Looking back to just about two months ago, I wish I could go back to the Nolan family Christmas party and better explain what I’m really doing this semester.  With an overwhelming crowd of 14 aunts and uncles and 35 plus cousins and their families, everyone was eager to get life updates.  My explanation of what I anticipated for co-op was pretty feeble…more often than not I got a puzzled look followed by “sounds interesting, good luck!” I knew how excited I was to start working at Sport in Society, but I couldn’t really explain what it is that I would be doing.

Perhaps the best part about co-oping at Sport in Society is that it isn’t the easiest to explain, because this co-op is very unlike others.  With the main responsibility of the five co-ops being to use capacity building techniques in the YMCA’s of the Greater Boston area, there is something different to do everyday.

I spend two days a week outside of the SIS office, one day at the Oak Square YMCA in Brighton and one day at the Roxbury YMCA. The drastic contrast in the programs and development between the two YMCA’s really surprised me.  So far, I’ve already had the opportunity to meet a lot of great staff members at both Y’s and get a sense of what the need is. What I am most eager to do now is to dive into it all and make the most out of the 6 months I am here.  

So far, I’ve already begun working with the Teen Director at the Roxbury YMCA to brainstorm methods for creating a volunteer system. Because the staff and funds are limited for the Roxbury Y, volunteers are crucial in order to run teen events. I’ve also started to help plan a day of community service for the teens that go to the Roxbury YMCA for March.  At the Brighton YMCA, I’ve been working with the teen director to promote new programs such as “Femme Fit”, which is a bi weekly that encourages more female participation in athletics.

After lots of familiarization, guidance, and team building I’m ready to go. I’m ready to build capacity and make some sort of lasting impression at the YMCA’s. I’m anticipating a great experience, as it has proven to be so far. I’m eager to see what will come of my time at Sport in Society.

By Emily Nolan

Working with The Y has been the highlight of working for Sport in Society so far. Specifically, I am working with the Teen Directors at the Dorchester and Hyde Park branches. My responsibilities include helping with administrative work, developing new activities and programs and direct service with teens. On an administrative level I have cataloged teens that have frequented the facilities who the Y would like to continue initiating contact with to hopefully have them become full members. On the development side I have worked on a curriculum for a weekly teen group that helps raise awareness of social issues and gives tips on getting a competitive advantage in the real world. This week I generated a list of 30 popular mock interview questions for the teens to practice. These questions were accompanied with useful tips on how to best prepare and respond to these questions.

Direct service has been the most challenging and rewarding experience I have had so far at the Y. The challenging parts so far have been the motivation factor and physical activity. Motivation has to do with getting the teens to want to work on their homework. Understandably, doing homework is something that all of us would rather not do if given the opportunity but being at such a vulnerable age it is important to teach good habits. After enough persistence and routine, the teens have grown accustomed to the idea of doing homework before they can continue on to more fun activities. The other challenging part of direct service has been the physical activity. It has not been challenging for the teens but it has been for me. If you asked me 5 weeks ago, I would have told you that I considered myself to be in decent shape and could hold my own on the basketball court. Well, now all of my confidence has been shattered by 12 year olds. Not only have I been tossed around but I have consistently had my shots blocked by teen’s barely taller than 5 feet.  Talk about aggravating.

Working at The Y has not been the only thing that I have done. This past Saturday, at the wee hour of 10am, I volunteered at a Double Dutch tournament which Sport in Society sponsors. When I agreed to volunteer for this I was not sure what to expect. I was blown away to see an overcrowded gymnasium packed with competitors and their families. My responsibilities were to set up tables, organize trophies, and be an official clocker in the speed round of the tournament. I just have to say how without a doubt this was the most fun I had on an early Saturday morning in a very long time! The people were friendly, the tournament was extremely organized, and the energy was high. Congratulations to all of the competitors and thank you to all of the volunteers who made this tournament possible!

The experience I will gain from working at Sport in Society is completely up to me. The more work I put in the more I will learn. This is a great opportunity and I am so glad I chose to work here for my Spring 2012 coop. I hope you enjoyed the summary of my week in a nut shell and you will hear more from me in a few weeks. Until then enjoy the other great stories from the other 5 coops in the following weeks!

Adios!

