Max Gray's Reflections

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Blog #1:The reason that I felt that this PACT project was important for our community was because as a graffiti artist myself, there is really nowhere to paint and very few spaces large enough to show our work.  Gary, the director of the Riekas program was super understanding about this dilemma, and totally approved of our use of his space. One of the goals that I had with this project was to expose kids to artists who they could relate to, and to learn a bit about them. In our first session, I introduced the kids to Jean Michele Basquiet, and gave them some information about why he was important.  I explained to the kids how I got to know about JMB, and showed them a few of his paintings.  I also showed them a few scenes of the movie Radiant Child by Tamra Davis, so that they could understand his background and the images that he uses in his work, such as the crown.  JMB was discovered by artist Andy Warhol, another influential artist that I felt the students should be aware of, and I talked about their relationship and how Andy helped make JMB famous.  Over the first three sessions, I have gotten to meet some really cool people, who are incredibly passionate about art and we have had a great time. I hope that by exposing the kids to JMB, Andy Warhol and others, that I will inspire them to think of themselves as artists   I told them that everyone is capable of being creative, and that hopefully the more that they get exposed to art and  ways of thinking about art, they can see themselves as artists too.

Blog #2  Our next sessions were about using some of the techniques that we learned about in the previous sessions.  I was really hoping that the kids would have some time to practice some things, such as stenciling and spraying techniguqes and I was a bit bummed that they admitted that they did not really. When I asked why, they said that they did not have materials really, and it made me feel that I should really do some more fundraising for these kids.  Paint is expensive and it is not a priority- I get it, but I do wish that there were more places in our community that allowed kids to do art.  I loved the way that the kids were open to talking about art and their influences, and I showed them some additional artists that I admire.  I brought in Keith Harings work and a few books about Banksy.  We discussed how art can work as commentary of life and is a form of personal, social and political expression.  The kids were super open to exploring what motivated them enough to express, and we talked about what were going to incorporate in our mural and why we were choosing some images and not others.  Everyone really enjoyed doing the mural, and I loved teaching them, and seeing myself as a teacher.  I was incredibly proud of them all, and I learned how happy it makes me to inspire kids and walk them through a creative experience like this one.

Evan PACT Trip #6

Evan King
July 26, 2016
City Impact
Noah Blakely

PACT Trip #6

This day spent at City Impact was a little different than what I had done previously. On the previous Saturday, City Impact held their "Conference" where they serve over 2,000 people with meals and health service. Since I could not attend this event, I went up to help a couple days after to help with whatever I could. Most of the work I did was recovering from the "Conference" and helping them clean up from the big day. This trip was a little less emotional and more laborious. We still went out and talked to homeless people and did a Café with free meals and a service, however, it was mostly cleaning up and moving a lot of stuff in the thrift store and other places. This time I felt like I accomplished more because the work that I was doing needed to be done and I was able to get the job done. I was upset that I could not do more service with people in the community, but I believe that what I did to help City Impact was much needed and helped them get tasks done so they could move on to doing more great things for the community.

Evan King PACT Trip #3

Evan King
June 20, 2016
City Impact
Noah Blakely

PACT Trip #3

Since I had previously done work at City Impact, I had a basic idea of what I was going to do coming in. I knew that I was going to have to communicate with a lot of homeless people and a lot of people whose minds are not in the right place. Each time I go, I am nervous and scared of what is going to happen. However, while I was serving, I was able to put these preconceptions behind me and I tried my best to do my job without worrying. I discovered a lot about myself while working. I learned that I can't have preconceived mindsets because to my surprise, so many of these homeless people were kind and willing to talk to me. It was my own self that got in the way. I had a lot of different emotional reactions. The thing that hit my emotions the hardest were some of the stories that people told me and what they had been through. I did not think that my work had a big impact on the problem, but I am helping solve a problem that is much bigger than me and there is so much work that needs to be done that one person cannot do that much. However, everything I did had an impact no matter how small and a lot of the time I was making someone's day or helping out someone in need even though I did not solve their issues.

