| PYM middle school program assistant resume |
[Jul. 22nd, 2009|12:41 pm] |
I'm applying for the job as the Middle School friends assistant program coordinator. This is my resume, I'm looking for any feedback before I send it off.
Matt Sanderson
4822 Windsor Ave, Philadelphia PA 19143
267-707-8166
sattmanderson88@gmail.com
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Dear Elizabeth and others,
I am very excited to apply for the position of Middle School Friends program assistant. As someone who puts a large amount of importance into my Quaker faith, and considers youth-oriented service to be not only enjoyable, but a strong spiritual leading, it would give me great joy to fill this position. I feel well qualified as someone who has participated actively in both PYM Middle School and Young Friends programs, as well as within other youth programs including camps and a school in Ecuador.
I have experience in both the active daily activities of working with youth as well as the administrative behind-the-scenes work that contributes valuably to the success of gatherings. In the past I have been a friendly presence for several Middle School Friends gatherings, working with Elizabeth, and Melanie before her. Although I have been unable to attend my meeting (central Philadelphia monthly meeting) recently due to work conflicts, I have continued to pursue leadership roles within the Quaker community. Most recently, I accepted a nomination as the recording clerk of the Young adult Friends program of Friends General Conference 2010.
I hope that you will consider my resume strongly, as I am extremely interested in getting involved with Philadelphia Yearly meetings programs for youth. My participation in these programs has contributed largely to my becoming the person that I am today and I hope that I can help to create a similarly nurturing atmosphere for the young people currently involved in these programs.
Sincerely,
Matt Sanderson
Matt Sanderson
4822 Windsor Ave, Philadelphia PA 19143
267-707-8166
sattmanderson88@gmail.com
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Vice Chair of the Board and Administration and Evaluation committee member
Upattinas School January 2003- June 2006
610.458.5138
Ran board meetings dealing with a range of topics including student life, finances, legal concerns, ect. The Administration and evaluation specifically dealt with evaluating teaching and staff positions, hiring and firing, ect.
Camp Counselor
Middle School Friends Arts Camp August 2004
Worked with Melanie as a staffer at the Middle school arts camp in Burlington, NJ.
Co-founder/Co-coordinator
Young People’s Empowerment Convergence January 2007-June 2009
Finding and scheduling workshop leaders, organizing finances, creating a menu, interacting with parents and young people, and marketing the event.
Art Dept. Director/Teacher
Escuela Gandhi, September 2007-December 2007
Olon, Ecuador
Created the art program, lesson plans, and taught a variety of art classes in a K-7th grade school. Also taught English as a second language.
Assistant Event Coordinator, Small group advisor
Not Back to School Camp, August 2008-Present
Eugene, OR and Plymouth, VT
607-330-1201
Assistant event coordinator for a learning oriented summer camp hosting 100 teens between thirteen and eighteen.
References:
Grace Llewellyn, Not back to School Camp director:
541-xxx-xxxx
Anna Knapp, Upattinas School Board Chair:
610-xxx-xxxx
Abbi Miller, Not Back to school Camp co-worker, housemate:
646-xxx-xxxx |
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| I got a new phone! |
[Nov. 6th, 2008|10:10 pm] |
My phone numbers still 267-707-8166.
Whats yours?
If you don't wanna post it on here you could email it to me too at sattmanderson88@gmail.com |
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| Interesting article about college |
[Oct. 20th, 2008|10:13 pm] |
Source: http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i34/34b01701.htm?fark
America's Most Overrated Product: the Bachelor's Degree
Among my saddest moments as a career counselor is when I hear a story like this: "I wasn't a good student in high school, but I wanted to prove that I can get a college diploma. I'd be the first one in my family to do it. But it's been five years and $80,000, and I still have 45 credits to go."
I have a hard time telling such people the killer statistic: Among high-school students who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their classes, and whose first institutions were four-year colleges, two-thirds had not earned diplomas eight and a half years later. That figure is from a study cited by Clifford Adelman, a former research analyst at the U.S. Department of Education and now a senior research associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy. Yet four-year colleges admit and take money from hundreds of thousands of such students each year!
Even worse, most of those college dropouts leave the campus having learned little of value, and with a mountain of debt and devastated self-esteem from their unsuccessful struggles. Perhaps worst of all, even those who do manage to graduate too rarely end up in careers that require a college education. So it's not surprising that when you hop into a cab or walk into a restaurant, you're likely to meet workers who spent years and their family's life savings on college, only to end up with a job they could have done as a high-school dropout.
Such students are not aberrations. Today, amazingly, a majority of the students whom colleges admit are grossly underprepared. Only 23 percent of the 1.3 million high-school graduates of 2007 who took the ACT examination were ready for college-level work in the core subjects of English, math, reading, and science.
