I had two different activist projects that essentially addressed the same problem that I was interested in. I am passionate about helping people believe in themselves. I truly believe in the saying, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right" when it comes to certain things. Of course there are many instances in which it depends on what place you were given in the world and what opportunities are available to you. However, I think that something I want to enhance here is a sense of self-worth, confidence, ability, and determination. I think that starting with children and young people and showing them that I truly believe in them could lead to them believing in themselves, and consequentially lead to them achieving things with their gifts and talents that they may have never thought was possible. I decided to set out to do this through two unique programs.
Upon deciding that we wanted to instill confidence in young people, and after a few meetings and extensive discussion and development at home, we came up with the idea of a "big sister" program. We thought that this could be a great way to get to know the kids in the book club on a very personal level and show them that we care about them, instill confidence, be good role models, and also give them as much fun and good times as we could.
The program was so wonderful because the whole point was basically to make friends, not just to be role models. To say that we were only role models and they only follow us would not be accurate and would not do the connections we made justice. We always presented ourselves well and gave good guidance when it was needed, but we learned just as much from them as they learned from us, which is why I like to call us friends. Friends talk to each other, share secrets, laugh together, spend time together, help each other with their homework, give each other advice, and make each other feel like they are never really alone. All of the activities we did together were just vehicles for the cultivation of these friendships. We made each other smile, we poked fun at each other, and we encouraged and appreciated each other's skills and talents. We built deep connections from one "brother" or "sister" to another, but we also developed a community from every single person who was involved in the program, integrating our group from UConn with the book club. Everyone came together to plan events or just to sit and chat with each other, and team building happened without us even noticing it. We have a unique and fun group dynamic that is made up of every individual participant. The specific activities were not as important as what was going on between the lines.
My other project was spontaneously born out of my home-stay in Ocean View, and I was instantly eager to take part in something that would enable me to interact with the young people I met and loved, and also return to Ocean View every week - "my home away from home away from home." This was another great opportunity for me to interact with young people and try to help further develop confidence. Like my other program as a "big sister," I wanted to get to know the kids of the community and show them that I believe in them, but with this project there was another aspect as well. Giving students extra help after school could not only give them confidence in classes and in life, but could help them achieve better academically.
Many people believe that the key to a good future is a good education, and I was proud and eager to offer my skills as a teacher and my time to helping these children earn higher marks in school as well as a better understanding of the topics they are studying. I unfortunately missed one of the sessions when I thought my nose might be broken (lucky me it wasn't!), but we still managed to fit in many hours of tutoring children of all ages, an on all different school subjects. On the students' holiday from school, we still got to go to Ocean View to "hang out" with them even though they didn't have any homework to do. We had a great day of playing games, learning everyone's names, dancing, talking, getting to know each other better, and having fun together. On our last day with these kids on Friday, April 20th, we plan on doing some tutoring, playing some last games together, presenting them with their certificates of completion for the program, and saying our goodbyes. We are also planning on performing the dance we made up so the kids can have a good laugh at us as we try to show off how much we've been practicing the moves that they have been teaching us.
My projects were relevant to issues covered in our class. With race, specifically, both projects related to valuing and celebrating the differences between people. Personally, I had to be honest with myself and face my own inadvertent racism in order to begin to attempt to eliminate it. I was also lucky enough to get to know a lot of people on a deep level whose lives are very different from my own, and at the same time very much the same. Getting to know these people on such a personal level didn't make me ignore or "forget" about race, but it did really drive home once and again the concept that race is merely a social construct.
I was also forced again to come face to face with all of my privileges and how I didn't earn them. There are parts of life and just my average day that are easier because I am white, young, American, a student, physically able, mentally sound, and much more. While I have been here, partly through my activist project, I have met people of all different ages, races, and social backgrounds. I saw challenges that my new friends had to face every day - from discrimination, to hunger, to money problems, to struggling with identity, confidence, and self-image.
The issues addressed by my two projects are similar to the issues that are present in the United States with the inequalities and correlation between race and social class. Most inner city school children that struggle with bad home life, financial problems, and lack of basic security are black and go through the same things as the oppressed racial groups here in South Africa. The South African kids involved in my two programs are in comparable situations to urban youth who are oppressed both directly and indirectly because of their race. Deep rooted racism in society is constantly telling certain groups of people that they are inferior, and those messages also reach children and can ebb away at their confidence, in school, with their families, and in society in general. This just intensifies the inequalities that already exist and continues to perpetuate the cycle of inequality.
Although I can't continue to be directly affiliated with this cause back in the United States, I will always be affiliated with it because of the way that I will live my life and think about people and the world. If I end up striving to become a teacher, I will be sure to encourage students and help them cultivate the confidence needed to believe in themselves, set high goals, and achieve those goals. I haven't ruled out participating in Teach for America, my National Honors Fraternity's official philanthropy which hires teachers to work at underprivileged schools and gradually decrease the divide between rich and poor schools by working toward improving education. Even if I do not become a school teacher, I will still be a coach and swim lesson teacher for a while longer where I can work closely with young people. I hope to use my new perspective and goals regarding self-examination and honesty to be a positive role model and teacher for anyone I encounter in my life.