Blog posts from Stephen Calcott

Stephen Callcott

After 3rd Visit Blog

CALL Primrose

Terry Boesch & Bryant Van Beckum (Volunteer Coordinator)

terri@boeschonline.com/Callcoordinator@callprimrose.org

After finishing my most recent (3rd) visit at CALL Primrose, I really feel like I am starting to make a difference. There was a month long gap in between my first and second visit because I was doing a homestay in Japan, but Ms. Boesch at CALL Primrose helped me plan for that so that my work there made sense with my schedule. At CALL Primrose they recently decided to relocate many of the offices and storage space to the second floor of the building, and after Ms. Boesch learned that photography and filmmaking was a big hobby of mine, she wanted me to apply it to their relocation process. What this meant is that my first visit I spent the time photographing the entire building, food pantries, refrigerators, offices, storage rooms, signs, tables, volunteers, and some clients (with permission). When I returned from my month in Japan, I returned to CALL Primrose in order to observe and document all the changes that had happened while I was away. Photography is one of my biggest passions, but it wasn’t until the third visit until I had a truly impactful experience.

On my third visit I was finally working inside the kitchen, chopping up celery, bagging cereal, organizing diapers, etc. This was actually the work I was expecting to do when I contacted CALL Primrose originally. Burlingame is a very wealthy area, and growing up I never actually realized that there were so many people in my own community who were reliant on food pantries such as CALL Primrose for their groceries. I think of myself as a pretty thoughtful and caring person, but this realization was a pretty guilty one. Yes, it did feel like I was making a positive impact by helping out, but in all my years of living in walking distance from the CALL Primrose Center I never could've imagined how many people were in need of help putting food on the table in my own town. I think this realization is not only very impactful experience, but I think it will really be motivating to me in my next three visits (all of which will be in the kitchen) to make the most out of my time here.

Stephen Callcott

After 6th Visit Blog

CALL Primrose

Terry Boesch & Bryant Van Beckum (Volunteer Coordinator)

terri@boeschonline.com/Callcoordinator@callprimrose.org

After finishing my 6th visit at CALL Primrose, I can confidently say that there is no other place I would rather volunteer at. In my last blog post, I discussed that my experience was impactful, and it has continued to be, but this time I really want to emphasize how enjoyable of an experience this became. Unboxing diapers and organizing them in ziploc bags by size does not exactly seem like it would be the most fun thing in the world, but it wasn’t the physical work that was the charming part - it was those who I was volunteering with. It’s challenging for CALL Primrose to get a wide range of volunteers simply because of its hours. It is open only on weekdays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, so really no average working person or student can come in during that time. Because of this, the majority of volunteers at the CALL Primrose Center are retired elderly women who need to be kept busy during the day. To them, volunteering at CALL Primrose is how they stay social. They gossip, talk about their grandkids, and laugh at each other's jokes, all while helping this very important cause. I not only found this pretty amusing, but also realized how important of a daytime routine volunteering was for these ladies lives.

Aside from the excitement of organizing yogurt while chatting with Margaret about her grandson off at Arizona State University, I have also had some really impactful experiences in my last three visits here as well. On my 5th visit, I was setting out a basket of baby tomatoes on the table for clients to select their groceries from when I client asked me what was in my basket. He was a younger, probably thirty-something year old African American man and I replied “tomatoes” before I realized that he had no idea that tomatoes looked like that. I talked to him for probably less than a minute after, and he clarified that he knew what tomatoes were, he was just used to seeing them cut up or at least had never known that they could be so small. It was extremely impactful to me to realize that their were people in my own community who didn’t even recognize a tomato when they saw one, just because they did not see them enough. I see tomatoes on a daily basis, but it had never crossed my mind that others didn’t see them often enough to even recognize them. This was an experience I think I will remember for the rest of my life, mostly because it emphasized how fortunate I am for not only my education and living conditions, but the healthy food I eat everyday as well.

I really want to continue volunteering at CALL Primrose, but it is really difficult because I always have school during the hours. However, I am still in contact with Ms. Boesch about a way they can effectively use all the photos I took during my first two visits, so even though my 6 visits are up there are likely many more to come!

