Hi, I'm Kyungryul Kim from South Korea. I'm an internship with Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago. This is my last video as the intern. This is the Introduction of the past Intern projects. Many interns were be together with T/MC,and will be together in the future. they will try to make a difference.
To me, this internship was a very precious experience. Sincerely , Thank you, Daniel!
Hello, this is my third work. I made a Prezi introducing some previous interns' works. It is not perfect now, so I'll fix after Dan's feedback. this prezi introduces video, flash, and pdf file. In addition, KyungRyul's introduction video is also included in this.
Click here
Hi, I'm Kyungryul Kim from South Korea. I'm an internship with Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago. This is my second video for internship. When you think of tutoring and mentoring, do you think of the planning process needed to make programs available in more places, for many years? follow each step to win. Thank you!
Hello. This is my second work during internship of T/MC. The topic of work is Problem-Solving Strategy, which consists of 4 parts. It can be applied in any social sector problem solving.
If you want to see, Click here
For anyone who missed the conference and might be interested, these were my opening remarks.
Stay busy, stay prayerful...stay out of trouble! maxine
Good morning How is everybody doing? Glad you could make it
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Well I guess I’ll just dive in
As you have read or maybe just heard, I am Maxine Williams, the coordinator of the FunDay School tutoring program.
But what you do not know is why I am standing up here speaking instead of one of the other many capable and accomplished people in this room.
Let me try to connect some dots for you...
unfortunately...starting with a grim newspaper clipping from the Chicago Tribune
“Three days after the shooting, at a wake in the school gym on Friday, members of Congress, state senators, and the Mayor were among the people who stood in line in the cold outside, then filed past the coffin, which was strewn with flowers.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke at the funeral. He called for gun control and it brought cheers from the mourners. "And his demands that parents take responsibility for their children brought foot-stomping agreement and deafening applause,"
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In the conference announcement that Dan sent out last month, he made reference to a CBS 48 Hours program that discussed crime, violence, gangs and drugs in Chicago and how they were destroying our youth...figuratively and literally killing them.
Even though he suggested that we watch a video of the program, Dan also declared that we’ve heard this before and challenged us to think about what can be done to combat this destructive behavior that has taken place for decades.
I could sense Dan’s frustration and understood it well....because...
That CBS program featured Hidiya Pendleton, a promising 15 year old girl who was gunned down on the south side a few months ago...but...the newspaper clipping that I read was from 1984, when the nation’s top high school basketball player at the time, 17 year old Ben Wilson, was gunned down on the south side
Yeah, that means, this stuff has been going on much too long and somebody has got to do something about it. And, to paraphrase Rev. Jackson “We are Somebody!”
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Okay, here is where I fit in.
That CBS 48 Hours program featured an open air drug market with drugs being sold and used and violence taking place on the property of a baptist church on Chicago’s west side.
After reading Dan’s announcement, I reminded him that a successful mentoring/tutoring program had been operated from that very church on that very corner. That program was our very own little FunDay School, which was started by the Sun Rise MB Church as an outreach to the youth of our community.
I am here to tell you about some of our experiences and provide evidence that tutor/mentor programs like FunDay school and the ones you represent, do make a difference.
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The corner of Kilbourn and VanBuren in K-town is almost deserted on Saturday mornings. The only traffic I saw (while trying not to see it) when I arrived at 9:45 am was skeletal images staggering in and out of the alleys and drivers pulling up to the curb to make exchanges with hooded young men on the corners. I’d sit in my car until others arrived for the day’s session...all the time noticing someone in a 3rd floor window... hoping that they didn’t think that I was watching what was going on while I watched them watch me. That was my predicament every other Saturday morning as I waited to go inside my church to set up for FunDay School. My presence did not disrupt their flow. Even after others arrived, we stood at the door so kids from the block could see we were in session and we watched them walk to the church. The dealers were not afraid of women or young volunteer tutors. Several times, we had to call for male back up, so the hooded young men would leave from in front of the church so we all felt safer. At the end of the session, regardless of the weather, the children had to stay at the back of the church until a parent came for them or we walked them home. There was no going out the front door.
