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Intercultural Leadership
Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #14
12/17/08 4:00pm-6:00pm
ILI Office
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #14
12/17/08 4:00pm-6:00pm
ILI Office
ILI Students: 9
ILI Alumni: Tiffany Willey
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, and Matt White
The students came in with extra exuberance today because we were having a holiday party. All the students brought gifts under a small monetary amount to share. We started with everyone opening their stocking that was hung by the white board with care. After everyone had an opportunity to ogle their stocking stuffers we shared thoughts of things that make us happy. When everyone had an opportunity to share we continued with the festivities with yummy treats! The students enjoyed the treats and each other’s stories as we caught up with each other. This is a wonderful time for students to express themselves and talk about things that are important to them.
Then, we started to discuss how we might distribute the presents. We came up with several different ways and then voted on a few. The consensus was that we would do a modified “white elephant” exchange. We would draw numbers but no one could steal, they could only barter for presents. The students enjoyed the activity, the presents, and other’s reactions to the presents that they had purchased. There were a lot of wonderful interactions and great bartering that went on during the exchange. The best part about it was that everyone was happy with their presents.
When we were done with the gift exchange, Tiffany an ILI alumni, talked with the students about her experiences in ILI and how that has affected her life. As she continued she talked about her experience at UW-Oshkosh. We are all so proud of her and are grateful for her visit and words of wisdom and encouragement for our students.
Next meeting is Jan. 7, 2009
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership #13
LUHS ILI office
4:00 to 6:00
12-10-08
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, Matt White.
Tonight started with our usual time of sharing both ideas, things we are thankful for and , of course, food. Always a fun time.
After that the group dove right into work for the upcoming dance on Saturday. There were people to call and details to arrange and the students did an awesome job of jumping into it. Calling people from local businesses can be hard for those not used to it. These students were not intimidated and did an excellent job.
We worked on the dance for awhile and then went down to the library for the Lakeland Area Community Meeting. The LACM asked for the students input on an upcoming event for the community. The group spent the remaining time sharing opinions and ideas with the adults and community leaders. Notes from the LACM meeting will come out tomorrow.
Intercultural
Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #12
12/3/08 4:00pm-6:00pm
LUHS
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #12
12/3/08 4:00pm-6:00pm
LUHS
ILI Students: 8
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, and Matt White
The students came in with their normal after school exuberance and were happy to be here. We circled everyone up and asked them to share something in their life that warms their heart on these chilly days. After we shared these things with each other we celebrated the birthdays of two students. We all sang and had some wonderful treats prepared by Alice.
Once we were finished catching up on each other’s holidays we headed into the auditorium for some performance activities on stage. The students really enjoyed this time to express themselves both physically and dramatically. Students have a desire to express themselves and they do it in different ways. On stage, dramatically inclined students have an opportunity to express themselves in a way that is meaningful and healthy to them. This was very evident through the activities we did on stage. The staff saw some incredible talent within these students and is excited to develop that talent.
We headed back to the room and continued working on the Middle School Dance that we will host on Saturday December 13th. The students are excited! We have a DJ on board, the same one from last dance—whom the students thought was GREAT! We will wrap up the planning and get posters out this week. The students did a good job with the organizational aspects of the dance and are developing as leaders.
Next scheduled meeting 12/10/08. However, we will be meeting more regularly to get the final details of the dance put together.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural
Leadership InitiativeIntercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program # 11
11/19/08 4:00pm-6:00pm
LUHS
ILI Students: 11
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, and Matt White
Because we have been having such a big group of students we rearranged the room so that we could all sit on the floor and have enough space to fit everyone comfortably in a circle on the floor. We may have to consult with LUHS to see if there any other spaces we could use for our after school leadership program to accommodate the amount of students we are getting. It’s a good problem to have to solve!