Both of Alex Eddidin's posts

Alex Edidin

July 28th, 10am

The Thanksgiving Home

Clara Welch

607.547.8844

My first couple visits at the Thanksgiving home were primarily helping the senior citizens with different crafting projects. My most memorable day was attending a jewelry class. Since the average age at the home is over ninety years old, many of the ladies have hurt wrists and they no longer have the mobility to do the arts they once enjoyed. Recently, the activities director of the home started a program where he helps the elderly do an assortment of crafts. Primarily, I talked to the five ladies who attended jewelry making class as they handed me different beads they wanted on their necklaces. The most touching moment of my first three visits was when a lady named Betty talked to me for about an hour about her granddaughters and was so proud and excited to give the necklace I beaded to them for next Christmas. I think this moment showed me that once you reach that age the little things like small gifts and calls and letters become increasingly more important. Before I attended these visits I assumed that I would be wheeling wheelchairs around and helping people get ready for the day; however, instead I got to learn about each individual and their connection to the small town that the Thanksgiving home is located in. Through this service, I learned that often the activities that seem insignificant are the ones that you truly learn from - whether that be having a conversation with Gertrude about her favorite part of the year (when the local second graders come and sing) or beading with Betty and seeing how excited she is to give her granddaughter the wooden beaded bracelet she beaded herself. This experience has taught me how much senior citizens appreciate when teenagers and elementary schoolers take the times out of their busy lives to visit and help them. 

Alex Edidin

August 1st, 1pm

The Thanksgiving Home

Clara Welch

607.547.8844

   The next visit was focused on leading a reading course for the seniors. Primarily, this was focused on summarizing the daily news and then either reading to them or down crosswords with them. Initially, every meeting would start with me going through the New York Times or the Post summarizing the events that had to do with the election and foreign affairs. For old people, it’s really important to keep them involved because their vote counts just as much as ours does. Since politics is one of my passions I really enjoyed hearing their stories about the political events in their lifetime and their views on the madness of the current election. For next part of each lesson I would read crossword puzzle clues aloud to a group of about 13 seniors. At first, this was extremely difficult because they knew far more about the clues than I did but in the end they got more joy out of teaching me these random facts than doing the puzzle. 

    Through this service, I learned how much older people love passing on their knowledge. Through these interactions we had conversations about heavy subjects like life and time or we would just joke around about current events and what was going on in the small town. However, I think the most impactful part of this service was seeing their faces light up when I told them about my life. As we went through the crossword puzzle clues they would ask me quesions that the questions reminded them of. They actually seemed interested in what I was doing in school and wanted me to teach them the new things I was learning. Lastly, the biggest misconception I had going in was I was worried about the reputation that very old people can be fairly mean and demanding. The people at the home were the polar opposite. Many of them asked me for my information to stay in touch and I am hoping to volunteer there next summer as well!

Darcy Matsuda 

8/15/16

California Student Sustainability Coalition 

Lauren Jabusch

Lauren@sustainabilitycoalition.org

I decided to volunteer at the CSSC because they are involved in trying to help the environment and educating people about the importance of conserving resources and being aware of the ways in which we can lessen or negative impact on the earth. Going in to my volunteering, I expected that this organization would have a lot to do with college sit ins and protests of not environmentally friendly practices like fracking, which I wasn't particularly excited for because one, I'm not a college student and two, protests don't really seem like my thing. I was surprised to learn that most of what CSSC actually does is  educating people on better ways of sustainability. I ended up working on a project for their purchasing portal for online sales of merchandise to raise money for programs that help educate college communities about sustainability.  I was excited to be helping with a part of their website that would contribute directly to the education programs, which is what I am really interested in. 

Darcy Matsuda

8/22/16

California Student Sustainability Coalition 

Lauren Jabusch
Lauren@sustainabilitycoalition.org

After working on the CSSC's online purchasing portal, I realized how different the organization was from what I expected it to be. Like I said in my prior blog post, I thought this organization would be a lot of protests or seemingly surface level work. From my time working with the CSSC, I learned about how much they really do to make colleges more ecologically friendly. They have chapters in colleges across California and have a mini grant program to help colleges with moving more towards zero waste by helping them start composting, change to less wasteful plates and utensils, and encourage better food sourcing. They also have internships and other programs that address social issues like racial justice and gender equality. I was surprised by how much I liked working with the CSSC and how interested I was in their programs and the amount they actually do for their communities. Although my work with the purchasing portal doesn't seem like it would make a huge difference in the organization as a whole, raising money is a huge part in helping them continue to help colleges become more eco friendly. Without the money they raise from selling their products online, they would not have the money to fund their Zero Waste Grant Program or anything else. Because of this I actually do feel like I made a difference in promoting sustainability by volunteering with the organization. 