Perhaps more surprising, even those high-school students who are fully qualified to attend college are increasingly unlikely to derive enough benefit to justify the often six-figure cost and four to six years (or more) it takes to graduate. Research suggests that more than 40 percent of freshmen at four-year institutions do not graduate in six years. Colleges trumpet the statistic that, over their lifetimes, college graduates earn more than nongraduates, but that's terribly misleading. You could lock the collegebound in a closet for four years, and they'd still go on to earn more than the pool of non-collegebound — they're brighter, more motivated, and have better family connections.
Also, the past advantage of college graduates in the job market is eroding. Ever more students attend college at the same time as ever more employers are automating and sending offshore ever more professional jobs, and hiring part-time workers. Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar.
How much do students at four-year institutions actually learn?
Colleges are quick to argue that a college education is more about enlightenment than employment. That may be the biggest deception of all. Often there is a Grand Canyon of difference between the reality and what higher-education institutions, especially research ones, tout in their viewbooks and on their Web sites. Colleges and universities are businesses, and students are a cost item, while research is a profit center. As a result, many institutions tend to educate students in the cheapest way possible: large lecture classes, with necessary small classes staffed by rock-bottom-cost graduate students. At many colleges, only a small percentage of the typical student's classroom hours will have been spent with fewer than 30 students taught by a professor, according to student-questionnaire data I used for my book How to Get an Ivy League Education at a State University. When students at 115 institutions were asked what percentage of their class time had been spent in classes of fewer than 30 students, the average response was 28 percent.
That's not to say that professor-taught classes are so worthwhile. The more prestigious the institution, the more likely that faculty members are hired and promoted much more for their research than for their teaching. Professors who bring in big research dollars are almost always rewarded more highly than a fine teacher who doesn't bring in the research bucks. Ernest L. Boyer, the late president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, used to say that winning the campus teaching award was the kiss of death when it came to tenure. So, no surprise, in the latest annual national survey of freshmen conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, 44.6 percent said they were not satisfied with the quality of instruction they received. Imagine if that many people were dissatisfied with a brand of car: It would quickly go off the market. Colleges should be held to a much higher standard, as a higher education costs so much more, requires years of time, and has so much potential impact on your life. Meanwhile, 43.5 percent of freshmen also reported "frequently" feeling bored in class, the survey found.
College students may be dissatisfied with instruction, but, despite that, do they learn? A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below "proficient" levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks as understand the arguments of newspaper editorials or compare credit-card offers. Almost 20 percent of seniors had only basic quantitative skills. The students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the gas station.
Unbelievably, according to the Spellings Report, which was released in 2006 by a federal commission that examined the future of American higher education, things are getting even worse: "Over the past decade, literacy among college graduates has actually declined. … According to the most recent National Assessment of Adult Literacy, for instance, the percentage of college graduates deemed proficient in prose literacy has actually declined from 40 to 31 percent in the past decade. … Employers report repeatedly that many new graduates they hire are not prepared to work, lacking the critical thinking, writing and problem-solving skills needed in today's workplaces."
What must be done to improve undergraduate education?
Colleges should be held at least as accountable as tire companies are. When some Firestone tires were believed to be defective, government investigations, combined with news-media scrutiny, led to higher tire-safety standards. Yet year after year, colleges and universities turn out millions of defective products: students who drop out or graduate with far too little benefit for the time and money spent. Not only do colleges escape punishment, but they are rewarded with taxpayer-financed student grants and loans, which allow them to raise their tuitions even more.
I ask colleges to do no more than tire manufacturers are required to do. To be government-approved, all tires must have — prominently molded into the sidewall — some crucial information, including ratings of tread life, temperature resistance, and traction compared with national benchmarks.
Going significantly beyond the recommendations in the Spellings report, I believe that colleges should be required to prominently report the following data on their Web sites and in recruitment materials:
* Value added. A national test, which could be developed by the major testing companies, should measure skills important for responsible citizenship and career success. Some of the test should be in career contexts: the ability to draft a persuasive memo, analyze an employer's financial report, or use online research tools to develop content for a report.
Just as the No Child Left Behind Act mandates strict accountability of elementary and secondary schools, all colleges should be required to administer the value-added test I propose to all entering freshmen and to students about to graduate, and to report the mean value added, broken out by precollege SAT scores, race, and gender. That would strongly encourage institutions to improve their undergraduate education and to admit only students likely to derive enough benefit to justify the time, tuition, and opportunity costs. Societal bonus: Employers could request that job applicants submit the test results, leading to more-valid hiring decisions.
* The average cash, loan, and work-study financial aid for varying levels of family income and assets, broken out by race and gender. And because some colleges use the drug-dealer scam — give the first dose cheap and then jack up the price — they should be required to provide the average not just for the first year, but for each year.
