Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Lizzy Carr

During my ten days here, both my hopes and fears have been fulfilled. I did learn leadership skills a bunch of other things. There were times when my beliefs were greatly challenged and times where my resolve was strengthened incomparably. (Is that a word?) There were times I laughed and times I wanted to break down in tears because of all the emotions running through me. I've made wonderful friends, no enemies. On that enemy note, Susan said something in which I'm going to quote... "An enemy is someone who's story you don't know." thios really touched me, and it is something I'll remember for the rest of my life. This will remind me not to judge anyone in any way. It'll remind me to "turn to wonder-how did this person get here at this point? Why would they choose this life? How many true friends do they have, and will I add one more to that list?"
I have strove to honor God to the best of my ability. I hope that everyone here at camp got to see a semon, not just hear one. I'm praying for each and every one of ya'll. Just to tell ya, I'm gonna be prayin' that God chases you until you have no choice but to turn around and face His unimaginable love for you. I'm gonna be prayin' that you give your heart and life to HIm because whether you know it or not He loved YOU enough that He was beaten beyond recognition, nailed to a cross, humiliated, hated, loved, mourned for, hurted for, forsaken for your benefit, that you may accept Him as your Lord and Savior. I love ya'll so much. God Bless Ya'll. Now go into your communities and make a difference.
Love in Christ,
Lizzy Carr

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Home

Well, after spending 10 days at a place, and making close bonds, I will always hold SYI as home in my heart. Because home is not a location, it is a feeling. A feeling of love, security, and happiness. Only time will tell how we used this 10 day adventure, but I hope it gets used. I wish I could sum up this experience in a few words, but I can't. So I'll leave it at this.

ARE YOU READYYYY!!! HELL YEA! DAMN RIGHT! HOTTY TODDY GOSH AH MIGHTY WHO THE HELL ARE WE! HEY! FLEM FLAM BIM BAM OLE MISS BY DAMN!

Jessica WInford

well I had fun these ten days I'm most happy to say that I enjoyed being able to stand in visit the land marks of history i felt it was a bite scary but also important to my life.It kinda made my mind wonder,and gave me more reasons to be thankful for were i stand today,history has showed me thats its ok to take a stand in that I will do. I mean i'm happy that it has finally came time to go home but I also i'm pretty sad cause i have made new friends and now we have to leave in go our own seprate ways.I will take the knowledge that I have learned back to Jackson with me in use it, although this haven't been the best ten days of my life but I have enjoyed the time of whichIi stayed but as I once stated its time for me to go home in take this knowledge back to me community hoping in wishing that o could make a change, thanks for everything.

Devante Wiley

This has been the best 10 days of my life! Words can't explained how much fun i have had at this institute. I have met some incredibly awesome people and I've learned things that i didn't even know happened. This Institute has given me the courage to stand up and be the head dog in my community..and possibly city. I look foward to working with the people I have encountered here to make Mississippi a much much much much better place. I strongly reccomend any and everyone to the William Winters Summer Youth Institute. Once again...I have enjoyed myself and I will be returning next year. Look out Mississippi..there are some new sheriffs in town!!!

Julie Alford

For the last ten days, I’ve had the honor of attending the Summer Youth Institute at Ole Miss. This was such an honor and I feel so blessed to have been given the chance to make a difference in my community and learn about so much that I’d never known before. For ten days, I’ve learned about my home, learned to accept others as they are, learned what it really means to be a neighborly person, and learned that I can change things if I want. I want to change the image of Mississippi, starting with community; and the Summer Youth Institute has hellped me realize that that’s possible. For that and many other resasons, I am beyond greatful.

