|
|
Stand High/Stand United
Testimonials
I began mentoring Jaquilla and Jamesha in the fall of 2007. They are sisters, ages twelve and seven. I met them during my first year of volunteering with Explorer's Club, and their smiles captivated me immediately. We had fun together during club activities and on the girls' weekend camping trip last summer. The connection we formed inspired me to decide to become a mentor, and fortunately Michelle matched me with Jaquilla and Jamesha.
The time I've spent with the girls has been wonderful. They're fun to be with, very open and affectionate, and we laugh a lot. They enjoy teasing me about my "healthy lifestyle" – kidding me about drinking water instead of soda, being a vegetarian, exercising a lot. But the teasing is good natured and I think they like the fact that I'm a little different from what they're used to. We've done a variety of activities together. We went to the Holiday Crafts Fair in Lexington and then had a pizza lunch with several other mentors and their mentees. We've also gone to a Martin Luther King family concert, the movies, the Museum of Science, and the Good Times arcade. They really enjoyed spending an overnight at my house, just hanging out playing cards and making dinner together. We also like to just goof around at the playground. Now that summer is here, I'm hoping to spend more time outdoors with them. I also plan to spend some time with each of the girls separately so I can develop more of a one-on-one relationship.
I've been traveling a lot recently for work, so I haven't seen the girls in awhile. But I stay in touch by sending them postcards from all the places I've been to, and their mom tells me that they love to get the postcards and have them all displayed on their refrigerator. So far the only challenge I've experienced is difficulty sometimes getting in touch with them. That's led to some missed opportunities for spending time together. Despite that, I'm so glad to be their mentor and to have the chance to spend time with two wonderful kids. It's extremely rewarding. There are many other great kids in Explorer's Club who are looking for mentors, and I strongly encourage other volunteers to take the plunge!
~ Ann Williams, mentor
 "I first entered into the white church in the fifth grade. The program was OnTrac and I was placed in the orange group (for some odd reason I still remember that). The people I met at the program were some of the coolest people I have ever met. I was surprised that many of them lived right next door to me and we had never come in contact with each other. I then became part of Stand High/Stand United where we came together in smaller groups on the weekends. In the program we talked about issues in the community and discussed things that were important to us. One thing we did that impacted me most was when we watched the Roots series. When trying to get a picture of what goes on in the world I better understand it when I see it visually. Stand High/Stand United helped me develop not only social skills but skills on how to work with people. In life we always need to be able to work with people. Another amazing aspect of Stand High/Stand United was the trips we took. Going to Washington, D.C. and living in a youth hostel was something that I might never have done had I not done it with the program. Seeing the many museums, the monuments, and the White House helped add to my knowledge because I had been and seen for my self. I am happy that I was a part of Stand High/Stand United because it has contributed to who I am and who I will become."
~ Axel Starke, age 18, 2004
"My name is Tyrone James, this is my graduating year of coming of age. Since I started I have learned many new thing about religions, history, and how to conduct myself to become an intelligent young adult. This program has taught me many things, it helped me in school especially on my history test. This program is important."
~ Age 14, 2004
 "This program, Stand High/Stand United, was and still is the best thing a kid ever got into. There are a lot of nice people you could meet that have been there for my family and me during bad times. I have learned things I never knew from this program. It’s not just the best on fun, it’s the best on learning, too! I have learned a lot of things about black history that I never knew, and not just black history – history all over the world, like The Diary of Anne Frank. I went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and learned about the concentration camps. But I know you’re getting tired of this story. Let’s get to the good part of the story. I enjoyed myself greatly all five years, having fun and learning and meeting new people. I have grown a lot. If I didn’t come to this program, I think I would be another kid sitting on the street corner. I hope all you younger generation have as much fun as I did, and all the opportunities you get – take them! And I hope this program goes on for five more years! Thank you!" ~ Angel Payen, age 13, 1996
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am here to talk to you today about my experiences in the Stand High/Stand United program. While I was in this program, I learned how to deal with anger and other problems that I might have rather than fighting. I also learned a lot of other things have to do with black history, like the author of Roots, Alex Haley, and in the movie Glory, Massachusetts had the first all black army that was called the regiment 54th. My goals in this program were to change my attitude toward people from negative to positive and to talk to people in a normal tone of voice. When I first came into this program, I was most excited about going places that I have never heard of. The things I am most proud of is being president of the Youth Committee, being able to go on all of these different field trips, whether a black history museum or Six Flags. I am also proud to be part of a fine organization like this one. Being in this group also taught me things about myself, like self-motivation and self-determination. I hope other kids can benefit from this program the way I did."
