Week 11
912 words by gonayiga
I would like to thank everybody again for commenting on my blog and giving helpful suggestions to improve my project. Since I’ve started my project I’ve noticed that it is progressing nicely and I’m enjoying working with the students academically and on a personal level.
In response to Sandy Lee’s comment, I agree with you about young people needing good role models in their lives and that it is important to build relationships between the volunteers and the students that we’re helping out. I’ve observed that when they are comfortable, they are more responsive and more willing to communicate their problems in whatever area that they are having them.
In response to Garrett Anderson, working with Men on the Move has been a really good experience and I also enjoy working with the youth of St. Augustine High School. The feeling of impacting someone’s life is a wonderful feeling. I like your idea of having a Brother to Brother session because there’s more to life than just school since outside forces can affect a students work in school. It would be good to share our own personal experiences and give advice to the students. I have enjoyed just talking to the students about regular everyday things and just building a relationship with them. After helping out the students and they are finally able to leave right after school instead of having to stay for tutoring is a good feeling and I look forward to helping more often. I am looking forward to working with you and the Men on the Move program next semester so we can continue making progress and having positive impacts on their lives. I have had good role models in my life so I know the impact that it could have.
In response to Erica Turnbull, it does feel like my project has progressed and it’s a learning experience for both the volunteers and the students.
In response to Maria’s comment, I like the fact that I’ve been able to accomplish some of my goals that I had when I first started. The thing is that I can complete them over and over again because there will always be someone that needs guidance, advice, or just someone to talk to. I agree with you’re comment regarding the fact that more college students need to volunteer and give back to the community so that the youth can have someone realistic to look up to rather than people they see on TV.
In response to Ashyllon, the Men on the Move program goes to St. Augustine High School three days out of the week for three hours at a time after the school day. There is a shortage of tutors and I’ve encouraged some of my friends to join the program for the purpose of helping someone in need.
As I have said before, I am having a good time volunteering with Men on the Move and I plan on working with them again. I feel there is an obligation to give back to the community since the community has given so much to me growing up. Tobit is found in the Apocrypha in the Bible and it is about a man named Tobit. Tobit has a strong sense of faith and in his beliefs. Tobit is taken captive by the Assyrians and exiled to Nineveh. While he is exiled, he marries and continues to practice his faith by burying the dead despite the fact that the Assyrians do not want him to. On one particular day, a bird poops in his eyes and he is blinded by it. Because of this, Tobit wants to kill himself. Before doing so, he tells his son Tobias to go collect a debt that is owed to him in Media. Tobias is then accompanied by the angel, Raphael, who is in the form of a human. On his way to Media, Tobias kills a giant fish that tries to kill him and he cuts out the bladder and the liver. Tobias and Raphael go to stay with Sarah and her family in Media. Tobias takes Sarah’s advice and burns the heart and the liver of the fish to drive away the demon that killed her husband. Sarah and Tobias eventually marry and return to Ninevah. Tobias then rubs the gall bladder in Tobit’s eyes which gives Tobit his sight back. Then Raphael reveals that he is an angel. The main lesson in the story is to keep your faith and God will look out for you. There are many reasons why Maccabees can be considered heroic. During this time Jews were under the the control of the Seleucid Empire and the king, Antiochus IV. Antiochus hated Jews and did not accept the Jewish faith. He intimidated the Jews into not making sacrifices and he ordered them to make sacrifices to him instead to show their devotion to him. There was on Jew that took so much pride in his Jewish faith that he refused to comply with the king’s demands. His name was Mattathias. Because of this Mattathias and his family were forced to leave and go to the wilderness. This sparked a revolution among the Jews with hopes of religious freedom. Maccabbee, was Mattathias’s son and the leader of the revolution. The revolution ended up being successful and the Jews were able to practice their religion in peace.