Year of Service

For the past few months I've been working as an AmeriCorps member through Conservation Corps North Bay in the Bay Area, California. AmeriCorps is a state and national government program, kind of like a national peace corps. It allows people to apply to different service sites across the nation in a wide variety of fields.

In this case, I chose environmental education.

I lead a Cesar Chavez after school club at a middle school, instilling 6th through 8th grade students with the principles of Cesar Chavez and a sense of empowerment. Non-violence, respect for life and the environment, knowledge, acceptance and preference to help the most needy are just a few of the values I try to convey to the students. The Cesar Chavez Club (CCC) is a service learning club, which means students not only engage in service activities, but reflect on the activities and what it means to them individually, their community, and the world as a whole.

Concurrently I coordinate the Cool the Earth program in about 15 elementary and middle schools, educating students on environmental stewardship and small actions they can take to reduce their energy consumption.

The AmeriCorps program lasts for one year and I will complete it in Aug. 2010, having accrued at least 1800 service hours in that time. When that time comes, I hope to be in the process of applying to graduate schools for studies in social ecology, with a focus in environmental education, and to have found a full-time job that will deepen my ability to carry out this kind of work.

I have created a blog for the CCC, which will detail some of the activites I do with the students and also some reflections.

Cesar Chavez Club Blog