Youthquake!
12/16/2017
“Youthquake” is defined as a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people, and has been selected by Oxford Dictionaries as the 2017 word of the year.
Working with the PNA middle schoolers every day, we can easily see the meaning behind the word. Their passionate and engaged mindsets lead them everyday to learn what they can about how the world works and where their place is in it. Experiences such as helping others at the Anchorage Neighborhood GIFT program play an important role in developing their mindsets. If you came to the Sullivan Arena with us on Thursday you would have been very proud of these students. They assisted people with “shopping”, carried load after heavy load out to cars in the parking lot, directed people to where they needed to be, ran up and down the concrete area stairs countless times gathering pens and clipboards, and filled a number of other positions whenever the need arose. PNA middle schoolers did all this without a break for four hours smiling and hustling the whole time! Without the PNA middle school volunteers, the Neighborhood Gift program would not have run as smoothly as it did. Students recognized this. They could clearly see how much this project needed their help. They were also introduced to the people benefitting from this program on a personal level - many receiving hugs of gratitude as they loaded turkey and toys into cars. These personal interactions spurred many comments the following morning as we debriefed the event in a group Advisory meeting: “I couldn’t believe how thankful they were.” “Everyone was so nice; you could tell how much [our help] meant to them.” This tangible experience allowed students to really understand that not everyone is as fortunate as they are. Students will draw meaning from experiences like this for years to come. As they come of age to make decisions for themselves and through the power of voting, they will use their broader perspective of society to shape the future. Knowing that the future lies in the hands of the youth puts me at ease when I think of these inspirational students. We look forward to a good Youthquake! Comments are closed.
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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