Empathy Project Draft

AGE GROUP:  9 years to 12 years of age female

REASON FOR CHOICE: I feel I can relate to a girl between these ages and feel comfortable sharing my life with them.

LANGUAGE BARRIER:

·      Speak simple

·      Speak slowly

·      Laugh together at our errors

·      Make it fun

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDENT:

·      Hi! My name is Enya. I am from the American International School of Johannesburg. I volunteer here every Thursday to help students like you.

·      This week my school and I will be speaking with a few students like you to get to know you a little bit better. And talk about the differences between African students and International students.

·      Such as: school work, family life, sisters and brothers, pets, likes/dislikes, etc.

·      Would you like to help me with my work?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

SCHOOL:

Student - What school do you go to?

Student - Do you have a lot of friends?

Student - Do you like school?

Interviewer - Share with the student about my school, life, friends, etc.

DAILY LIFE:

Student - Where do you live?

Student – What do you have to help with at home? Such as: cooking, cleaning, laundry, helping with the brothers and sisters, etc.

Student – What do you do for fun? Such as: go to the movies, play games, sports, outside play, listen to music, etc.

Interviewer – Share with the student where I live, my chores, and my hobbies.

FAMILY:

Student – Tell me about your mom and dad.

Student – I would love to know about your sisters and brothers.

Student – Are you close to your grandma and Grandpa? An

d what about your aunts and uncles?

Student – Do you have any pets? Such as: dogs, cats, goldfish, etc.

Interviewer – Share with the student about my family.

LANGUAGE:

Student – What is your native language?

Student – What is your name in your native language?

Student – How would you say “Hello” in your native language?

Student – In your native language, how would you say “mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, sister, and brother?”

Student – How would you say “Goodbye” in your native language?

Interviewer – I will share my Italian language with the student. (mama, papa, zia, zio, nonna, nonno, sorella, fratello, ciao)

CONCLUSION:

·      Thank you so much for sharing your life with me.

·      I’ll see you next week. We’ll work on reading.

·      Bye. Ciao.

Empathy Mind Map

STAGES OF SERVICE LEARNING

STAGES OF SERVICE LEARNING

            My definition of SOCIAL JUSTICE is for the community to intervene for all levels of human beings to help better their lives through education, mentoring, and compassion.

INVENTORY + INVESTIGATION:

My service-learning project is Afrika Tikkun. Upon entering on Thursday, my inventory count of students was twenty-five, ages ranging from 7 to 14. My investigation on how prepared they were as individuals to come into the classroom and learn; they all had great eager attitudes. They seemed to be open to some of our ideas. Unfortunately, they did not have the supplies in hand to start any assignment.

PREPARATION + PLANNING:

Therefore, on my next visit I will prepare to bring the basic pencils and paper for whom I’m working with. I’m hoping to work with age groups between 6 to 8, approximately 6 students. My AISJ partner, Raquel and I are hoping form a reading circle. We have plans for interactive games.

ACTION:

First and foremost, Raquel and I will address our plan to the Afrika Tikkun leader and receive approval before beginning. We will select 6 students within our age group who are willing to participate in our reading circle. Then, we will find a quiet, small area in the community center; keep our group organized and focus to maximize our learning time. We will choose one appropriate book either from our AISJ school library or from our homes to read to the students. In hopes to get their full attention, further their comprehension, and even to get a volunteer from the group to read a few pages in order to evaluate their reading skills and capabilities. If necessary, we will choose a lower or higher reading level book.

REFLECTION:

Raquel and I will keep a reflection log to chart the progress and participation of each student that is in our reading circle. This will be helpful for us to assess their reading growth. I would like to see change in the students that I have made an impact in their learning.

DEMONSTRATION + CELEBRATION:

Throughout my volunteer service to Afrika Tikkun, Raquel and I will take random pictures of our students involved in our reading circle. Also, I will inform the students that these photos will be posted at our school, AISJ. Together we will write a segment on our blog that we will posted weekly after our visit on Thursdays and we will have a finale page on our blog to commemorate our time spent together with the Afrika Tikkun students.

