Intern of the Month- Blake Burkhalter
Blog questions for Intern of the Month:
Name: Blake Burkhalter
Hometown: Dallas, TX
College: Mountain View Community College
Major: Children’s Ministry
PT Site: Wesley Rankin Elementary
Why did you want to serve as an intern at PT?
I love working with kids. I have worked with kids for a very long time and saw I had a passion.
What is the most important lesson you have learned from working with children/youth?
Show them you care. They tend to love you when you show them you care. Kids love to talk to someone and know they are listening.
What is your favorite part of the Project Transformation experience?
My favorite part of the Project Transformation experience is knowing that I have made a difference in the life of the children and parents, but also feeling that they made my life that much better as well.
If you could tell one story from your experience at PT – what story would you tell?
There was a little girl who came in late in the school year. She didn’t want to talk to anyone and she was on a lower level grade wise. She didn’t want to talk to me and would always tell me “no”. When I connected with her two younger sisters, ages 2 and 4, she started to open up. I finally got her to start spelling words out loud with the other kids. Now she talks to me everyday!
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Intern of the Month: Joanna Osorio
Name: Joanna Osorio
Hometown: Dallas, TX
College: El Centro College
Major: Linguistics
PT Site: Casa Linda
Why did you want to serve as an intern at PT?
I have a genuine passion to serve. I especially wanted to serve as an intern with PT because of the children.
What is the most important lesson you have learned from working with children/youth?
The most important lesson I have learned from working with children is to have true compassion for one another, and simply always smile while having fun enjoying life.
What is your favorite part of the Project Transformation experience?
My favorite part of the Project Transformation experience is knowing that I have made a difference in the life of the children and parents, but also feeling that they made my life that much better as well.
If you could tell one story from your experience at PT – what story would you tell?
Let me tell you about my little ones…I mainly help first graders. Some of my kids couldn’t read, tell time, or advanced in math; however, I have done my best to tackle their needs. Those kids now are just a little bit more advanced than some of their classmates and actually look forward to certain subjects in both English & Spanish. That is a huge accomplishment when the children feel good about themselves and that they are confident.
Personal Investment
This year, Wesley Rankin gave me the opportunity to take some of my youth on the college trip to Austin which is usually only for 10th grade and higher students. The younger kids were excited to go on the trip because they always heard the older kids talking about it. We left on a Friday and stayed for two nights. During that time, we visited the University of Texas and the State Capitol, but the best time for me was the bonding that occurred after everything else was done. As a site coordinator, I plan curriculum and help with homework, but I believe one of the most important job duties I have is being a tangible, real life, positive role model to these kids. I feel that lives have a much higher potential to be impacted through people you have close relationships as opposed to those whom we don’t know personally. During that trip, I was able to strengthen my relationships with the youth. Good advice from a stranger is just good advice, but good advice from a close positive role model has the potential to be life changing. I know that the encouragement and direction I give them every day at site is so much more heart-felt now. I’m glad I’m able to take part of the lives of these youth!
Larry Randolph
Wesley Rankin Site Coordinator 2011-2012
Learning to Relax
Joanna Osorio
I love that every day I get the opportunity to teach my kids at Casa Linda, and yet those little hearts teach me a thing or two about life. Stress week was an enlightening experience as I decided to introduce my kids to yoga. I enjoyed watching the children take time to think about their feelings. They also explored their position in life as a brother, sister, daughter, son, and friend. The children were eager for the physical challenges that were presented to them through yoga, and boy did they love the stretching exercises! The most important thing about this entire experience is that more often than not we under estimate children because we think they do not understand. Children are wise beyond their years. They remind me that when we slow down to relieve ourselves from life, we are all affected in the same manner Children teach us and remind us so much about things unknown or forgotten. They reminded me r to be kind to yourself even as an adult, because in the grand scheme of things, we too are innocent to the ways of life and learning every day.
Joanna Osorio
PT intern
Intern of the Month Amy Hunt
Name: Amy Hunt
Hometown: Huntsville, TX
College: Dallas Baptist University
Major: Counseling
PT Site: Oak Cliff
Why did you want to serve as an intern at PT?
I was initially interested in serving with PT because this organization is about serving the underserved.
What is the most important lesson you have learned from working with children/youth?
Children do really listen to adults. They aren’t all always stubborn and rebellious. Relationships with the kids determine much of the flow of the program.
What is your favorite part of the Project Transformation experience?
