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

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of an after-school program, sometimes we can forget to reflect on the program and its impact. Since Family Fun Night, I‘ve taken the opportunity to reflect on the many changes that have taken place. It’s amazing to glance back at everything that has happened over the course of two short months and being able to recognize the differences being made within yourself, the individual lives of the children and families you come in contact with, the churches and the overall community that you serve. The experiences are countless at Project Transformation and I feel incredibly blessed and encouraged to have the opportunity to serve Project Transformation and the many communities involved.

Andrea Gordon

Project Transformation Intern 2011-2012

Name: Destiny Harris

Hometown: Dallas, TX

College: El Centro College

Major: Education

PT Site: Pleasant Mound

Why did you want to serve as an intern at PT?

I heard about the organization and what they were doing to make a difference in the kids’ lives and I wanted to be a part of that change.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from working with children/youth?

As long as you are open with kids, they will be open with you.

What is your favorite part of the Project Transformation experience?

I love being around the kids and talking to them and their parents and learning where they come from.

If you could tell one story from your experience at PT – what story would you tell?

Every day the kids fight to sit with me during lunch and one boy in the program hugs me every day when he comes in.  It warms my heart to know the kids really love me and I’m making a difference.

The after school program has just begun, and even thought it was my second year at Casa Linda I was still a little bit nervous, because I knew I was going to see new faces.  As I entered the classroom I was excited to see the kids and then I realized that many faces were familiar. When I saw one of my favorite kids and it just made my day. His name is  Juan and I love this kid because he is always smiling and that smile made me realize that the only reason I came back as a year round intern was to see how happy each of our kids enjoy been at Casa Linda. As much as I love Casa Linda I know the kids love it too because they love the help they get from us the interns, as well as the lovely volunteers we have at our site. I am so excited about what this upcoming year at Casa Linda brings us and what joy it will be to spend time with the kids.

Angelica Dominguez

Project Transformtion Intern 2011-2012

At Elmwood, we made dream catchers and told our kids the history behind them. I watched their faces light up with interest as we explained that they were used to catch bad dreams and only the good ones where able to pass through. The kids were very excited and eager to make their own dream catchers in hopes that it would “keep the nightmares away,” Daniela told me. As I watched them hard at work, knowing that the assignment was about making something that would catch bad dreams, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of dreams would get caught in their dream catchers and what dreams they would will let pass through. Not only while they sleep, but as they live, learn and grow. What dreams would they pursue and which ones would get caught up in their webs? We have some pretty big dreamers here at Elmwood who have high hopes of becoming veterinarians, police officers, singers and much more. I feel so blessed to be in a position where I am able to encourage them to pursue their dreams and even catch some of the bad ones for them.

Whitney Parson

Elmwood Site Coordinator 2011-2012

As I sit by the door to greet the kids,I look at their adorable faces on the Who’s Who Wall. They look so innocent and full of life. As I look at each picture,the usual early bird, Eunice, is the first one through the door. I ask her how her day was and she says great. She takes her homework out and walks over to one of the tables. A few minutes later a handful of the children arrive. As I ask them how their day went, each child hands me a little flower. These are not the usual roses or daisy’s that one would expect but the flowers that grow on the grass that are considered weeds. As each one hands me one, they each give me a huge smile and tell me this is for you miss. How can one even judge the “weed” flowers, when each child gave with their great hearts and huge smiles? All I can say is the children of Christ’s Foundry give me a sense of happiness through their innocence and thankfulness through the simple gifts they give me on their arrival. This is when I know it’s going to be a great day at site.

Michelle Vasquez

Site Coordinator 2011-2012

If  you search on Youtube “24 rooms in a tiny Hong Kong apartment”, you will be amazed to find someone who has used their mind and creativity to create an amazing living space out of the small space where he lived. I smiled as I heard my kids shout out in amazement as they watched the video clip, “That is so cool!!” or “How did he do that?” I knew they finally got the idea that it didn’t matter what your environment is; your creativity and your mind can build wondrous things. We began our discussion on “Houses Around the World”, and I showed them pictures of houses from places like India, Antartica, Africa, and asked them to identify the material of the house and what place the house comes from. I was delighted to find out my kids knew a lot about geography, and were able to understand how other people lived around the globe. Finally, I asked them to get in teams and build their “Dream House” using various materials that I gave them such as cardboard boxes, legos, geometric shapes, pipecleaners, tissue paper, etc. It was amazing to see what creative spaces they made using only the materials given to them. I hope I drove the lesson home with my kids this week in that no matter what your space or environment is, you can make anything positive and beautiful with a little bit of creativity and imagination.

Suja Chacko

Site Coordinator 2011-2012

Antoine Girard

Oak Cliff Site Coordinator 2011-2012

The first 2 weeks in the after school program have been awesome. I really missed the kids from the summer program, and I am happy a lot of them returned for the after school program. My favorite part of the program is when one of my 4th graders, Hector, runs up and gives me a hug every day when he comes in. I think I’m doing something right if all the kids show love. This just proves I’m on the right track in my life. Teaching is what I want to do and being around the kids just makes me even more excited to be a teacher. I’m glad I found out about Project Transformation because it is showing me my real passion and what I want to be out of life.

Destiny Harris 

Project Transformation Intern 2011-2012

Though this is my third year to intern with Project Transformation, this is my first year as a site coordinator. I realize now that it is harder than it looks. As many familiar faces walked into the youth program on the first day, I realized that they looked to me to lead the program. I realize that it was up to me set the tone and the atmosphere of the program. I started off the week very energetic, however, by Thursday of the following week, I felt as though I had exhausted all my energy. As I filled out the necessary paperwork, I noticed that a new kid had entered the program each day. Attendance for the youth program, which has always been a struggle with Wesley Rankin, was growing. Kids were choosing to come to this program when there were other choices out there.

On Wednesday of this week, during the program, I looked out the window and saw a big group of middle school and high school kids fighting. Police came eventually and they all ran away.  I am happy to say that none of the youth in my program were involved.

Though I know the work sometimes is difficult, I know that nothing excellent comes easy. I pray that God continues to give me the strength to lead a program that transforms the youth in this West Dallas community.

Larry Randolph

Site Coordinator 2011-2012