The students at SYI have become like a family to me. We’ve laughed together, cried together, and formed bonds that could last forever. Meeting all of these new people has also shown me that you really can’t judge other people. Everyone is an individulal person, and everyone has their own thoughts. The people at SYI have shown me that stereotypes don’t matter, and usually don’t apply. My fellow students are a group of amazing people who are unconcerned with race or gender; they don’t care what you look like or how you talk; they aren’t bothered with where you come from or where you want to go; these people care about who you are—not your parents or your grandparents, but you. This, I know, is an amazing thing. So many people in today’s society dwell on the past but can’t see the present or even comprehend the future. But these people that I’ve lived with and grown to love in the last ten days see reality. They see that it’s possible for everyone to be together and grow from each other, and that’s something that many people—especially in our state—can’t do.

Before SYI, I was unaware of so much. With every trip we took, I learned more about the place that I call home. Every time a story was shared, my mind was blown. Now, we’ll be leaving tomorrow, and I’m going to miss everyone dearly. But, although we won’t be able to share antics around the tables at JC or dance in the lobby, we’ll stay in touch, I’m sure. With all of the networking possibilities now, I feel sure that everyone will stay in contact, and that’s what gives me hope.

Monday, July 26, 2010

And Then There Were None

I can't believe its over...hard for me to admit but like I took a nap and woke up expecting to hear Melissa fussing at the girls on our hall for being to loud and calling me a DramaQueen..PSHHHH!I am kinda sad now...Its like I miss everyone already and it hasnt even been that long!SOOOOO I would like to tell all my peeps at the Summer Youth Institute that I truly enjoyed my time with you all and I wish nothing but blessings and success on your lives!LOL I will always remember you bishop C.L Dukes(Jamal) and your many sermons you gave at the JC,on the 1st floor,3rd floor and the observatory..shout out to Patrick for being the Best driver there is... unlike others I always felt safe riding with you lol. to Ms. Susan for just doing it all with her sidekick Paddy and creating this wonderful experience for us,having us at her house for dinner last night and that delicious food from Taylor Grocery!Charles thanks for giving me the inside scoop on Spellman!You are a very sharp Morehouse Man..To the best Group ever...GROUP 4!Hope and Megan yal are the BOMB!Hope WE do LOVE U despite what you may think!!Love you too Megan!!!!!Last but not least to Peter and Artair for being such great leaders in our regional groups..You guys are the perfect example of what a young successful man should be and setting a great example for the KIDS!Well now my words are winding down and I have little left to say now that we have gone our separate ways ..I truly don't believe that Helfy Dorm will never be the same...

-Yours Truly.
Ann-Marie Herod

Sunday, July 25, 2010

SURVEY!

Click here

These Last 10 Days!!!

These last “10 days” have been amazing!! In the beginning it was very boring… well the welcome table sessions were!! However as time progressed, the sessions became a little more interesting. The workshops were very interesting!! [well some of them… most of them]. The “poetry workshop” was interesting and the workshop with Constance was also interesting. The other workshops were very beneficial as far as information!! And I can say that I will leave here with more knowledge than I had when I first arrived! The tours were sooo informative!! I feel that it’s safe to say that if it wouldn’t have been for this program, I would not have seen any of the places that I visited. It help to learn so much more about my hometown!! I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity!! The most amazing aspect of this program has been the sociability of the members!! In the beginning we didn’t know each other and were very conservative with actions and opinions! Its “wowing” how we now act as if we’ve known each other for forever! [LITERALLY!!!!! :D] Our “staff” has been WOOONDERFUUULLL!!! Out of all of the programs I’ve been to… I haven’t encountered a group of “staff” members that were sooooo caring and considerate and go out of the way just to make sure that we all feel accepted and comfortable and satisfied!!!!! I have to give a special “shoutout” to Ms Susan!!! She is… wooooow… words cant describe her!! She has been AWWWEEESSOOME!! She is one of a kind!! And I feel that this program will go very far!! I love her and everyone else!! And I will miss them all dearly!!!

