AmeriCorps Project YES! Operated by the Northwestern Settlement
Inside this issue:
2012-2013, Issue 3
Edited by Megan Green
Project YES! Celebrates Global Youth Service Day Global Youth Service Day
1
Augusta and Noble
2
PY! Summer Plans 2
Seeds of Service
3
Alumni Panel: “Where do I go from here?�
3
Jr. AmeriCorps Orientation
4
Members to Remember
4
Save the Date!
5
On April 27th, Project YES! members were joined by 32 volunteers and 91 participants from kindergarten to eighth grade for a sunny Saturday afternoon filled with a variety of activities to celebrate Global Youth Service Day. The annual campaign celebrates and mobilizes children and youth to improve their community through service across 6 continents, with the ultimate goal of setting youth on a lifelong path of service. Project YES! celebrated by emphasizing the importance of healthy lifestyles and raising community awareness of the childhood obesity epidemic by hosting the 4th Annual Ultimate Field Day at Pulaski Park.
afternoon outside learning about new and fun ways to be active and stay healthy. The event ended with participant receiving backpacks and raffle prizes. After an extremely successful day, volunteers and Project YES! members enjoyed lunch together and spent time reflecting on their day of service.
The afternoon was filled with fun and games to encourage children and their families to stay active and take pride in their community. Children enjoyed face-painting, yoga, soccer, relay-races, kickball, and a boot camp presented by the ROTC members of Rowe-Clarke Math & Science Academy, among other outdoor events. Participants and families alike spent the
Project YES! Throughout the Year
Like us on Facebook: AmeriCorps Project YES Follow us on Twitter: @ACProjectYES
Linda Kovac
(Continued on page 2)
2012-2013, Issue 3
Page 2
Augusta and Noble Adventure Stage Chicago is one of the most notable programs at the Northwestern Settlement. Adventure Stage fuses the theatre arts and education to develop the imaginations and creativity of the youth of Chicago’s West Town community and beyond. This year, Adventure Stage went even further in engaging the West Town community through its production of Augusta and Noble. Augusta and Noble, written by DePaul University playwriting professor Carlos Murillo and directed by Tom Arvetis, Artistic Director of Adventure Stage, tells the story of Gabi as
Joshua Jackson she makes the transition to high school in an unfamiliar environment. Having grown up in a Latino community in West Town, Gabi must adjust to going to a high school on Chicago’s North Side. Discovering that her parents are undocumented immigrants makes her journey much more difficult as she fears that they may be deported.
social justice can intersect with art. Northwestern Settlement employees and Project YES! members were also able to participate in their own story circles this year. Adventure Stage plans on using these stories as inspiration for a production in the upcoming season.
The story was actually derived from a series of story circles done with neighbors who live in the community surrounding the Northwestern Settlement. It is a perfect example of how community can be built with art-making as well as how
Project YES! Summer Plans Summer is upon us, school is winding down, and those hours logged are slowly creeping toward that magical number of 1700. So naturally, I decided to find out what other members plan on doing with their summer and beyond. A few members plan on continuing their education and going to graduate programs in the fall. For example, Marta Michalska and Kerianne Fullin plan to attend medical school at Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University and
Paul Hibbeler
University of WisonsinMadison School of Medicine and Public Health, respectively. Their plans involve moving and preparing for school.
family. She says, “I’m so excited! I’ve never been to the West Coast. The farthest west I’ve been is Chicago to put things in perspective!”
Others just plan on taking it easy at home, like me. I’m going to ride my motorcycle to St. Louis and then hang out with my family.
Annalise Petranoff has quite a trip planned as well; in August she is going to travel to South Korea to teach English for a year. “I want to travel and I’m interested in teaching English as a second language, so for me this is a dream job.”
There are the usual vacations and trips, like Gorguis Yalda who plans on going camping and doing lots of fishing. Megan Green is going to Seattle, Washington with her
Project YES! Throughout the Year
Not everyone is going on trips; most are staying in Chicago, like Miguel Ramos
who plans on preparing for a second year of service with the American Red Cross. Hannah Lantz also plans to relax this summer before starting a job at Rowe-Clark Math and Science Academy this fall. Let’s not forget the people in charge of Project YES!, Yasmin and Claire. While we are all relaxing and enjoying our break, they will be busy getting ready to start up the next year of Project YES!
