World We Imagine Post 1
There are so many things that trouble our world–climate change, hunger, homelessness, nuclear weapons, and so on–that it can be difficult to determine where to “start.” I’m very fortunate to have had amazing teachers and professors that shed light on local and global crises, but sometimes I can’t help but feel helpless. I’ve come to understand that knowledge is power, and through our education and network at USC, the opportunities are almost limitless when it comes to supporting our neighboring communities and advocating for change.
I wish more schools like Vox had the opportunity to collaborate with us and other colleges to promote mental health, social connection, and other pressing matters. I often think about how the “big kids” from my neighborhood high school would visit my elementary school for Dr. Seuss day to read to us and everyone thought that they were so cool. They were older, in a fun club or sport, and were getting ready to go off to college and live a life of their own–these things felt so far away from us. Now that I’ve gotten to experience the flip-side, I feel both fulfilled and motivated to continue connecting with more students.
I can’t think of the right way to say it, so I’ll just word dump–hopefully you can catch my drift. If I had the time and resources to do a passion project, I would love to create a program similar to what we did with Vox that meets with K-12 students in low-income communities and creates long-term solutions to students’ needs. Maybe that sounds too simple or too broad, but we took the very first steps of this as a class and I strongly believe that if we had more time and some funds, we could make our programs happen. These students need to know that their dreams can come true, that there are people who recognize and support their needs, and that through their leadership, change can happen.
My favorite part of our collaboration with Vox was telling the sixth graders on my team that everything we prepared came from their hearts and minds–they had the ambition and ideas, we just had the college resources to present them more holistically. If more students had access to this type of experience, if they knew their ideas could come to life, who knows what amazing initiatives they could come up with?
Hi Momo, I loved reading this! I agree, the Vox collaboration was an awesome idea that I loved being apart of, and wish I had the opportunity to do when I was in middle school, as well as now with even more students. Your passion for further creating connections and programs that empower K-12 students is super inspiring! To elevate your idea, I would suggest expanding it into a scalable mentorship program concept that could pair college students with younger students over a longer period. This could include establishing partnerships between universities and local schools, that foster sustained engagement through workshops and mentorship, as opposed to the one-off project we completed. Including your personal experiences along with the Vox project made this piece and proposal super compelling, and showcased its potential success!
ReplyDeleteHi Momo! I really love how you talked about telling the sixth graders, “everything we prepared came from their hearts and minds”—that’s such a powerful moment and shows how impactful this kind of collaboration can be! Your idea for a program inspired by Vox & Professor Hansen's (connecting college students with K-12 students in low-income communities) is amazing, especially with the focus on creating long-term solutions. Maybe you could start by building partnerships with other schools in South LA and creating a network of mentors to keep the momentum going.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the nostalgia of the “big kids” reading on Dr. Seuss Day, It’s such a sweet reminder of how small actions can inspire so many people. Super well written post! I'm excited to read your next one.
Hi Momo! I also felt really overwhelmed at first with this assignment. You’re right, there’s so many things to fix that it can be hard to find where to start. But I completely agree with you and I think that education across ages, cultures, and lifestyles is key in bridging gaps and creating the world we imagine. I love your ideas and i think that more programs like vox and our collaboration with them would be great. Maybe you could look into other universities and see if they do cross functional programs with schools or even other charter schools to see what they do and maybe see how you could build that up? Love it!
ReplyDeleteHi Momo! I think you are spot on here. Not all students have the same opportunities growing up and it is really important that all kids believe they can achieve whatever they want no matter what obstacles get in their way. I liked how you brought up your personal example of high schoolers spending time with you and your classmates when you were younger and how it had an impact on you. I think one thing you can do is propose how other universities have attempted to partner with elementary, middle and high schools. Maybe try and find what has gone right or wrong in the past and write about what changes you would make for it to be as successful as possible. Great first post!
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