* Retention data: the percentage of students returning for a second year, broken out by SAT score, race, and gender.
* Safety data: the percentage of an institution's students who have been robbed or assaulted on or near the campus.
* The four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates, broken out by SAT score, race, and gender. That would allow institutions to better document such trends as the plummeting percentage of male graduates in recent years.
* Employment data for graduates: the percentage of graduates who, within six months of graduation, are in graduate school, unemployed, or employed in a job requiring college-level skills, along with salary data.
* Results of the most recent student-satisfaction survey, to be conducted by the institutions themselves.
* The most recent accreditation report. The college could include the executive summary only in its printed recruitment material, but it would have to post the full report on its Web site.
Being required to conspicuously provide this information to prospective students and parents would exert long-overdue pressure on colleges to improve the quality of undergraduate education. What should parents and guardians of prospective students do?
* If your child's high-school grades and test scores are in the bottom half for his class, resist the attempts of four-year colleges to woo him. Colleges make money whether or not a student learns, whether or not she graduates, and whether or not he finds good employment. Let the buyer beware. Consider an associate-degree program at a community college, or such nondegree options as apprenticeship programs (see http://www.khake.com), shorter career-preparation programs at community colleges, the military, and on-the-job training, especially at the elbow of a successful small-business owner.
* If your student is in the top half of her high-school class and is motivated to attend college for reasons other than going to parties and being able to say she went to college, have her apply to perhaps a dozen colleges. Colleges vary less than you might think (at least on factors you can readily discern in the absence of the accountability requirements I advocate above), yet financial-aid awards can vary wildly. It's often wise to choose the college that requires you to pay the least cash and take out the smallest loan. College is among the few products that don't necessarily give you what you pay for — price does not indicate quality.
* If your child is one of the rare breed who knows what he wants to do and isn't unduly attracted to academics or to the Animal House environment that characterizes many college-living arrangements, then take solace in the fact that countless other people have successfully taken the noncollege road less traveled. Some examples: Maya Angelou, David Ben-Gurion, Richard Branson, Coco Chanel, Walter Cronkite, Michael Dell, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Alex Haley, Ernest Hemingway, Wolfgang Puck, John D. Rockefeller Sr., Ted Turner, Frank Lloyd Wright, and nine U.S. presidents, from Washington to Truman.
College is a wise choice for far fewer people than are currently encouraged to consider it. It's crucial that they evenhandedly weigh the pros and cons of college versus the aforementioned alternatives. The quality of their lives may depend on that choice.
Marty Nemko is a career counselor based in Oakland, Calif., and has been an education consultant to 15 college presidents. He is author of four books, including The All-in-One College Guide: A Consumer Activist's Guide to Choosing a College (Barron's, 2004). |
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| A challenge to everyone! |
[Oct. 16th, 2008|10:37 pm] |
I challenge anyone who reads this to go to Lumosity.com, its a website with a bunch of brain games. You play the games and get scores for them translated into BPI or brain performance index, which is something they made up. Anyways, you can sign up for free for 7 days, and i've been playing the games because they're addicting. Sign up and see if you can beat me! My scores right now are:
Attention: 1348
Cognitive Control: 1353
Memory: 1473
Processing Speed: 1144
Overall: 1329
You will start in the low houndreds because a lot of the games start on easy levels and you can't really get high scores on them until you've played a bunch of times, but stick with it! |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 5th, 2008|11:19 pm] |
Summary of my last month: Went to Not Back To School Camp, the camp for unschoolers directed by Grace Llewellyn, the author of the Teenage Liberation Handbook. Was hired for the only the first session of Oregon, but invited to stay for the second Oregon session as well as third session in Vermont. Made friends, one of whom is Alex who I'm looking for an apartment or room in Philly with.
Came back to philly, got a job at Maoz, a falafel restaurant, pretty much all we serve is falafel.
And thats pretty much it. |
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| An oldie, but a goodie |
[Jul. 8th, 2008|11:29 am] |
I posted this a long time ago in my livejournal when I first read it, but I think its great, and should be posted again. I'm also selling the book by the way, but thats not the point, I thinks its a really amazing quote.
"Recently, schoolpeople have begun to talk a lot about 'experiential education'. Educators have wisely realized that the best way to teach anything includes not only the reading about a subject, but also practicing it. For example, my colleague Gary Oakley taught science by having the students rehabilitate a pond. Naturally, what you learn this way sinks in more deeply than what you do by merely reading, hearing lectures and discussing. It means participating - being a scientist or musician rather then watching from the outside.