To keep the students involved, we will have a celebration on our final day with our reading circle students. We will play fun games. Also, we will also hand out candy and stickers. We will present each of our circle reading students with a printed copy of a certificate of success and appreciation.

I’m excited to get started volunteering with Afrika Tikkun.

Afrika Tikkun Reflection

Afrika Tikkun Reflection

            On my very first day at Afrika Tikkun I was overwhelmed with the amount of children that I encountered. To be truthful, I thought I was going to be paired up with one child to mentor, encourage, and enhance their educational experience. However, we randomly fluttered amongst the group assisting any student in need of help. When I reflect upon this, I feel I could have made more of a difference if I worked with one child on a regular basis. I feel more information could be covered with that child and their time would be used effectively. Because when you get down to it one hour is very precious. All in all, I am excited to be part of something small but yet so big. 

Pay It Forward

Pay it Forward

            The short time that I will be spending in Africa Tikkun; I will make every Thursday count to make a difference in one of the children’s lives. When I’m assigned to my child to tutor, I will be visual, take mental notes in my head on how I can improve this small child’s day. First and foremost, I will teach and mentor this child to my fullest. I will be sure to bring school materials to aid his or her learning when I’m gone. Second, I will gather information about the child’s immediate family to see where I can help there. Whether it is to bring in food for the family or clothing and shoes for the siblings. I know this experience will be rewarding for me; So, I want to make the experience for the child even more special.

The Interview of a 10th grade student named Enya

The Interview of a 10^th grade student named Enya

By Paula, a 10^th grade student

My name is Enya and I am a student at American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ). My interviewer was Paula; she is also a student at AISJ. The topic of the interview was to discover my abilities and interests and how it would be helpful in community service. The key words that the interviewer asked me about were my interests, skills, and talents. The interviewer was focused on my ability to listen, stay attentive, body posture, and eye contact. 

The interviewer started off by asking about my origins? I am from the United States of America (U.S.A.) Tacoma, Washington. My father was an active duty military member. So, I was able to travel a lot and live in many countries. I was fortunate to live in Italy for five years. I speak conversational Italian and would like to become more fluent. I have a love for languages and I am currently enrolled in French 1. I lived in the Last Great Frontier  - Alaska, U.S.A. I am currently living in Pretoria, South Africa due to my father’s career working for the Foreign Service.

I can say one thing about myself; I love animals. My family and I have three pets, two Yorkshire terriers and an Italian cat. I have great passion in pursuing a career with animals. The field is so broad that I am undecided on which department to take. I want to choose the best career field that will bring me life long happiness. In contribution to my community service, I was a committed volunteer at the local Animal Shelter in Alaska.

The interviewer covered several topics. Such as: helping, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. I’ll start off with how I help people. We have resident guards that I speak with every morning. I enjoy giving them cold drinks on hot days with an afternoon snack. On the weekends, my family and I prepare for them a hot meal from our braai. Also, at Christmas time to show our gratitude for their work we bake homemade cookies, and give them a small gift, and a monetary note. My family and I keep packaged shelf life meals in our car to hand out to the hungry people on the street. On the other hand, my Afrikaan neighbor displayed an incredible act of helping me when my cat leaped over our electric fence into their yard. Into the mouths of five yapping dogs. She, with a quick response, demanded her dogs to back away and she retrieved my cat in one piece. I have gratitude for her forever. I have strong strengths in my study habits. I am organized and function very well. I am disciplined in eating a healthy diet. My family and I do not eat fast food often. In comparison, my weakness only comes out when I’m studying; I have the tendency to eat junk food. Moreover, I have many interests. My family and I have a preliminary itinerary to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. Also, on that itinerary is to walk a cheetah and tour an underground diamond mine.

Furthermore, my talents consist of playing the piano at an intermediate level. My skills in the kitchen are in the baking category. I can make amazing cupcakes. In addition, I am an avid reader. I’m an academic honor student.

In conclusion, I am a typical fifteen-year-old girl with great aspirations.