Reflections

Today is the last full day. I'm exhausted, physically and mentally and emotionally and overall the combined feeling is amazing. It's an interesting experience to have been involved in this institute, because in a little more than a month, I will be moving to Berkeley, CA and beginning a new phase in my life. For reasons I will not go into, in the last year I've had the opinion that Mississippi has significant work to be done- so much that I felt change is impossible. How fitting is it, then, that a month before I leave Mississippi for California, I find myself presented with a group of high school students who care and feel the inequities and have passion for change. How fitting is it that I have been presented with a renewed feeling of hope.

Don't let go of that hope.
IN THE BEGIN OF THESE TEN DAYS I KNEW I WOULD LEARN SOMETHING GREAT. BUT AS THE WEEK PROGRESSED IT WAS A ROCKY START BUT YET EVERYTHING BEGAN TO PAN OUT SLOW BUT SURLY. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT ABOUT RACISM, MISSISSIPPI’S HISTORY AS A WHOLE, AND A LOT ABOUT MYSELF I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YET. THE PROGRAM IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER TO COME TOGETHER FOR A COMMON CAUSE. I HOPE IT CONTINUES ON AND HELPS THOUSANDS MORE YOUNG PEOPLE.
I've been in an interesting position the last ten days: only a few months older than the rising seniors but a counselor in a position of power, a peer but also a facilitator. It was difficult at times to just shut up and let the "kids" work out their problems on their own, especially when working on the regional project presentation. I felt like sharing all of my experience to help them get to a solution faster, but I knew I had to let them get there in their own way and in their own time. And they did! All of the presentations were incredible. These young adults blew me away; I felt like a proud parent. This week has been more challenging than anything I've ever experienced. I've proven to myself that I can work with youth in ways I've never had to before, a sometimes-authoritarian, a silent leader, hopefully a humble role model. It's been such a pleasure to get to know these young people and I can't wait to continue working with them in anyway they need me.
The Summer Youth Institute has been very good in teaching me leadershp skills. This program has help me alot for my future. My experience here has been okay I can remember everyone that I've met here. We all respect each others ideas, thoughts and each other. Everyone here has been very nice and generous, the staff was very active in doing what they were suppose to do. I expect to come back home with new leadership skills to bring my community together.

My Time With SYI

This has been a very good experience for me...It's like I have had a chance to talk about the things that are important to me and my voice is actually being heard.I don't think I would have gotten this experience anywhere else..It was difficult being away from my friends and family especially since I live here like right down the road..I felt cut off from the world and wanted to go home to be honest but that's one thing I don't do is give up.When I make a commitment to something there is no turning back for me.We have definitely had some ups and some downs but all together it was great.I can truly say that I enjoyed the workshops that we had and learned alot from them.It was interesting because a lot of the time we got to discuss things that they often shy away from in our school system.One of many commonalities we all had was that we were not satisfied with some of the things being taught in our schools and our overall education.Throughout the week we visited many historical civil rights sites and researched many civil rights leaders that we had no prior knowledge about and we didn't have the full story on the ones we knew about.It was like I was learning in a history class.We need to know about these things because this is Mississippi's history.In closing I have developed many allies,followers on twitter,and new facebook friends!WHOOHOOOO this is the last day! :-)

