See It: The Community being helped

Seniors in our school only have one privilege; they can drive to school. Once past the parking lot, a freshman is the same as a senior; we want to change this by creating a new space for seniors to enjoy as strictly a senior privilege. There is a gazebo at the edge of a pond on the one side of our campus just outside the cafeteria; this gazebo is currently not finished and seems to be in rough shape. Classes before us have tried their best to work with the space and material already there, but all have failed; we won’t. Our main focus for this project is to reconstruct this gazebo and the surrounding area. It will provide a new place to relax for the students, clean up the appearance of the school, and will improve safety around the pond. The community uses the gazebo as well as the students constantly; since our high school is built in conjunction with the North Shore Public Library our campus gets a lot of foot traffic. Many people come on by to read, listen to music or just relax. Just opposite the gazebo is a peace garden, so it was designed that the spot and its surrounding area was to be tranquil and mentally stimulating and inquisitive. This refurbished gazebo will allow the whole community to benefit from a new and improved area, and provide another beautiful spot in our community. We choose this project because we got sick and tired of looking out the window at an ugly gray and rotting gazebo. It is probably the one entity on campus that everyone can agree on as the sour thumb; we’d like to change that and be remembered for it.

See It: The Community being helped

I want to clean up El Dorado County by utilzing teams of teenagers picking up garbage and recycling along the sides of roads throughout the county.

See It: The Community being helped

Delaware County Habitat for Humanity Youth United is a group of youth ages 5-25 working together to eliminate substandard housing in Delaware County. Delaware Habitat Youth United invites children from Delaware County schools to participate in this exciting volunteer opportunity! Make new friends! Get community service hours! Gain leadership skills! Youth United is currently recruiting youth volunteers to join Delaware County Habitat for Humanity Youth United.
The Youth United group is run by an all youth steering committee and 7 sub-committees: Construction Committee, Education/Advocacy Committee, Recruitment Committee, Trips Committee, Special Events Committee, Public Relations Committee, and Fundraising Committee. Delaware Youth United invites you to participate on the steering committee, as a sub-committee member chair, a sub-committee member, on the construction site, or at our fundraisers.

See It: The Community being helped

I joined Americorps*NCCC in hopes of making a difference in my world, and especially my country after I had just graduated High School and wanted to spend my time contributing to the community through working with Habitat for Humanity. During this project I helped build 2 duplex homes -Wasco, and Borthwick - for families that were on the brink of/or were homeless. One home, for example, is going to belong to a 11 person family and the other home is going to a single mother, her 2 kids and a nephew. I spent my time doing a variety of construction work as far as: digging post holes for the porch, installing hurricane supports, using a variety of saws, roofing, removing nails, installing rat runs…the list goes on. It was hard, but I enjoyed my time through harsh weather conditions like sleat while I was on the roof, to rainfall while the state I was in was under a state of emergency due to the weather conditions.I felt a sense of accomplishment after I saw the faces of the family members as they saw their new home. Seeing the children that I know now, that have a home. I felt as if I was part of their family as they shook my hand and thanked me, while tears welled in their eyes. That was the moment that helped me to realize that the fact that I was living in a 3-bedroom home, 1 1/2 bathrooms with 12 other people, was worth it just to see the difference I had made. That was why I was there. Through this project, I have come to realize that nothing compares to being a part in someone's dream. And I was truly thankful that I could help make that dream come true.

See It: The Community being helped

Goals:
-Find an unused plot in a low-income urban environment and transform it by planting a healthy diverse garden, where the food grown can be sold for almost nearly free to community members.
-Provide youth the opportunity to grow and harvest their own plot and/or have a designated area for creating a mural on the surrounding walls that will promote social justice, peace, and/or cultural understanding.
-Providing an encouraging, positive, and creating environment for youth and staff.
-Providing teachers and staff with materials/resources necessary to successfully educate their students on their specific skill.
-Deter youth from falling into the prison cycle, which deteriorates personal development and pushes young people into a life of crime and an overall negative lifestyle.
-Hold monthly fund raising events to ensure the survival and success of the program.
-Have a minimum of 20 dedicated core students participate in the program.
-Create monthly themes for the students to work with to intertwine a political analysis with the artistic aspect of the project as a means to provide political education on current social issues and conditions in our communities.
-Provide skills necessary to ensure completion of student projects.

