The Ripple Effect

MPI's new Library/Teen Center had its grand opening a few weeks ago, and life here in the valley couldn't be better. With the acquisition of our very own space, we have a home in the community where we work. A permanent residence where we can hold our programs and be available to community members at all hours of the day. I already see a change in how the library has affected our presence in the community. We belong there now, instead of feeling like intruders for a few hours each day. Below is a recap of my afternoon in our beautiful new space: 

After children's English class, I found myself in the Kid's Corner of the library, the sole authority figure to 12 energetic and infinitely curious Ecuadorian munchkins. The first 10 minutes or so consisted of trying to rapidly respond to multiple questions from all sides simultaneously. 

- Profe! Profe! How do you turn on the light???

- Well, you have to put in the battery first.

- We did that! But it's still not working!

- Let me try...

Upon closer inspection of the donated microscope kit, the batteries the kids were trying to jam into the machine looked like they had been eaten by a metal robot, regurgitated, and rolled over by a tractor. I mentally put double-A batteries on our "To Buy" list for the library...

- Profe Jocelyn, did you take a bath today?

- Yes, I did. Did you?

- Si! Si! I DID take a bath today! (With a huge smile, clearly very proud of himself)

- Profe, what were you doing in the other room?

- Profe, look what I can do! (as he puts another kid in a choke hold)

- Profe, where did you get that candy? (whoops)

...etc.

(Enter stage left- Mateo and Milena, brother and sister, both under the age of 10, and two of the dirtiest children I have ever encountered)

Mateo - Profe, can we play Monopoly today?

Me - No, not today.

Mateo - Why not?

Me - Because the big kids have it in the Teen Center. But there are lots of other things we can do instead!

Mateo - (not convinced) Hmmm, like what?

Me - Well, we can do puzzles, or color... or we can read! Do you like to read?

Mateo - No. Reading bores me. 

Milena - Yeah! Reading's boring! (I know from our programs that neither kid can actually read)

Me - I don't believe you. Have you read a lot of books?

Milena - (lowers head and looks up sheepishly)

Me - Oooo, well until you read some books you don't know if it's boring or not, do you? Come on, I'll show you a book that's fun to read!

Within two minutes, Milena was completely absorbed in the classic tale of a guy who absolutely refused to eat green eggs and ham under any circumstance. After each new situation ("Would you, Could you, In a boat?"), I would turn to Milena and ask, "What do you think? Will he eat it?". "Nooooo", she would respond, shaking her head, her large eyes full of certainty. At the end, after smiling with relief when he did finally try the green eggs and ham (and liked them!) she eagerly asked which book I was going to read her next. By this point, I had an audience sitting around listening, so I showed her one of my other favorites (The Cat in the Hat), and we continued with story time until the library shut down at 6:30 and all the kids went home. 

As I walked toward the bus stop on my way back home, I took in my surroundings. Looking out above the mountains, I marveled at the sunset, the colors, and the clouds. Suddenly, I was distracted by a stumbling figure, and instantly pulled back to solid ground. I realized it was a boy, no more than 15 or 16 years old, blatantly drunk across the street from me, his backpack still on from school. The boy struggled to make it to a patch of grass where he collapsed in a sitting position and passed out upright. The sense of triumph I felt from getting Milena to read, and enjoy it, was transformed into a sense of desolation from the reminder of the environment where our kids grow up. Things like this that are commonplace in their community, that they bear witness to each and every day, have a huge influence on the choices they will make as they grow older and the futures that will be available to them in response to these choices. 

This laid-back time that we spend with the kids now in the new library will make more of an impact on them than our programs have in the past, I think. The English and Art classes that we provide are important as well, of course, to help them develop skills that they don't get in school, but in a more relaxed atmosphere we get to know them on their level, and they see us more as role models or friends. I hope that in the months to come, we can encourage reading and a love for books in the kids who come hang out in our space (lured at first by bright colored furniture and fancy games) along with other things. With us consistently in their neighborhood,  supporting good values and building their confidence, I hope that they will find the types of role models that they need to work toward a positive future. Role models that, before our presence in the community, were few and far between. Our presence alone might show them options that before might not have been very apparent. At the very least they have someplace to go and hang out after school that is an enriching environment rather than a damaging one. And this is how whole communities change for the better, one person at a time.