[This is a re-posting of a blog post I wrote for KEYS Service Corps]
When I learned about my service project requirement as a KEYS member, I initially set my expectations pretty low. As a part-time member serving at the Carnegie Library of Homestead, I figured I’d do a few youth lead story-times and call it a day. All this changed at the end of May when my site supervisor put in her two week’s notice. For the previous eight summers, she had organized a Community Fair in August to celebrate youth achievements during the library’s summer reading program. With her gone, there would be no celebration unless I stepped up and planned it.
When I learned about my service project requirement as a KEYS member, I initially set my expectations pretty low. As a part-time member serving at the Carnegie Library of Homestead, I figured I’d do a few youth lead story-times and call it a day. All this changed at the end of May when my site supervisor put in her two week’s notice. For the previous eight summers, she had organized a Community Fair in August to celebrate youth achievements during the library’s summer reading program. With her gone, there would be no celebration unless I stepped up and planned it.
As I sifted through my site supervisor’s old notes,
an idea hit me. Why not provide an
opportunity for the youth at my site to get involved with the planning of the
fair? I decided to create a Teen Summer Reading Program for local teens
interested in community service called Teen
Advisory Board (TAB). During TAB meetings, I spoke with the teens about
different aspects of community organizing: from identifying community assets and partnerships, to learning about
budgeting, soliciting donations, and PR coverage, to brainstorming and creating
the games, crafts, and table signs we used during the fair. On the day of
the fair, several of the teens served with the adult volunteers to run game and
craft tables.
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Teen
Advisory Board Meeting
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Teens
serving alongside Adults during Fair
While the teens were incredibly helpful, most of fair
organizing fell to me. Even though organizing the fair was a lot of work, I
learned so much. Where else, but as an AmeriCorps member, can a 24 year old gain such valuable
professional development? Because of my service project, I now know how
to write budgets, solicit donations,
secure entertainment and community organizations, attract media attention, and
coordinate volunteers. I’m more confident in myself both as a person, and
as a leader.
The Fair itself ran smoothly. The weather was
perfect. I had an amazing group of adult
and youth volunteers, who surpassed my expectations. One of my volunteers
had the food station set-up and ready to go before I even thought to pull the
meat out of the freezer. We only had one kid accidentally swallow some
bubbles. We gave the kid an extra bag of chips, and that bubbles were soon
forgotten.
Bubble
Snakes!
Community
Organizations
Gabby
Barrett, local teen musician, who performed for us for FREE!
Of everything I've done during my time with KEYS, I’m most proud of my service project. I
don’t know if the Teen Advisory Board, or even the Fair, made a difference in
the life of the youth I serve. But I do
know that the Fair made a big difference for me personally and professionally.
I’m grateful to KEYS, and to my site for trusting me with the responsibility of
organizing and implementing this fair. I don’t know what the future hold, but I
feel empowered to…
Go confidently in the direction of your
dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry
David Thoreau
