The St. Baldrick's Foundation organizes head-shaving events to raise money for childhood cancer research. For the past seven years, a Casady team of students, parents, and faculty has participated in this event. Anyone that would like to join the team is welcome. Participants have their heads shaved to show support for children that lose their hair during treatment and to inspire others to donate money that supports childhood cancer research. You can also support the Casady team with a donation or by attending the event.
To join the team or make donations go to: https://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/casadyschool. The head-shaving event will be held on April 23 (Sunday afternoon) at VZD’s, 4200 N. Western Ave.
The Casady Dare to Dream team will make a chapel presentation at the Upper and Middle Division Chapels when Father Blizzard provides a slot of time. At below blog entries the Dear to Dream Team shares lessons learned at workshops and how attendance to the conference will enhance personal outreach experiences and the Casady service learning program.
Youth Service America CEO challenges Cyclones to connect personal service projects to United Nations Goal for Sustainable Development
Freshman Cooper L. will be the team's spokesperson, but every member of the team has contributed to the demonstration of learning by providing a narrative of their experience at the 28th National Service Learning Conference in California.
Explaining project to CEO of the Frederick Douglas Foundation
After breakfast, the team attended selected workshops, described by one of the members of the team as transforming.
1.Poverty Simulation: Almost all of the world population exists at some level of poverty. Impoverish people do not have access to health care, housing, food, and water The simulation taught causes of poverty as well as how to assuage poverty. 2.Advocacy for Introverts: Where do introverts fit in? What strengths do they possess? Is advocacy possible for the introverts? The workshop answered this questions in an interactive way.
3.Non-Violence and Human Rights: Dialog for Change: By 2030, the UN Sustainable Development Goal # 4 aims to have all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote education, human rights, gender equality, peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity. This workshop was a dialog to work for health, well being, and education of children through the creation of stronger institutions and partnerships. 4. Book Talk: A book boots the learning, the understanding, the emotional connections, the perspectives, the ideas, and the desire to read more relevant and inspiring books. Whatever your service-learning theme, there are books waiting for you.
Some members of the group experienced the awards ceremonies while others tore-down the showcase from the exhibit hall and packed it for the return flight home.
The awards ceremony was a learning process in itself. Funding for the Corporation of National and Community Service is being cut which will affect the AmeriCorps Program. As the awardees had a panel discussion of their projects and next steps, conference participants learned that the Corporation of National Service and Americorps budget is in trouble. Awardees issue a call to reach out to our legislators to place these organizations in the budget.
The inspirational speaker was a 15-year old poet Royce Mann. He shared his original poem, Let's Rise Up! Here is the poem delivered by Royce on MLK Day from YouTube
After lunch, the team attended the post conference reflections opportunities facilitated by the National Youth Leadership Council based on Minnesota. Sahanya attended Influencing Action, How every person can be a leader.
The rest of the team did an interactive reflective exercise called Open Spaces. Both activities will be field tested at home in the month of May during YAC meetings and during the FedEx Time.
Notes taken at every table at this Google Document
Sahanya left the group to visit with family and return a day earlier to OKC. The rest of the team went on to dinner, started the chapel presentation and participated in the world of color presentation starting at 9:00 pm.
The service-learning adventure ended with and evening presentation of Disney's World of Color at Disney California Adventure
Today, all group members chose different workshops. The Casady Dare to Dream team showcased their projects. Some members attended the plenary sessions others chose to explore onsite projects. Matt Severson, Founder of School Fund
Business development and product partnerships for Project Loon, Project H (a confidential clean energy project) and other early-stage X projects.
Steven Culbertson,
At the end of the day, the group decided to skip the parties to shop and do homework. After dinner, Sahanya led the first reflection. We shared thoughts about people who taught us something and a person or idea that moved us to action. Exploring a personal spark to serve, connecting to Middle Division SEE Periods, and the process of backwards design creation of a non profit and how to market ideas were mentioned by the teens. Memorable workshops were Managing a nonprofit, a 17 year old survival guide (the process and the marketing), Change begins with a leader in me (IPARD encountered), Food for Change (sugar and nutrition activities), and Knowledge and the End of Slavery Forever (Daring to Dream placing millions of books in the hands of people and making it a reality overcoming all obstacles).
Making Learning Relevant, Connecting STEM to Social Justice
Food for Change
How much sugar is in your drink? Nutrition, Diabetes Prevention
Food Apartheid
Feed a family of 4 with $5 with groceries from a local store or Whole Foods
I cannot afford to see nutrition. McDonals has the $1 Menu and I have 4 mouths to fee and no time or transportation to grocery shop
Food Apartheid
Mrs. Omelia and Mrs. Clay reflected during tea time before dinner at a local restaurant. Mrs. O'melia share the desire to explore a more intentional collaborative effort between the SEE Period and the Upper Division YAC as a consequence of the workshops she attended and from viewing the showcase presentations. Mrs. Clay shared the "open your fist activity" as one thing she will remember the most because it brought a new teaching tool for her toolkit. She stated on an e-mail to some Casady teachers and administrators: "At a workshop at the National Service-Learning Conference, I was very impressed by the quality and mindful presence of a group of students who presented "Food for Change" which called participants to question where does your food come from? How does your food demonstrate sustainability? Students from high school Green Ambassadors in Southwest Los Angeles addressed food injustice in their community. The students helped us evaluate sustainable food, show how food production contributes to the drought, and define "food desert" and "food apartheid." The Green Ambassador Interns provided easy to reproduce activities. Their facilitating teacher stated that the most influential book for her as an educator was ("the choice theory" The Quality School/Quality Educator by William (Bill) Glasser. Cherylynn knew about Glasser. Have you all read about his work? Dr. Marcia Moore stated in a reply e-mail "Bill Glasser is a psychologist who has been around a long time and written about therapeutic intervention with adults and children, especially within the school arena. His work is solid and well respected. I am not familiar with the choice theory but will read about it." Service-Learning bought the book! As next steps, we shared possible plans of a day of interactive, connected service with the Middle Division, Best Buddies, and Boys and Girls Club. Activities such as the H20 for Life wheelbarrow, dough for blind children to develop the sensitivity they need to learn how to read and write in braille, and the save the turtles art activity by the Qatar Foundation were pinpointed as good possible experiences to create relationships and a taste for the fun of service.
