Social Justice Training at Hope House

By Antoinette Spillers

A typical Saturday morning would include sleeping in late, eating brunch and just having an easy day. On Saturday, May 22nd 2010, our morning routine was a bit different. Instead of having an easy, relaxing day, the LAC members were up bright and early, all gathered at Hope House for a day of education, understanding and encouragements. Hope House, a very notable community organization that provide a abundance of social services, such as housing, education, recreation, etc., hosted the members for our Social Justice Training. During the morning session, we heard an employee of Hope House give her personal testimony about her neighborhood, life challenges and how Hope Housed has changed her life. In addition, we had a brief lesson about the workings of our welfare, healthcare and educational systems in both our state and nation. The afternoon included a community member sharing his personal story of good times and hardships while growing up in the St. Thomas Housing Development. In addition, we listen to a personal story from the diary of an executed convicted, in which all stories were very eye-opening and insightful.

Regardless of what each individual’s belief was prior to the event, we all learned something new and insightful. I would say many of us grasp a better understanding of the complexities and challenges one may face while living in a harsh environment. Glad we didn’t sleep in on the struggle.
 

ESOL Health Literacy Training

March 12: Julie KcKinney
 
Literacy AmeriCorps (LAC) members continued to learn more about health literacy but with an emphasis on those who do not speak English as their first language. Additional activities from the Family Health and Literacy guide were done.
 
LAC members created lesson plans and activities using the information gained from the first two trainings. During the afternoon of our third training session, we had a reflection session and LAC members shared their experiences of implementing and teaching lessons they created using the information from the NIFL trainings. It was a great sharing session and it was wonderful to see that the LAC members were able to use the information from the trainings to create lessons plans and improve their instructional practices.
 

Social Services Training

On May 7^th, 2010, we had our bi-monthly Corps training.  This training was a bit different than the ones before; for instance, I should’ve brought sunscreen.  We started off the day by being separated into groups and given a sheet of Social Services around town.  Then we received 8 dollars each, were told to find our way to as many as possible, and to bring back some sort of proof, be that a picture or a brochure.  We reconvened at the park after our scavenger hunt to an amazing BBQ, put on by our coordinator. The potato salad was top notch.  After we ate, we sat under a tree and discussed the process of our journey around town.  We were asked how we got ourselves from point A to point B, and how easy it was (or wasn’t) to find public transportation.  As my group LOST due to slow public transportation, I personally felt the annoyance that a dependency on public transit creates.  We discussed the amount of sensitivity we should have towards students who don’t have their own transportation, and also the line you have to draw for the sake of organization.  One of the most touching moments of what seemed like an end-of-year wrap-up, was when we went around the circle and all said a quick story from our year.  This was great, because not only did I get to share some of my own experience, but I was able to see the triumphs in other’s sites; realizing that we’re all working towards the common goal of a better education for our community as a whole, not just a part.

Health Literacy Training

February 5: Julie McKinney
 
Julie used her text to discuss health literacy and ways in which health literacy may be taught in the classroom. Stusdents worked in small groups and performed some of the actitivies from the guide. Many also signed up for the Wiggio discussion list.

*Name of health resource given to Literacy AmeriCorps Members: Family Health & Literacy: A Guide to Easy-to-Read Health Education Materials and Websites for Families by Julie McKinney & Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi