Week 5:

What went well? 

This was the first week as mentors to the high-school students. Establishing community guidelines and encouraging reflection felt good this week. We went through multiple forms of strengths-training and leadership training, while defining certain language used in social justice spaces. I felt like some trainings were particularly well received and the high schoolers were very interested.

What could have been done differently?

As expected, some participants were slightly more engaged than others, and I think we could have focused less on trying to encourage those who were checked-out to change their behavior and more on supporting the students that were really interested and showed a passion for being there. I think it's important to not let the 5% who weren't as passionate ruin the vibe for the other 95%.

What did I learn about myself while working with others?

I learned that I definitely enjoy getting to know new faces and I like to be in a space to introduce passionate people to new things. I found this week very fruitful in that sense.

What did I learn about leadership?

I learned that there are definitely times when it is necessary to make my positionality as a leader and mentor to these students clear for their benefit and for the sake of the community, but also that a lot of really good learning and connection-building can happen when I focus less on my role and more about us as people all coming together for the same cause, which is an important aspect of social justice work.

What do I want to develop or focus on next?

Going into Week 6, the second week of the program, there was a lot of focus placed on the fact that our community partner visits were coming up. Throughout Week 5 I focused on preparing myself and my students to interact with the community in such close encounters by reminding them of community guidelines and encouraging curiosity and listening.