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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
(4 Events)
Volunteer Mentor Orientation
Thursday, October 25th
4:15 - 6:00 pm
1930 Como Avenue, St. Paul
Please RSVP to mallory.haar@spps.org The Lab will be hosting a training for volunteers Mentors who will be working with youth in our schools. This month's training will be held at 1930 Como Ave, St. Paul, from 4:15 - 6:00 PM. Interested potential volunteers must apply and interview before they are able to attend the training. Applications available at www.thelabspps.com/?page_id=19. Volunteer Working Committees
Monday October 29th
3:30 - 5:00 pm
1930 Como Avenue, St. Paul
Please RSVP to mallory.haar@spps.org Volunteer your time and talents in program development to make The Lab a world class program! Committees being established include:Fundraising, Grant Writing, Special Event Planning, Volunteer Recruitment, Product Development and Program Evaluation. Lab Staff Special Event:Art Exploration with Nancy Ward
Tuesday, October 30
3:00 - 4:30 pm
360 Colborne, rooms J & K
CEU's (and snacks) will be provided
Please RSVP to mallory.haar@spps.org Join Nancy Ward (Art Therapist & Lab Mentor at Murray PSD)for a chance to explore art as a way to work with youth. This will be an experiential opportunity for our staff at the 11 program sites to play with art, learn more about art therapy, and translate this great tool to the classroom for students. Volunteer, Mentor & Intern Support Meeting
Thursday, November 15
3:00 - 5:00 pm
1930 Como Avenue, St. Paul All current Volunteers, Interns, and paid Mentors will gather to share stories of success, strategies for handling challenges and to get further support for your involvement in The Lab.
For more information about
THE LAB email Mallory Haar at mallory.haar@spps.org
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Lab Launch Recap
Thanks to 35 enthusiastic attendees, The Lab Launch was a success! The Youth Advisory Team kicked off the event by sharing their poetry and perspectives. We hosted a diverse crowd of supporters, including teachers, administrators, social workers, representatives of community agencies, and volunteers/mentors. We shared The Lab's vision and strategies for increased program impact and growth. Our guests showed a clear interest and investment in our work in The Lab (and we even raised $1,100 in donations!) Many thanks to our supporters!
Volunteer Working Committees
Do you have knowledge or skills to offer in the way of program development? Join one of our Working Committees! These committees will meet once a month to work on a specific facet of program development including: fund raising, grant writing, event planning, product development, and volunteer recruitment. This is an ideal volunteer opportunity for those who have experience with nonprofit management. (See second sidebar)
Lab Student Profile
James first joinedThe Poetry Lab when he was in 8th grade at Washington Middle School. James is now a junior in high school and he has participated in the Lab at Harding and St. Andrews, both as a member of the writing circle and as a guest speaker for groups of peers and adults. James has compiled a disc of his work while in The Poetry Lab (which he has sold), and has performed his poetry at the Capri Theatre when he was the captain of the Harding High School Slam Team. You can hear his poem "Recipe for Me" on the podcast section on the Lab Website.
When asked about how he initially felt about The Poetry Lab, he responds that, at first, he felt the pace was too slow, that too many kids were distracted, or distracting. James thinks that, at the start of the program, many of his peers are fearful or shy about reading their work aloud, but that after awhile people open up and become more interested in hearing one another's work. Hearing about his peers and life histories is an important part of The Poetry Lab experience for James. In fact, this is one way that James believes he has grown. "I've learned how to listen to people more. At first I didn't care, I was too self-centered".
James says that the past three years have helped his writing grow stronger; he now reflects more on his choice of words as he writes. "My writing matured", he says, "now I think to myself, ‘Is this right to say? Is this good to say?’” James also makes use of different resources as he writes -- he uses a dictionary or rhyming dictionary to look up “stronger words”. He also turns to American history books to add a more political element to his pieces. When asked how much of his poetry is autobiographical, he replies, a slow grin spreading across his face, “A lot of it. I write my own life history.” James feels optimistic about the Poetry Lab’s transformation into The Lab. “It'’s moving it up another level, expanding out the box.”
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