What the educators apparently haven't yet realized is that experiential education is a double-edged sword. If you do something to learn it, then what you do, you learn. All the time you are in school, you learn through experience how to live in a dictatorship. in school you shut your notebook when the bell rings. You do not speak unless granted permission. You are guilty until proven innocent, and who will prove you innocent? You are told what to do, think and say for six hours each day. If your teacher says sit up and pay attention, you had better stiffen your spine and try to get Bobby or Sally or the idea of spring or the play you're writing off your mind. The most constant and thorough thing students in school experience - and learn - is the antithesis to democracy." -----Grace Llewellyn, THE TEENAGE LIBERATION HANDBOOK: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education.
I'd really like to get into the education field, but not in any traditional sense of the word. I've gotta find me a sweet free school to teach at! |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 29th, 2008|07:48 pm] |
Hello,
Its been awhile since I've written anything and I'm bored and I feel like writing so I will.
I live in South Philadelphia now. I live with 5 other people and two cats. Drew, Aron, Mo, Chad and Rosie. We may have a Patty and a Sarah soon too. Currently its only 3 of us, because Aron, Chad and Rosie are on trips. Its an interesting place to be. Sometimes it feels very homelike, other times it feels very uncomfortable.
The person who owns the house, Aron, is really into creating a community and living in a sustainable way. We try to do things by consensus within the house and split the utilities evenly. None of us pay rent.
This means my living expenditure is about $80 a month, or was, when there were only 4 of us. I work for the restaurant I worked at last year. I do the catering for special occasions. This means I work only a few days a month, probably less than a week, and make $15 an hour, which so far has been plenty to live off of. That job may dry up soon though, because there is less catering during the summer with all of the colleges out.
Lately I've been feeling a bit lonely. I miss having people around. I think I need to become more pro-active in finding people to hang out with. Usually I'm pretty good about this but I haven't been recently. Its not that I haven't been seeing people that much, its just that I I've been seeing less people than I'm used to. I really don't do well when I'm left all by myself, I almost always prefer company to being alone.
I'm feeling very fit, that is in good physical shape. I bike everywhere. I've only used a car for two days (mostly because it was broken and then I loaned it to my house mates for their trip, but thats beside the point) in the past month and a half and I've probably taken public transportation only a few times. I want to get back into Tuesday night soccer but I always miss it.
I think tomorrow I may bike to West Chester. I went there and hung out with Renee yesterday and I took out a book from the library, which I need to return at some point. I'm pretty into taking a long bike ride and from my house to West Chester is just under 26 miles. West Chester Pike is pretty hilly in some places, but I think I could do it pretty well if I borrow Chad's bike. I've been using the worlds crappiest bike so using any bike but mine would make the trip far easier. I walked from my parents house to West Chester in around 7 hours a couple of years ago. I live about 4 miles further away now, but on a bike it should be much faster.
What have YOU been up to? |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 17th, 2008|12:12 am] |
abbreviated and borrowed from a friend, who probably borrowed it from a friend of hers:
Everyone has things they blog about. Everyone has things they don't blog about. Challenge me out of my comfort zone by telling me something I don't blog about, but you'd like to hear about, and I'll write a post about it. Ask for anything.
you don't have to do this if you don't want to. but you can. |
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| New phone numbers! |
[Mar. 16th, 2008|09:00 pm] |
Hey! To anyone who wants to ever get in contact with me, I have new phone numbers:
I live in South Philadelphia now, and we have a landline, which is 215 467 5718
I also have a cell phone which i may not answer since I didn't get that many minutes for, 267-707-8166
Also, I have a new address, so you should come and visit me! |
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| Why Obama? |
[Mar. 15th, 2008|05:24 pm] |
Dear supporters of Obama,
I think you have been duped, I haven't seen anything from this guy to be at all excited about. He may be the lesser of three evils (four if you count Ron Paul), but thats not good enough. What the hell are all of you people so excited about? |
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| HEY! |
[Nov. 22nd, 2007|03:09 pm] |
Hello! Its been awhile. Weve been really busy so its been hard to keep this current.
Weve now been in Ecaudor for over a month and we have exactly one month left here. We no longer live in the loft in the Cabaña that houses the kindergarden, but in the house that sits on top of the main school building. A house complete with full kitchen and large porch with hammocks, as well as comfy seats, a sofa and a card table. It also comes with its owners animals, Pippen the dog and a nameless black cat that we now take care of.
We inherited the house a couple of weeks ago from Joe, the californian whod been renting it from lynn, who was the person that originally offered us the opportunity to come down here. The circumstances around Joes sudden exit were strange. Unbeknownst to him, Joes visa expired about a month ago, meaning he would have to pay a large fine and leave the country. He seemed to think that he could (and might as well) stay as long as he felt like without incurring any further punishments. This seemed to be the plan until we noticed he had plane ticket reciets sitting on one of the chairs in the kitchen that we shared at the time. The plane tickets were for the next day and he started packing, but didnt say a word to us.
