MLK Weekend was this weekend, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr Day. MKL Weekend is a higher school program at Calvin where inner city/urban high school kids, nominated by teachers or their church come to Calvin and experience college life, tempered by leadership building activities and civil-rights-today exposure. I'm sure there's a more eloquent way of putting it, but that's it in a nutshell.
It was great! The S-LC crew managed the mini service-learning deal for the kids. My extreme fear of teenagers dissappeared after heading out with a group of rowdy teenagers in 10 below zero (Farenheit!!!) weather canvassing around a neighborhood. This event reminded me of why I love service-learning and why I believe in the good in all. The kids, all African American ('cept for a few CCE credit Calvin kids), were, on the outside, fun-loving, and on the inside, brilliant. I enjoyed how easy-going they were, being as noisy as others would tolerate but every so rarely, one of them would say something 'important,' by which I mean wise for their age. This came through more clearly during reflection time (which was I quote, "booooring"), they said stuff, answered the group leaders' questions because hey, they still were in high school and still knew what authority meant. But going after them, after they gave a 'cool' answer, humbled me. I wanted to shout, "yes!" and hug them. They could look beyond what they were doing out in the cold, knocking on doors with flyers about lead poisoning. They knew what a leader was. Of course, they still have yet to get the big picture, all those exceptions to the general rule, etc. But that comes with experience. What I got from them is that they had the capacity to be great. To be above the average. And I can't get over the fact how immature they can act, how childish they looked and how when I was a teenager, I thought I was the most grown-up I'd ever be. Teenagers are so full of life. I think I've grown enough to look at them and realize, and understand that teenagers are just misunderstood. Society has placed stereotypes on teenagers, I don't need to tell you what they are.

One of the girls, not a high schooler, impressed me the most. She was on the panel of speakers of one of the sessions. Only 20 years old and already an active advocate/ social activist invovled in affirmative action. She knew the facts and walked like she talked. She had contacts and spoke out. Only 20. That blew my mind. And there she was, sitting in front of a microphone with other panelists that had reputations and credentials that would make me gape. She reminded me that if anyone, if I wanted to do something, to cause a change, to be heard, it's not all about the talking and sounding good, but I need to do my homework. To know the stats, not just personal related experiences. To know the history and the current topics. To work practical and know what tools I can use. To know my audience.

For myself, what I realize better now is that mind sets change, things change, and you can't understand a phase until you're a step ahead and out of that phase of interest. And fear is something that prevents comprehension and learning. Go back, identify and return to that fear.