And So It Begins...Project Citizen: Flying Lessons From the Prose (Two Weeks)

Yesterday was National Ice Cream Day and I am glad I remembered at 9 pm. last night after Big Brother, that I actually bought ice cream to celebrate the holiday. It as a day of beaches, lawns, workouts, Corn Hole, badminton, spaghetti and biting my nails.

Today, 30 young people come to campus for Ubuntu Academy, another 27 join Project Citizen, and a 3rd crew unite for college essay...a total of 73 high school readers and writers.

Although we've run Project Citizen for the last two years, it is new this year with National Writing Project support with the intent to mix up communities and to invest in knowledge gained form the experience. Shaun Mitchell, original designer of the program, will pair with Dave Wooley and Kim Herzog to bring kids from all over Connecticut and the United States to have a conversation about what it means to be political as a teenager in the 21st century. I'm excited, too, that we will be united Simply Smiles kids from S. Dakota Sioux Lakota nation to be part of our work.

Also, I'm looking forward to uniting another cohort of Ubuntu Academy and to welcome the College essay writers. I am looking for a way to unite them all for a workshop to bring all of our voices together. If the buses arrive, and lunches go as planned, I will be able to offer a HUGE sigh of relief. We had so many kids this summer than I actually ran out of Writer's Notebooks and had to get more!

Ah, but my carts will be emptied because a lot of materials will be handed out to the teachers and students. I might even see my office floor.

Phew! A year's worth of grant writing, networking, professional development, fundraising, and passion has led to the work of this summer, especially the next two weeks. I love that I've been able to invest in phenomenal educators who are passionate about writing and totally enthusiastic about kids!