Yours Truly,
Ann-Marie Herod

Staying in the House

Over the last 10 days it has been brought to my attention tha the issuse that we face and have faced for years are deeper than some people are willing to sink. I have meet alot of amazing people and learned alot of amazing things. When entering this camp I came in expecting to learn a few skills to take back to my community and that was it but over the course of these 10 days I have come to the relization that my community is not the only community full of issues. It amazes me how some people are willing to risk there lives for change. What also amzes me is the measures that some people go thru to cover the past. Our past is very important to us for if you dont know where you come from you cant know where you are going. This institutue has showed me that im not the only one passonite for change and that if we all stick togeather we can make it happen. Mississippi is responsible for there own sterotypes for if we prove that we're trying to change,which we aren't, then people wouldn't say all these negative things. People have lost there live for change and yet we allow people to bury there legacy with them. I am striving for change even if it comes at the cost of my reputation , my life , my family ,or my friends. I will not leave the house no matter how unbarrable it gets James Meredith stayed in the house and so will I. Thanks William Winters Institute for Racial Reconciliation ,Susan Glisson , Patrick Weems(Paddy La'Bell), Dash Brown , Nick Lucket , Ranae , Peter Dunbar, and the rest of the counslors of the Summer Youth Institute of 2010.
The past ten days have created a false since of slowed time. Things took longer to do. Days, longer to complete. We all sat here, every morning, waiting for our day to begin. We spoke of race. We spoke of hard times that fell on our state. We spoke of love and new beginnings. We all want a better community, to make a better Mississippi. Whether it be through open dialogue groups, community gardens, school clubs, or basketball tournaments, we all came here to do the same thing in various ways. All it takes is one person to help, and the rest will follow.
Now, as I sit here, I think about how I will see these people again. Will we meet up again. Will we write back, answer skypes, or press "X" on facebook chats. Will we all be forgot, just another memory covered with another memory covered with emotions and a new laptop? Or will we all communicate and eradicate injustice in the world.
There will be no excuse for us to stray away. We all live in the same state, so there is little excuse. I hope that everyone will rise to the occasion, and make injustice "tapout" in a world of injustice. We are outnumbered, but how gives a (bad word). We are young and we have the power. Being young is just a state of mind.
As these days have gone by, I have changed. I cried about things I never knew I would cry about. I met people I never knew existed.
Before I came to here, I thought I was no one special. I thought I was just Lucas John Ferguson. But I'm not. I've grown to realize who I am in the time of 10 days. I'm Lucas, and I can change my state, I will help my community, and I have met great people.
My time here at the summer youth institute has been a great experience..... I got to meat a of great people and learn many things that i didn't know about that happened right here in MS. It has been very encouraging to know that there are other young people around the state of MS who also want change in their community. I have learn how to think outside the box when trying to come up with solutions for a problem. Overall this camp has been a great experience for me.

Day 9 of the Rest of Our Lives

I have to be honest: as thrilled and honored as I was to be accepted into the William Winter Summer Youth Institute, I had no idea what we were going to be doing. Was it going to be a fancy summer camp at a college campus? Were we going to get enough snacks to last us a week and a half? But, of course, I was excited to do something different that offered to change my outlook on different issues I deal with everyday. When I firstt walked through the door, I was a bit late, so I ran to my dorm and droppedmy things off, quickly discovering the identity of my roommate by the shoes laying around the floor. Pretty satisfied to be rooming with my best friend, the next challenge was to eat my first meal with people I've never met in my life. There, I saw one of my closest friends, Julie, and was introduced to Dash, Phennicia, and Kenyon (GROUP AWESOME!!). I quickly realized that, we were all so different, but we were all brought together by our desperate need to learn about, and help, our communities.
This small anecdote easily describes my 10 days at Ole Miss. Being scared, feeling helpless, and overwhelmed was only half of it. The sense of community, new friends, and endless Skyping is the end product.
It's difficult to describe every day here without writing a novel or scripting a movie. So many things happened that many would only expect from a fabulous, dramatic TV show. From gang history to disagreements among communities, we all begin to see what we really want out of our individual lives.
I have learned too many things in the social crash course I came to participate in. Becoming something bigger than ourselves is one of the main reasons why I'm sniffing as I'm typing this. Being shameless and standing up for your beliefs is very brave, and I believe that every person in our welcome circle has the potential to be the next history hero.