We began by reflecting on the week and sharing our highlights. We continued with a wonderful yummy treat Alice made for us and we shared stories and caught each other up on what has been going on in our lives. As we talked the ILI staff noticed some of the words that students were using to joke with one another could be taken a different way and if they were, could be hurtful. The ILI staff wanted to address this and after we finished our snack we began an activity to address their word choices.
Every student received a piece of paper and Matt asked them to fold the paper in half—how ever they felt—and then to fold it in half again. Once they had completed those tasks, Matt asked them to tear up the piece of paper. They students enjoyed this process. When everyone was finished Matt explained to them that they now needed to put the pieces of paper back together to form the original piece of paper. Many of the students said that it was impossible! However, everyone started on their project. There were different levels of frustration depending on how they had ripped their paper. As some students were finishing and others still had a long way to go Matt suggested if they needed help they could ask the others that were done for help. Some took the opportunity and others continued to work by themselves. When everyone was almost done Matt asked the students questions about how they talk to one another and how that affects them.
We had a great discussion on how the use of words affects us all. The students shared stories and situations where words had hurt them. They also shared how the pieces of paper put back together represents the feelings that have been hurt and that they cannot be put back to their original state. All of the students left with a better understanding of the importance of the way we use words.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #9
11/5/08 4:00-6:00pm
LUHS
After School Leadership Program #9
11/5/08 4:00-6:00pm
LUHS
ILI Students: 12
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr and Alice McFarlane
We gathered in our room and it was a tight fit with all of the students and staff. We began with a time of sharing something that brings a smile to both our faces and hearts. Then, we enjoyed each others stories and shared the happenings in our lives. As we were winding down, Craig told the students that we would do some active activity and then we would need to tap into our creative side.
We went to the multi-purpose room and did an activity called “Chariot War.” (Please see the Activity Period write-up for 11/5/08 for details.) The students really enjoyed this activity. It is a wonderful way to decompress from the school day. The students really worked well together, communicated and creatively solved the problems that were thrown at them. After the time of activity we headed back to the ILI room.
Since the first quarter had ended, Craig suggested that we change the bulletin board in the commons. The students almost immediately launched into a brainstorming frenzy to come up with a new idea for the bulletin board. This was an incredible experience to watch. One particular student stood up and began to organize, motivate, and call the students back to attention. It was powerful to see this kind of peer leadership. At the end to the brainstorming, there were three ideas. When the students were voting on the ideas one of them stated that they thought that they all were good and that we should combine all three. So the students all agreed and set out to do that and set out to combine all three ideas. Then, it was time to work on the board. With the time that was left, the ideas did not transfer to the board as quickly as they had hoped. It is a work in progress and we will hopefully finish it this week. It is a great idea of incorporating a number of different fall/winter themes and will be fun to see the final project.
Next meeting is November 12.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Youth as Partners
in Civic Leadership Conference
Green Lake, Wisconsin
October 31 to November 2, 2008
Green Lake, Wisconsin
October 31 to November 2, 2008
LUHS Students: 4
ILI Staff: Matt White, Alice McFarlane
A program called Youth Voice of Wisconsin has established the groundwork for a pilot partnership with youth and adults in the Lakeland area. ILI has been helping with connecting and recruiting students and adults. There are a number of coalitions for youth issues in the area that have yet to find a way for youth to be present at the table. Youth Voice is a program that helps fund, promote and train both youth and coalitions in how to partner. ILI has found a number of interested students at LUHS. They are now looking at the logistics of how to make it a win-win for the high school, the coalitions and the youth involved. Meeting times need to be arranged to maximize the convenience for all the parties involved.
That brings us to this conference, which was sponsored in part by the Youth Voice program in partnership with the Youth as Partners in Civic Leadership program, UW Extension. Both programs focus on youth being heard in governance, school issues and any issues that youth have a desire to be heard in. The focus is to train and empower students with skills and knowledge needed to be heard. Topics included media, marketing, school issues, school budgets, grass root movements and many other topical issues of concern to youth. Also included in the schedule were some open ended round table discussions hosted by youth/adult partnerships. There was also time for fun, food and fine new friends.
