Lets Give Thanks
It has been far too long since I posted on this site about my service learning. Last week I returned home to Michigan to see my family, and what has essentially become a second family to me: my service learning group. I will be posting a picture soon, I hope, if Margaret develops her roll of film in the near future (my primary contact in Michigan who has assisted in locating venues for our monthly meetings). She has been very busy with her children and new job, but has made more then enough time to assist me with this project.
In Michigan I have set up a semi-impromptu group of individuals (usually about 30 or so at a time, though this past week we had a record breaking 45-mobile in our meeting location going from one college computer lab “shhh, dont tell anyone” to a church basement to an elementary academy and back again) who are seeking assistance developing a series of diverse skills. Some of these I have the ability to extensively assist, others I am limited in my own familarity but can offer a decent foundation, and there are even those which I do not have the slightest clue how to approach-but others who stop by have thus far been able to suppliment my instruction with their own experience and have suscessfully assisted those I cannot.
Many have come seeking the skills necessary to locate the ever decreasing employment opportunities in Michigan-or even those out of state. Some need to acquaint themselves with newer versions of Windows, Office and how to utilize the internet for professional purposes. I have taught numerous individuals how to write resumes and build power point presentations. A few came in search of coding, web design and software advice-the specific realms of which I know little to nothing.
What has suprized me is the interest everyone appears to have in the use of the internet for politics across the board-men, women and even teenagers. I expected to find those who are interested in Myspace and Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, Youtube and Monster.com, and of course the infamous Wikipedia. I even expected the questions about banking and shopping online-all of which I have tried my best to assist with as careful and cautious as I could….but the shock I face each time I meet with my group and find an ever evolving series of questions about using the internet for political interest and pursuit is more than I can express. I was even invited to a couple presidential candidate MeetUp groups this past weekend, and one individual, Mike, even bestowed upon me a semi-hard to find political sign for my house and a bumper sticker for my car (Although I do not incorporate my political views in my service learning instruction, I do carry a purse which happens to have little buttons in support for my candidate of choice…Mike is very observant).
This visit with my group ran from noon to an exhausting nine at night, and a few individuals came together and organized a mini-Thanksgiving dinner (there was nothing “mini” about it, I almost passed out after three sweet grandmotherly women urged me to eat about five pieces of various pies they had homemade the night before! Delicious, certainly, and more than kind but I am still feeling sluggish!).
The young and elderly coming together this past weekend to learn how to use computers, the internet, office programs and ultimately interacting and even teaching one another (there were too many people for me to assist alone, but I did observe most of the mini sessions that people were volunteering to do in my stead-even learned a thing or two)-sitting down to a home cooked meal organized without requirement or obligation by men, women and teenagers from areas as close as Port Huron, and as far away as Dearborn: a variety of ethnicities, ages, educational and economic backgrounds coming together for our last ‘official’ meeting but likely to meet again with or without my presence. I was touched, really, and despite my cynicism about the future of my country, and certainly my homestate-I feel a little hope, and a little sleepy, still, from the turkey, potatoes, pie, casseroles, bread, cake, yams, cranberries, beans, oysters, rolls, corn…okay, you get the picture….and even more exhausted from all the questions asked that challenged me, often beyond my skills.
I will be posting again soon, I just needed to get my initial thoughts out there.