By Eric Wahlberg

A friend once told me, “You have to live for something other than yourself. That is the only way to obtain happiness.” He was absolutely right. No matter what you do – if you have SOMETHING – you should help SOMEONE. Make it go full circle. That is the key. This is why Sport in Society is such a great co-op to be lucky enough to be a part of. Not only are we gaining office and work experience, we are getting to go out into the world – outside of our “comfort zone” – and do what everyone should be doing some of – helping people.

The YMCA that I have been assigned to is in Egleston Square in Roxbury. I take the 22 from Ruggles and it is about 2.5 miles away from the Northeastern campus. I love it. We have so many ideas and plans that we want to implement and it is just such a rewarding experience. The Egleston YMCA is not as advanced as the others – but that is partly what makes it so special. It is homey for the kids that come in and I would assume for the staff as well. So far I have made binders organizing names of volunteers, performed outreach for the Junior Pathways SAT Program coming up, and made a powerpoint of pictures that the teens can see when they come into the Y. Will and Michele (the directors) have wonderful ideas on how to enhance the Egleston Square Teen Center that include but are not limited to: having a gym fitness program to complete before being able to use the facilities, female group meetings on Saturdays, and incorporating film, music, art, and dance into activities.

The hours are also split up really well – two days a week we are at our designated YMCA’s, and the other three days we are in the office. We have our cool little corner in the back on the 4th floor of the Belvedere building and we are all becoming really close.

The first month is now over and I could not be more excited for the next five. The same goes with the other co-ops and interns. When reading this blog, there is a pattern that you see. The fact that this is not a normal co-op experience. We are getting so much more out of this than the average co-op job, and I am just so excited about all of the work ahead.

By: Jessy Segall

My last co-op at an economic research firm was on the flip side of SIS. Their mission statement: Make a profit. Don’t get me wrong I met lots of nice people while working there, and learned many things that will help me get to the next level in my professional career, but I needed something more wholesome. I truly believe that your work defines who you are as a person. I would rather spend my time working for the empowerment of other people than for the empowerment of a corporation. It just feels better at the end of the day.

This week I had the opportunity to go to a professional development seminar taught by Sport in Society’s very own Jarod Chin. All the YMCA teen directors, and SIS co-ops were there to be educated on violence prevention, and the power of the bystander. Jarod is a great facilitator. I can tell because he hardly ever speaks or comes up with a ground breaking idea. He intentionally steers the conversation one direction, and lets us come up with the epiphanies and examples that are great take-aways.

We have all witnessed a fight in our lifetime. (I know me personally, I saw about one a day in middle school, especially while playing sports). It was usually a fight over a basketball game that escalated into physical violence and punches being thrown. What did the rest of us do while this was happening…? We gathered into a circle and watched, oooooing and ahhhhing as our friends tried to kill each other. Living in a society that glorifies violence as an essential attribute in being macho dilutes every kid that receives Mentoring in Violence Provention (MVP) training. I feel like for every person who sees the real problem in settling arguments with violence there are 10 more that are watching playground fights on youtube, or playing the latest GTA video game. This just makes it harder for those kids, teachers, and YMCA staff members who actually are able to react positively when a fight breaks out, and defuse the situation.

On Thursday night I went to the AltrUHelp event in this swanky building along Marina drive on the wharf. I was with my friend Brett who was a co-op at SIS last cycle. This event was cool. Lots of people had set up tables to explain their non-profits and causes. Brett, Caitlin and I spent the majority of the night meeting other people in the industry, and explaining our experiences at SIS. I was amazed at all the different ideas that people had for their start-ups and non-profits, and the different ways they went about attaining resources they needed in a heavily capital driven society.

Drinking free ‘Gansett, eating free Boloco is every college kid’s dream right? But it was the people I met that stole the spot light in my mind. I now understand how important networking is for my future, and last night i got three business cards (I’m currently ahead in the co-op biz card competition) from people I talked too who were interested in our cause as well as interested in me for future job openings and volunteer opportunities.

It’s funny how you don’t really realize there’s a community around you until you are actively helping the people of the community. Then all of a sudden you meet tons of other people who are also on your side working towards a common goal of economic and racial equality. You also get the chance to interact with the participants who you are trying to reach out to in order to provide support for them. Most people are grateful, friendly, and heedful when you lend them a hand. Sport in Society gets lots of positive feedback for the work they do in the community, and I bet if you asked any employee here they’d say it’s worth it to continue their work. As the weeks go by here, and I attend more meetings, events, and training sessions I get a better sense of how everyone in the community comes together in faith.