~ Jeromie Hatcher, age 13, 1998
 "One of the things that concerns volunteers the most is how they come across with the kids, so it is always a good feeling when you get some positive feedback. One of my fondest memories was playing chess with Adeeb one Saturday morning. I always liked chess so it was really nice to be able to share that with someone else. Adeeb said he had never played before, so I showed him the different pieces and moves and we played a game. It was a lot of fun, but the real reward came later during the closing sharing circle when Michelle asked if anyone had something to share. Adeeb raised his hand and said, ‘I enjoyed playing chess with Al.’
I have also had so many great times with Rakim. One of my favorites was when I first met him. I asked him if he wanted to write a story and he said sure. About 20 minutes later, Rakim emerged with a full blown three act play, with 4 actors, and a great story. I was really blown away!"
~ Al Jacobson, Lexington mentor, 1999
"My name is Leana Delaney and I go to Madison Park High School. I am a peer leader at the Damien Funderburg Youth Program in Roxbury. I have been working for thisprogramfor two years. Before I came to this program I went to Stand High/Stand United. I have been in this program for about eight to nine years. When I first started going to Stand High, I thought the program was going to be very boring. But I stuck around to realize that this wasn’t true. Being in this program brought me great advantages, like staying off the streets. Some of the volunteer work that I accomplished and liked was feeding the homeless people in the shelters, raising money, and helping out at the church by cleaning up around it. I like going on the overnight field trips, like to New York, Philadelphia, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C. In conclusion, this program has helped me achieve responsibility and the self-esteem of confidence to believe in myself to realize that I can achieve anything that I set my mind to."
~ Leana Delaney, Age 15, 1999
"I am loving being mentor to Daquana and Jasmin. They are so enthusiastic and open to new experiences. I was touched by something they did recently. The three of us had gone apple picking in October and somehow a twig had gotten caught in the back window of my car while we were there. I hadn’t noticed it, of course, but they definitely were aware the twig was gone when I picked them up Halloween night. Several weeks later, I picked them up on the day of our field trip to Drumlin Farms; when I was dropping them off, they told me to look at the back window of my Toyota. Tucked down in the window was a small ‘replacement’ feather they had picked up at Drumlin. I think this was significant that they wanted me back, that if the feather (‘twig’) was still there, they would be too. A small thing but touching to me."
~ Judy Friedman, Newton mentor, 1999
"In May, I invited the two kids I mentor out to an open house at MITRE where I work…They had a wonderful time. Some of the feedback I got from them was that learned they could do anything they wanted if they put their mind to. They also said they got a sense of what education it took to be able to do computer stuff. They went home wearing buttons for a hot project we’re currently working on. I got a thank you email from one of the kids when he got home from the visit.
"I’ve been working in Stand High/Stand United for four years now. A highlight of the program for me is the graduation: we just had another one in May. Graduation gave me a chance to celebrate the big leaps these kids have made since we started with them. For some of the older kids that I worked with several years ago before they moved into the advanced program, it was amazing to see the young adults they’ve become. For the kids we see every month, graduation gave me the chance to take stock of what they’ve become over the last year. I hope the kids get half of the positive feelings from this program that I get from working and playing with them!"
~ Pete Tasker, Lexington mentor, 2000
 Volunteer Mark Richards writes of a white water rafting trip he took with his two mentees last summer:
"We woke up very early in the morning. We were going to eat breakfast at the rafting company. It had been a long drive up to Millinocket from Auburn the day before, about three hours. We checked out of the motel, drove the three miles, and had a good backwoods breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and sausage. It was shaping up to be a hot, sunny August day in Maine. After a while the group gathered around the lead guide and we got our instructions. There were over 60 of us in all, eight rafts full. The guide went over the safety gear, made sure we all knew which boat we were in, and gave us some instructions on what to do if we fell in the river. Good info, as it turned out. Anthony, Budda, Barry (Mark’s brother’s Little Brother), and Mark, made up half the crew. The rest were adults with some experience in rafting the Penobscot. Chad, our guide, was the leader of this trip. We learned he had been rafting this river since the age of 14.
"Three busses took us to the power station just below Ripogenus Dam on the Penobscot River. This part of the river held two Class V rapids, the most dangerous classification. We were told that the second one, Crib Works, was the most technically difficult Class V on the east coast. Before taking off we practiced following Chad’s commands so we could work well a team. Chad reviewed what to do if we fell into the water.
"We made our way down Exterminator Gorge, where we got lesson number one – when you go into a wave, close your mouth. Success in Exterminator led us into the Crib Works. The difficulty of these rapids comes from the narrow passages between large rocks and the sharp left turn you have to make in the middle. Again we came through with everyone in the boat. By this time everyone was feeling exuberant with the ride, the water, and the thrill. A few more Class III and IV rapids and we were ready for lunch.
