Last day at the youth center...

This morning began with an 11:45 lunch at Cafe La Verna on St. Bonaventure's campus. It was a top-notch sandwich, let me tell you.

After we finished we went over to the Youth Center to pick up Sandy for a windshield tour of Salamanca. A windshield tour is basically when you drive around and someone (in this case, Sandy) tells you what's out the window. It was really interesting to get to see some of the places that we had been talking about all weekend. I also learned a lot more about the town and the circumstances under which a lot of the kids lived. We found out that there used to be a "factory" a few years back that was accidentally burned to the ground by a few kids that got high. Sandy said a few of them did restitution at the Youth Center and also went to the Youth Center. We found out about a few of the local industries and the influence that the Seneca Nation has on them. I'm really glad we got to go on the tour. It definitely helped me better understand the social, historical, and economic issues that shape Salamanca.

We got back to the youth center at 2:30, right in time for the kids to start rolling in. The weather in Salamanca was crazy last night. It was pouring with thunder and lightning like nobody's business. Luckily, I'm not scared by all the storming. So anyways, because of all of that the playground and grass were a little bit wet butttt throughout the afternoon everything dried up and made for a beautiful day. Swings to start the day (obviously) then I played a new game called jackpot, soccer, basketball, jumprope, and a bunch of other things. Jackpot is a game that I could compare to a bride throwing a bouquet- except the bride is facing forwards, the bouquet is a football, and each time its thrown it has a numerical value attached to it. The way to win is to catch the 'jackpot' throw or to get enough money/points to reach the cap set by the thrower. It was a game for all ages and didn't require half of the energy it took to play tag (which I did later in the night).

There was a pool tournament at the center today. Devon made it to the finals and lost to Marc. Marc's a really good kid. I'm pretty sure he's in middle school. He told us to come back in the summer and every break because it was awesome. I hope I can come back. We were in and out during the pool tournament. After we ended up staying outside until we legitimately couldn't see the football we were throwing around (about 7:45). We came inside and started to play a modified dodgeball that you can shoot baskets during. Which was cool, but the game still confused me. There were a bunch of funny moments with Niki and Devon during the game. Well, actually, the entire night has been funny.

As the kids started to head home we started to have to say our goodbyes. That flat out sucked. What are you supposed to say to a 3rd or 4th grader that asks you when you are going to come back, and tells you that they hope it's soon, when you have no idea when you can come back. They were all such good kids too that really enjoyed having us around and it made it more difficult. Knowing that they wont get the individual attention that each child deserves really makes me think about my life. I always had plenty of individual attention, my parents gave that to me and built my self esteem and self- efficacy. I'm worried that some of these kids will never get that opportunity, but I think that the group being there this week was a step in the right direction.

Like I had said yesterday, one of the first questions I ask people about is how their day at school was. I asked that question today and received this answer. "I didn't go to school today." I asked why. "I had to stay home and watch the kids, my mom had to work. I know its a lame excuse but I had too." The thing is, I don't think its a lame excuse. A lame excuse is the one that I used in high school..."I'm sick cough cough"... mental health day. I believe that education is crucial to an individuals future. But when it comes down to survival (of the family I suppose) or education, education loses. My question is why does it have to be like that? What changes need to be made in the system to fix that. Why does someones education have to suffer so his family can make a living?

I talked to a junior high school junior today too. She said that next year she can't take physics or calculus because the schools cutting the courses. Its only going to get worse. Apparently the year after next the athletic and after school clubs are on the chopping block. She worries that eliminating the honor societies will discourage students from trying to preform at a high level in class. The drop out rate is ridiculous. Her freshman class started with about 120 kids, she thinks they're down to about 90. I asked how many she expected to graduate with and she said "I honestly won't know till the end of senior year. They said they'd be happy with us if over 75 graduate." The lack of importance of education is astonishing. I wonder how many kids feel that there's no reward for succeeding, and how many think that dropping out is going to help them.

Some highlights of my day:

Playing with Joshy: Joshy is Phil's little 4 year old cousin. The kid is adorable, smart, and can throw a football. I'll be sure to post pictures of us later.

Hanging out with my fellow ASBer's at dinner and tonight. They put a smile on my face and make me laugh.

I got the names of a few of the older kids so we could keep in contact. I hope they feel comfortable talking to me when they need someone to be there for them.

I wish today wasn't our last day with the kids although I'm glad we ended the way we did. It was reminiscent of a summer night when I was 8 or 9. We stayed out till we couldn't see and got called inside, we played every game imaginable, and enjoyed each others company. I'm going to miss the kids, the center, and the entire atmosphere.

There's a lot more to write about the day but i just don't have the energy. I'm off to bed, we're hiking tomorrow!

-Bree