We were confused, it seemed almost as if he didnt want us to know he was going, yet he was making it quite obvious. Finally, the next day he started giving us the food he was leaving behind. At this point it was obvious enough that we didnt feel awkward asking logistical questions about getting rid of trash, ect. He left later that morning without ever mentioning the animals, or even where he was going. He took his own dog, Grady, with him, but we have inherited the care of the other two with the house. Having talked to lynn since then its been confirmed that we are in fact allowed to live here and that she is not even going to charge us rent.
Other than our living situation, not much has changed in Olon. We still teach art and English, and now have responsibility for a phys ed class as well. Weve discovered that the city of La Libertad has a monstrous mall every bit the size of an American one, complete with movie theatre that plays last years movies that have finally been dubbed into spanish, as well as a supermarket which has proven useful. It carries items that are harder to find in the smaller cities (like Quinua) and large quantities of things that are easier to find (like ketchup).
There is also a movie store across the street. Movies in Ecuador are all copied, with varying degrees of quality. They cost 1.25 per disc at this particular movie store and are the best quality available (exact copies of American discs, for the most part) although even these sometimes skip or dont work. We are able to watch movies on a computer that school has and weve created quite a collection. It includes Zoolander, Snatch, I am Sam (yo soy sam), moulin Rouge, Babel, Rent, the sixth season of the simpsons, the first season of Lost, Walk the line (Johnny Y June, Pasion y locura) and several others.
The other major event since my last writing was our vacation to the highlands in Ecuador. We discovered one morning, entirely by accident, that the students were to have a week off. That being the case, we made hurried plans and set off at 7 AM the next morning for Quito, the capital city.
The way to get anywhere in Ecuador is by bus. This process can be complicated if you do not speak the language well. Youll find that at every bus terminal (especially the large ones) there are a thousand people wanting to help you. The problem is that only a few actually know what theyre talking about and those are the ones that are trying to take your money. We made the mistake of following one such person who faithfully found us the correct ticket and directed us to where we needed to go, but asked for two dollars more than the ticket cost him.
It seems like as a rule, always talk to the people selling tickets directly, and never pay much more than a dollar per hour you will be riding (usually less), and ask a conducter to make sure youre on the right bus.
Then there is riding the bus, which in itself can be interesting. At each large stop, many salespeople will get on the bus and walk up and down the aisles displaying their goods. Most of them sell food or water, but occasionally someone will have cds or candies. In this case, the salesman (they are always males, though sometimes quite young) will give a speach about his incredible product, then hand one to everyone so that we can hold it in our hands while he makes a second speach about its incredible value. At this point he once again walks the aisle, collecting either his product or money. The bus has traveled a considerable distance but he hops out and waits for one coming the opposite direction to sell to.
We got to Quito late and stayed at a small Hostal. In the morning we called my friend Fabricio, a native of Quito. He and his family picked us up and treated us incredibly kindly. They gave us a tour of the city and invited us to stay at their house. We told them we were moving on but would be back Friday.
The next day we bussed south of Quito to the small city of Baños. Baños literally translates to baths and gets its name from the hot springs that attract tourists from Ecuador and other countries alike. The entire city exists in the shadow of the very active volcano Tungurahua. It is from this volcano that it gets its hot pools but it is also this volcano that could destroy the city any day now.
Baños is beatiful. We sat in the pools at night and during the day we hiked the mountains and rented bikes to drive the route that offers views of several spectacular falls. We stayed in a really nice hotel and art gallery and generally enjoyed ourselves very much.
On Friday we returned to Fabricios house where he played Coldplay on the piano and we all sang.
unfortunately Meggie got sick during the ride back and I caught the same bug a few days later so weve been recovering from that, but we are both well right now and looking forward to this next month. |
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| Fin de semana |
[Oct. 22nd, 2007|05:35 pm] |
Hey thanks to those who commented on the last entry. The ages of the kids are from kindergarden age to about 6th or 7th grade. We really appreciate the ideas! Heres what weve been up too since. Ill try to keep this updated about once a week. (It takes forever! weve been here over an hour!)
this past weekend was our first in Olon, and the first sizable chunk of time with no kids to teach. we decided to spend saturday visiting the neighboring town of montanita. by boat montanita is less than a few hundred feet from the edge of olon, but by foot they are seperately by a huge cliff about 100 ft high, which protrudes about 100 ft out into the ocean. this obsticle necessitates the use of about 2 miles of road that takes you up the cliff at a gentle incline and then down the other side. we stopped briefly at the top of the cliff where there is an overlook (with no gaurdrail) of the ocean. the view is quite amazing. unfortunatly, there is no place to post pictures here but i will bring them back with me.