Eliza Crowder - Both Blog Posts

Eliza Crowder

Forever Young Zone Visit #3

October 8, 2015

Supervisors: Christine Lewman and Maryellen Hinderliter (clewman@stanfordchildrens.org) and (MHinderliter@stanfordchildrens.org)

Working at the Forever Young Zone in the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital is both similar and different from what I originally expected. I did anticipate that I would be emotionally moved by my interactions with the sick children with whom I played, but I wasn't expecting all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running this organization. The FYZ is a place for the young patients (and their families) to recreate, play board games, play video games, do puzzles, do crafts, and so much more. My tasks in the FYZ include helping set up and creating examples for the day's given craft project, making the rounds to the hospital beds to invite kids to come to the FYZ, playing and interacting with the children and families in the FYZ, helping to organize the backroom, and cleaning up when the FYZ closes.

On this particular visit, not many children came into the FYZ, so I spent the majority of my time organizing the plethora of donations that cluttered the back room. It was so crazy messy that it took nearly the whole shift (3 hours) to clean. I was in awe at how many donations were there, but how truly unneccesary and, for lack of a better word, how crappy some of the donated items were. It made me realize how when I donate something I want it to have a direct and helpful use for someone, rather than just a piece of junk that won't really make a difference in one's life. 

One challenge I came across was figuring out how to handle the families of the children. It was always very obvious that the ailment of the given child was debilitating towards the parents, and being comforting and kind to both the patients and their families was a top priority. Seeing how an illness can affect one's life so drastically has made me immensely grateful for my health and the health of my family members. I often found myself thinking "why them and not me?" I still don't really have an answer to that quesiton but it just goes to show unfair life really is!

My favorite part of the shifts is when I get to go around to each of the hospital beds and encourage the children to come to the FYZ. I love this on-one-one interaction time because I get to see how I'm making a difference in the general happiness of these kid's lives. Often times the kids aren't able to come to the FYZ, but seeing their faces light up when I would walk into the room made me realize how much they appreciate the little things in life. Even though I don't have a huge impact on the entire organization, I am confident that I do have an impact on each of the children's lives because of how I could easily make the kids days ten times better by playing play dough with them or by playing a video game with them. 
This is a photo of the cluttered storage room in the back of the FYZ.

Eliza Crowder
Forever Young Zone - Visit #6
Supervisors: Christine Lewman and Maryellen Hinderliter (clewman@stanfordchildrens.org) and  (MHinderliter@stanfordchildrens.org)
October 29, 2015

This visit to the FYZ was a special one because when I arrived, I was not alone! I saw a sign that read "Come play Bingo with the Stanford Baseball Team!" I was immediately very excited because one of my great family friends plays on the Stanford baseball team, and I was excited to see him. Since this visit was right around Halloween time, we played a halloween version of Bingo and we also decoratde pumpkins! 

On this visit, I spent a lot of time interacting with a young girl who clearly had the cognitive abilities of a 12 year old or so, but whose body was extremely udnerdeveloped - to the point where she still looked like a toddler. I also talked quite a bit with a young boy afflicted with an aggressive brain tumor. My heart broke as I left the FYZ that day because I couldn't help but think "why did this happen to them? Why not me? Why not any of my family members?" It just goes to show that life is so unfair to so many people around the world. Through my volunteering experience there, I have gained a huge appreciation for good health. 

During this particular visit, I loved seeing the baseball players interact with the children. It was refreshing to see how sweet and loving they were towards the kids. People often stereotype baseball players (and athletes in general) as being rigid, cocky, etc. But in reality, everyone has a soft spot deep down in which they can connect to others to make differences in their lives. 

Volunteering in the FYZ is something that I plan to continue doing because it makes me a better person and because I can brighten others' days. In these past six visits I have learned so much about how to interact with others, how to work hardd, how to be an example to those around me, and how to be grateful for everything that I have. 