As the conference got closer, it turns out that UW Extension had a fund of money for the LUHS representatives, making it possible to go. We thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of their kindness by taking interested students to the conference for the training and information. It seemed like a good way to kick off the Youth Voice program in the Lakeland area. The student’s enthusiasm for the trip and involvement was a delight. There was a great sense of humor and adventure and we had a number of very good conversations. The students were open, honest and willing to talk. They were also very thoughtful. They were challenged and did not avoid the challenging topics or discussions. They embraced opportunities to speak up and lead. They show great promise as future leaders. One area in particular that they had the opportunity to shine was in hosting a round table discussion on race issues in schools. The people who attended were very engaged, in part due to the student’s honesty, enthusiasm, and confidence.
We are very proud to have had this opportunity to spend time with these students. We look forward to good things from them in the future.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership #8
LUHS ILI office
4:00 to 6:00 10-29-08
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, Matt White.
Well, tonight was special because our very own Craig Kerr had a birthday. We won’t say what number! Some of the students remembered and brought some cake and such. This led into our normal time of sharing and eating together. A student brought Guava paste as a sample of something exotic to try and appreciate. Some did. Some didn’t. It was a good, relaxing time together.
Then the ILI staff had the group proceed to the multi-purpose room. We started with a group favorite called “Elbow tag”. It involves a lot of running and laughing.
After the group had their fill, Craig asked them to get onto a low board long enough to fit the whole group onto, but with not much room to spare. He then gave them a challenge. They were to reorder themselves in opposite order without their feet touching the ground. The group had to think outside the box and work together and solve many problems concerning balance and sequence. They spent a good amount of time listening and trying things out. After a while they found some new ways of looking at the problem and solved it quickly.
A few things that were heard and seen during the challenge had a direct relation to some of the things the group can do to really be welcoming and comfortable for new people who come. The group spent about 20 minutes listening to each other and even pointing out, in a positive way, some things that we can improve on. The ideas were heard and agreed with. The group even said there were some things they could start working on right away that twould help each other head in a better direction so they could be more inclusive of others.
This means they were taking the lessons that the staff was seeing and went farther and took action. It will be exciting to see what they do with these things they are learning.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership #7
LUHS ILI office
4:00 to 6:00 10-22-08
LUHS ILI Students: 8.
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Matt White.
The afternoon began with attitude of gratitude. A new student joined us this afternoon. To introduce the other students to her, she came up with a question that she wanted everyone to answer. She wanted to know what kind of music everyone listened to. So as the students shared around the circle, she got to hear their name and the music they like.
We headed outside to play some activities that help relieve the stresses of the day. The students had a good time with the activities, it was fun to hear their laughter and see the smiles. We played a twist of elbow tag where you have to mimic the person you’re chasing. This brought more laughter as we watched each other move in creative ways.
Then we transitioned to a thinking activity. It involved the students mingling and interacting with each other around the concept of how we welcome people. We sat down to discuss the activity, and how we can welcome people into our group. We talked about how each person’s gifts have strong and weak points. And how do we as a group help draw out each other’s gifts and protect each other’s weak spots.
We returned to the room and started brainstorming about a middle school dance. The students were able to draw on their experience from last spring. The ideas came quickly and confidently. It was great to see them sharing and taking in other’s ideas. The students plan to come in with the rest of their ideas and proceed with dividing the work load next week.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership #6
LUHS ILI office
4:00 to 6:00 10-15-08
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Matt White, Craig Kerr.
We started the evening as usual with a time of food, fun and sharing some of our goofier moments and stories.
When this had come to a close, Matt had the students head outside for a rousing round of “Have you ever”. Matt challenged them to not only play the game but to make a memory and to get exercise out of it as well. Through the course of the game they were to pick a secret person and watch them without them knowing. While watching them each person was to finds out 3 things about that person that they didn’t know before. After playing for a while we paused to share what we learned about each other. It was good to see their observational skills at work……or was it play. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to confuse the two.
