We're on our way to India for Phase III!

Its December 25th, and I am in my office putting final touches on our preparation for India.

This is an exciting trip: we will be taking students to the capital city of Chennai to visit a university, an NGO, and do teleconferencing with folks in Riverside, CA. We will also continue our photography curriculum with the students, as well as initiate the new piece of the program in which we will deliver the 40 packages from students in the USA to their new pen pals abroad. I am excited to see how the students will react-- what they will have questions about, what they will assume to be true or untrue.

A student placed a VOGUE magazine in one of their packages. I was initially struck by this-- a little frustrated, as I feel I've been trying to show a different side of America that is not based in media, but in real lives of the people living here. But I guess VOGUE has a place in that-- it operates in our daily life. It operates in the way in makes people feel, dress, act, or think-- about life, themselves, or our world. One student wrote about how much they love education in the USA, although our curriculum will discuss obstacles to higher education faced by the communities who made the packages. There was candy. There were family photos. Sunglasses. A recorder. A camera. Books. College pamphlets. CD's. All of these are America, I am also learning this. VOGUE still functions strongly in my life-- it makes me act in a way that actively tries to reject something I feel VOGUE communicates. That action, that rejection and resistance, is also America.

This also provides a new curriculum opportunity: what is "high" media in India? I found a 50-pack of "Bollywood" Postcards at Cost Plus World Market and purchased them to do an activity... I don't know the activity yet, but I could see one like a bright aura around those cards. They will also be useful for the students to articulate their own ideas about media and photography and how it communicates "Indian-ness" to the rest of the world. They can use the postcards to write to their new pen pals. It was a good investment.

We also had a great blessing this week. To pay for another set of 20 cameras, we did a last-minute money drive via internet to get enough donations for our students. In 3 days, CLP supporters donated $250 to our camera-cause, which is MORE than enough to buy cameras and pay for developing. I feel so grateful to these individuals and their kindness-- I feel encouraged and supported.

But the blessings continue: the UU Church of Riverside has donated $1,000 to CLP. We were presented the check at their Christmas Eve Service/Fellowship with a great applause and wonderful show of energy and support from the congregation. They will be sponsoring a teleconference on January 5th, and the students and my team will speak the the community from their sanctuary in an international display of community.

I am frantically packing, and I'm hoping I'll be able to solidify things in India once I arrive. I am concerned about our ability to arrange all the meetings with the Universities on time, and we are certainly engaging in some last-minute space arrangements. I will keep you updated on how this unfolds, particularly because we have received such support from our Riverside community.

One meeting is for sure! We will be collaborating on a social justice component with RIDE (www.rideindia.org).

Happy holidays-- and happy New Year!

Samantha

Patriot High School Presentations

December 17, 2008

“On the contrary, reflection—true reflection—leads to action. On the other hand, when the situation calls for action, that action will constitute an authentic praxis only if its consequences become the object of critical reflection.” – Freire 52-53, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

I am thankful to have finished my finals last week—but the work is never over, it only transforms. As Dr. Clarissa Estes says in my female-family-holy-text, Women Who Run with the Wolves, “If we realized that the work was to continue the work, we would be much more fierce and much more peaceful.”

I realize that the work is continuous. A continuous process and a serious of cautious and excited “Yeses!” to all the ideas and people and themes that emerge from the woodwork of the project.

This passed week, with the generous and outstanding help of UCR undergraduate Toby Walker, we made nine CLP presentations to the AVID and LINK Crew classes at Patriot High School in Jurupa Unified School District, speaking to over 200 students about CLP’s work in India, and challenging them to participate in their own community. Patriot High School (PHS), located in a predominantly Latina/Latino community, supports several programs that encourage high school graduation and higher education attendance with their students through AVID and LINK Crew organizations.

My experience was overwhelmingly positive: teachers were very encouraging and receptive to the project, asking questions and providing ideas on how students may participate.