Indira Varma - Both Blog Posts

Indira Varma
After 3 visits reflection
November, 2015
Kira Edwards, KEdwards@bgcp.org

Before becoming my PACT project, I had never worked with the Boys and Girls club before.  I was really excited to get to know all of the kids, and to teach them about a sport that means a lot to me. During my first three visits to Garfield Middle school, both myself and my two teammates were able to work with sixth and seventh graders.  Starting with the first session, we all got out to the field, and started by leading the kids in some stretching and warmups. During warmups the kids would always be talking about what their day had been like, usually with the girls gossiping to each other while the boys teased one another.  I thought it was really interesting watching these kids talk, since most of their conversations were similar to the ones I have with my friends.  After warmups, we split the group into boys and girls.  We then handed out all of the sticks and goggles and started on some drills.  Working with the girls most of the time, it was hard since they were constantly talking and not putting a lot of effort into the drill. I wasn't expecting the challenge of getting the girls attention, and having to take charge of the drill. Only having an hour to work with the kids made it difficult as well to get their attention since we were only left with around 45 minutes to do drills.  Often times I found myself making compromises with the girls in order for them to compete in the drill.  Usually it was a trade of off them having a water break once all of them participated, or allowing them to play a fun game at the end.  However, once we introduced competition with the boys, the girls became eager to participate.  It was after this that we were able to make progress with the kids and have them have fun while also learning a lot. For my first three visits, it was hard to have a meaningful session since most of the kids didn't pay attention or refused to most of the time.  It was also hard because despite my older age, I was not yet an adult, and therefore not seen as an authoritative figure towards them.  The sessions continually became more fun though as the kids became more involved and reading to play, making it possible for me to have a relationship with some of the kids. 


Indira Varma
After 6th visit
November 2015
Kira Edwards, KEdwards@bgcp.org

After my sixth session teaching lacrosse, I had established relationships with some of the kids who had grown to really enjoy the sport.  For most of my sessions, I spent time coaching the girls, and was able to teach them about a sport that I have played for over five years.  As I said in my last visit, it was difficult to get all of the kids involved, and hard to take control of them.  But as I continued to go, I found that the kids were gradually becoming easier to work with, and having a greater desire to play.  Before, the girls would usually huddle in the corner talking, but after a couple of sessions, they began to stop talking once our drills started, and also volunteered to participate in any game or activity.  It was really great seeing the girls become more involved in the session because it made it a lot more fun to be with them and coach as well.  Despite the group only being there for practice, it was fun seeing the kids get a chance to run around and play a sport.  As I visited Garfield, I realized that these kids don't have an opportunity to participate in sports without the BGCP's help.  This struck me because as a kid I was always playing outside, or participating in sports, and being able to allow these kids to have the chance to play a sport was something that was very important to me.  I think working with this group for my PACT was very rewarding since I saw tremedous improvement in the kids participation and spirit throughout the course of my numerous visits. Seeing the kids grow to love sports was very compelling for me, since I have always loved sports. 

Amelie Diaz - Both PACT reflections

Copied from another blog site

Day 3 of PACT:  Because this line of volunteer work is so entirely new to me, there have been some bumps along the way. Here at Peninsula Humane Society in the Wildlife department, as a volunteer I am mostly in charge of feeding birds, squirrels, and other wildlife and cleaning their cages. Something I quickly learned was that some birds tend to escape their terrariums when you open them even the slightest bit to replace the water, food and newspaper. In these special situations there is a special protocol that is to be followed. In the nursery, where younger birds and birds that have just been brought into our department are kept, if a bird gets out we have to turn off the lights and make sure no one opens the door to the room. We use a pool cleaning-type net to catch the birds, careful not to further damage any injuries or harm the birds in any way. On my very first day I accidentally let out a bird and experienced the stress of trying to catch a small bird that flies in and around every nook and cranny within the nursery.

Last day of PACT: Something unique about the organization I chose to volunteer for is that they have a 6 month commitment, so while the PACT requirement was only 6 visits, I worked around 17 three-hour shifts at the humane society. This was an incredibly rewarding experience, and especially unique to me because I had never experienced anything like it before. I'd never really done any sort of work before that I had absolutely no experience in, so I ended up learning a lot. The workers were very helpful and always open to any and all questions I had, and made sure that I was able to complete the task on my own by the end of my shift. Every single staff member was incredibly passionate about their job, and it was clear that they truly had a great appreciation for the animals. On my last day I got to have a new volunteer as my shadow so I could teach them the basics of the assignments. This was a really cool way to end my time here because I got to kind of prove to myself how much I actually knew and had learned.