getting into montanita, we immeadiatly noticed two things, both of which we were sorta expecting becasue montanita has a reputation of being a more touristy place: several signs in english, and more gringos. becoming furthur aquanted with montanita we were met with confirmation of some of the other aspects of its reputation in the area. from the loud music playing on seemingly every street corner (bob marly, green day, pink floyd) to the man in the street who welcomed us wearing no shirt and long baggy yellow red and green sweetpants *hey hola, bienvenido. de que paies eres. oh los estados unidos...we have tonight a concert right here, some reggae music. you smoke weed right. ( we dont know how to do question marks on this keyboard). we have the best stuff in town straight from colombia!* definatly party town. we decided not to stay for the show but poked around some of the shops. everything was overpriced, way more expensive than olon (which is cheap!) right next door. we did get a pretty good deal on some ciruelos, an ecuadorian fruit that appearently is very high in vitamin c. its also very tart but in a tasty way. later on we ran into a women we had met at the school in olon. she has a couple of kids who go there and had mentioned that she taught spanish in montanita. we asked her if she would be willing to teach us and we sat down with her for a 2 hour spanish lesson (20$ for both of us). we decided to make a weekly thing of the lesson and told her we would be back next saturday.
we walked back to olon (the bus would have cost a quater, but its a nice walk), ate some beans, we had been soaking, over rice and spent the evening reading.
sunday we decided to go jogging in the morning. bartolo (the farm caretaker) had taken us on a horseback ride up to a pretty lake where birds were fishing for tilapia, not far down the road (dirt). we decided to run that way and discovered a nice way to loop back beyond the pond that involved minimal barbed wire fence moving. we spent the rest of the day on the beach in olon taking pictures and hanging out with the small 4 donkey herd that roams part of the beach.
today turns out to be joe, whos kitchen we shares, birthday. happy birthday joe! it is also appearently exam week for the kids, which means our schedule is again unknown to us. thats all for now asta luego! |
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| En Ecuador |
[Oct. 18th, 2007|05:00 pm] |
Hi. So you might be wondering why when a few days ago it seemed like I was living in West Philadelphia and possibly planning on doing some traveling to Costa Rica sometime in the future suddenly me and Meggie are in Ecuador. Well it was a bit spontaneous but it all made sense at the time and its worked out wonderfully.
Meggie and I had wanted to travel to central america and volunteer on an organic farm for awhile. We were exploring various options and trying to figure out what it was that we wanted to be doing. We were also being held back a bit by Meggies parents reluctance to let her do anything more off the beaten path than she already was by taking a year off from college. Eventually we made a decision to go to a farm that several friends had had previous experience at in Costa Rica and at length were able to aquire Meggies parents approval for the trip. Unfortunately, we took too long and the farm had reached its capacity for volunteers.
With this setback fresh on her mind Meggie went to her aunt and Uncles for dinner one night and happened to meet a friend theirs named Lynne. Lynne owns a piece of property in Ecuador with her ex-husband who is Ecaudorian. The property is in a small town called Olon. There is also a school on the property that is in need of some volunteers.
So in short, we talked about it for a couple of days and decided to go. And now we are here.
We are now living on lynnes property in a small loft above the kindergarden classroom. It is very beautiful. We are right by the beach and having a great time.
I will try to keep you all updated on the goings on in our lives down here. We have access to the internet via a small internet cafe in town so I will be able to update this once or twice a week. Here is an email we sent to our parents.
We are doing very well. We have become well aquinted with Joe, the other American living near us. We share his kitchen. He has a dog named Grady who is incredibly energetic. He is a big dog and can run forever. Lynnes dog pippen also lives there, and is very short and cat like in behavior.
The other folks that live on the property are Bartolo the caretaker and his family. We havent had a whole lot of contact with them other than meeting Bartolo on the first night and him helping us put up a mosquito net over our bed. Its like sleeping in a mesh tent.
Our first four days of school have gone well. We help out with the english class and have our own art class. We got an official schedule today which helps to alleviate the confusion we have felt over the past couple of days trying to figure everything out. None of the teachers including the english teacher, speak english.
The kids are great. There is a group of little girls that have attached themselves to Meggie and like to spend their recess dragging her around showing her fruit trees. I sometimes play soccer with the boys at recess and sometimes hang out with Meggie.
Having an art class has been great. It was a bit surprising to find ourselves alone with 6 kids with no prior warning and not many supplies on our first day, but since then we have attempted to be a little more prepared. We have had them make paper snowflakes and today we had them fold paper cranes which they colored first. They seem to have enjoyed both, especially the paper cranes. That being said, we are a little short on ideas. Please help us out if you have any. We need lesson plans for tuesdays and thursdays when we have every grade for art.
The weather the first few was a mix between a fine mist and heavy ran (especially heavy at night), however in the past two days it has dried up considerably and we´re hoping we may see the sun soon.
