10

One of my favorite parts about being in this neighborhood is living life alongside kids while they grow up. I met some of the kids from our block while in college. Many of them were 8-10 years old, and are now in high school!




On Sunday Kathy turned 10. I remember meeting her when she was 8 and in the second grade. I began tutoring with DinoMights, and moved into an apartment 3 blocks from her house. I remember taking her to the park with two of her sisters and having them over to play UNO. Over time Kathy has become a consistent part of my life. She has an amazing support network that surrounds her. She is so bright, and full of irrepressible life. In the past few months some life circumstances have become more difficult for her. I have been in awe of her ability to grasp what is happening in a healthy way. She is the youngest of 5 and is the family organizer. All of her siblings have been in the DinoMights program. As the youngest she has had to learn a great deal of patience. Kathy has watched each of her siblings go to camp, or have different experiences and she continually has had to wait until she is "old enough." This summer she finally got to go to an overnight camp that all of her sisters and her one brother have been to. She loved it so much...




I have confidence that I will see her graduate from college in 10-11 years and become some type of event planner. Happy Birthday Kathy! I wish you well. I am beyond grateful you are in my life...

nature.

Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams . John Muir

Their is something to be said for being in the splendor of creation. I am drawn to the city and the rich diversity that lies within it. Yet, the wilderness to me is a place of solitude, discovery, and rest. Whenever I have had the opportunity to bring kids from an urban setting camping or to the "woods" the experience has been both liberating and therapeutic. God has created this vast spread of beautiful landscape for each of us to discover.. Even kids who may not like being outdoors learn about themselves through seeing new animals, hearing different sounds, and looking up at a sky full of stars.

I love living in the city and being within walking distance of a pretty amazing park. It doesn't necessarily take a roadtrip for us to have opportunities to play in the outdoors.

This year I have been trying to appreciate Minnesota Winters more by making the most of them. I have XC skied more than any other year, gone skating, sledding, and have taken part in a few other shennanigans.

A few weeks ago Minneapolis did not have school so I took some DinoMights sledding.



I also went XC skiing with my brother Dan at a park in MPLS, with a view of the skyline.

In less than a month I am hitting the open road with a friend.. We are going camping and hiking out West. In and among creation is where my heart is set free. I am looking forward to this time of discovery and being in the wild.

Dinos in the Star Tribune!

The DinoMights were featured in the Star Tribune on Monday!
I also just got back from the Hockey in the hood tournament in Detroit which was fantastic!


The article is below, but I will also include the Star Tribune link which has a photo gallery of the kids.


Inner-city kids get a shot at playing hockey thanks to the nonprofit DinoMights organization.

By JOY PETERSEN, Star Tribune


The alarm rings early Wednesday mornings for 11-year-old Hector Ramirez.

Just a day before he was to leave last week for the Hockey in the Hood Tournament in Detroit, he was catching a ride to an early-morning practice at the Augsburg Ice Arena. Arriving at the brightly lit rink, he was greeted with upraised arms and an eager welcome by his coach, Scott Harman.

"Hector! Glad to see you, buddy!"

Red duffel bags were piled in a heap next to the lockerroom door. One was marked specifically for Hector. All the gear inside -- helmet, pads and skates -- had been donated.

Hector, along with 94 other boys and girls ages 5 to 18, is part of DinoMights, a Minneapolis program that gives inner-city kids access to a sport not commonly played by minority children.

The National Hockey League in 1995 began the NHL Diversity Task Force, now known as the "Hockey is for Everyone" initiative. It offers children of all backgrounds the opportunity to play hockey.

That same year, a team was organized in Minneapolis by John Foley, a preacher's son who started the program as an outreach effort from his father's church, Faith Covenant. That early enterprise today has grown into DinoMights, a nonprofit organization with three paid staff members and 40 volunteers who work with children from the Central, Powderhorn Park and Phillips neighborhoods.

The organization holds an annual fundraiser, receives grants and accepts donations from local businesses. While it asks for $50 from each participant per year to defray costs, those unable to pay are not turned away.

DinoMights also provides tutoring, mentoring, social interaction and faith-based education to the players.

Harman, who is also executive director of the program, said the 40 volunteers pick up and drop off the players. Because most participants are dependent on rides, Harman said it teaches the kids responsibility because they have to set an alarm and be on time.

