Tomorrow's Present

Activities and Accomplishments

School Year of 2007-2008

Pebbles of Peace Outweighing Boulders of Violence

Committee Meetings were held on: Sept 4, Oct 16, Oct. 31, Nov 8, Jan 30, Feb 27, April 8, and April 30.                                    

Youth Forum: On Nov. 13, 2008  203 participants (140 youth) gathered at Cardinal Stritch University to discuss ways to eradicate violence by building community in a segregated city.

With a simulation activity, we learned how easily we can form misperceptions of other cultures. We also learned how important it is to ask deep questions with a Kiva activity, from the Hopi Tribe Nations of the Southwest.

At lunchtime, we were joined by the following community leaders:

Richard Badger ( Mayor's office)

Esther Welch (Milwaukee Sheriff Dept.)

Marquette Baylor (from Senator Kohl's office)

Rebecca Lopez (from Senator Feingold’s office)

Judge Phil Chavez (municipal court judge)

Jamar Willis (Boys and Girls Club)

Police Officer Derrik Lemmie (Milwaukee District 3 community liaison officer)

Barbara Pollach (Elizabeth Brinn Foundation)

Latoya Freeman (UW Extension, Pre-College Coordinator)

Hattie Daniels-Rush (Milwaukee County Executive’s Office)

Professor Dan DiDomizio (Urban Ministries, Cardinal Stritch University)

Ted Perry (Fox-6 TV)

Shelly Roder (Cap Corps director)

Jon Royal (Cap Corps)

Tyrone Dumas (Milwaukee Public Schools)

Genyne Edwards ( Mosaic Partnership Program)

Tom McGinnity (Teachers Education Center)

Theresa Kopac (Radio Milwaukee 88 Nine)

Officer Milton Stubbs (Milwaukee Police, School Resource Office)

Officer Michelle Angiolo (Milwaukee Police, School Resource Officer)

Jason Fields (State representative)

Khalif Rainey (from Congresswoman Gwen Moore’s Office)

After lunch, the young people returned to their back home groups to discuss the issues that energized them the most. They were asked to design projects or activities they could implement during the school year to begin to address some of these issues. Here are their plans:

Early View Academy, “Diversity Fair” (week-long, school-wide event culminating with a youth rally that expresses respect, acceptance and unity)

High School of the Arts, “Slamming Stereotypes” (Address stereotypes in a series of different events fostering empathy, e.g. poetry slam, theatre, speakers, etc)

Alliance High School, “Photo Exhibit with a conscience” (Details are “secret”!)

Marquette University High School, “Bridging the Gap” (Structured conversations among the single gender Catholic schools: Marquette, St. Joan Antida and Divine Savior Holy Angels).

St. Joan Antida High School, “Si Se Puede” (Raising cultural awareness and reducing misunderstandings at school)

Messmer High School, “Celebrating Diversity” (pep rally/ fun fact competition about diversity), “Community Culture Day” (public event to educate participants about different cultures), “Promote Equality” (An assembly emphasizing the equality among different cultures, especially African Americans, Latinos, and Caucasians.)

Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, “Open Forum” (safe place for students of different cultures/races/religions to voice concerns as they face cultural insensitivity within the school, toward a larger event having an impact on the larger school community)

Mary, Queen of Heaven Church, “Project Peace” (promoting and encouraging diversity awareness projects in the West Allis community)

Prince of Peace Catholic Church, “Cultural Fair” (Art, poetry, music, food for young people, reflecting the diversity of cultures)

St. William Catholic Church, “Cultural Misunderstandings” (Cultural event for youth of the Catholic Community of Waukesha)

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, “Outlook on Diversity” (Sharing information about cultural diversity to their congregation)

Casa Romero, “Cure Unhealthy Prejudice” (Presentations in the community about overcoming racism and prejudice)

Project Ujima, “Ujima Diversity Initiative” (Showcasing different ethnic groups, workshops during the summer program, by the youth advisory committee)

Safe and Sound, “Operation Diversity” (monthly multicultural awareness events)

Heart Love Place, “Lending a Helping Hand” (Helping young people of all cultures to have a better place)

Reunion: On April 26, 51 people returned to showcase their youth projects, and celebrate their learning and leadership.

