As I wait for a Metro Bus, yellow school buses occupied by middle school aged students chug up and down Troost. Ninety degree mornings have passed to let seventy degree mornings descend upon our city - I welcome the change. The summer break is over, and kids who call Community LINC home have received their new clothes, shoes and haircuts. I recently asked some of the kids what they expected to gain from this school year. After some delay to answer, and some more prodding, the group I spoke to concluded that they thing they wanted to improve upon was reading.
I didn’t expect this answer; I figured the most important thing for kids would be to reconnect with friends or make new ones. After all, it was what I enjoyed most about returning to school as a youth. I am excited to know kids today embrace the importance of reading. Reading is the key that unlocks knowledge, and knowledge is power, as the saying goes. Being able to read gives a student the tool to become anything they desire in life. The skill of reading provides the ability to learn and improve. During one Thursday night class session at Community LINC, we had asked a group of kids to maintain a quiet atmosphere during the time allotted to eat the provided snack. I was happy to see that when one child finished eating, he chose to grab a book from the bookshelf and read while the others finished eating.
Kansas City’s population can be critical of the Kansas City Missouri School District, but it seems at least one aspect of education is being embraced by students: reading. As I thought about the conversation I had with the kids about reading, I could only think of one possible child, of reading age, who struggled with reading. This encompasses three years of volunteering at LINC. This is a very positive thing as reading and reading comprehension are vital for anyone to succeed and be self-sustainable.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Dreaming on Troost
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This was three decades before many of the kids who call Community LINC home were born, and five decades before some of them will enter adulthood. Dr. King’s dream was to see America treat its African-American citizens equal. His dream forges the dreams of kids at Community LINC. Maybe they do not realize it. Prior to the civil rights movement, African-American kids lived in a world where they were second class citizens and their educational and job opportunities were limited based upon the color of their skin. Fifty years after the civil rights movement, kids of all ethnicities and socio-economic statuses still dream. They dream of being mechanical engineers who design cars. They dream of owning their own businesses. They dream of being fashion designers who set the trends for a culture. They dream of being lawyers who make a difference in the justice system. They dream of becoming politicians who seek to make positive changes in laws. They dream of being people who are positive, productive, and self-sufficient citizens of a country that once enslaved their ancestors.
Dr. King’s speech challenged the unwritten laws of the land, and challenged the government to write new laws. More importantly his speech changed they way we think as a society. His speech and the movement for equality, which should have been granted all along, affords kids who live at Community LINC the opportunity to dream rather than succumb to predefined roles in our society based upon prejudices. Community LINC kids face the challenge of not always knowing what steps to take to make their dreams reality. Many times they lack the knowledge on how to secure resources for college, or connections with people who can guide them through the daunting process of making their dream a reality. It is helpful to talk them through the college application process. This gives them confidence when they step onto the campus to apply for college. Kids need to be mentored in the things adults sometimes take for granted: writing a résumé, how to behave during a job interview, how to navigate the halls of a college campus, how to cope with loss, or how to determine the Metro Bus routes. They also need to be mentored in attaining their dreams. Having a dream to be a biological scientist who desires to research medical cures is only one part of a large equation. Community LINC kids need to know what steps they must take to attain their personal goals. They need the encouragement, counsel, and advice of parents and adult mentors around them to assist them in realizing their dreams. You could be the one who helps them achieve their dreams.
Learn how to become a volunteer at Community LINC: http://communitylinc.org/Volunteer/default-volunteer.html
Dr. King’s speech challenged the unwritten laws of the land, and challenged the government to write new laws. More importantly his speech changed they way we think as a society. His speech and the movement for equality, which should have been granted all along, affords kids who live at Community LINC the opportunity to dream rather than succumb to predefined roles in our society based upon prejudices. Community LINC kids face the challenge of not always knowing what steps to take to make their dreams reality. Many times they lack the knowledge on how to secure resources for college, or connections with people who can guide them through the daunting process of making their dream a reality. It is helpful to talk them through the college application process. This gives them confidence when they step onto the campus to apply for college. Kids need to be mentored in the things adults sometimes take for granted: writing a résumé, how to behave during a job interview, how to navigate the halls of a college campus, how to cope with loss, or how to determine the Metro Bus routes. They also need to be mentored in attaining their dreams. Having a dream to be a biological scientist who desires to research medical cures is only one part of a large equation. Community LINC kids need to know what steps they must take to attain their personal goals. They need the encouragement, counsel, and advice of parents and adult mentors around them to assist them in realizing their dreams. You could be the one who helps them achieve their dreams.
Learn how to become a volunteer at Community LINC: http://communitylinc.org/Volunteer/default-volunteer.html
- Joel Paul, Community LINC houseparent
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A Teen's Perspective
Each month we evaluate success stories - what caused a family’s homelessness, the changes that were made to end their homelessness and the ultimate successes that followed - all from the parent’s perspective. This month, we decided to shift our focus just a bit to a teen’s perspective.