This is what and how we overcame when we started the FunDay School tutoring program at my church about 10 years ago. We started slow but we did not give up. We knew it was up to us and people like us to do something to protect our children from these conditions and plant the seeds that would prepare them for a future with better conditions. Our persistence paid off. Once volunteers and parents committed to arriving on time...or early, I was only by myself for a few minutes...and I was given a key to unlock the door rather than wait on a church officer. And God even sent me a bodyguard. The little boy from across the street watched out of the window for me...and came running out to help me with my bags and make sure I got in ok. He then went in the back to set up tables and chairs and lay out the books and supplies for the other kids.
It wasn’t just us church members who overcame. We had volunteer tutors of all ethnicities and ages. Of course...so the police thought... nothing good could come out of the west side of Chicago, so they would pull our volunteers over and frisk them, as suspected drug buyers. (Funny, when I was sitting there by myself, I‘d never even see a squad car.)
But that did not deter the volunteers, they kept coming and we made up special id cards for them so they could “pass go,” if the police stopped them.
We did not run the drug activity away completely. But at least they cleared the corner when we were in session.
I won’t go into a lot of detail about our actual program. It is probably similar to others represented here...but I want to impress upon you that we needed to be there for our children. They needed us. My bodyguard had been a timid little boy who the gangs picked on. But he had the courage to come out and protect me. Of course, I am sure his grandmother watching from the window added to his courage.
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Think about it this way. Somebody will be there for the kids. If it isn’t the right somebody, there is a greater risk that those hooded guys on the corner also known as “the wrong somebody” will introduce them to the false courage or false bravado found behind guns and violence. It is that false bravado that not only caused the physical deaths of 15 year old Hidiya Pendleton in January and 17 year old, Ben Wilson almost 30 years ago... but... it ruined the lives of
- 15 year old Omar Dixon,
- 17 year old William Moore,
- 18 year old Michael Ward and
- 20 year old 1Kenneth Williams;
Ward and Williams are on their way to long jail terms for Hidiya’s murder;
and Dixon, after being sentenced to 30 years for Ben’s 1984 murder, is now serving a 40 year sentence for another murder....he spent the prime of his life behind bars...he is now 43 years old and is not expected to be paroled before 2041, when he will be 71 years old....talk about a destroyed life
You did not recognize their names. But they were names of the young men that pulled the triggers...the ones that the wrong somebodies got to.
As tutors and mentors our jobs are to teach, reach and direct girls and boys toward positive possibilities. At the risk of being redundant, I repeat, most of you are professionals in this field. I do not have to tell you how to do it. I am just reinforcing the fact that it must be done.
What we do is all about the kids. Mentoring is about setting an example. My bodyguard had courage because his grandmother and I had courage. And even though that person was watching me from the 3rd floor, the grandmother watched me too. And, since many of us are from faith-based organizations, I can say this....guess what, God was watching all of us.
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Ok I’ve tugged at your heart strings about the little church that could. Dan asked me to put more about FunDay School on the T/MC blog. You may read more about it, if you like.
But, the bottom line is “it only matters... if it matters.”
What I mean is, did our program make a difference? The answer is YES.
My bodyguard is now an outgoing 16 year old, probably the tallest person in our church and is doing very well in high school. He is just finishing his sophomore year but played the last two years on the varsity basketball team and he is being scouted by colleges. His mentor was a lawyer with the State of Illinois. One young lady who was a marginal student with a poor attitude just finished her junior year at Northern IL University where she is getting very good grades and has developed much better personal skills. She was paired with a financial analyst who had recently graduated from DePaul University Business School. We’ve got two other alumni at Eastern IL University. I have known these young people all of their lives. I know they all benefited from the tutoring and mentoring they received.
In case you think I am making all of this up, I’ve got a young man with me here today who just finished his first year at Concordia University in River Forest, just west of Chicago. He is an accounting major and a wide receiver on the football team. He is going to introduce himself to you and share a few words.
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But, before I yield, I’d like to drop a shameless plug.
The young man about to speak is looking for a summer job. Think about him if you have or know of any employment opportunities.
Also, he can probably add valuable perspective to your session discussions.
Thank you for listening.
