Mikes Blog

I was able to attend Sojourns Christmas party last Wednesday. At the party people were able to decorate stockings, do arts and crafts, make hot cocoa, and eat cookies. The event turned out to be a huge success and it was partially in part to the youth that also volunteered at this event! The youth was showing how much they cared by baking cookies for all of us and we even had time to make stockings with them/talk with them about their stories. Conversations with the youth consisted of talking about their faith, talking about what they want to do with their lives, and what goals they had. It was great to see how willing they were to help and how prepared they were to take on the world in the future/now!

Throughout the course of the semester I have attended many on campus events that I haven't had a chance to really talk about. My most recent event was attending a Thanksgiving event for Sojourn Collegiate Ministry. Sojourn is a group I hold close to my heart and have invested a lot of time in growing their brand on campus because I believe in what they do. I attended their Thanksgiving dinner that they host for college students and I had a great time. Throughout my time at the event I got to eat good food, have good laughs, and dance. But, many people didn't recognize the youth working in the background that helped this event really shine. I noticed that there was a group of middle school/high school students that were helping distribute the food in a line. They were volunteering their time and it really showed me how much they cared and wanted to care for other people. This was just something cool that I recognized when I was at the dinner!

Today I took my ideology quiz and my results seemed to come back very accurate! I identify with risk, resiliency, and prevention. This ideology pushes teens in the right direction to ensure that they are going down the right path. I believe that youth need good mentors in their lives. Having someone that is telling you right from wrong can be incredibly beneficial for a child. But, in the same sense I also like giving freedom and expressing that their ideas are valid. The youth is what frame the future, investing time into them and making sure that they are going down the right path is incredibly important. I believe that freedom is necessary for them to learn, but it's also important to show them the dangers of certain things so they do not get hurt emotionally or physically. In the horoscope it said "a focus on preventing negative outcomes negative outcomes". Which is something that I agree with, I think protecting and teaching is imperative. Negative outcomes could r...

Happy emotions flood my little body as I jump into my car seat in my dads sweaty 94 beaten up blue Carola  The radio is blaring and I feel free, I know exactly how loved I was. My dad has always been a person I have looked up too and as a kid he was one of the only people that could make me truly happy whenever I was sad. I could always feel his unconditional love for me and he would always show it to me with one song he played on repeat over and over again. Just the two of us by, Will Smith.  From the first time the doctor placed you in my arms.. I knew I'd meet death before I let you meet harm. Lyrics in Just the Two of us that he would constantly sing to me to reassure to me that I always was protected and safe. I remember sitting in his backseat, with a huge smile on his face as he looked at me with a proud look in the mirror.  At a young age he made me feel what unconditional love was.  This song and how many times he played it...

Last week we went to the Providence Biltmore for a conference. I have personally never been to a conference before so I did not know what to wear, who I would be seeing, or what would even happen. So it's safe to say I was a little unprepared! I found this to be a pretty good learning experience because of the conference that I was able to sit in on. I sat in on a conference with four students from the MET and their principle. I didn't exactly have any idea what they would be talking about or what they would be going over, I just heard the conference was student led and was instantly interested. The four students talked about their passions, their internships, their plans for life, and they were able to sit with us and answer any questions that we possibly had.  I met one student that I will refer to as "K" because I cannot remember his real name. K was inspiring to me because he believed in fighting for social injustice. He was the kid in middle school and late elem...

Permission- Asking for permission to do things. You essentially do it your entire life but, you do it more when you are a child. When you are a kid you are "controlled" by adults so everything you do has to go through them first. So, in most kids lives you have to ask permission to do something before doing it. Process- In the article they talk about how play can be helpful in supporting the acquisition of basic skills which can be rehearsed and valued on their own without regard to the finished product. They also talked about standardized testing. Passion- It's when you are doing something that you really enjoy. When you really enjoy doing something then it is something that you are truly passionate about! When I was a kid I invested myself into playing sports. I invested myself in playing sports because I was passionate about it and I really enjoyed playing.  Productivity- In this they are essentially talking about using your imagination. When you are using your i...