Our “assignment” (or, as teacher Kristin Podgorski describes it, “our opportunity”) is to create an envelope that will speak to their experience as a youth in Southern California.

The “opportunity” is as follows (later adapted and improved with help from UCR undergrad, Kevin Eldridge):

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International Peer Leader Assignment #1

“My Life, My America” Envelope

With your individual student profile, you will create an envelope that will be hand-delivered to the student in India, and this student will get a chance to respond to your message this December and January.

This envelope should include the following:

1. Letter of Introduction: “My Life”

- Include your full name, age, grade

- Information about your family

- Your ambition (career) and higher education goals

- Your interests, hobbies, favorites

- Why do you want to go to college? Why is it important to you and your family?

- Ask questions to them based on the profile you are given

What is similar? What is different?

What questions do you have for them?

What are you curious about based on their student profile?

What makes you curious about India?

Feel free to write more if you would like! Be sure to ask questions you would also feel comfortable answering.

2. “My America”

Your task is to “show” this student what you think America is. What is America to you?

a. Write one short paragraph about what you love most about your community and your life in America. What do you love and what do you want to share about your culture, your community, and your school? What makes it special or different? What should someone in India know about Jurupa, California, or USA?

b. Write another paragraph describing what you feel should be changed about your community, your city, your state, your country, or your government. What flaws do you perceive in the USA? Often times the most pressing problems are the strongest sources of motivation. What do you feel motivated to transform about this country?

c. Include any photographs, items, notes, pictures, collages, stories. Teach them new words, show family photos, or describe your favorite things! Be creative!

* Please include your Indian student’s name on the outside of your envelope.

** On the back of the envelope, include your contact information at PHS (Full name, teacher’s name and period)

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We may have over 90 of these returned to us for our students in India! Wow!

We also had several students approach after class and express interest in participating in a more concrete way. This may result in a possible student organization on campus and a fundraising event with the students there.

In other news, we’ve purchased our domain name (www.childleaderproject.org), have new webmail accounts for our workers (samantha@childleaderproject.org), and a PayPal account where you can donate to us directly!

A New Era of Updates

Hello CLP-Supporters,

Welcome to a new era of posting by Samantha Wilson.

I notice that I am reluctant to post here-- I only want to post the most professional, most polished, most accomplished statements, when, in reality, life is not like that, let alone attempting to start an NGO.

I pledge to post more regularly, particularly during this "Holiday" season which will consist of reflection, analysis, and new actions for CLP. We have taken many steps forward over the last 10 weeks, and I am eager to reflect on those steps here and post as often as possible.

In the meantime, I'd like to post my "Heck yes! I'm a professional NGO-Woman!" photograph, compliments of UCR Media Services:

"Whoo-hoo! I'm excited to post more frequently!"

This evening has been spent organizing the home office. This is the process by which I realize how much this little proposal has grown into a fledgling organization. I smile at a particular folder I had purchased with my friend Hannah last April 2008, where we stood together in Office Depot and debated whether or not to get the "1.5 inch" binder or "3 inch" binder.

"Do I really need all that space?"

"Probably-- if we know anything about you."

I definitely did need that space-- and then some. I have taken over the entire office desk in my family's home (with gratitude to my mother and step-father for their generosity), filling the drawers with papers and articles and curriculum and emails and notes from meetings.

This Winter we have some exciting things to do:
- Finish all the Non-Profit and 501(c)(3) paper work (signatures!)
- Start our newsletter
- Execute the second India-phase of the project (Dec. 26th-Jan. 10th)
- Strengthen our connections to UCR through on-campus involvement in "UCR-CLP"
- Strengthen our connections to communities of faith and social justice
- Seek new partnerships and programs with AVID classes in the Inland Empire

I must express immense gratitude to the help of Theresa Gilbertson and Emily Nudge-- two women who have been my greatest blessing in this ongoing process.

More on the way as I continute to clean. We also look forward to a new website around the corner!