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At Dan's urging I did mention some specific obstacles that caused us to take an extended hiatus. I talked about slow parents and how we motivated the kids in order to motivate the parents. We gave stars for being present before a certain time. We did a chart and promised a prize to the 2 kids with the most stars. The kids made a pont of keeping up with their stars. We gave points for bringing school work and more points for book reports. I put the book reports in our church bulletin which made the parents and children proud. The kids made black history reports in February. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a fiesta featuring a pinata. the last 15 mins of each session they were allowed to play fun, educational games. We went to plays and Rush football games. The tutors loved the football games. We had the city bring the moonwalk at the begininng and end of each school year. Basically we promised fun and tricked them into attending and learning while we had fun.
But we were done in by inconsistent tutors after a few years. Most of the volunteers knew each other. That was great for recruitment but they were young so when dating and other issues caused problems for them, we paid the price for it. Also, we only had so much space dedicated for our sessions. If we used the upstairs or sanctuary, discipline became a problem and there was fun but no learning. Also, several times, other church events caused us to cancel our sessions. It became hard to stay on track.
it really is a triangle in which the 3 parts feed off of each other. The kids, tutors and parents have to buy into the plan. i know you don't need a child's permission. But if they are all attitude, they will run the tutor away. The same for if parents don't arrive on time with a child and the tutor sits idle when he/she could be home sleeping, doing errands, nails, the lawn. But if a lovesick tutor is pining or absent, the child will not learn anyway. And, alas, what is a poor coordinator to do when any of this happens?
PS Sam starts working at the Chicag Waffle and Chicken restaurant in Oak Park next week!
I went to the conference that held on June 7th. It was really nice experience. I met many person, and communicated. Nice to meet you. When the first workshop, I was little shy at first. However, I could talk to them later, because of my video. I know it is not good, but many people gave praise and encouraged. I will try to develop my skill. I learned many things in there, such as America office culture, leadership, and communication. Thank you, Daniel and everyone.
I remake Creating a Network of purpose using Prezi. This is my first work for T/MC to inform our work. Even Though I'm not accustomed to using it, I'll be better from trial and error. You are able to know how Tutor/Mentor programs work, operate and manage database.
If you Want to see, click here. Thank you.
I'm Kyungryul. I will make second video. It compares the planning process needed to support military forces in many places to that needed to make tutor/mentor programs available in many places. so, It shows steps to win the poverty.
I'm Kyungryul Kim from South Korea. I'm an internship with Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago. This is my first video for T/MC. I looked the past presentation about Tutor/Mentor connection, and made this video to introduce that. If you interested in this video, please contact Tutor/Mentor Connection.
Editor note: Krngryul Kim is developing a script for his first video project, which he'd doing as part of an internship with Tutor/Mentor Connection in Chicago, which started on May 23. If you're a student in Chicago or another city, you could be doing this, too.
I summarized more.
This is a draft for my presentation.
This is my first draft to make video about the presentation
Today, I saw many data that volunteer made in order to inform poverty like movie, pdf, ppt format. They concisely arranged data and made a variety of files using many tools. They mainly posted about how to progress the helping procedures and what we're doing to help children. In addition, they appealed to contributor for donate by seeing their difficult situation.
I think they already made sufficient presentations and video so I don't know how and what to make. But I will focus on the children's problem by reading Chicago's daily newspaper and announce public to ask anyone for help using Prezi tool.
Finally, I learned much about the Tutor/Mentor connection by other works. They help me understand Tutor/Mentor connection’s missions and goals. I think it is like a advertisement. So, It should be a strong impact, without long. So, I will process the project using these steps. First, I will set the targets. Tutor connection needs someone who has capability to help the children. So, I consider who will see the video. Next, the subject will be included in that. I think this subject is appealing to more people about children who need help. Third, It will be creative and interesting. If it does not have fun, the subject will not be passed well. I will try to make the conti many times to be creative.
That is my first video in a six week internship. I'm Kyungryul Kim from South Korea, and I'm studying in IIT in Chicago. I made this using Premiere. But, I'm not sure this is suitable for introduction. I'll use it again for internship, so I have to increase my editing skills. I'll do better next time.