The volunteers bring the kids to the Augsburg Ice Arena for their 6:15 a.m. practices each Wednesday during hockey season.

While the youngest kids get help suiting up, the older kids take the ice. At 6:45 a.m., after the skates have been tightened and the mouth guards put in place, the volunteers huddle up the younger children for a morning prayer. Then a one-hour practice begins.

Hector said the hardest part for him was learning how to skate -- he'd never skated before he joined DinoMights. For the littlest ones, tumbles on the ice are common. Some fly into the side boards and hit hard. But they pick themselves up and dust themselves off.

After practice, the kids eat breakfast together as a team and then the volunteers take them to school.

Team members practice and play in games and tournaments against squads from around the metro area. The DinoMights also played during intermission at Saturday's Minnesota Wild game. Last fall, Willie O'Ree, the first black NHL player, visited the team.

Hector was one of 10 DinoMights who participated in Detroit's fifth annual Hockey in the Hood Tournament Friday through Sunday. The event hosted teams from 11 cities, including Chicago, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and smaller cities such as Windsor, Ontario, and Wasilla, Alaska.

Hector was looking forward to the trip. "I'm excited about all the teams we're going to play."

Leonard Silbernagle, 24, grew up in the Longfellow neighborhood and joined DinoMights in 1999 at a time when he said he was "struggling with school." While some in his neighborhood turned to gangs, Silbernagle said the program was a way for him "to get out of the community."

After graduating from high school and taking some time off, he rejoined DinoMights this year as a volunteer coach.

And he loves working with the kids. "It's great to see their faces."

Joy Petersen is a University of Minnesota journalism student on assignment for the Star Tribune.

Dreams

For Black History month at work we are having the kids look at poets from various cultural backgrounds. One of the poets that the kids read about yesterday was Langston Hughes.

"DREAMS"
by Langston Hughes
Hold onto dreams
For if dreams die
Life is like a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

What gives a child regardless of socioeconomic factors the ability to dream?

What holds a child back from achieving their dreams?

Who influences an individual to follow through on dreams they had as a child?

Why do some dreams die?

How does one individual "make it" in this world and another not, even if these two people come from the same circumstances?

How do we keep from failing our youth? What more can be done? How do we
( as a society) keep them from being lost in the system, or failed by the system?

I have been wrestling with these questions and so many more recently.
I have come to some of my own conclusions or opinions . Yet, I would love to hear a variety of perspectives.

cookies for Dr. King.

At The Dr. King soul food dinner 1/19/09



Life is full of redemptive moments.
On Saturday I was at my old apartment which is the same place we store the DinoMights equipment. I lived in this building 2.5 yrs. ago. The year I lived at the 4 plex honestly was one of the most stretching years of my life in so many ways.

5 beautiful girls lived below me, and moved to a nearby suburb 6 months into my stay at the apartment. we lost track of one another through phone numbers changing, and I thought I would never see them again. WELL, this Saturday I saw some familar faces walking down the street. They moved back to the 4 plex 2.5 years later! The oldest is now 12. When I lived at the 4 plex the youngest ( LaShanti) was 3, now she is 6 and in Kindergarten! They invited me up to their apartment, and I got to spend some time with their Mom. The place was super clean, and their Mom is going back to school. LaShanti is the cousin of the 4 girls. Sadly, she stays at a homeless shelter with her Mom & younger brother. Arteshia, the oldest of the bunch had a birthday yesterday. She asked if we could make cookies on Monday for Dr. King. The girls ended up coming over to make cookies, attend a soul food dinner at my church, and a service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We also watched the " I have a dream" speech in my living room.

As LaShanti ( the youngest) saw this middle age African American man enter the balcony at church she said " LEAH, LEAH! Is that Dr. King right there?" I am not sure if anyone had ever explained to her that he is no longer living. As the kids were given rides home, and their bellies were full of greens, macaroni, potato salad, and fried chicken their voices bellowed the words to "We shall overcome." Children are our hope, and as one man at church told them this evening they are the future...

