AmeriCorps VISTA Members Educate Youth on MLK Jr. Day » Jan 23, 2011
The excerpt below was provided by Jenny Schroeder, an AmeriCorps VISTA member, and explains how her and other VISTA member, David Sahli, helped educate Club members on the imporance of Martin Luther King Jr.
AmeriCorps VISTA Members Educating Kids on MLK Jr. Day
”Who knows who Martin Luther King Jr. is?” It is January 17th and inside the Boys & Girls Club of Three Districts, raised hands filled the recreation room as Club members rambled off answers from ”somebody famous” to ”The President!” Luckily, AmeriCorps VISTA members, David Sahli and Jenny Schroeder, were there to provide a more clear, more accurate answer.
Weeks before, David and Jenny brainstormed together to create a service project that would benefit the community in a lasting way.
Five cups of coffee later, they discovered the best way they could make a lasting impact would be through educating youth members.
So they did just that.
As kids piled in to the Club to escape the cold gusts of a South Dakota winter, Dave and Jenny were setting up an interactive presentation all about Martin Luther King Jr. Once the coats were hung and the snacks were eaten, Jenny and Dave began their presentation on the impact Martin Luther King Jr. had on the civil rights movement and the United States in general. Club members listened intently to MLK Jr’s beliefs and nonviolent protests that strived for equality among all races. From the Montgomery Protests to the March on Washington, the children learned how MLK Jr. made an impact and how they too could change the world in a positive way.
Once the presentation was finished, the Club members were given their own ”I Have a Dream” worksheet that allowed them to share their dreams for the future. By the time the presentation was finished, the 15-20 club members were all able to finally answer the question: ”Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?”