Hello, nice to meet you! My name is ByeongHui Kim and I'm an intern in Tutor/Mentor Connection. It is my first time to use Prezi so it looks very simple. Through this internship, I'll improve my skills. I introduced my roles, experiences, skills, friends that I can inform the difficulty of children, activity that I did.
Every six months interns from IIT in Chicago participate in a six-week internship with Tutor/Mentor Connection, Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC. The first project they are asked to do is an introduction of themselves. View this presentation below to meet ByeongHui Kim.
http://prezi.com/jtglafyfkpbr/introduction/?kw=view-jtglafyfkpbr&rc=ref-40461133
To Supporters of Volunteer-Based Tutor/Mentor Programs
Please see attached story (my May 23 blog item...K-Town Church.) It is a report written by a Wheaton College student who was doing an internship with World Vision 8 or 9 years ago. I forwarded it to Dan Bassill of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and he sent it to WVON for a PSA. I don’t think it ever aired.
Dan posted a blog article on May 28, titled, violence,Drugs and Mentoring - Chicago which included a video of a CBS 48 Hours program. The church in the 48 Hours http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147118n program that Dan mentioned is my church…the site of a tutoring program that is a part of the TMC.
We’re on hiatus now. We had a very successful run. I tried very hard to keep it going. But I ran out of committed tutors and parents also left us. And my job became more demanding, my health and my mother’s health waned…. So I could no longer soldier the program. I may retire next year. If so I will be looking to get our program going again…or connecting with another program.
You’d be happy to know that Sammy from the story is about to finish his freshman year at Concordia University in River Forest. He is on the football team. I just talked to him and his mother yesterday (May 19, 2013.) He is looking for a summer job. Let me work this network further on his behalf. He was a success but the story is not over yet. He is bright, hardworking and personable. He can work as a mentor, athletic assistant, landscaping, construction…..he is pursuing accounting and architecture….so he can also work in and benefit from office work. He works with the children at my church.
Editorial Note: Maxine sent me this information via email and I encouraged her to post it here. I've also invited Maxine and Samual to speak at the June 7 Tutor/Mentor Conference in Chicago. With her email to me, Maxine said:
"I’d love to hear back from you re the 48 Hour news report and our tutoring program. You may remember me. I came to a few TMC conferences. Also, maybe you can help me find a job for Sammy. (PS: I’ve also got 2 co-eds at Eastern Ill. Univ. looking for summer jobs who are alumni from our tutoring program.) Maxine 312 751-4837"
Editorial Note: This is a story that was written in 2004 to tell the story of a tutor/mentor program operating out of a church on the West Side of Chicago. That church was highlighted in a 2013 CBS 48 Hours Video showing drug dealing in front of the church.
Maxine Williams was the coordinator for the FunDay School tutoring program that was operated by SunRise Missionary Baptist Church from about 2003 to 2008. We did very well for most of those years with an enrollment of more than 30 children at one time. We were connected with resources by TMC but the program became more demanding than our volunteer base could handle. Several of our alum are now in college. The program operated in a low skilled, low income, crime ridden area recently featured on a CBS national news.
The West Side of Chicago: Part of the World
Featuring the FunDay School Tutoring Program
Two police cars drive by as I stand outside the church at 10:00 on a Saturday morning, waiting to visit a tutoring program. “It’s a nice day in the neighborhood today. Some days it’s kind of scary,” Maxine tells me. But even on this “nice day,” Maxine hesitates before getting out of her car until the church is unlocked and we can go right in.
Sun Rise Missionary Baptist Church is located in West Garfield, a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side that is known for its drug activity. Outside the church building is a worn and vandalized sign for the 4400 Van Buren Block Club, which prohibits drugs, loud music, loitering, and gambling.
The predominantly African-American congregation of 300 members is devoted to bringing hope and resources to West Garfield. As Ronnie, a deacon who also volunteers as a tutor, explained, Pastor Homer Gardner, is respected in the community; when people see him coming down the streets, they put away the drugs they are using or selling. Many of the church members grew up in the area and have moved to other parts of Chicago, but they stay in the church and come back to tutor “because [they] remember when the neighborhood wasn’t like this.”
