Hiring Americorps members--Immediately!

The Central Dallas Ministries’ Education Department is looking for dedicated, committed, and creative individuals who wish to be a part of a program that moves youth forward by focusing on social skills, college, careers, through incorporating innovative technology, doing projects (like gardening, blogging, reporting, etc.), providing fun reading activities, and creatively interacting with academic-type classes.

There are 8 part time (25-30 hrs/week) and one full-time (40 hrs/week) position available:

Part-time positions require a high school diploma with a preference given to those working on or already having a degree in Education.

Full-time position (40 hrs/week) require a high school diploma with an ability to oversee programs, write curriculum, organize staff scheduling and working directly with students in a variety of areas. 

If interested, please fill out application at www.cdmamericorps.org and forward application and resume to Janet Morrison at jmorrison@centraldallasministries.org or fax to Janet Morrison at 214-824-5355.

Multiple Program Coordinator

Full-time position--40 hours/week (Sept. 1-July 30)

Position to be filled 8.31.10

Hours: 12:00-8:00 Monday-Friday (some Saturdays)

The coordinator is in charge of developing, overseeing, and helping implement all programming in the building and ensuring the program maintains a focus on programming that develops education, college/career, and social skills. He/she will monitor the youth's academic and social development, communicate progress with each child's parents, and work with each program to adjust curriculum accordingly. The Program Coordinator will be responsible for recruiting volunteers and ensuring any curriculum they use maintains the program focus. In addition, the coordinator will ensure program data is collected and reported.

After-School Academy Teacher

Part-time position--25-30 hours/week (Sept. 1-June 3)

Position to be filled 8.31.10

Hours: 1:00-6:30 Monday-Friday (some Saturdays and later evenings)

The ASA Classroom Teacher will be responsible for planning, creating, and implementing activities in a project-based approach to teach Kindergarten through 5th grade students. Teachers must maintain a strong focus on "going green," and will assist with creating lessons for their students in the Learning Garden, Farm Stands, Library, and Computer Lab. Teachers are expected to focus students on improving social skills (caring, manners, and greeting), college and careers, critical thinking, and project-based learning within their classroom. 

Librarian

Part-time position--25-30 hours/week (Sept. 1-June 3)

Position to be filled 8.31.10

Hours: (varies slightly) Monday-Friday 3:00-8:00 and Saturdays 10:00-2:00

The Librarians will work together to create programming and facilitate reading clubs for elementary, middle, and high school students. The Librarians will ensure that money is collected for the sale of books and create strategies that draw people of all ages into the library and ensures all Roseland neighbors know the library programming, hours of operation, and location. The Librarians will also oversee behavioral management of library participants and engage volunteers.

Teen U and Mid-Teen U Facilitator

Part-time position--25-30 hours/week (Sept. 1-June 3)

Position to be filled 8.31.10

Hours: Monday-Friday 3:00-8:00 Saturday 10:00-2:00 (hours may vary depending on activities)

The Teen U (9th-12th grade) and Mid-Teen U (3rd-8th grade boys) Facilitators will supervise and assist with programs to prepare middle and high school students mentally, socially, and academically for college. The Facilitators will assist with homework, connect youth to programs/events that further their stated interests, and collaborate with other organizations to offer programming with the goal of preparing youth for college and post-secondary life. The Facilitators will establish relationships and partnerships with the parents to help them understand and be able to assist their child in preparing for college/post-secondary. The Facilitators will recruit volunteers as needed to facilitate programming and will develop programming that includes evenings, weekends, and summer.

Technology Facilitator

Part-time position--25-30 hours/week (Sept. 1-June 3)

Position to be filled 8.31.10

Hours: Monday-Friday 3:00-8:00 Saturday 10:00-2:00 (hours may vary according to other staff schedules) 

The Technology Instructor will supervise and assist with programs to prepare elementary, middle, and high school students mentally, socially, and academically for the world of technology. He/she will facilitate the Digital Connectors program that combines leadership development, digital education, and community service to prepare youth, ages 14-to 21 years old, to build the technical proficiency of their respective communities, and serve as a bridge to digital opportunities. He/she will also create educational technology opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Vote for your favorite video!

Please take a moment to view and vote on the videos below. You may vote for your favorite video more than once. Voting ends on Monday, May 10th at 7:00 pm. Please share the videos with your friends, family, coworkers, etc and have them vote. Feel free to leave comments!

Thanks so much for your time.

"The Adventures of Apple Man" by Shannon, Michael, & Rocio

The Recycling Bin" by Sharde, Vanessa, Elle

Vote Here!

Thank you, ARAMARK!

Great partnerships are what makes our organization work so well. A couple of weeks ago a group of City Year staff came in early Monday morning to prep many of our sites at Roseland for a group of 100 ARAMARK volunteers who would arrive on Thursday to paint murals on some of our walls and add a new plot to our already thriving garden. The volunteers also took on the huge task of painting the entire inside of the gym/community center as well as creating raised flower beds for the church across the street.

I have to commend Danielle Evans, Children's Education Coordinator, and Tameshia Rudd-Ridge, Digital Connectors Coordinator, for spending so much time and effort on this project. All day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Danielle and Tameshia worked with the City Year group to choose the designs and create the spaces for the ARAMARK volunteers to work. By the time Thursday morning came along, Danielle and Tameshia were up and at work ready to go by 6:00 a.m.