Presidio Parks Stewards; Visit 6

In San Fransisco's Presidio, invasive species of plants are taking over. Weeds such as radish and nettles are taking over space that native species need to grow in. Since the weeds grow quicker than the natives, weeds can easily kill the natives before the natives have time to mature. We used pick axes and miniature pick axes to remove invasive species. Scott and I did this visit together. One thing I found interesting was that we had to scrub off our shoes and spray them with alcohol before we worked. This was to prevent the spread of plant pathogens in the already weak ecosystem. By removing weeds, our group created more space for the already planted natives to grow. By adding space the natives will have more access to nutrients and will be more likely to reach maturity. During our lunch break we also learned about plant asters. An aster is a collection of little flowers within one "flower". For example, a sunflower has lots of little flowers in the middle of its one big "flower". 

Park Stewardship San Mateo; Visit 3

Today we volunteered at Milagra Ridge in San Mateo County. At Milagra Ridge we initially started off by de-rooting and killing the nearby pine trees. Pine trees are not native to Milagra Ridge. These pine trees grow in clusters and release many nettles that cover the ground and prevent other species from growing. Because we were unable to remove the large pine trees, we primarily focused on saplings and small trees. To kill the trees we either directly pulled them out of the ground or we used tools. These tools include clippers and hand saws for the older saplings. After, we removed many mustard plants. Mustard plants are not native either and can spread easily which takes up the space that native plants could have grown in instead. By attending this volunteering event, I was able to learn more about the plants native to the San Mateo county and the ecosystem that makes up the land. The balance between native and non-native species is very delicate and is something that we were restoring.

Jack Swisher Blog Post #2

Jack Swisher
6/27 - 6/31 @ 8 am to 3 pm
Rolando Victoria
rvictoria@menloschool.org

Teaching a new computer science program is hard work. On Thursday, I taught the first day of Embark Labs which included teaching the students about the differences between humans and computers and the distinction between position and orientation. In preparation for the first class, I helped train the other TAs by reviewing the activities to teach for week one. The curriculum for week one included a pre-class survey, humans vs. computers, and a human robots activity. The class was meant to last for an entire hour and each activity could be extended if time permitted. The premise of the class is to establish a climate of inquiry in which students are given open-ended questions that guide their thinking but do not lead them directly to the answer. All of the activities feature logic puzzles that challenge students by requiring them to think and form conclusions based on the information presented. The class went well but some of the students were bummed that they did not have enrichment after a tiring day in the classroom. In the future we could let the students have a short break before jumping straight into computer programming. Overall, the rising sixth graders enjoyed learning about the differences in the way humans think and how computers process information. My students were engaged and their energy is one of the reasons I love working at Peninsula Bridge. By teaching the campers about computer programming when they are young, they are given the ability to connect with the world surrounding them and presented with a new possible interest. Bridge is about helping students enjoy learning and the computer science curriculum helps accomplish that goal.

Jack Swisher Blog Post #1

Jack Swisher
6/20 - 6/24 from 8 am to 3 pm
Peninsula Bridge
Rolando Victoria
rvictoria@menloschool.org

At Peninsula Bridge I am working as a lead teaching assistant and helping lead a new computer science program. As a lead TA, it is my job to run enrichment and assign students to each elective. This week students were able to choose from a range of enrichments: frisbee, soccer, volleyball, capture the flag, dance, basketball, chalk drawing, survival tag, and foursquare. Students were also given the opportunity to visit the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco if they were particularly interested in art and painting. The intrepid six graders were given a rundown on art analysis and introduced to the idea of visual literacy. Enrichment gives students the time to play with their friends and expand their horizons by trying something new. During the first week the students began to warm up to the program and what was expected of them in the classroom and out on the quad. The role of Peninsula Bridge is extremely apparent during this elective time because students can become better teammates and members of the community. My relationship extended beyond the classroom as a mentor and supporter. As a TA I am close to the students but at the same time I am not their friend; the campers look up to their TAs as role-models and it is through their relationship with positive role-models that Bridge hopes to close the education gap.

Mr. J's MEA CULPA (Read This!)

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