We are eating very well. Joe went to Libertad where there is a more sizable supermarket and we sent him a list of things to get. We got a large box of food that should last us several weeks for about 13$. So far meals have included some mix of the following ingredients-
Fried plantains
Rice
Black beans (on top of rice)
Tomatos or Avocado with lime juice (over the rice)
Boiled potatoes with lentils, cilantro and a bit of spinich (both from the garden behind Bartolos house)
Kiwi
Pappaya
French fries
Bananas
Oatmeal for breakfast (thanks Mutti)
Tea with surprisingly strong sugar
As you can see, we are learning to cook a variety of things, all of which have been succesfully delicious.
Anyways, thats all for now, if you have any art ideas, please let us know!
Thanks!
Matt and Meggie |
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| Dear everyone |
[Oct. 11th, 2007|01:12 am] |
|
Good bye. Im leaving for Ecuador tomorrow. I wont be back for two months. I will have occasional computer access but other than that I will be incommunicado. So Peace out. |
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| The Young People's Empowerment Convergence |
[Jun. 3rd, 2007|07:29 pm] |
So myself and Josh and Zac have pretty much been working non-stop on this thing for the past few months and now it is finally nearly time for it to happen.
The last step is getting people to register and come. Here is a description of the event:
[The] Young Peoples Empowerment Convergence will be a FREE six day overnight event, June 23rd through 28th. Our goal will be to demonstrate the significance of youth in our society and to expose young people's untapped potential to effect positive change. Indeed, society short changes youth in its subtle cultural and legal oppression. We will explore the concept of direct democracy, while living conscientiously in a community based on equality.
Young people will plan and run the gathering with the guidance of Friendly Adult Presences (who are also part of the community). Three young adult quakers will coordinate the 2007 event, which will be designed at monthly planning meetings open to any potential participant. These planning meetings will allow the final decisions to rest in the hands of participants.
This event is geared towards teens (and anyone who shares concerns about age privilege i.e. youthism, ageism).?? For further information, please contact coordinators-AT-ypec.org (change -AT- to @).
We do not have confirmations from all of these workshop leaders but
this is a prelminary list of (completely optional) workshops that YPEC
hopes to offer:
PA alternatives to the death penalty
MOVE organization
Mumia's case
Transgender issues
Humanitarian Action For Animals (HAFA)
Green St. Vegetarian Group
Helth Foods Cooking Demonstration
Organic Farming
Palestine/Israel Conflict
The Florida Quaker meeting house that was tapped by the FBI
Radical Intimacy
Sustainability
Consensus-based problem solving
The legal case of Leonard Peltier
Mural painting
Composting
Oaxaca/The Zapatistas
Primitivism
Counter-Recruitment
Sexuality
Joshuas Farm Organization
Henna
Song Writing
Jamming
Alernative Education
Conscientious living
Theatre
Globilization
The Green Scare
The Autonomous movement of Argentina
In addition we will be hosting a performances by Phil S and his band
the Committee and probably hip hop artist Tha Truth
(http://www.myspace.com/thanonconformists) and an additional band
called Little light (http://www.myspace.com/littlelight).
our website is www.ypec.org
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE REGISTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! ITS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET THE RIGHT NUMBERS! The registration form can be found at www.ypec.org/Register |
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| give me your name and I will |
[Mar. 23rd, 2007|04:58 pm] |
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll challenge you to try something.
3. I'll pick a colour that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this in your journal. |
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|
| Pop quiz |
[Feb. 20th, 2007|07:27 pm] |
Black is to White as Fascism is to
A) Communism
B) Democracy
C) Socialism
D) Anarchy
E) None of the above
and why? |
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| PYM Young Friends Assistant Program coordinator |
[Feb. 19th, 2007|05:42 pm] |
I have never written a cover letter or resume before. I need your suggestions and comments please!!
Cover Letter:
Matt Sanderson
Sattmanderson88@gmail.com
(215) 724-7376
4822 Windsor Ave.
Philadelphia PA, 19143
2/19/07
Dear PYM,
I feel called to apply to the position of Young Friends Program Assistant. For as long as I can remember I have been very interested in working with young people. I feel it is a ministry of mine to help young people to develop and to feel empowered to make a difference in the world around them, both on a global scale and in personal interactions.
The society we live in puts a lot of pressure on youth to conform to the standards that drive a capitalist economy. The results are a disastrous pattern of anti-social behaviors exhibited in youth culture. Many young people today are overly judgmental of one another, categorizing their peers with shallow labels, allowing class, race, sexuality and other differences to get in the way of friendships. This is a manifestation of an internalized youth oppression that is perpetrated in advertisements, schooling initiatives like ‘no child left behind’, mass media, and day-to-day interactions.
While no organization is perfect, I feel that Young Friends is a place in which Young people are able to take major steps towards casting away this internalized oppression, and a haven from much of the external oppression. For this reason I feel especially called towards working with this group.