Hope is Something You Do

Workshops held on:

January 26 with 34 participants

April 5 with 24 participants

Hope Is Something You Do is a six-hour workshop that is presented to middle school participants. The workshop teaches the following content and skills:

> The five personal styles of responding to conflict

> The four basic types of conflict

> The three basic causes for conflict

> Two essential communication skills to achieve “win-win”

> The definition of conflict

The workshop content is taught with role plays, story telling, skits, simulation activities and games designed to create and analyze conflict, so the skills of resolving conflict can be practiced and learned.

Teen Leaders

The Teen Leaders are the high school youth that provide the leadership for both the Pebbles of Peace and Hope is Something You Do Programs. In order to prepare for these two events, and receive the necessary leadership training, 16 Teen Leaders met every month from August to May for day-long trainings and practices.

Their training includes an overnight retreat in September, and a “dress rehearsal” for the Hope Is Something You Do workshop in January.

The Teen Leaders present “Hope Is Something You Do” twice a year without any assistance from other youth or adults.

They do presentations, lead activities and facilitate small group conversations (with the help of leadership students from Messmer High School) at the Pebbles youth forum in November, and the Pebbles reunion in April.

Interfaith Youth Cafés

Three cafes were held:

Nov 18 – Phouc-Hau Buddist Temple with 77 participants (61 youth) 

       The theme was food, thanksgiving and gratitude.

Jan. 27 – Islamic Society of Milwaukee with 82 participants (68 youth)                

        The theme was the body, modesty and health.

March 2 – Quaker Meeting House with 59 participants (48 youth)

         The theme was discernment and recognizing God’s Call.

Middle School Youth Forums

Three youth forums were held in 2007-2008:

October 10, 2007– Held at Mayville Park Pavilion  (54 youth, 18 adults, 72 total)

St. Boniface, St. Kilian, St. Gabriel, Holy Angels, Holy Trinity, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Mary-Mayville, St. Mary-West Bend, and St. Francis Cabrini

November 9, 2007 – Hosted at St. Martin de Porres (47 youth, 8 adults, 57 total)

Middle School Youth Forum participants at Messmer Prepatory, Catholic East, Notre Dame, and St. Joseph-Waukesha

January  10, 2008 – Hosted at St. Martin de Porres (49 youth, 4 adults, 53 total)

Blessed Savior School system – and their North, South, East and West campuses around Milwaukee.

To learn about the saints, different members from the table groups systematically gathered information cards about 61 saints. They looked over the pictures, quotes, and facts and decided as a group which saint(s) to focus on and whether to plan a prayer service or a lesson about their chosen saint(s).

The groups who chose to do a prayer service used this simple format for planning:

Call to Prayer

Word

Reflection or Response

Blessing or Sending Forth

The groups who chose to do a lesson used this simple format:

Grab my attention

Give me something new

Get something out of me

Go make a difference

The groups then presented their lesson or

led their prayer for the rest of the gathered participants.

“Lil Johnnie” Literacy Program

The stories of “Lil Johnnie” Off The Block were told with “Building Blocks for Hope” in three Catholic schools:

Messmer High School – fall semester –10 students

St. Leo Urban Academy – spring semester –21 students

St. Joan Antida High School – fall and spring semesters – 94 students

The students reported enjoying the classes, and their teachers reported that students put forth a better effort when doing their “Lil Johnnie” homework than with other assignments.

Interfaith Earth Network

The first four events (Earth Day “kick off” and three conferences were held:

April Earth Day event 2007:       

~ 50 youth, 15 adults

October Conference 2007:                      

~ 80 came on Sunday,  ~ 30 on Monday

January Conference 2008:                       

~ 40 came on Sunday,  ~ 15 on Monday

April Conference 2008:                           

~ 65 came on Sunday,  ~ 15 on Monday

The Interfaith Youth Earth Initiative, the youth portion of the Network, also had its own “Spin-off” event on Earth Day 2008 at St. Matthew’s Lutheran church.

Additional youth leadership events

In the 2007-2008, school year, 362 youth and adults attended other Tomorrow’s Present events in Wisconsin – these include confirmation sessions, family ministry events, and adult trainings.

In June of 2008, 175 participants of the Generations 2008 Conference at Lake Huron University College received a copy of Changing Lives: Transformational Ministry and Today’s Teens. More than half of them attended one of Dr. Calderone’s three workshops at the conference.

The total for the school year is 1680 participants in Tomorrow’s Present ministry programs.