Puentes al Futuro Newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 1

As adults we know why we love having the Puentes al Futuro Summer Camp here on campus. It gives the kids access to a lot of fun activities (including sports, an indoor swimming pool, and arts and crafts), they can continue working on their academics (English and Math classes occur twice a week each), and they work closely with college-aged counselors who serve as mentors and role models. 

But, do the kids love it? If so, why? To solve these perplexing questions, the camp's English teacher, Jenny, asked the campers to write about why they love camp as a part of the regular newsletter project she is doing with them!

Read below to see what the kids really think. There are some truly heart-warming accounts.

Puentes to the Future Highlights

For today's post, the CCE staff figured we'd take a break from writing and share a story one of our campers wrote! Prompted by the counselors, this camper wrote about her favorite elective.

The campers and counselors have been doing some pretty fun things here at Puentes al Futuro (Bridges to the Future) Summer Camp. Everyday is a new adventure, activity, and conversation. Already two weeks into it, we're seeing the campers grow and develop as they get used to the camp, their classes, and each other. Between classes/tutoring in the morning and recreational or academic enrichment activities in the afternoon, everyone is exhausted by the end of a fun day. We're excited for what the next couple of weeks will bring! 

Above: Two counselors (on the left in blue shirts) site with a group of campers as they eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon activity. Everyone was given a shirt for being a part of Puentes in the summer; counselors received blue shirts and campers were given red

Below: Campers and counselors relive the best gym class by taking out the parachute on a hot summer day in the field in front of Eastern's Student Center. 

Top 4 Websites for Good News

It seems that lately, there really is nothing good reported on by the news. Even the exciting stuff is attached to  a political agenda or met with so much skepticism that there leaves almost no hope in what could be further achieved. 

To combat all of the despair, here are the CCE's top 5 sites for getting exciting and hopeful news:

1. GOOD Is
What It's All About: "GOOD is a global community of, by, and for pragmatic idealists working towards individual and collective progress."
Pros: Also marketed as a social networking site, GOOD IS connects you to ideas, articles, infographics, and people who might be overlooked by mainstream news channels. 

http://www.good.is/

2. Huffington Post: Good News
What It's All About:Blogs, articles, videos, pictures, etc. all on happy, uplifting news in the traditional Huffington Post style we all know and love.
Pros: This site delivers a healthy mix of great ideas and cute pictures to relieve you from the stress of reading the everyday news.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-news/

3. Good News Network 
What It's All About: "The mission is to provide a "Daily Done of News to Enthuse." The Good News Network® is a clearinghouse for the gathering and dissemination of positive compelling news stories from around the globe. Daily stories will confirm what we already believe: good news itself is not in short supple; the advertising of it is."
Pros: This site does an amazing job staying on top of the most recent great news that is out there. As a bonus, they are getting a new site!

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

4. Happy News
What It's All About: "Real news. Compelling stories. Always positive."
Pros: Graphically stimulating, they feature up-to-date news and a variety of sub topics that include Healthy Living and "Happy Products."

http://www.happynews.com/happyproducts.aspx

8 Things To Look Forward To

Today marks the end of training week for our Puentes al Futuro (Bridges to the Future) Camp Counselors. This is the third year that the Center for Community Engagement and Eastern are hosting this camp and we are so excited to have these counselors with us! 

For the past four days, they have attended workshops on: working with middle school students, how to engage English Language Learners (ELL), and how to meet a child where he/she is at in his/her academic development and guide him/her towards an academic milestone. They have spent hours putting together enrichment and elective activities for the kids to play. Many an icebreaker has been played, and there has been much reminiscing about their own childhood camp memories. 

Puentes is unlike your typical camp. Specifically tailored to at-risk ELL youth, the focus is shared between providing academic support with giving a forum for the students to develop their individual identity though exploring their cultural heritage(s). The program also runs after school sessions during the school year which families can elect to enroll their children in. Thus, Puentes allows for the kids to build meaningful relationships with the Puentes staff. The Camp Counselors, all Eastern students, are given the opportunity to volunteer in the after school program during the academic year or re-apply as Camp Counselors during the summer. The kinds of positive change that occurs in the students, whether they participate in either the camp or the after school program is incredible to watch, let alone be a part of.

