Volunteering at KIPP!

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the local KIPP school in Bywater. KIPP (which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program) are a network of charter schools all over the US. Charter schools are schools that receive public funding but function independently, meaning they basically have their own rules and regulations. They are usually founded by teachers or parents who seek to create higher quality education and better prepare children for college . New Orleans is the only city in the country where all public schools are charter schools, and this has become the case following Hurricane Katrina. Before the hurricane, the majority of New Orleans’ public schools didn’t meet the national standards and Louisiana placed 46th out of 50 states in terms of education1. In the aftermath of Katrina, the city decided to start over and replace all schools with charter schools, and hire a new staff. Since then, academic performances have been improving (higher test scores, and higher graduation rates).

My first impression walking into the KIPP school  was that I have come into a big family. Teachers are not merely teachers. They reminded me more of parents, older brothers and sisters to the kids. One can easily tell that they really care about the children and invest all their time and energy into their education. For instance, when I first met Ms Hong,  a couple of the children walked to her and gave her big hugs. They look up to her as a mentor but also as a big sister. I was impressed, and right there I knew I wanted to volunteer more with this program. Another interesting aspect of the school is that each classroom is named after an american college or university. This introduces children at a very early age to the concept of higher education, and motivates them to think and want more beyond high school. Our task was to help with preparing games for the Fall festival they were having the next day. We helped cut papers for origami, and also made paper ‘jack-o’-lanterns’. Classes already ended, so a lot of kids had already left. They were a couple of kids though who were waiting for their parents to pick them up and so they were put in a room to watch the show “Dinosaur Train”, while waiting.

I look forward to dedicating more of my time to the KIPP school and also to learning more about the impact that charter schools are having on the New Orleans’ educational system. Nelson Mandela once said that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the  world”. For now, KIPP seems to embody this principle.

1(http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/4/4/new-orleans-charterschoolseducationreformracesegregation.html)

Volunteer hours: 3 hours

I knew I was going to love living in New Orleans, ever since my first visit in January 2008 (on a two-week trip to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity). It has that je-ne-sais-quoi, a certain 'swag' that a lot of other US cities lack: surely due to its rich and colorful culture, the warmth of its people (southern hospitality that is reminiscent of our own version of hospitality back home in Senegal, “Teranga”), its distinct type of music and architecture that remind me of Dakar and Saint-Louis (after all, both New Orleans and Senegal were French colonies at some point in time)…Whatever it is, this city has a lot to offer. However, I do not want to romanticize New Orleans. Biking through the city everyday to class, I see glimpses of a grimmer reality: high rates of poverty and unemployment.

Thus, I am so glad that the masters program offers volunteering opportunities in order to get involved in the community and gain better knowledge of local resources.

So far, I have had the opportunity to volunteer twice during the month of September for Habitat for Humanity along with some of my classmates, at two different locations: Hollygrove and New Orleans East. I must admit that I was not prepared (physically and mentally) for the hard work we had to do: digging under a house to level the ground in order to avoid water from pooling, caulking, painting and even installing insulation in the attic, all in the sweltering heat.

Still, it was a rewarding experience. I now have a better understanding of and appreciation for the crucial role Habitat for Humanity continues to play in rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina. I also had the opportunity to meet and chat with the owner of one of the houses we helped build (she was also there to help build her own house). Listening to her talk with such joy about her future home (decoration ideas and housewarming party plans) and about the safety of the neighborhood for her young daughter, made the volunteering experience even more meaningful!

Volunteer hours

9/6/14 - 8 hours

9/13/14 - 8 hours