Matt and Alice then had the students write out 3 things that people would need to know about them to be able to move on to the 2nd stage of friendship. The group then sat and shared these things with one another. The idea is that these activities will help this group be able to draw closer and able to accomplish some of the great things that they have envisioned for this year. For these things to happen it will take teamwork and trust. It was good to see the group taking steps towards the goals they have set for themselves. Thank you for listening and liking what we do.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #5
3:30pm-6:00pm 10/8/08
LUHS
After School Leadership Program #5
3:30pm-6:00pm 10/8/08
LUHS
ILI Students: 10
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr
When everyone had gathered in the room it felt a little cozy with this many students in the room. It was wonderful to have them all there. We began with taking time to think about and share something that was good about our day today. This always gets us off to a positive start and gets us in the right frame of mind. Then we enjoyed some tasty treats as we shared stories and some students even sang us a song. There was much smiling and laughing as we shared around the table. When we were finished Craig took the students over to the multipurpose room for a challenge.
Craig gave the students a challenge to work together and move as one connected unit with only the use of 11 feet and 7 hands to move the group to a certain spot on the floor. (This activity is often referred to as “Monster.”) They began to plan right away. It was very interesting to what the students interacting and communicating or in some cases not communicating. Finally they gave one of the ideas a try and they accomplished the challenge given to them. Craig asked the students to circle up and we talked about the experience of the challenge. Craig asked the students some questions that helped the students think about how they communicate and how hard it is to truly communicate when everyone is talking all at the same time. He asked them if they thought that the multiple lines of communication most student have going (IMing, texting, and talking to someone on the phone) influences students talking over each other. Some of the students thought so and others disagreed. It was a good experience to learn more about and grow in our understanding of one another.
After we were done with our challenge we headed back to the room because we were going to get a visit from Woody Hagge. Woody does a number of things in the community but he was here to talk to us about the Lakeland Area Food Pantry. The students had decided earlier that they would like to do a food/fundraiser for the Food Pantry and we thought it would be good to have Woody come out and talk with the students about the best way to help the Food Pantry. He talked to the students about how the Food Pantry’s budget had tripled because of the number of families they are serving. As we talked the students discussed different methods of how they could raise money for the Food Pantry. It was a great discussion and the students decided on having another middle school dance like last year. We will be working with Woody and the volunteers to get the word out about our families that are in need in our community and to put together the dance.
Next meeting Oct. 15
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural
Leadership Initiative
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #4
3:30pm-6:00pm 10-1-08
LUHS
2008-2009
After School Leadership Program #4
3:30pm-6:00pm 10-1-08
LUHS
ILI Students: 8
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, and Matt White
We had a great group of students this afternoon! They arrived and had great conversations as they waited for everyone to get there. There was a lot of laughing and sharing. When everyone arrived we shared a highlight from the day to get us all in a positive state of mind as we began. Alice made some wonderful zucchini bread from the zucchini Uncle Ernie grew in his garden. The students really enjoyed it.
When everyone had finished we went to get some energy out from the school day. We enjoyed a couple of rounds of some very lively activities and the students appreciated the opportunity and showed it through their actions and laughter.
We headed back to the room to plan for our first fundraiser/foodraiser event. The students had decided to raise money and get people to donate food for the food pantry. The students are excited about this opportunity. Matt started to help them brainstorm on the white board. We eventually came to the conclusion that we would like Woody Hagge to come in and talk with us about how we could help.
This group of students is somewhat new to each other so we decided that they could benefit from getting to know and learn how to work with each other. So, we had the students get into a circle with a bandana. Then we did the “Human Knot” activity. The students dove right into it and it was really amazing to watch all of the communication and dynamics within the group as they tried to solve the problem. In the end the students had formed two circles. We sat down and discussed what had happened. There was some really good and honest conversation that they students had about their experience. We are proud of these students and their work to get to know one another and be a good model for us all.