(Continued from page 1)
2012-2013, Issue 3
Page 3
Seeds of Service: Growing an Ethic of Service in Humboldt Park This year marked our 9th Annual Seeds of Service volunteer day. Project YES! partnered with nine community gardens and engaged over 75 volunteers to get things done! Seasoned and inexperienced gardeners came together to plant and beautify Humboldt Park’s community gardens on Saturday, May 18th.
This year’s committees went beyond the core goals to enrich the experience of their volunteers. Volunteers had the opportunity to participate in informal gardening workshops and engage in meaningful discussions on food justice. Seeds of Service also raised the awareness of food deserts and highlighted the importance of access to affordable healthy foods.
Neha Ahuja
$1,200 (double our original goal!) for project supplies through Razoo, an online fundraising site for nonprofits. At the day’s conclusion, all volunteers enjoyed a delicious meal together and took home a keepsake that included everything they needed to grow an herb of their own.
Our hard work in preparing for the event gave us results far beyond the day of service. At the end of the day, many volunteers expressed an increased interest in volunteering and were thrilled with the opportunity to able to give back to the community and try to new things, such as radishes from the garden. We also raised over
Alumni Panel: “Where do I go from here?” On May 6, 2013, current and past AmeriCorps Project YES! members had the chance to meet and talk about life after AmeriCorps at the Alumni Panel. Ten PY! alumni joined the current members to share their experiences in the post-Project YES! world. It was great to be able to hear where life after Project YES! can lead and all of the alumni had different paths, from teaching to law school to other AmeriCorps programs. I know that life after Project YES! is a somewhat daunting prospect for many members, even if you know what you are going to do. It was a great opportunity to talk with alumni about what they are doing and how their experiences in their year (or years) of service helped them in their current career paths. At the start of the day, we heard from all ten alumni about what they were doing now and had a chance to ask them questions, mostly about what they enjoyed most about their PY! experience. After learning a little bit about everyone in the whole group, we moved on to breakout sessions with two alumni each. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to talk to all of the
Annalise Petranoff
alumni during these smaller sessions, but everyone I talked to had great advice about how to leverage your Project YES! skills in order to get the most out of your experience. Some of the advice that stuck with me is “You don’t have to take on everything to prove that you are a good employee,” “Make sure you take time for yourself too,” and “Never underestimate the importance of networking.” Overall, it was a great Monday meeting and I know that the current team really appreciated hearing from alumni. As we approach the end of our time with Project YES!, we are all looking to the future and what will come next year. It was great to hear from some people who had no idea what they wanted to do after Project YES! and also from people who had already decided where they were going and what they were doing. Hearing from the alumni, the bottom line of everything was that things will always work out in the end and you should try to hold on to the connections and friendships you have made along the way.
2012-2013, Issue 3
Page 4
Junior AmeriCorps Orientation With the end of the school year comes the beginning of Project YES! Jr. AmeriCorps, an opportunity for students to gain valuable service experience and earn a stipend as well as an Education Award to be used for higher education. The program has grown to 48 members this year, with placements at Association House, St. Stanislaus Kostka School, Pritzker College Prep, and the Northwestern Settlement. Depending on their site, members help out with
summer camp for children or perform tutoring and mentoring duties with high school students. Project YES! members took the lead on training the Jr. AmeriCorps members during the three day orientation. The three days consisted of ice breakers, an introduction to AmeriCorps and Project YES!, and trainings on child development, tips for keeping kids engaged, including spontaneous games and rhymes, conflict resolution,
Hannah Lantz and aspects of professionalism such as leadership and effective communication. Finally on the last day, Jr. AmeriCorps members gathered in Vittum Theater to receive their AmeriCorps ‘Getting Things Done’ medals and Project YES! t-shirts, and to recite the AmeriCorps pledge.
