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What’s In A Name?
What is this AmeriCorps? Why is my friend so proud of finishing a year in it? Is it something I might want to do, too? I had many questions running through my mind when a couple of people I know began talking about their year in AmeriCorps. So I began to ask questions. I learned this is a volunteer organization, affiliated with Marshfield Clinic. That it is a way to get excellent training for working with young people. That there was an education award on completion of a one-year term.
Never, never show your friends you’re interested! The next thing I knew, my friends were walking me through an on-line registration, and I not only knew a little about AmeriCorps, I was in it! Next I found myself reporting to a military base! What had I done? I’m over fifty, what was I doing in early morning classes, playing games to learn more about the U.S. Constitution, then thinking I had drawn K.P. duty, but instead finding myself on a crew cutting brush in overpowering heat? My poor body was telling me things that were not nice! Making it through this was well worth it, though. All of us new AmeriCorps members were pretty pleased with ourselves when the great day came and we could be sent back out into our communities. We had forged a strong bond by holding ourselves up and making it through tough times together.
Now I must try to work out a plan of action for my worksite. All sorts of new experiences awaited me here! Getting started was the hardest, followed by finding out who controlled what parts of the community machinery I needed. Through my years of life, I have always worked with young people of all ages. Here came an opportunity to really do what I always wanted to do: open doors for our young people to get what they needed. This is to get help with problems relating to the biggest issues facing our young people: Alcohol, Drugs, and Gangs. I could combine my hard-earned life experience (Thank you, my seven children and all your friends!) with training provided by Marshfield Clinic, and try to implement some positive decision-making programming that would make a difference.
Working in a school setting provided a natural starting place. Teaching in a native language program allowed me to adapt the school’s stated values to interface with the values in Ojibwe culture’s seven teachings: respect, bravery, honesty, wisdom, love, truth, and humility. Including and welcoming non-native children into our language classes has dispelled a great deal of fear and anger which has been a constant problem in this whole area. Easing in a little anti-bullying activity, providing a time to discuss alcohol and drugs safely, and making home visits all help students make better choices. Making available accurate information on the effects of substance abuse on the student, home, and community has also helped with getting young people to feel comfortable in saying “no” to things they are pressured to try by their peers.
Making the school’s faculty more aware of the ways the reservation’s size and structure affects the students was a real challenge. I’ve always felt that “seeing is believing” so several of us worked together to lobby for a way to sensitize the faculty to the long distances students travel, economic conditions, and the sheer beauty of the reservation. This year the administration ok’ed a bus trip so the Middle school faculty could take a tour of the ‘Rez” during an in-service which led to so many favorable comments that we are now making plans for a wild-ricing trip next fall for both the Middle and High school faculty.
So, what’s in a name? Now I believe some people will remember that I was named as an AmeriCorps member, as well as being Doris, as well as being an elder, as well as being me, and as well as being a person that has made a difference. |
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