In an effort to give today’s kids a childhood that is safe and comparable to their own, the members of Sun Rise have developed a biweekly tutoring program at the church. They have planned their sessions with the help of World Vision of Chicago who supplies support, training, and some tutoring materials to churches that desire to start tutoring and mentoring programs. They named the program the FunDay School. Every other Saturday morning, kids from the neighborhood come to FunDay School to get help with their homework or to work on basic skills like reading and math.
“I need to get serious about school now—I just been playin’. But now I’m doin’ real good. No more Ds or Fs—I’m gettin’ good grades now.” This is the first thing that Sammy, a fourth grader, says when I ask him about school. Sammy tells me excitedly that he did all of his homework on Friday afternoon. He picks up a colorful book about leprechauns and begins answering comprehension questions such as, “How would you spend a pot of gold?” He writes that he would buy an outfit and a Playstation 2, and would give the rest to the church.
After that comes spelling words. Sammy gets all the way up to the sixth grade list of words and beams with pride in how much he is learning. When he hits the seventh grade list, he switches to a history exercise and asks me who Harold Washington was. I tell him that Washington was the first African-American mayor of Chicago, and Sammy adds him to his personal list of “people who did good,” which currently includes George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jesse Jackson. We take a break and share some cheese crackers.
The FunDay School seeks to give the kids what they need most: education and love. Maxine, one of the facilitators, often hugs the children and gives them the love that many of them need. She saw this need at a back-to-school fair and cook-out that the church put on this fall. Many children came alone, and some seven-year-olds came with their toddler siblings, whom they were taking care of. These kids also start school already behind, because their parents have not been able to teach them the basic tools they will need. Deonte is in kindergarten, and this morning Maxine is teaching him about the letter B. She sketches Bs for him to carefully trace with a thick red pencil, and asks Deonte what words begin with that sound. “Boy, bat, bug…”
At the next table sits Terrence, a tenth-grader who is now tutoring after being a former student of the tutoring program. Having grown up on the West Side, he explains, “The neighborhood got bad about three or fours years ago—people started getting killed and stealing.” Terrence now attends North Lawndale College Preparatory High School, where he got accepted on merit of his good grades. One of his classes, a Business/Entrepreneur class, recently started a successful vending machine business. Terrence’s goal after graduation is to attend Atlanta Tech and study law there, in order to “become a lawyer and defend innocent people.” Meanwhile, he is helping Sun Rise educate leaders for Chicago’s communities, and also providing a much-needed male role model for the young boys in the program.
At the end of the tutoring session, Maxine takes me on a tour of the neighborhood, pointing out the glass-strewn vacant lots that used to hold homes, apartment buildings and thriving businesses. She explains the history of the area: After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., riots tore Chicago apart. People fled the community, leaving behind very few resources and little hope. The families who stayed on the West Side faced crowded, under-funded public schools and few services. With FunDay School, Sun Rise is one of the groups trying to resurrect the neighborhood, beginning with its youth. When I ask Maxine if she sees any hope for the community, she responds, “We are the hope.”
Maxine believes that World Vision’s program fits perfectly with its overall vision statement. “World Vision seeks to help the at-risk children of the world, right? Well, that’s what FunDay School is! There is a great need here on the west side of Chicago. And, we are part of the world.”
(This article was written by Kristin J. Niehof, an intern at World Vision of Chicago, in October 2003. Kristin graduated from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL) in June 2004.)
FunDay School will start its 2004-05 school year on September 25, 2004. It seeks volunteers. It also needs donors. It needs textbooks and workbooks for all grades, snacks for the children, reference books, school supplies of all types, computer software and instructors, donations to cover costs for outings to sporting events, plays, museums, the circus, etc. and a larger place to hold the sessions, if we have a year like last year. The program offers its services on every other Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at 351 S. Kilbourn. Call Maxine Williams, 312 751-4837 to find out ways you can help.
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What happens after the war - a short story about children suffering in Liberia, West Africa and coming together as a 'human' race to eradicate poverty.
SEE HOW IT BEGAN & WHAT WE ARE DOING TO MAKE IT END
OUR WEBSITE:www.blamelessfacesfoundation.com
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND DISCUSSIONS ARE WELCOME.
VISIT US AT: www.blamelessfacesfoundation.com.
