Opening Doors
It is always useful to go to the middle of nowhere to appreciate the value of opening doors. On this occasion I was in the High Atlas mountains, east of Marrakech, Morocco in a Berber village. The mountains are bare and dry, and the village relies on a single irrigation sluice that brings water down from the higher peaks. We had been walking with our guide, and now we were at his home with his extended family. We arrived in that Berber Atlas village at the same time that dad had just killed a sheep as part of a large Muslim holiday, and he was blowing out the intestine just as we arrived, so he offered me the back of his hand in greeting. The sheep was delicious, even the liver and fat chunk kabobs; made at a low table, with the charcoal fire just in the next room, inside. The mom offered it to me smiling. This was not fresh organ meat I could refuse.
The next day, as we walked up into the hills, the conversation turned to education, and our guide spoke of how he only went to school until sixth grade, in the red small building just there below, as his family could not afford to pay to go to the next level in the larger village further down the valley. He spoke to us of how his 12 year old brother goes to the larger school now but does not appreciate it as he should, now that the new king has put in a policy that pays for the school and supplies for all students from the village. With a tinge of regret for his lost opportunity, our guide looked at me intently as if to say-how can that be?
That moment struck me like lightening: how a policy, in this case the kings’ money can have so much power over people's life path. And now today back at home I watch a video on the Center’s web site about how the Tech Savvy Girl’s instructor got hooked in 5th grade in an afterschool program and has clearly has been bitten by a life changing experience. Whether it’s primary education in Morocco or Afterschool in Vermont: opening educational doors is such a precious gift to never take for granted.
Emanuel's Morroco pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=cammy.richelli&target=ALBUM&id=5545682160576848785&authkey=Gv1sRgCMa0w976066B3AE&invite=CMqW38QP&feat=email
Training Opportunity:Student Leadership
I am offering another free training for afterschool staff interested in starting 4-H Leadership Clubs. The training will be on Friday, December 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Park Street School in Springfield. Registration is required and due no later than December 13. Please email me at lauren.traister@uvm.edu for a registration form. Or call me at (802) 888-4972 x 402.
See comment below for more dates.
Lights! Camera! Learning!
Summer Lights! Awards Presented at Vermont Afterschool Confernece
Congratulations to the following programs for creating award-winning videos capturing summer learning in action:
- Student-Produced Video: Community Connections
- People's Choice Award: Burlington Middle School Summer Program/ SHCC-BSD
- Middle/ High School Program: Tech Savvy Girls
- Elementary Program: Craftsbury After School REACH!
The winning videos can be viewed online at: http://vermontafterschool.org/lights_camera_learning/video-library-2/winning-videos-for-summer-2010/
2010-11 Lights! Camera! Learning! Competition Now Open
It's time to capture innovative learning on video and submit it to the next round of Lights! Camera! Learning! Video are due January 15th and winning videos will be announced at the Vermont Afterschool Legislative Day on February 23rd. Winning programs will be awarded $1000 and a six-pack of Flip video cameras. For full details: http://vermontafterschool.org/lights_camera_learning/lights-camera-learning-request-for-videos/
Vermont Afterschool Mapping Project
The Vermont Center for Afterschool Excellence is working on an afterschool mapping project that will pinpoint the location of all afterschool programs throughout the state, identify gaps in service, and provide useful information about each program. Information gathered will be presented within a sustainability brief that will be released at the Vermont Afterschool Legislative Day on February 23rd (mark your calendars). In an effort to gather accurate data, surveys were sent to all afterschool directors earlier this month. In the event that you did not receive a survey, you can download one here (http://vermontafterschool.org/partnerships/mapping-afterschool-in-vermont/, scroll to the bottom of page). Please return completed surveys to vermontafterschool@gmail.com by Friday, November 5th. Thanks so much for your help with this project!
Links
Go to http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_federal/21st_CCLC.html for more info on the 21C grant competition. Letters of Intent are due November 19th.
http://vermontafterschool.pbworks.com/w/page/2010-11+Peer+Review+Team+Sign+Ups to see site visit dates and team members.
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