Next meeting Oct. 8
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008 – 2009
After School Leadership Program #3
9/24/08 3:30 – 6:00pm
LUHS
ILI Students: 6
ILI Staff: Alice McFarlane, Craig Kerr, and Matt White
The students came in full of energy. As we waited for everyone to gather we shared stories and taught each other some new card games. It was a great time of sharing, laughter, and tough “game faces.” When everyone arrived we shared with each other a high light from our week. This is a good way to check in and get into a positive frame of mind. Once everyone shared we enjoyed some of the veggies that Uncle Ernie brought us from his garden. They were excellent! Thank you Uncle Ernie!
The students still had a lot of energy that they needed an outlet for. So we did and activity to channel that energy in a positive way. After the activity, we returned to the ILI room and began to sort through which organizations we were going to serve this year. As we talked we decided for a number of reasons on the following organizations: The Lakeland Food Pantry, Toys for Tots, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, and ILI. We will also be doing some volunteering at the St. Matthias Thrift Shop. The students are excited about getting organized so that they can get started giving back to the community.
Next Meeting Oct. 1
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural
Leadership Initiative
2008 – 2009
After School Leadership Program #2
9/17/08 3:30pm – 6:00pm
LUHS
2008 – 2009
After School Leadership Program #2
9/17/08 3:30pm – 6:00pm
LUHS
ILI Students: 6
ILI Staff: Craig Kerr, Alice McFarlane, and Matt White
The students came in and brought all of their energy with them. They were happy to be here and as they congregated took some time to visit and decompress from their school day. As we began we shared a highlight from our day. We had some wonderful goodies left over from an event earlier in the day and the students were very grateful to have such a great meal!
As mentioned earlier the students had a great deal of energy that they brought with them and as we finished our food, they were in need of an outlet for their energy. We did some activities that really involved a lot of physical activity and they truly enjoyed the opportunity to “play.”
Then, we came back into the room and continued our conversation about community service projects. The students brainstormed organizations we could help and how we could raise money for them. This was a great exercise and the students had a hard time getting started, but when they did they had some really great ideas and came up with a number of different organizations in the area we could help. We are very proud of these students and we see them develop the compassion and passion to help others in our community.
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
2008 – 2009
After School Leadership Program #1
9/10/08 3:45 – 6:00pm
LUHS
ILI Students: 5
ILI Staff: Erine St. Germaine, Matt White, Alice McFarlane, and Craig Kerr
Today was our first After School Leadership Program meeting of the year. The students were glad to be back and brought their energy and excitement with them. There was a lot of conversation and enjoyment of each other’s company before we came together around the table to reflect on what we had in our lives that we appreciate.
As we enjoyed our refreshments there were many stories of the summer that were shared among the students and the staff. It was a wonderful time to catch up with the students and find out how they have grown over the summer. It was also a good time for the staff to reconnect with and share their own stories with the students.
As our time of sharing was winding down it was apparent that we needed to do some physical activities before we could focus on what we needed to discuss today. Craig led the group in a couple of activities. The students enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to release energy in a positive way. There was much running, laughing, and students and staff out of breath. After our time of physical activity the students elected to use the puppets we had to create a story. They are very imaginative students and we created a couple of wonderful stories together.
After our kinesthetic and imagination time we reconvened in the ILI room. Craig talked with the students about the upcoming opportunity to work in the concession stand at the T-Bird home football game on Friday. We planned out everything that we will need and who was going to be organizing which part of the set up. These students were wonderful and had great ideas about how to organize the details. After figuring out these details, Craig asked the students to consider some service projects the students could organize this school year. The students were very excited about the possibilities and are thinking about how they can contribute to their community with their talents.
Finally we ended with creating a new ILI bulletin board. They got a great start and are hoping to finish it tomorrow.
Next session Sept. 17
Bob
Kovar, Project Director
Intercultural Leadership Initiative
Intercultural Leadership Initiative