We all wish them a fun, educational summer that increases their ethic of service!
Spring Members to Remember March: Dan Schleich Dan was recognized by his peers for his dedication to his site, the program, and his fellow Project YES! members. A peer noted, “He is always willing to listen to others and put them first.” Several members recognized and appreciated his hard work and leadership at House In The Wood during the Spring Retreat – pushing others to keep going and never complaining about the difficult jobs or cold weather. Additionally, peers commend Dan for his personal development and growth throughout the year as he has continuously worked on improving his public speaking skills.
April: Emma Vanderheyden Project YES! members value the energy Emma puts forth into the program. Emma continuously goes above and beyond and Gets Things Done for Project YES!. She was an excellent Project Leader for Global Youth Service Day, working well under pressure to ensure a successful event. Additionally, Emma is equally invested at her site, implementing an afterschool soccer club, canned food drive, and career fair, and being a great team member. April: Gabriel Solis Gabriel’s peers wanted to acknowledge his passion for and commitment to helping others. Members value his leadership as the Seeds of Service Logistics Committee Head, and his ability to make everyone feel comfortable. Gabriel is very engaged in the communities he lives and serves in and is always sharing events and news to help raise his Project YES! peers community engagement levels as well.
Members (left to right): Dan Schleich, Emma Vanderheyden, Gabriel Solis, Annalise Petranoff, and Kerianne Fullin
May: Annalise Petranoff
May: Kerianne Fullin
Annalise was nominated by her peers for her strong work ethic and her positive attitude. Members appreciated this especially as she served as a Project Leader for Seeds of Service, noting that “she helps eliminates obstacles.” One member shared, “Annalise always goes above and beyond her duties as an AmeriCorps member. She really deserves to be recognized.” Members also appreciate the baked goods and treats that Annalise regularly shares with the group.
Members recognized Kerianne for her hard work and leadership as the Donations Committee Head for Seeds of Service. As a leader, she did a great job motivating the group, while keeping things fun. Project YES! members and gardens alike appreciated how hard she worked to accommodate the garden’s supply requests. Kerianne was also described as being open and engaging, involved, helpful, and a great friend.
PROJECT YES! (Youth, Education, and Service)
AmeriCorps Project YES! 1012 N. Noble Street Chicago, IL 60642 Phone: 773-278-7471 Fax: 773-278-2621 E-mail: yrodriguez@nush.org
Project YES! educates youth holistically by providing classroom support, after school programming, and volunteer initiatives. Project YES! nurtures youth through positive mentorship by fostering relationships of trust and respect. Project YES! inspires youth through connections with caring role models by encouraging and facilitating civic engagement and leadership opportunities. Project YES! provides a structure of growth and self-motivation that empowers youth to develop skills in becoming self-sufficient individuals who succeed and contribute responsibly in a global community.
Save the Date! Make a Difference Day : Saturday, October 26, 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service : January 20, 2014 Global Youth Service Day: April 12, 2014 Seeds of Service: May 2014, TBA Email cunger@nush.org with questions
Looking for more service opportunities?
The 2012 - 2013 AmeriCorps Project YES Team
Check out Serve Illinois at: www2.illinois.gov/serve/
AmeriCorps Project YES! is a proud program of the Northwestern Settlement. More information on Settlement programs can be found on our website: www.nush.org Top Row: Dan Schleich, Linda Kovac, Jamie Donaldson, Leila Walker, Diane Rutter, Bridget Sanchez, Claire Unger (Program Manager); Second Row from Top: Josh Jackson, Miriam Barcus, Julia Weinberg, Jessica Griggs, Gorgius Yalda, Paul Hibbeler; Middle Row: Ally Moloney, Miguel Ramos, Megan Green, Marta Michalska, Hannah Lantz, Annalise Petranoff, Robin Gilbert; Second Row from Bottom: Sue Winn, Tasha Richardson, Tasha Banks, Naomi David, Neha Ahuja, Gabriel Solis; Bottom Row: Kerianne Fullin, Emma Vanderheyden, and Yasmin Rodriguez (Program Director)