So, on their last day of training, we asked a few of the Counselors what they were most excited for. Here are their responses:

•   "As an alumna, I look forward to working with these students every summer. I can't wait to see their smiles!"

•   "I am looking forward to getting to know the students I'll be mentoring over the summer." -Bryan

•  "I am looking forward to the kids coming and learning new things."

•  "I am looking forward to a great and fun experience with the kids."

•  "I am excited to learn about the different cultural experiences that will happen over the summer."

•  "I hope to guide the students towards finding a passion that they really love and steer the students away from negative influences."

•   "Three days instead of two, and almost double the amount of kids that we had least year! Trained counselors ready to pour all their energy into making this camp a great experience for the kids in our community. I can't wait for the first day of camp! It is going to be great. I expect that the kids, counselors, and staff will have an unforgettable experience." -Rosie, Camp Director

•  "I'm excited to see young people from our community growing academically through our camp while learning and exploring  their own and their friends' cultural identities." -Luis, Assistant Director of the Center for Community Engagement

Be sure to check back for some upcoming posts about what everyone at the camp is up to!  

Puentes al Futuro (Bridges to the Future)

Puentes al Futuro, Bridges to the Future, is a grant-funded program for at-risk youth living in Greater Windham, Connecticut. The program is sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and is staffed by Eastern student volunteers. Below is an account from one of the Eastern volunteers about her experience: 

Puentes met on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week after the students get out of school, on Eastern’s campus as well as at Windham Middle School. Each time we met there was an opportunity to participate in an activity with the students to help them explore their culture, and then we helped them complete their homework. This past semester, on Thursdays, we studied poetry and worked on creating a Puentes-specific cook book. Talking about recipes and foods that are special to the children gave us another chance to share about ourselves and our families. It truly is amazing the type of connection that you build, even though you only spend a small portion of your week with these students. I love the way that Puentes helps students embrace and truly love their culture. The program helps students build a foundation based on understanding themselves and their heritage in order to promote their success in the future. I remember finding out when one of our Puentes students got into Windham Tech, after having applied only a few weeks earlier. Not only was everyone excited that she had chosen to tell us first, but we were so excited to see her become so thrilled about something directly related to her future. 

Guest Post: Kim, '15

More Than A Dress

   The day every girl dreams of (second to their wedding) is their prom. They wonder how they will be asked, who they will go with and of course, what they will wear. I truly believe the confidence a girl has will either make or break her night. An outfit a girl feels proud to wear can add to her confidence. The unfortunate truth, though, is that some girls can't afford the dress of their dreams, and some cannot afford a dress at all.

         This is an issue I am extremely passionate about. In high school each Senior was required to choose a mentor and complete a project of their choice. The goal of the project was to do something you have never done before, and for me, organizing a volunteer project was a completely new experience. With the help of my Principle who was my mentor for the project and a fashionista herself, I had girls from the entire school drop dresses off to the front desk in the office and slowly started to create a "Prom Closet".

          Once the closet was nearly full I put reminders on the morning announcements that I would be sitting at the closet during my lunch and after school so girls could come in "just to look" or to find a dress. It was a great feeling to see girls try on that perfect dress that just happened to fit like a glove with no needed alterations. I know my small act of kindness impacted these girls’ lives and everytime they see those dresses hanging in their closet they will remember the time they danced the night away at prom and had the time of their lives.

        The most rewarding part of this project was when, my mother and I, years later, were eating dinner at a local restaurant when one of my high school teachers approached our table and informed us that she and another teacher kept the closet going after I graduated. It felt great to know I left this legacy at my high school and created a project that girls will continue to benefit from for years on end.

      If you'd like to donate your old dress and you're in the CT area contact http://waimct.org/ to find out how. If you are not in the CT there are dozens of organizations such as http://donatemydress.org and http://fairygodmothers.org among many others.