"The barbecue the company laid out for us was perfect. It took place in a quiet place on the river so we could calm down, share our stories, and hang out in the beautiful North Woods.
"After lunch came Nesowadnehunk Falls – a twelve foot drop into a huge standing wave. Chad told us this is where many people end up swimming. As Chad was the lead guide, we were the first boat through. We went a little airborne as we went over the falls – when we hit the wave, we flipped right over. Surfacing, I looked around for the three boys. Budda was right beside me, and Barry was being lifted up by Chad onto the overturned raft. A few moments later, we could hear Anthony calling for help – from under the raft! Chad went down and pulled him out and everyone was safely pulled onto the raft. We righted ourselves and stood by as others came over. Then we spent some time playing in the falls. Budda and I took another spill and we were quickly rescued by the surrounding boats.
"After that adventure we had a long leisurely drift down the Penobscot. Where it was deep enough, we took turns swimming by the raft. This whole section of river is overlooked by Mt. Katahdin - a beautiful way to spend a summer afternoon in Maine. The final two sets of rapids gave us some more excitement before pulling out and heading home to Boston. It was a long day, starting in the wilderness of the North Woods and ending in the city. I believe we all came out feeling a little bit better from the experience."
"I remember vividly my first day at Explorer’s Club. I wanted to start interacting with some of the kids and so I found a table with 3 girls working on projects that had an empty chair. I sat down and looked directly at one of the girls and asked her what she was working on. No response. Now, when I say no response, I mean nothing - not even a glance in my direction. It was as if she hadn’t hear me, so I repeated the question again, this time much more loudly. Again...nothing. At this point, Michelle swooped me from the table while telling me that I’d be better off trying to connect with some of the younger kids that are more accepting of newcomers.
"Over the last 4 years, I’ve grown close to a number of the kids, but this girl was not one of them. While I liked, her, it just seemed that our paths didn’t cross much. And after a while, she moved out of Explorer’s Club into the group for older kids.
"And then, a few months ago, something happened that really touched me. I attended the SHSU coffeehouse/benefit, and as I walked up to the group, this same girl came up to me with a big smile and gave me a hug!
"That hug made me realize a couple of things about our role at the Explorer’s Club. One is that these kids appreciate our being there month after month - even the ones we don’t know well. They still know that we care about them and we show that by our consistency. The second thing I realized is how much the program helps the kids grow into better people. This girl had transformed into someone much more open and accepting than she was the day I met her.
"While I’m the first to be hard on myself because I’d like to be doing more, this is a great example of how we impact their lives just by doing what we can."
~ Katharine Coles, former mentor, 2000
The following poem was written in 2000 by Shameka Stallworth in our Coming of Age program based on her experiences serving food to homeless men and women at the Woods Mullen Shelter in Boston:
Do you wonder?
Do you care?
Do you care if I’m here or there?
Do you care if I cry?
Do you care if I die?
Why are you people so rude to me?
Why can’t you come to see that I once had a family?
I once had kids, food, clothes, and a bed to sleep in when I doze.
Now, I go to soup kitchens to eat, and in the days I wander the streets.
When you see me, please don’t walk away, offer me some sympathy.
"I loved picking blueberries and raspberries and we saw this big ol’ squash and we bought candy to eat and we fed the chickens and birds and we saw some catfish and we fed the goats and swans and when got to the church we couldn’t get in so we went to another church. I had lots of fun. We have so much fun! It’s a good program for me and I’m a preschool counselor!"
Jeffrey Lassiter, age 9, 1994
"The program is important because it makes me feel who I really am."
Phillip Smith, age 10, 2001
"I love the program. There are some things that I can’t give my kids that the program can – I really appreciate it. The field trips are especially helpful because I can’t financially afford it."
~ Lenore McGhee, parent, 2001
“I feel that SHSU provides structure and encourages leadership through videos and discussion. The lessons the kids learn help them resist peer pressure.”
~ Robin Howell, parent, 2001
“My children light up when their mentor takes them out. She is a real inspiration…The program gives them something to look forward to.”
~ Shannon Givan, parent, 2001
“The program has helped the community because it has helped us learn to trust people outside of the community. It has taught us how to trust again.”
~ Denise Grant, parent, 2001
“We used to count the kids that were killed – but now we count the kids that made it and went on to college. [The program] has had a huge impact on the Roxbury/Dorchester community. Even people that are not in the program are uplifted.”
~ Bobbie Broadwater, parent, 2001
“The program has helped my child because it’s a character builder. It lets children know that they are important, that they have a voice, and that someone will listen to them…It teaches them how to accept and get along with others. It gives them a sense of self-worth. They can love and laugh together…This kind of program should be in all of Boston.”
~ Sabreen Askia, parent, 2001
|
|