Tomorrow’s Present

Activities and Accomplishments

School Year of 2005-2006:

Pebbles of Peace Outweighing Boulders of Violence

• Adult Committee Meetings: Sept 6, Oct 17, Jan 9, March 13, May 8

• Youth Forum: Nov. 15, 2005.

  Held at St. Martin de Porres Church. Approximately 150 participants (120 youth) gathered to discuss violence and racism. The day included listening sessions in small groups with these community leaders:

  • Chief of Police Nannette Hegerty
  • District Attorney E. Michael McCann
  • Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Maxine White
  • Tom McGinnity, Milwaukee Teacher Education Center
  • Bama Brown-Grice, Milwaukee Partnership Academy
  • Sr. Shawnee Daniels-Sykes, SSND, House of Peace
  • State Senator Spencer Coggs
  • State Senator Lena Taylor
  • State Representative Jason Fields
  • Dan Di Domizio, Professor of Religious Studies at Cardinal Stritch University
  • Billy Young, representing Bishop Sedgwick Daniels, Church of God in Christ
  • Khalif Rainey, from US Congresswoman Gwen Moore's office
  • Marquette Baylor, from US Senator Herb Kohl's office
  • Richard Badger, Aide to Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett

• Student Projects: During the school year, the young people from these schools and congregations planned their projects:
  • House of Peace – Racism comments on their website
  • Messmer High School – Education and service with Casa Maria
  • Thomas More High School – Discrimination simulation activity
  • Cross Lutheran – Dialog about Racism with partner congregations
  • Holy Redeemer Academy – Youth empowerment program
  • St. Joan Antida – Resources on “Leaders of Justice”
  • St. Anthony – Lesson on racism for Vacation Bible School

• Open House: April 29, 2006. Held at the House of Peace. About 65 people (45 youth) re-gathered to showcase their projects and talk about their learning.

 Hope is Something You Do

• Training sessions for high school youth: Sept. 10, Oct 22, Nov 12, Dec 17, Feb 18, Mar 11.

• Workshops presented to middle school students: Jan 21, Mar 25

• Approximately 70 middle school youth attended one of the workshops.

• Middle School youth from four parishes attended:

Our Lady of Lourdes in Milwaukee

St. Mary, Port Washington

St. Peter, Port Washington

St. Williams, Waukesha

• “Hope Is Something You Do” teaches the following concepts and skills through skits, storytelling, games, activities and participant role plays:

• Five personal styles of responding to conflict
• The one style that is honest, confident, and fair and resolves conflicts peacefully
• Communication skills for talking and listening carefully
• How to reframe a conflict into two elements, one getting in the way of the other
• Procedure for resolving a conflict with a win-win solution
• Four types of conflicts
• Three main causes for conflicts

Rising Stars and Way to Live:

Rising Stars is a highly successful secular youth leadership development program based on Search Institute's 40 Assets.

Way to Live is a book written by a team of teenagers and adults to explore “Christian Practices” from a young person’s point of view.  We have discovered that these “Christian” Practices (such as telling the truth, making good choices, and protecting creation) can also be seen as “spiritual” practices, or even “moral” practices. These practices have been used in interfaith settings, and in settings that do not emphasize any faith. Although they were initially developed for a Christian context, they are not directly linked to a specific religious teaching. They reflect sound moral living and character building. They are ideal for schools and groups who have youth of many faiths or no faith.

By combining Rising Stars and Way to Live, we have created a solid youth leadership training program that brings reflection and spiritual depth to the skills and content of goal setting, follow-through and self-motivation. This spiritual focus serves to further enhance the personal development and leadership potential of each young person.

During the school year of 2005-2006, this program was implemented as a year-long pilot project, with once-a-week classes at St. Joan Antida High School in Milwaukee.  The program uses a creative approach to teach leadership skills and develop spiritual reflection skills. Tinker Toys, hula hoops, comic strips and decks of playing cards were just some of the props we used.

The students from St. Joan’s also attended  “Pebbles of Peace outweighing Boulders of Violence” and did a project on world leaders who addressed issues of racial and ethnic inequality.

During the school year of 2006-2007, the program will continue at St. Joan’s.

Two new classes will also begin the program at Messmer High School in

                                                         Milwaukee.

Middle School Youth Forums:

• Four youth forums were held: Oct 2, Oct. 19, Nov. 5, Dec. 19.

• There were 220 middle school participants, from 28 schools and parishes.

• Topics covered included: Social justice, decision making, and community service

Two of the forums included activities and discussion to teach the concept of Social Justice. They used a summary of seven themes (devised by Saginaw’s Bishop Ken Untener) to aid their memory: “Please Send Round Pizza With Square Corners.”

P	Please	Person	The Dignity of every human person
S	Send	Society	Human beings exist within family life and social networks
R	Round	Rights and Responsibilities	Recognizing everyone’s rights
P	Pizzas	Poor	Preferential option for the Poor and Vulnerable
W	With	Work	Support for Workers and Labor Unions
S	Square	Solidarity	Concern for Everyone—being a solid global community
C	Corners	Creation	Care for the entire planet and beyond

All of the youth forums used the “SODAS” method of problem solving and decision-making, popularized by Mike Carotta and Valerie Vance Dillon from St. Mary’s Press:

■  S = Situation.               Experience and Describe the Situation.

■  O = Options.                Identify and Explore your Options.

■  D = Disadvantages.       Reflect on possible Disadvantages.

■  A = Advantages.           Reflect on possible Advantages.

■  S = Solution.                Select the Solution that is the best.

Milwaukee Area Interfaith Youth:

• Three Interfaith Youth Café events were held:
  • Sept 11 -- Immanuel Presbyterian Church
  • Jan 22 -- Quaker Meeting House
  • Feb 19 -- Islamic Society of Milwaukee

The Cafés are based on the “knowledge café” model, which creates a fun “café” environment and situates a different religious tradition at each table. Participants mingle and visit tables to learn about each religion. Young people give short presentations and ask questions about prayer, customs, and beliefs.

• Evaluation and planning meeting – May 21 – at the Plymouth United Church of Christ.