A new teen center that will serve 250 youth a year. I chose this article because it connected to what I wrote about for my reflection and organizing others this week.

A great article that talks about involving parents in the learning process. With so many grandparents raising their grandchildren, this is a great way for them to stay involved with the schools, get out of the house, and make a difference. Children love and thrive when their parents are involved in their schools. Last week, my son's school has Math Morning and every classroom was full of parents there to support and learn how they can engage their children and themselves in the common core math that is now being taught. Many of us did not grow up with common core and we are learning alongside our children.

Sometimes planning is thrust upon us in an emergency situation. The closing of the bridge created a scramble to house the homeless and employees. I think the Boston Public Health Commission and Mayor Walsh have done a remarkable job, with limited resources, making sure that services are still operational. I hope that they will be able to find an alternative site for Camp Harborview that operates out of Long Island in the summertime. This camp serves disadvantaged youth from the city and it is one of the better and premier camps in the city; it costs $25 for a four week session. We shall see.

The depths of their power grows exponentially on a daily basis. We read this week that power can be used in a good way or in a bad way. They are an example of how lives are at stake for the culmination of billions of dollars.

This is the second year that they will be doing this. Last year donations were so great that they were able to pass out over 300 bags to homeless men. Everything they do, from backpacks for schoolchildren in the fall, to filling the fridges of families in need in the inner city of Boston, is community activism at its finest.

Great tips for motivating co-workers and a lot of these tips tie in with my personal engagement project.

I stayed with the theme of this week's chapter of, 'Better Together', that showed different organizations that work withing schools to involve students in community activism.

Pastors Kerry and Chris Shook, founders of Woodlands Church in Houston encourage their congregation to "live the scripture." This ties in with our readings this week about action, community, and connection. They believe that more and more, people do not want to just sit and listen to a sermon, they want to live the sermon and spread the word and action to others.

I decided to use my Legislating Change assignment as my resource contribution. I feel that the amount they are asking for is too high, considering many other important funding that has been cut and will continue to be cut. I also feel that the reasons they gave for wanting a raise are an insult to residents who are making do with far less.

With the severe economic downturn happening in Detroit, I found this organization very interesting. It reminded me of the collaboration between the shipyard and the surrounding community of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Instead of being a week-long showcase, Bridging Communities is ongoing and works to improve the lives of the elderly in Southwest Detroit.

I chose this as my resource contribution because I attended this school as a young child when it was located on Elm Hill in Roxbury, MA. If you have the time, you should look up who Elma Lewis is and her legacy. This school of fine arts changed my life and instilled in me my first experiences with cultural pride and wanting to engage with my community for change and opportunities.

There is always a lot of talk around election time, let's see if they walk the talk AFTER elections.

I chose this as my resource contribution because I had read the article earlier in the week, but when I read this week's readings, particularly, 'The Call to Service', when the author talked about and 'us' and 'them' mentality and the risk of joining ranks with the very people we are opposing, I could make a relation. There are times when civic engagement can turn ugly and I thought she showed a great example of turning the tides of a mob mentality.

Civic Engagement is infused in all youth development programming at Sociedad Latina, as we train all youth to advocate for themselves and their communities. Youth learn the importance of civic engagement, and receive the tools and space they need to be active citizens while at Sociedad Latina.

Holly, this article made me think of the problems many Boston schools face.