By Charlie Pioli

Truthfully, I didn’t know much, if anything, about Sport in Society when I applied for this coop earlier last semester.  I had read here and there that they were an entity that used sports to advocate social justice, an admirable cause I wholeheartedly supported, but I still wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

Now, almost three full weeks here as a coop, I not only know what Sport in Society is about, but I am now a member of a staff devoted to effecting real change in the world.

Day 1

As the other coops and I walked into the John D. O’Bryant African-American Institute on that crisp January morning, the only thing occupying my mind was a longing for my warm bed.  The 8:30 am start time was a shock to my system, but a steady dose of energy drinks and Rebecca’s coffee woke me up for the long day of training ahead.

Taking part in the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Institute, I was, for the first time, exposed to the concept of facilitation, or rather, a group discussion format to bring about awareness and understanding on an issue.  Having gone through countless, less than effective presentations throughout middle school and high school on similar subjects, I was taken aback by this new format.

Actually discussing the realities of an issue?  What a simple yet overlooked idea.

The training had a dual purpose: to get us talking about men’s violence against women (the theme of this particular institute) and to train us in facilitating.  After three days of talking, making connections and getting to see (and perform) first hand the type of work that Sport in Society does, I was hooked.

Not Your Everyday Type of Job

Don’t tell my previous employers this, but, for some reason, organizing grocery store carts or spotting weightlifters at the gym never really inspired me.

Sorry Stop and Shop.

But after just three days of the MVP Institute and another week of orientation at the office, I can honestly say, I have never been more excited for an “office” job.  I put that word in quotations because what we do here, specifically as coops at Sport in Society, is anything but ordinary.  Whereas other coops work 9-5, filing papers and slaving away at computer screens, our work as coops is not only more interesting, but will actually have an impact on our community.

For this semester, myself and my fellow student co-workers are assisting in Sport in Society’s three year partnership with the YMCA’s of the Greater Boston area to help them build capacity in order to effectively serve more youths in need.  I am personally going to be working with the Wang in Chinatown as well as the YMCA of West Roxbury, two fantastic locations that I am enthusiastic about partnering with.

Part of the goal of this partnership is to turn these various YMCAs into premier locations where teens and children can find mentors that will positively impact their lives, specifically through the lens of sports.  In my life, the people who have made the biggest positive impressions on me have always been my martial arts family and instructors.  Without the discipline I learned from the arts, the camaraderie from my teams and the leadership shown by my mentors, I’m uncertain as to whether I’d be here writing this entry at all.

Due to my background, I feel personally invested into the work that I will be assisting with at the YMCAs as well as with the various other great projects that Sport in Society has going on.

Whether it’s working directly with those in need, helping to make the YMCAs even better at serving teens and other youths or just doing the everyday work that needs to be done in the office, I am excited and proud to say that these next few months will have a life changing effect on me and, hopefully, the community at large.

This past tuesday, we discussed discrimination in school by talking about various scenarios such as using the word “gay” and “fag”, and see whether or not it’s wrong to be suspended for using that word. The kids had alot of good opinions and had a good knowledge about people who are homosexual. So it turned out to be a really good conversation. Since Thanksgiving is going to be here next week, we will not be going there next tuesday and will resume our facilitation the week we come back from the break. Hope everybody have a good Thanksgiving and enjoy family, football, and of course food…

Tom Demers

When we’re not doing facilitating, we’ve been helping out the rest of the team with the YMCA Capacity Building Project. Yesterday we had a big presentation with Harold Sparrow, Executive Directors, and Teen Directors of the many Y branches in Boston. Myself and Tom introduced the thought of having Project Teamwork being taught at the different Y’s. We presented the idea and they loved it. I believe we did a good job of getting our point across about what Project Teamwork can bring to the table and how much Sports In Society is here to help them. It’s crazy because that’s the first time I’ve never been nervous presenting in front of a big group of people, it had to be about 20 people as our audience. Netherless, I glad we got through that smoothly and also happy for the team for the great job they did as well. Unfortunately we don’t have enough time left to actually help the Y’s with the improvement process of the teen program because our co-op will be ending soon. But, the good thing is, is that we will be back periodically to do what we can to be a help,while we’re back in classes.

Tom Demers