Good Things from Kakata
Hello! It is Saturday night, May 19, 8:30 PM WAT. Another inspiring day is complete. I am sitting in Jay's living room reviewing the events of the day. I just finished typing the successes you will see below. What the students said, in their own words, does a very good job of recapping the day and the achievements therefrom.
Today's twenty-four students were chosen from the hundred-plus from last week's three-day Study Tech workshop. We selected the best successes from the workshop and invited them to today's presentation. Jay and Tim covered what literacy and illiteracy are, using ARC and KRC, and what the ingredients of leadership are. They were then divided up into two groups, given a crash course on organizing boards and valuable final products, then every student placed on one of the two organizing boards for each group.
The culmination was launching into Kakata two organized groups of fired-up students working to achieve this valuable final product: An excellent community “liberty and justice for all” campaign promoting the Pledge of Allegiance that is creating youth, government and civil society support for true literacy and education.
Student Success: "Today is one of the most amazing days in my life as a student. Why do I say so? Because I have learned new things and my brain continues to become wider based on the knowledge I have acquired today as a student and I do believe it will make me a success tomorrow. I will make sure to apply these methods in my school, community, and my country of Liberia."
Student Success: "I understand from today's lesson that we are going to do a campaign on justice for all in our communities and schools and I am willing to work tirelessly in order to see the vision of this valuable final product into a reality."
Student Success: "Today in this meeting I learned about the future leader and responsibility. I learned that the future leaders are we who are alive today. We've got to take initiative in our community and everywhere as leaders, so that we will be the greatest leaders of Liberia and the world."
Student Success: "I would like to appeal to this organization that they should continue in the fifteen counties (states) in the Republic of Liberia so that our brothers and sisters in the other parts of the country will learn and know new ways in their studies and Liberia will be an improved and educated country in the world."
And so closes another day of tough but extremely rewarding work helping others rediscover who they are and how they can improve their own lives and that of their family, community, county, and country. Today we started a spark in a small city in the middle of Liberia. It will grow. We have just begun.
Tomorrow Tim, LouElla, and I begin the long journey back to our lives that await us in the States: Monrovia to Freetown to Accra to NYC to Tampa or LA.
Believe it or not, we're still working to complete the funding for this project. We're closing in on the finish line. (There have been donations that have not appeared on GoFundMe.) Here's one more appeal to push it to the finish line. https://www.gofundme.com/african-literacy-project-2018
Finally, a big high-five and hug to the team pictured above. Every day was an adventure, every event a success. Thank you for making the entire experience great in every way.
Colin
Today's twenty-four students were chosen from the hundred-plus from last week's three-day Study Tech workshop. We selected the best successes from the workshop and invited them to today's presentation. Jay and Tim covered what literacy and illiteracy are, using ARC and KRC, and what the ingredients of leadership are. They were then divided up into two groups, given a crash course on organizing boards and valuable final products, then every student placed on one of the two organizing boards for each group.
The culmination was launching into Kakata two organized groups of fired-up students working to achieve this valuable final product: An excellent community “liberty and justice for all” campaign promoting the Pledge of Allegiance that is creating youth, government and civil society support for true literacy and education.
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Student Success: "Today is one of the most amazing days in my life as a student. Why do I say so? Because I have learned new things and my brain continues to become wider based on the knowledge I have acquired today as a student and I do believe it will make me a success tomorrow. I will make sure to apply these methods in my school, community, and my country of Liberia."
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| Every attendee was given a shirt with this printed on it. |
Student Success: "I understand from today's lesson that we are going to do a campaign on justice for all in our communities and schools and I am willing to work tirelessly in order to see the vision of this valuable final product into a reality."
Student Success: "Today in this meeting I learned about the future leader and responsibility. I learned that the future leaders are we who are alive today. We've got to take initiative in our community and everywhere as leaders, so that we will be the greatest leaders of Liberia and the world."
Student Success: "I would like to appeal to this organization that they should continue in the fifteen counties (states) in the Republic of Liberia so that our brothers and sisters in the other parts of the country will learn and know new ways in their studies and Liberia will be an improved and educated country in the world."
Student Succes: "Since I have learned these new things, I will not sit, but go into my institution, community, and if I can get the opportunity, every part of Liberia just to spread this educative message to others who have not listened to it."
Student Success: "I never knew as a youth I possessed such characteristics that we discussed today. I have always limited myself when it comes to leadership. Thank God for Applied Scholastics. I will work with my assigned teammates to do the best we can. I will walk through stormy weather, no matter the difficulties, to ensure that my team meets its goal."
Student Success: "Today's session was really educational, inspiring, and motivational. You people are the best. Learning about leadership and all aspects of it is something I wasn't expecting. Although I've tried to take initiative among people, I usually have found myself 'shrinking away', hiding my opinions, and being a behind-the-scenes person.
"This section is basically about leadership, how to prove you are a leader, what you need to possess to become a leader. We divided into two teams to start a campaign awareness about the 'liberty and justice' of our country. Due to the educational and motivational talk from you all, I decided to be the treasury secretary of my team; and I actually feel good about my choice.
"I learned about the two triangles of leadership, namely: ARC and KRC, and I was like, why didn't I hear of this before? I am grateful I learned about them, and will be able to use them anywhere I go. Once again, thank you."
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| Letter of recognition for Tim and the Applied Schoalstics team |
Surprise! At the end of the event, I was presented with an African shirt and honorary African name by Frances, the gentleman from Kakata who helped make this event happen. He presented it to me in front of the class as a thank you from the people and Mayor of Kakata. My honorary African name is "Menleleh", it means "good things" and it comes from the Kpelle tribe. It was a most excellent and unexpected surprise.
And so closes another day of tough but extremely rewarding work helping others rediscover who they are and how they can improve their own lives and that of their family, community, county, and country. Today we started a spark in a small city in the middle of Liberia. It will grow. We have just begun.
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| The 2018 Literacy in Liberia team: Jay, Tim, LouElla, Calvin, Colin |
Tomorrow Tim, LouElla, and I begin the long journey back to our lives that await us in the States: Monrovia to Freetown to Accra to NYC to Tampa or LA.
Believe it or not, we're still working to complete the funding for this project. We're closing in on the finish line. (There have been donations that have not appeared on GoFundMe.) Here's one more appeal to push it to the finish line. https://www.gofundme.com/african-literacy-project-2018
Finally, a big high-five and hug to the team pictured above. Every day was an adventure, every event a success. Thank you for making the entire experience great in every way.
Colin
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