Summer Youth Reflection

In the days prior to the Summer Youth Institute, I never expected to learn all that I did. My initial hopes consisted of the simplicity of learning about Civil Rights history and and meeting new people, but after awhile, it quickly became much more than that. Here, at the Summer Youth Institute, I was pushed out of my comfort zone, and I couldn't be more grateful. I met vivacious, awesome people that I never would have had deep conversations with had I not been here. We all visitied places in our minds and our hearts that we wouldn't have been able to see alone, and I'm a different person because of that. I truly believe that I am not who I was when I came to Ole Miss a few days ago. I now have goals to work towards and things to strive for that I was vacant of before. And, not only do I have these goal, but I also have the tools to accomplish them. I came here with one way of thinking, and I'm leaving with another. That's what it all boils down to.
The Summer Youth Institute has taught me more than I could ever have learned in the confines of a classroom. We visited places that held deep meanings, and that in itself was life changing. Though, probably more life changing than visiting these places, was visiting these places in the company of people who cared just as much as I did. We all formed this vast friendship that, I believe, won't ever be torn apart. This friendship was demonstrated by Welcome Table activities, during which we all exposed our true selves and weren't judged for it. I think that that's what a true friend is: someone who won't judge you when you show who you truly are.
All in all, I am thankful for this opportunity. I am thankful for the amazing ideas, friends, and goals which I have gained. I am thankful for the Summer Youth Institute.

SYI

The SYI has really helped me over these last nine days. I have learned so many things that I didn't know much about. Being with the SYI has taught me variety of ways to help better my community. I hope to take all this information and use it to the best of my ability. One of my fears was coming here and not learn anything, but I did the complete opposite. One of my hopes were to meet and befriend new people and I made friends with tons of people. I always learned a lot about the history of Mississippi that I probably would've known if I wasn't with SYI. I could go on and on about how much fun I have had, but it probably would take nine days. Overall, this has really been a great experience for me because it has helped me become more outspoken of my opinions. I truly want to thank SYI for eveything.

Oh, what a day

Coming into the Summer Youth Institute, I didn't know what to expect, but what these past 10 days have been have far exceeded any expectations I might have had. I never expected to be part of such a great, welcoming family and to feel so close to everyone here. And I never expected to learn so much, not just about myself but about everyone and everything here. I've learned not to fear judgment or criticism and not to give it, not to be ashamed and not to blame, not to keep talking and not to interrupt, but to just listen. I've learned the importance and strength of a loving community and I've learned the skills to hopefully bring that back to my community. Also, visiting the Delta and Philadelphia was immensely powerful and moving. Never in my life have I wanted to work for a better world and for equality more than I have when I stood in the Sumner courthouse or at the death sites of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. I want and hope for everyone from any and every kind of community or background to be welcome and graciously accepted into the welcome table and to stay in the house.

These past 10 days have pretty much made my year so far. I've had an amazing time and cannot wait to come back for more. Thanks to everyone--the Kellog foundation for sponsoring SYI; all the counselors for their ears, support, and encouragement; Susan for all that she does, is doing, and will do; and all of you, my friends, for the connections and incredible friendships we've made.

:)

The Last Day

This experience over the past 10 days has been very amazing. I have learned so much and it has really opened up my eyes to new things. Throughout this week i have learned so much information that I never knew before. I hope to take this information back to my community and be able to share it with my peers. I really appreciate the oppurtunity that the William Winter Institute has given me. I want to thank Susan and Patrick for all that they have done for this institute. I would also like to thank all the counselors who have helped this week go by so smoothly. I hope to work more with this organization and I look forward to a bright future with this new information I have obtained. Thanx again.

Big Day

On Saturday 24, 2010

We traveled to Jackson, MS to the Medgar Evers International Airport to do group presentations. The presentation consisted of power points, videos, personal narratives, expressions, and skits. The main point of the presentations was, what kind of short term goal did we have to make our community better.Everything went great!!! What made yesterday very special was that Gov. Winter Williams came to see our presentations. He did not get a chance to see our group present but he did get to see other groups.

After everyone finished their presentations, we took tons of pictures with the ex. governor . I personally think that the governor was blind after all the light flashing in his eyes. After all the pictures taking, we went into the dinning room and had a nice little dinner snack. I even persuaded the governor to get a lemonade before he left. At the end of the day, we thanked the airport staff for making our day a success, because without them that day would not have been possible.