       And think about how you can create a legacy here at Eastern. If you are passionate about supporting your community, contact the CCE at cce@easternct.edu to see how you can get involved.

Purple Team! & Why It's Awesome

What is Purple Team?
It is an on-going program held at Windham Middle School and Windham High School where Eastern students mentor and serve as role models to school children who are English Language Learners (ELL). The program started last year with about 15 chilren and due to it's success, it has drastically increased to 80 students this year! There are now about 30 mentors from Eastern. Last year, the volunteers helped students plant trees and brought them for a visit at Eastern's campus (the kids loved it!)

One of the best parts of Purple Team is that it aims to be a consistent service for school children. Volunteers from Eastern will start with children in middle school, and return to work with the same child or children the next year as they move up a grade. Our own CCE student worker, Todd Aviles, worked with 8th graders from the Middle School last year. Now, he has moved up with them to the High School. Todd is a coordinator of the program and he says that "the whole idea is to have an ongoing mentorship that continues with each new generation, and right now I am currently trying to get mentors to come and help me at the high school."

Want to get learn more or get involved with Purple Team?
It is a great opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of children in Windham. You will be able to help them progress and become equipped for success as they prepare for high school. You do not need to speak Spanish to be a mentor, although it can be beneficial to share a language with the students. We have 3 different shifts that you can volunteer for (Mon-Fri, 7:30am-9:20am, 8:50am-11:25am, or 11:10am-2:25pm). Plus, the CCE provides you with transportation to your shift! If you're interested in getting involved in this program or another mentoring program, please e-mail cce@easternct.edu, come visit the Center for Community Engagement on the 2nd floor of Wood Services, or check out our mentoring opportunities on our website here.


Thanks to Todd Aviles for contributing to this post!

Interschool Walk for Warmth: Recap!

About 390 children convened at Windham Middle School on Wednesday, October 26th to learn about poverty. The children came from afterschool programs at Windham Middle, Natchaug, Sweeney, North Windham, and Windham Center. The children were able to walk around the track in order to earn tickets to play poverty-related games. Some activities included face painting, bracelet making, paper chain, a guessing game, scavenger hunt and more. Children were also able to receive prizes for doing certain activities. The favorite station seemed to be the popcorn machine, where there was a consistent line of kids waiting to get their popcorn from our two dedicated volunteers at the station!

A total of 53 volunteers from Eastern helped out at the event! Great job volunteers. Take a look at the list of our volunteers below:

Ashley Lovett, Ian McGlynn, Kerri Schuster, Michael Downs, Kaitlin Baldi, Jessica Sammataro, Katherina Poltorak, Latiqua Patterson, Steven Clayton, Laura Bean, Keith Sunthorn, Shannon Shultz, Emily Yu, Stephanie Gionfriddo, Avery Schena, Stephanie Sakelarakis, Jean Chery, Aaron Bernstein, Clif LeSure, Federica Bucca, Yunchu Liu, Bryant Collazo, Despina Messologitis, Emily Jack, Kate Harner, Taylor Scalia, James Boyle, Angelica Hribko, Alyssiah Wiley, Lesly Damour, Rachel Murad, Tom Takacs, Alan Nunez, Stef Burelle, Ben Glick, Samantha Clifford, Bethany Ingraham, Steve Lukaszewski, Ethan Linder, Shannon McCormick, Courtney Gendron, Tasheenah Brown, Megan Sniffin, Brittany Graff, Colleen Gomola, William McLaughlin, Melissa Symolon, Wiley Dawson, Jon Yackel, Max Goto, Brit Cava, Kristina Scherber & Lauren Greeney

Special thanks to Kate Harner, James Boyle, Wiley Dawson, Melissa Symolon and Katee Baldi for their hardwork as Walk for Warmth Committee members!

Plus, Eastern Volunteers made the news again! Click here to check out the article in the Norwich Bulletin on the Interschool Walk for Warmth.