Strategy:
-Outreach in classrooms and in the community.
-Provide presentations to students in classrooms to provide a detailed description of the project to persuade them in participating in the program.
-Create an evaluation process to meet the needs of students and staff, and make certain that the program is exceeding their expectations.
-Create short term, mid-term and long term goals. Have biweekly evaluations to ensure the steps needed to reach these goals are being taken, and to provide assistance for those in need of it.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Coordinator:
Oversee program; work on fund raising; keep program running productively
-Facilitate program staff and facilitators meetings
-Develop strategy for program evaluation
-Coordinate with staff to develop procedures and policies, follow and make sure procedures and policies are followed
-Develop outreach methods, responsible for ensuring that minimum expectation of student participation is meant.
-Strengthen relationships with possible allies
-Develop roles for staff and facilitators
-Seek fund raising opportunities, as well develop alternative funding strategies
-Create database of teachers and schools where there is an opportunity to outreach to students through classroom presentations
-Open communication with coordinators and workshop facilitators
-Coordinate with facilitators, teachers, and students on developing possible incentives for student involvement in the project

Youth Development Coordinator:
Track progress of students involved; Assist in their personal development; Act as an advisor who the youth can turn to for assistance
-Ensure student satisfaction and enjoyment in the project
-Work with youth to develop strategies to ensure excitement and participation
-Coordinate with Program Coordinator the evaluation process
-Assist youth in the development and completion of their personal projects.
-Develop with the youth a personal time line for each student to track their progress and get them closer to completing the project.
-Develop community building activities to strengthen relationships amongst the youth, get feedback from facilitators on this process
-Work with Program Coordinator that student participation meets expectations

Workshop Facilitators:
Open communication with Program Coordinator; open communication with youth involved; develop skills workshops;
-Develop workshops on their specific skill
-Present workshops and work plan to program team
-Develop and strengthen relationships with students involved
-Work with Youth Development Coordinator to track student success
-Participate in program team meetings
-Participate in developing ideas and process for monthly fund raising events
-Outreach to other possible instructors
-Connect with other workshop facilitators for program coordination

See It: The Community being helped

When I went inside a furniture store in Fairfield, Maine, I found myself a great deal that had nothing to do with the price of a chair or a couch. The building was built in 1900, designed by Amos Gerald (name change from Fitzgerald). It was called 'The Gerald', a hotel considered the most majestic of it's time. It has hand carved wood banisters, stain glass windows, hand painted walls and crafted ceiling supports. The Renaissance style paintings smile at me from the ceiling and walls of the dining room, showing me this building was build with love and care. The brick walls were shaped in ways most bricklayers cannot even being to contemplate on how to construct. Today, they would buy the pieces from a factory that were already shaped and multiplied a million times. The balconies that gracefully protruded toward the street were gone now, but the cold, severed steel where they once were is still there. The awnings are gone, but the poles that supported them still remain. The spires were removed sometime after 1950, the roof garden dissolved after 1937. You can't help but fall in love with this building as you walk by it and admire the carved images on the side facing the street. I could tell this was someone's dream turned into reality. The hotel made it onto the 12th Annual List of Maine's Most Endangered Historic Properties. This does not promise the building will still be standing a few years down the road.

This is where I come in. I have created two videos of the hotel and have posted them on Youtube.com in hopes people would understand what happened to this building. I wanted people to understand that we did not evolve from the internet or cell phones, that we came from a culture that took pride in our work. There was a day where we could walk on the streets and tilt our hats in respect when greeting out friends and family. These videos were inspirational enough to have the local paper cover a story on it. Turns out the next morning my face was plastered on the front page of the paper. My videos have gotten over 400 hits each within hours of the paper being circulated(I had to repost one video because of an error). My plan is to make more videos of these historical properties, including the 470 train engine in Waterville, Maine. Eventually I will have videos from all over. I want people to understand where they originated from, and most of all, I fight to keep these masterpieces intact and hopefully restored. Nothing should be torn down or replaced just because it is old. Sometimes newer items are not built better. I will continue my adventure, and even though I am not a celebrity, I feel I can make a difference.

Please view my videos at:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xOVrpo0qt2o

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0eomQExEqlA

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4368336.html

See It: The Community being helped

Discover Worlds is an entirely student-run 501c3 non-profit organization. We focus on students using their TALENTS to make a difference in what they are PASSIONATE about. Whether you are interested in sports, public speaking, acting, writing, you can join the Discover Worlds team to raise awareness and make a difference!

Additionally we train youth in inner-city and rural areas across the world to riase awareness within their own communities. For example we have inner city youth in the U.S. talk to schools in their area about issues such as violence and gangs.
Our chapter in Rwanda is made up of very educated students who go into rural villages to talk about issues such as HIV/AIDS, human rights, and nutrition.
This program is a sustainable way that students can help their own community.

We have speakers around the United States who talk about issues such as the hunanitarian crisis in Darfur, ending extreme poverty, global warming, and more!

We also have programs that TAKE ACTION on extreme poverty.

We have set up a sponsor-an-orphan program in Rwanda. Since Rwanda is so overpopulated, its very important for youth to get a college education to come out of extreme poverty. This is why we have set up a scholarship program for orphans of the genocide and of HIV/AIDS. The highest achieving orphans can have their college education covered!

We also work with setting up sister school programs. An elementary or middle school in the United States can adopt a school in rural developing countries and help them with their basic materials such as pens, books, and uniforms.

Discover Worlds is really made of students across the United States and world who really want to make a difference on the issues they care about most!

While we are based around the world, our primary locations are at Duke University, Harvard University and Northern NJ high schools.

Our website is www.discoverworlds.org and you can email for more information.