March: Mentoring

EDUCATION

On Thursday, March 5, GSC's social worker Carin Mack offered a wonderful class on the nature and benefits of being a mentor--a person who gently guides and nurtures the growth of others. We discussed the reciprocal nature of the relationship between a mentor and mentee, the importance of forging intergenerational connections, and the way that mentoring has affected us personally in our lives.

Here are a few insightful suggestions for mentors, gathered from the book From Age-ing to Sage-ing by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller:

-Listen with an open mind and heart to your mentee's genuine concerns before sharing wisdom.
-Don't impose, but invoke knowledge.
-Provide openness for the journey instead of a roadmap.
-Don't try to impress; instead, be your searching, tentative, human self.
-Cherish your mentee's uniqueness.

ACTION

The following week we were joined by four lovely panelists from local organizations who discussed ways to connect with mentoring and tutoring opportunities in the community.


Shana Faulkner provided information about the Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program, which is the largest literacy program in the state of Washington and distributes approximately 160,000 books to more than 55,000 children from low-income families each year. Their Story Time program is a wonderful opportunity to visit local schools and spend an hour or two sparking enthusiasm for books amongst preschoolers and kidnergartners who are most at-risk for academic failure.

Devyn Perez shared with us the secret behind the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co.: if you walk beyond the personal defense armaments and "accoutrements for the youngest adventurers" and go through the Atomic Teleporter, you will find yourself in a fun and innovative writing and tutoring center for youth called 826 Seattle. Through writing workshops, field trips, drop-in tutoring and publishing projects, 826 fosters great leaps in learning among students between 6 and 18 years old.

Sarah Hepner came from nearby Greenwood Elementary School to discuss the great need for tutors at the school. Many children at the school are under grade level for reading, and at least 5 to 6 children from each classroom are in need of extra help with their schoolwork. Through the Sound Partners tutoring program, students are matched with volunteers who guide them through a 20-minute lesson (curriculum is provided) and then spend at least 10 minutes of "fun time" with them.

Crystal Barnard, from the North Seattle Boys and Girls Club, gave a wonderful overview of the many ways to connect with various programs that serve children from kindergarten through 12th grade coming from every public and private school in the north end. Volunteers are welcome on an ongoing basis to tutor kids in reading and math, participate in arts and crafts, provide companionship during free time, or lead a class on a hobby or topic of personal interest.

February: Homelessness on Aurora

EDUCATION

Not many people living in Greenwood or Phinney Ridge or Green Lake would consider the Aurora corridor part of their community, nor would they likely consider the main thoroughfare to be its own community. Unfortunately the stretch of avenue may best be known for being a center of prostitution and drug dealing, a generalization certainly reinforced by the media. However, what many people may not know is that there are many families and individuals living in several motels along Aurora who have nowhere else to call home. [This seems to be a recent phenomenon nationwide: see this New York Times article.]

On Tuesday, February 17, the SAGE project welcomed members of two local churches - Awake Church and Crosspoint Church - to discuss their experiences reaching out and building relationships with our neighbors on Aurora. This provided a meaningful opportunity to challenge stereotypes, hear stories of hope and loss, learn about many of the issues surrounding the situation, and ask ourselves what it means to be neighbors in this context.

It is interesting to consider that according to Seattle neighborhood maps, Aurora is marker that divides one neighborhood from another, placing it in a position as a "seam" between communities. It is also a divide between legislative districts, separating the 36th from the 46th and 43rd.

ACTION

Two weeks later, on March 2, the SAGE Project, in partnership with Awake Church, hosted a dinner at the Greenwood Senior Center for residents of Greenwood, Aurora and other nearby neighborhoods. The intent was to bridge communities and foster fellowship between neighbors who might not otherwise interact.


We were blessed with a great group of volunteers and community donors who came together to create a beautiful evening:

-New Roots Organics donated fresh, organic produce, the Essential Baking Company provided freshly baked bread, and Greenwood's Terra Bella Flowers contributed six lovely bouquets to grace the tables.
-Local musicians Greg Spence Wolf (mandolin) and Jorge Zorro (guitar) delighted the crowd with folksy tunes and were intermittently joined by Greenwood's most enthusiastic tap-dancer, Paulette DeRooy.
-Susie Paulson, one of Greenwood Senior Center's most passionate and dedicated lunch cooks, spent the afternoon in the kitchen whipping up rosemary and lemon roast chicken, savory black bean soup and a decadent tiramisu for dessert.
-Karen and Steph, two massage therapists, offered table massage and reflexology for women.
-A whole slew of volunteers from all over the community came to provide dessert, set up tables, chop vegetables, welcome guests, arrange decorations, and tackle a pile of dirty dishes once dinner was done.

We are so grateful to the volunteers and guests who joined us to share a warm meal together. We hope to do it again in the future.