This Week in GGC

This week was a great week for the Greater Grand Crossing team. Our project is really taking shape, and we are excited to be working towards a focused goal.

First, some thoughts about our experiences this week:

On Wednesday, the SSP groups came together at the University of Chicago. In the morning, we viewed a portion of the acclaimed documentary series Unnatural Causes. This series was originally broadcast on PBS in 2008, and is now used by thousands of organizations around the country as a teaching tool. The series investigates how the social circumstances in which we are born, live and work impact our health. After watching the movie, the students and leaders discussed pertinent points from the film. To learn more, please visit http://www.unnaturalcauses.org.

After our film and discussion, we continued our exploration of different cultures--this time through home-cooked food. We had an amazing potluck! Iysha's favorite things at the potluck were Jason's guacamole and enchiladas, and Denise's rice and beans. Bennie's favorite things were Alex's fried rice and Sam's icebox cake. He also liked the guacamole, which is significant because he'd never tasted it before. Taniqua's favorite food was Bennie's peach cobbler. It was clear that the students and leaders of SSP are all great cooks who really enjoy food!

On Wednesday afternoon, the students gained experience speaking in front of a group by teaching a talent to the members of the SSP. Taniqua said, "Watching the talents was lots of fun. I learned how to make a bun using a sock-- I honestly never knew how to do that before." She was referring to Imari's presentation, in which she styled Sam's hair using a sock. Bennie said, "It was interesting to learn the certain ways to throw a baseball." He was referring to Alex's presentation, in which he taught the group how to throw a baseball by breaking it down, step-by-step. It was really fun to see all the high school students' hidden talents. They are really great teachers!

On Thursday morning, each high school student created a professional resume. The students emailed their resumes to themselves, so they have a version they can add to as they gain work and educational experience. Each student also brought home a paper copy of his/her resume. It was great to see the students working so hard in such a focused manner.

We ended Thursday afternoon with an ASAP session. ASAP stands for Adolescent Substance Abuse Program; its lessons involve looking at human organs (heart, lungs, liver, and brain), learning about their normal function, and then discussing how substance abuse impacts each organ. The students (many of whom want to enter a health-related profession) were really engaged during the ASAP session. Taniqua said, "I thought it was disgusting and felt like I was going to pass out... but it was interesting. I really got into the brain." Bennie thought the heart was especially interesting, and Iysha reminded him that the left heart is so big because it has to pump blood to the entire body. The students clearly learned something yesterday, even though it took them a little while to get used to looking at human organs.

Today, the GGC group worked on signs and posters for our booths at the Wellness Fair. We also had a meeting with Ms. Brown, a representative from the community organization Revere Care. We are now planning to combine our Wellness Fair with another community event-- the Revere Care Back-to-School Jam. We are excited to be involved in an annual event in the community, and are really looking forward to reaching a larger audience than just the students who frequent the Gary Comer Youth Center. Stay tuned for more information about how our Wellness Fair is going to be integrated into the Revere Care Back-to-School Jam.

P.S. We are in excellent spirits right now in GGC! Iysha and Jason are singing and dancing in their chairs. Happy Friday!