We left on our way back to Ole Miss and we watched a movie called The Beautiful Mind. Although the movie was great, I feel asleep on it.

When we made it back to our dorm we ate dinner, played games, and skyped the rest of the night!

Good Morning !

Friday, July 23, 2010

And it's been one week...

The Summer Youth Institute is winding down, but I feel like the students are winding up, gearing up, getting pumped up, with ideas and goals and dreams. As a staff member, I feel that I have benefited greatly from this experience. The role I expected to play was of teacher, guide, and mentor. The role that has found me is the role of listener, learner and participant as well. Today has been a day where we each have written down our OWN declaration. I'll share mine.

We, the youth in age, and in spirit, declare these truths:

All are created equal and deserve equal rights.
All should be free from oppressive discrimination based on sex, skin color, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and beliefs.
All should have the right to a healthy, educated life.
All should have the right to life.

We, the youth in age, and in spirit, will not rest until we are united, with liberty and equality for all.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

First Day

On Friday the 16th, it was the beginning of the Summer Youth Institute. I really forgot to let you guys know how that day went.

Well, I was not scared or anything but I really did have some mixed emotions. I was kind of excited and nervous at the same time because I did not know what to expect. From the looks of everything, I think all the kids felt the same way that I did. To me it even looked like the counselor were having crazy emotions because it was a lot of the staff first time doing something like that.

When everyone was all checked in, we went to lunch to ease the tension that we had. Everyone knows that food makes me people relax. When we left, we went back and had meetings, to talk abut expectations and the different things that we should and should not do, and also went over the Agenda for the rest of days there.

Later, when all the boring stuff was done we went on to do the ROPES COURSE!!! I was so excited about that! Whomph! Whomph! Whomph! , it started lighting and we could not do it anymore (somethings about metal and lighting). I was thinking, could anything get any worse;I guess not because that gave everyone the opportunity to get to know each other a little bit better. Also we got a chance to play lots of different games as a group and it made us bond even better.

We had dinner and watched a movie( Freedom Writers), and retired for the night.

P.S. They say the first day is always the killer!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Sencond Day Overview

Bold
Wow!!! Today to me was a total success. I have never seen anything like this! Today I saw that there are teenage kids out there just like me willing to get together and plan to make their community a better place, well not only their community but their home state (MISSISSIPPI).
The day had so many high lights but the one that stood out the most was the ( Welcome Table) meeting that we had in the earlier part of the morning. In the WT meeting we read a poem called "Where I'm From" by Ella Lyon . This poem was about a lady home and the things that really stood out the most to her. After reading this poem everyone in the group decided to write their own. I thought mine was kind of creative so I would write it one more time.

Where I'm From
by: Kenyon King

I'm from the cabbage greens
and cornbread with pig feet
in the air, with grown men
on the corner with saggy
pants and corn rolls in
their hair

I'm from the preacher
preaching the "amen"
and "thank you jesus"
into our lives, but if you
dont watch out that same
preacher would be sleeping with
the deacon wives

I'm form the mosquitos bites
on my feet ,hands, and
even my lips, and dont forget
about the little nappy headed
kids standing on the track
talking about he is a pimp.

I'm from the grandparents old
stories, about the civil rights
movements, and if I dont get
right it all was
POINTLESS!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Almost There!

Tomorrow is the first day of the Summer Youth Institute! We are all excited and ready to have a great time with youth from across Mississippi. We've set up a blogger account to document the activities; this site is for parents to see what their children are accomplishing and also for our friends to begin to know these amazing students. Follow us here as we begin our 10-day journey!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Count Down!

The count down to the start of the Summer Youth Institute has begun! In three days we will have young folks from across the state of Mississippi here in Oxford. We have nailed down all the workshops, figured out almost all of the logistics and in a couple days we get to provide a rich opportunity for around 30 young folks to discuss, engage, and uniquely solve issues they want to address.

Stayed tuned to this blog to find out more about the Summer Youth Institute!