Honestly, it is meeting and teaming up with others who have a similar, but diverse, interest in doing the same work at Project Transformation.
If you could tell one story from your experience at PT – what story would you tell?
I actually saw one kid improve. She is one that comes in with plenty of homework. I mentioned to her the connection that if she did some of her homework during school, she would have more time to play here. Next time I saw her she said she had finished her homework at school. It was great to see what I say does make a difference.
Mardi Gras Madness at Casa Linda
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The After School Program had its first Family Fun Night of the spring semester. The theme was “Mardi Gras” so we had a masquerade party with purple, green, and gold attire! The parents and kids were able to come to site dressed up in their best Mardi Gras costumes! The interns and kids had Mardi Gras beads and masks ready to go for everyone to wear, and we all celebrated a wonderful night of food and fun! The families created their own Mardi Gras masks and some of them were amazing! Two girls came in gold dresses and won the best costume award. We also had two mother/child duos that won the runner-up awards. Their costumes were delightful! The parent/teacher group held a raffle to raise money for the After School Program, and it was a hit. The parents and kids of the After School Program give so much to this program, so I am glad they got one night to relax and have fun.
Suja Chacko
Casa Linda Site Coordinator
Opera Day!
So were off to a fresh start! Here at Oak Cliff, we are preparing ourselves for success! Since the last time we spoke, our home has become a blank canvas, where we discover who were are in this space and who we can become. We are learning about all our interest and being exposed to even newer ones! This week we were joined by The Dallas Opera or TDOinaSuitcase. We learned all about opera and what it consists of like a stage director, actresses, and actors. We even got to experiment with making sounds like a sound director. I’d say the best part was when were able to create our mask, after we learned about the opera show La Bohème. We also learned about the libretto and a toy maker who delights children with toys! We loved the idea so much that we decided it would be the theme for our next Family Fun Night. All of the interns and students will dress up as their favorite toy or video game character. We are really excited about this event!
Antoine Girard
Site Coordinator 2011-2012
New Space for 2012!
I was so excited to start the first day of After-school program at Christ’s Foundry UMC’s new church building. It’s been a dream of Pastor Owen and the Christ’s Foundry Congregation for 11 years. This is a huge deal, and I am really grateful to see the building completed. Last semester, we held the program in an apartment. This semester we get to enjoy spacious rooms at the new church. My team and I have more options to use the space for games and activities. The first day of site the Foundry kids were able to play crab soccer with a lot of space. This is a huge deal for the Christ’s Foundry community and now we can say we have a nice new home!
Michelle Vasquez
2011-2012 Site Coordinator
Tough Love and Rap
November 15, 2011, 8:55 pm
Filed under: 2011-2012 Year Round Interns, Wesley Rankin Community Center
Filed under: 2011-2012 Year Round Interns, Wesley Rankin Community Center
One thing that I have to remember when working with youth or children is that many times the fruit of my labor won’t be instant. Great things don’t happen overnight, and, most times people don’t change instantaneously. This is my second year-round term at Wesley Rankin. I know, after many conversations, that many of these kids have struggles and problems going on in their lives that even adults would have difficulty handling. I have one student, in particular, who doesn’t know his parents, lives with an elderly guardian, and whose brother has been involved in gang activity. I know he’s hurting, and the way he expresses his emotions usually gets him suspended at school or in trouble at home. Many times he just runs away.
Over the course of this school year, I’ve had to show this kid some “tough” love. I’ve had to chase him down twice after he tried to run off and almost had to expel him for his behavior. After each of these incidents, we would have a man to man talk. I had to let him know that what he was doing was unacceptable and that he was headed in the wrong direction in life. However, all of these conversations ended with a reassurance that we loved him here at Wesley Rankin and that we wanted the best for him.
Outside of Project Transformation, I do positive music. One day he asked for a cd, so I gave him one. He listened and talked about it all next week, and then, last week, he wrote a rap about being drug free for a project at school! He was so excited to give it to me and I was glad to hear it. Here is the final version:
Instead of doing drugs – you can get your degree
Go to college – Or just live your life free –
Cause there’s a lot of ways to be drug free
Here’s one way – Come follow me
You can rap – you can play on your PlayStation
You can go outside – you can sing – you can camp
Get inside – go on Facebook – text your homies
Say what’s up bro – what you doing –
Come to my house
And just chill out
That’s all the ways to be drug free
That’s all for me
Larry Randolph
Project Transformation Site Coordinator
2011-2012
Reflecting on Positive Changes
