Inspiration for "The Advocacy Project"

The Advocacy Project 

PIENSA GLOBALMENTE : ACTÚA LOCALMENTE

“In my school, Baltimore City College, we think globally and act locally. We are learning about the Hispanic community. Have we done enough for Spanish-speaking people? What can we do to help more? If we think globally, and if we act locally, we will have the answer for every question we have.” 

- Rayden Edwards, Sophomore
                         

“I thought globally and acted locally when I went to the “Feria de Salud” (Health Fair) with my class of Spanish 2... Many people at the fair didn’t speak English. Spanish is necessary for my days with Centro Sol. This experience helped me to realize that Spanish is important. I cannot be able to speak with people of different cultures and languages if I don’t speak two languages... To be a part of the Spanish-speaking community is very fun. It is fun because now I am a part of two communities. In my future, I want to continue volunteering with Creative Alliance”.

- Afiya Ervin, Sophomore 

Since 2013, my Baltimore City students and I have been participating in "The Advocacy Project", a volunteer and community involvement project that I created through my involvement in the International Baccalaureate program at Baltimore City College High School. 

Inspired by the influx of Latino immigrants to Baltimore City and the increasing need for my Baltimore City students to be fluent in practical, immediately applicable Spanish, The Advocacy Project allowed my high school students to involve themselves in the Latino community in Baltimore City in a meaningful way. 

Starting in the Fall of 2013, 15 of my students and I volunteered in "The Great Lantern Parade" in Patterson Park, through Creative Alliance. Students were able to interact at the festival in Spanish with the largely Latino population that lives in and around Highlandtown in East Baltimore, and found inspiration in the interactions and impact they made through volunteering at the festival. 

While I designed The Advocacy Project to be tied to rigorous IB academic standards and grading scales, the project gives students the opportunity to create their own volunteer projects if desired, as each student will document the project through a 500 word typed essay written entirely in Spanish.

The Advocacy Project helps students to have increased access to pathways and resources that they may not otherwise be connected to, with partnerships to movers and shakers in the community such as the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, The Creative Alliance, and Centro Sol through JHMI, and through extension the National Institute of Health (NIH). Not only does this help them make community connections that lead to increased pathways and resources in many forms, students are also able to complete their 75 hours of CAASS service hours through the project. To date, 95% of my Spanish II students have completed their 75 CAASS hours, which makes them eligible for graduation in Baltimore City. The CAASS hours graduation requirement a barrier to graduation for many Baltimore City students, and is a resource that I am proud to share with and help my students to complete, all while speaking Spanish and using their skills outside of the classroom.

I am inspired when I see my students interacting at Saturday outreach and volunteer sessions with the Latino community in Baltimore, interacting with empathy and using their developing language skills to connect with citizens that they might otherwise not interact with on a daily basis. Last year our classroom volunteered in over 60 local community events with the Latino community including the Lantern Festival and Parade at Patterson Park (50 students), The Piñata Masters workshop – see students featured in the following Baltimore Sun article - (http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimore-insider-blog/bs-ae-pinata-makers-20141205-story.html#page=1), Embajadores de Salud events with Centro Sol and Johns Hopkins (15 Saturday events), the Feria de Salud with Centro Sol, the Kwanzaa festival with Creative Alliance, and the Procession of the Posadas at Creative Alliance. 

These Community Advocacy projects help students to increase their awareness of the world around them with firsthand experience, while fostering an altruistic attitude. The Advocacy Project has also increased my students’ sense of responsibility and self-esteem, giving them insight into different social patterns and ways of life, and helped my students to use their Spanish speaking skills developed in my classroom in a practical application.