I have done extensive reading on the subjects of raising and teaching children. My thinking on these subjects has been strongly influenced by John Holts How Children Learn and How Children Fail, A.S. Neil’s Summerhill, and Grace Llewellyn’s Teenage Liberation Handbook. I believe in trusting youth to make thoughtful, intelligent decisions, something that is considered radical in mainstream America but is embraced by Young Friends through their Business Meetings and Joined Friends Working Group. I believe this is especially important because young people who are allowed to make their own decisions also take ownership of those decisions and are able to build on their success and learn from their mistakes. As program Assistant I would make myself a resource to anyone who wanted to discuss decision-making within Young Friends and outside of Young Friends. I would also serve on the nurturing committee. I relate well to youth and feel that I would be able to fully contribute, helping to eliminate tension and negative feelings within a gathering without at all compromising a safe space.
I am fully aware of Quaker principles and ideas. I grew up regularly attending Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting and still attend regularly. Myself and another Young Friend (whom I later co-clerked the Young Friends program with) spent a year studying Quakerism with Pat McBee, someone I consider to be an elder of CPMM.
I am also very capable of helping to plan and organize youth organizations and events. I served on the Board of Upattinas School for three years from 2004 to 2006 including two years as Vice-chair. This meant working with a number of committees including Fundraising, Administration and Evaluation (A&E), Buildings and Grounds, philosophy, and Finance to ensure that the school remained operational, safe, financially secure and up-to-code legally.
I also organized or co-organizing many trips to New York City, Washington DC, and Harrisburg for Upattinas students and Young Friends past and present. These trips lasted anywhere from part of one day to a full weekend. I was able to arrange for lodging at either a hotel or a friends house, and to comply with the wishes of all parents involved.
I am also currently co-coordinating the upcoming Young People’s Empowerment Convergence (YPEC), which will happen in late June. This will be a six-day non-denominational event designed to expose the untapped potential of youth to effect positive change in the world today. I currently maintain the website for this event as well as participate in all decision-making.
Finally, I feel I am a good candidate for the job because of my involvement in the Young Friends community. I’ve been a part of Young Friends for the past four years and was the assistant co-clerk my senior year. I was also a permanent nurturer for my last two years in the program ending at this years Onas gathering. I rarely missed a gathering and still communicate regularly and maintain positive relationships with many of its current members. I have an absolute understanding of how the community works, and I know how it feels to be a participant. For these reasons I feel I could smoothly move into a new position.
With love,
Matt Sanderson
PS: I am willing to commit to this position for the long term. I have no plans to leave the Philadelphia area, nor do I have other time-consuming future obligations. This is the type of work I am hoping to be involved in for a long period of time.
Resume:
Matt Sanderson
Sattmanderson88@gmail.com
(215) 724-7376
4822 Windsor Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19143
2/19/07
Experience and resources:
Served on the Board of Upattinas School for three years from 2004-2006.
Served two years as the Vice-Chair of the Upattinas Board.
Served a Year on the Administration and Evaluation Committee (A&E) of Upattinas School. This committee is charged with reviewing the staff positions and helping to ensure that they are in the position that benefits the students and overall community the most.
Organized numerous trips to New York City, Washington DC, and Harrisburg, PA for Upattinas students and Young Friends past and present.
Also organized a 16-mile walk from West Chester to Upattinas (and sleepover) for students the day before the first day of the 05-06 school year.
CPR and First aid certified.
A member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting all my life and spent a year studying Quakerism with my friend and later co-clerk Megan.
Currently co-coordinating the upcoming Young Peoples Empowerment Convergence. (June 2007, YPEC.org)
Spent the fall of 2006 in New Orleans with Common Ground Collective. Helped to organize a long-term-volunteers decision-making meeting. Co-facilitated several of these meetings.
Worked at the Middle School Friends Arts Camp 2004, and as an FP at other middle
School gatherings since then.
High School diploma.
License and a good driving record. In New Orleans, Often was asked to drive crews out to gut when I wasn’t on a crew myself.
Some website design skills. Know how to use basic HTML and is willing to learn more if needed. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 19th, 2007|04:20 pm] |
I went to the Young Adult Friends weekend at Burlington last weekend. It was amazing! I met a bunch of new really awesome people. And of course we played wink. For the first time in over a year I have new wink soon-to-be scars:
I really wish I lived in a community like that. A bunch of people that I felt like a had a lot in common with. It didnt matter that the older people in the group were nearly twice my age, it felt like we could all identify with one another. I think that that is what I miss the most about being in school. I feel very alone. It seems like there are very few people who share my situation or interests or just plain free time.
Its ok though, I really cant complain. I feel like I am getting a lot done, im learning a lot, and I still do have friends to hang out with, just not as many. |
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