In a recent Teen Life Skills class, they were asked to give their definition of change. Here are some of their answers:
“Change means to start over. Make new. It makes your life better.”
”It means coming out of the old to the new.”
”When I think of change, my mother comes to mind.”
”It means to do something for a difference. I am getting good grades!!”
”It’s doing something that will take you out of your comfort zone. My mama is getting her life together and I used to have a I don’t care attitude about everything.”
”Change is something I hate and it sometimes makes me uncomfortable. I’m not ready to move and I think we should wait until we finish a whole year.”
”Change means that you don’t do anything that you use to, because you know you can do better and need to. When I think of change, what comes to mind is doing whatever it takes to stop doing the bad and achieve your goals.”
The concept of change can be daunting for anyone, but if our teens can grasp its impact then they have the primary tool necessary for breaking the cycle of generational poverty and living lives of self-sufficiency.
In a recent Teen Life Skills class, they were asked to give their definition of change. Here are some of their answers:
“Change means to start over. Make new. It makes your life better.”
”It means coming out of the old to the new.”
”When I think of change, my mother comes to mind.”
”It means to do something for a difference. I am getting good grades!!”
”It’s doing something that will take you out of your comfort zone. My mama is getting her life together and I used to have a I don’t care attitude about everything.”
”Change is something I hate and it sometimes makes me uncomfortable. I’m not ready to move and I think we should wait until we finish a whole year.”
”Change means that you don’t do anything that you use to, because you know you can do better and need to. When I think of change, what comes to mind is doing whatever it takes to stop doing the bad and achieve your goals.”The concept of change can be daunting for anyone, but if our teens can grasp its impact then they have the primary tool necessary for breaking the cycle of generational poverty and living lives of self-sufficiency.
Monday, May 17, 2010
I sometimes wonder what the youth at Community LINC think about Community LINC, homelessness, and the world they dwell in. I asked, and I am surprised by the answer.
Communication is what the kids said they wanted most. I was surprised by this answer because I have the stereotypical view of teens: they think they know everything, don’t need advice from adults, and don’t wish to talk to parents. This is how I behaved as a teen, so I figured teens today were not any different.
Communication can be defined as the imparting or exchange of thoughts, opinions, or information between to individuals using speech, written words, or signs. Underlying most communication is a relationship.
Kids at LINC expressed that they do want to listen to adults; they also want adults to listen to them. Youth have concerns, hopes, fears, and aspirations, and they desire to interact with adults to learn how to materialize into responsible and successful adults. Kids desire communication which is an exchange of thoughts, opinions, and information based upon a genuine relationship. An amazing transformation takes place when you sit down one-on-one and talk with a kid. If the conversation expands beyond the trivial, you find a person who has hopes, fears, concerns, desires, and even some responsibilities. I find kids at Community LINC have plans and aspirations, and they want to hear from adults. They want to be heard, and they have more to say...
Communication is what the kids said they wanted most. I was surprised by this answer because I have the stereotypical view of teens: they think they know everything, don’t need advice from adults, and don’t wish to talk to parents. This is how I behaved as a teen, so I figured teens today were not any different.
Communication can be defined as the imparting or exchange of thoughts, opinions, or information between to individuals using speech, written words, or signs. Underlying most communication is a relationship.
Kids at LINC expressed that they do want to listen to adults; they also want adults to listen to them. Youth have concerns, hopes, fears, and aspirations, and they desire to interact with adults to learn how to materialize into responsible and successful adults. Kids desire communication which is an exchange of thoughts, opinions, and information based upon a genuine relationship. An amazing transformation takes place when you sit down one-on-one and talk with a kid. If the conversation expands beyond the trivial, you find a person who has hopes, fears, concerns, desires, and even some responsibilities. I find kids at Community LINC have plans and aspirations, and they want to hear from adults. They want to be heard, and they have more to say...
- Joel Paul, Community LINC houseparent
Monday, May 3, 2010
From the Perspective of our Youth
I stand on the deck and watch the sun smear the horizon reddish yellow. I feel the breeze tap on my forearm. I watch kids who call Community LINC home. They run in the parking lot, shoot basketball, discuss school, I notice a teen boy flirt with a teen girl, and I witness one who is increasingly becoming reclusive. I, too, call Community LINC home. My wife and I are house parents and live in one of the apartments. In addition we volunteer and teach the teens on Thursday nights. Perched on the second floor deck I view the Community LINC youths from a different perspective. As the day collapses into night, I realize our culture often ignores homeless youth, and I wonder what they think about Community LINC, homelessness, and the world they dwell in. I asked them, and I am surprised by the answers. . .
- Joel Paul, Community LINC houseparent
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