BELOW: FALL 2006

Ominee a.k.a "Diva" ( age 7) & LaShanti ( age 3)

L to R: Zikia(age 6),Arteshia (age 10), Ominee(7), and Lanaya( age 5)


BELOW: Making "Dr. King" cookies 1/19/09


LaShanti ( age 6) & Lanaya ( age 7)


Zikia ( age 8), Arteshia ( age 12) & Lanaya (age 7)

Better People

I am without a doubt an extrovert, but I am not a verbal processor. Many times I find myself daydreaming, or stuck in my own head...

Often, I am struck by the hope that lies in humanity... I am also continually in awe of how much our lives intersect..

My friend Marta moved here from Poland a little over a year ago. A few weeks ago she shared dinner with her husband, her sister & her boyfriend, a few Muslim individuals from Yemen, a Hindu couple, and a few other people. She was expressing to me how much can happen through conversation and the sharing of food. All of the cultures surrounding the table were drastically different, some even from countries fighting wars with one another...

On Saturday I ended up getting in a long conversation with an individual in my neighborhood regarding public schools, social work, and justice. This individual was so refreshing to talk to because he was not afraid to ask REALLY tough questions. Our conversation sparked something within, and I haven't been able to stop processing it.

Then today at church I was once again influenced by the crazy interconnectedness of our lives. During the offering portion of the service our pastor always explains that our lives are meant as an offering.. It is a time where we share moments of pain, petition, and protest before the congregation. The church I attend is diverse both culturally and generation ally. After the service the church always provides a drop-in meal to the homeless. Lately, a way larger number of the homeless have been attending the church service. During the offering people shared concerns for friends they know in Palestine dealing with the issues in Gaza, others shared personal tragedies within their own family, some shared moments of joy announcing they were expecting their first child, some shared that they are seekign employment, one woman shared that she has been sober for 5 months ... Today, we also had communion. Our pastor always randomly chooses 2 people from the congregation to serve communion together. He seems to choose individuals who would appear quite different from one another. Today, he chose an African American man in his late 30's who is homeless, and myself. This was a humbling experience... As Christ's body was broken for each of us, and his blood shed for us... As we approach a year of new beginnings... May we live in the hope that is found in Christ.. A man who came to this earth to LOVE, not to divide... May we continually recognize our stories are woven together into a beautiful tapestry and we cannot forget that we belong to each other.

India Arie says it best...


"Better People"

Yeah Yeah!
Yeah Yeah!


I wish there was a video game
to teach you your ancestors name
I wish there was a phone number

like 1-800-Save-Your-Brother
I'm thankful for the radio station
Not afraid to put the truth in rotation

there are skirts of information
That you can only get in conversation when...

[Chorus:]
Young People, who talk to
Old People, it would make us
Better People, all around...
(Yes it would)

And if Old People would talk to
Young People, it would make us
Better People, all around....
(Yes it would)

[Verse 2:]
We went from radio to TV
Now we're going from LP to CD
Don't be afraid

To try something new
I can help you with the brand new technology
Help me with the age old philosophy
Together there's so much we can do when

[Chorus:]
Young People, who talk to
Old People, it would make us
Better People, all around...

And if Old People would talk to
Young People, it would make us
Better People, all around....

They say that every
Generation gets worse
They call it a generational curse

These problems don't just drop out the sky (yeah)
Listen to Mahatma Ghandi's words
Be the change you want to see in the world
Start with yourself and healing will multiply
AAAAAAH, that's what happens When..

[Chorus:]
Young People, who talk to
Old People, it would make us
Better People, all around...

If Old People would talk to
Young People, it would.....
Better People, all around....

If black people
Would talk to white people
It would make us
Better People
All Around....

If Republican people would
Talk to Democratic people
It would make us diplomatic people
[laugh] All Around.....

2009...shine.

2008 is old... 2009 is new. Happy New Year!
I thank God for another year.. full of many changes, struggles, joys, and all that is in between.

We took the DinoMights to Feed my Starving Children again this year.. We had 35 youth partcipate, with 10 adult volunteers.


Yesterday I went to the pow-wow to watch three of my neighbors dance.



Overall I am looking forward to 09. I am not really into resolutions..( more into life goals/dreams) Some exciting things are coming up though:
-finishing my last semester of classes for grad school
-taking voice lessons ( many of you know I DO NOT sing.. )
-cabin weekend with the friends
-January 20th...! ( Gobama)
...and many other shennanigans.