Heading to Day 3 @ CWPFairfield @ FairfieldU. Loving the Addition of Ubuntu Literacy Leaders

200 kids, 35 teachers, and this year, Ubuntu Literacy Leaders @CWPFairfield. A few weeks ago, an individual approached us wanting to invest in the work we are doing for youth in southern Connecticut, which included summer employment for kids who have attended Ubuntu Academy. This year, kids have been assigned to work as teaching assistants in the individual labs, building their literacy skills, while having the opportunity to share their stories with kids attending our programs.

They are on writing duty, snack duty, recreation duty, laughter duty, and sharing duty. The happiness, politeness, role-modeling, humor, seriousness, and respect are irreplaceable, however. It's only been 3 days, but I'm thinking, "How did I ever run these programs without Omar, Akbaru, Media, and Tamanna?" They simply step up, work wonderfully with the educators, writers, and campers, and put a smile on the faces of everyone who meet them.

Yesterday, Crazy Crandall led 4 workshops. Today, Crazy Crandall is simply SKYPING University of Florida for a research talk (and trying to get the piles of paperwork out of the way and to the right offices). I've said it before, in the summer...I'm running a school.

We are mid-week now: Kanyea and Werdi danced as ballerinas, and Akbar wrote a chapter of a novel with the older kids. I think the moment that hit me most, however, is when I presented Werdi's sports poem from 8 years ago when I first met him at a Writing Our Lives event. Fast forward and he's a senior in college and working for me.

It all flies too fast.

In My Shoes - Dagahaley to Kakuma to Syracuse from Jason Greene on Vimeo.