burned out from taking so much on my own shoulders). I am particularly proud of the work I did on queer youth issues, as a support group facilitator, fundraising for a youth empowerment group, & chairing the Triangle chapter of GLSEN. I also did tons of work to improve the campus climate for LGBT students, staff, & faculty at Duke, helping create & then supporting the LGBT Center, & I created and ran a community oral history project documenting the Triangle's queer history. Of course, all of this bleeds easily into my professional work, so it's not like I've walked away from this kind of work altogether. But now I'm itching to get back to human rights & anti-war work.