You can see most of their work in the above video, though the video doesn't really show how void of design our walls really were beforehand. My favorite part of the video is at the very end. As the ARAMARK and City Year workers finished up, the kids began coming in from school. I walked up to the After-School Academy to see the kids walking up to the group of ARAMARK people, hands extending to greet with their typical formal greeting.

Kudos to ARAMARK and City Year for spending their time getting to know us and creating murals, bookshelves, and garden plots to help us continue making our program great!

"Miss Tameshia is stuck in the computer!"

Over the past few days, I've been dealing with a nasty stomach virus (gastroenteritis) but of course I didn't let that stop us from having Digital Connectors. On Monday and Tuesday, I held class from my couch via Skype.

As Mr. An setup the webcam for Digital Connectors, he allowed some of our After School Academy students to speak to me on Skype. Iesha, was walking in the hallway when she heard my voice. She was completely confused because she hadn't seen me all day and she didn't see my car. She quickly ran into the computer lab (Connect U) to investigate where my voice was coming from. She soon realized that my voice was coming from the computer. Then she grabbed Mr. An and exclaimed "Miss Tameshia is stuck in the computer!" She even offered to jump in and save me.

Soon after, Ta'Kyra and Amaryee (Kindergartners), asked how to spell my name. I quickly spelled it out for them. Within a matter of 3 mins, I saw a piece of paper held up to the camera. Unsure of what it said exactly, I asked Ta'Kyra to read it to me. "Tameshia, I hope you feel better tomorrow!", she said. It wasn't spelled correctly but it's the CARING that counts.

As the Digital Connectors filtered in, I continued to speak to Ta'Kyra and introduced her to my family including the dog. I wanted to sure her even more with Skype, so I had her pose for a picture and then shared my screen with her. I showed her the picture, I had just taken of her. Completely amazed, she asked Shannon (Digital Connector) to help her take a picture of me with their webcam. Mr. Phillip and Mr. An had a hard time pulling them away from Skype.

During our Digital Connectors class, I conducted a scavenger hunt of Web 2.0 tools. I created a video and had the students re-create it. I watched what they did via screen share and answered any questions they had.

Thanks to technology...I was able to conduct classes while I'm at home sick!

Apple Store Field Trip ( the computer Mac)

March 16, 2010

I had a great experience at the Apple store. It was great because you could split the screen with a click of a button. I learned some things about the MAC computer. I learned how to make my own movie using the clips from the Flip Video we made at the Digital Connectors club. Also I took some very funny pictures with the web cam using photo booth that was with the computer. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ONE BUT IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats all for today

The Game of Life!

The other day Wensday March 17, 2010 we had a group of teenagers come in from another place. We played a game called The Game of Life. It is basically learning how to live life as some regular people do every day around the world. We had to learn how to write checks, deposit them to the bank, work and get our paychecks, pay tickets, and we had to waste money for our necessities. Each one of us playing the game had a different life role. Some of us had a part time job that didn't cover all of our bills, some of us didn't have cars so we had to ride the bus, and some of us had kids which meant even more expenses. You had to write down your expenses or else you would go broke. This was a real life experience for me. At the end of the game it was an eye opener. I realized I had just done most of the things I would have to do when I got older and grown up. Its as if I had just grown in 20 minutes and payed bills and worked and all that stuff. It is a big important thing to have a life plan as you get older. And its really important to have a job and an education because that will get you in a good job and in a good position later on in life. With a good education and good determination I think anybody can achieve anything they set their mind to. That was my lesson learned in The Game of Life! :)

SMU...Here he comes!

I was sitting in our Parent Academy when Tameshia came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and said she needed to talk to me. Thinking the worst, I  walked to the back with her. Once we got to the back, she explained to me, "Michael just got a $200,000 scholarship!"

I was speechless! $200,000...to SMU! Oh my goodness!

I first met Michael a few years ago when the great people at Education is Freedom provided us with a summer intern. Michael helped us get things organized that summer. Michael attends North Dallas High School. This year, when we started our Digital Connectors program out of Roseland, we recruited from North Dallas. Though we hadn't seen Michael in a couple of years, he remembered us and was one of the first people to sign up.

Though we can't take credit for all of Michael's hard work and persistence in being involved in many different programs and writing and following through on college applications and such, we can say that Michael will be more prepared technologically when he finishes Digital Connectors in May.

By May, Michael will be equipped with a Cisco IT Essentials certification that will provide him with the skills and knowledge of rebuilding computers from scratch. He will know how to create a mobile app. He will have completed a leadership skills module as well as a financial literacy module...all of which will be extremely important in college--especially at such a competitive school like SMU...and especially as an engineering major!

When Tameshia told me, I immediately went downstairs to congratulate him and do a quick interview. He reads this blog so help me in congratulating him on his amazing achievement of receiving one of only four Dedman Scholarships offered each year at SMU!



CONGRATS & WAY TO GO, MICHAEL!!!

Financial Literacy: shopping for snacks on a budget

In March, both Digital Connectors and Teen University, will be engaging in a series of financia literacy activities. Their first assignment was to purchase enough snacks for 25 people with a budget of $125 for our trip to Huston-Tillotson and University of Texas. It was not an easy task to accommodate the taste buds of some many people but Shannon, Chisa, and Alexcia did a wonderful job working together and staying in budget. Their bill was $124.88!

"Shine" on them for staying after the program hours to make a brown bag of snacks for each person and for accepting the challenge.

Shannon taking a moment on the big comfy couch.

Alexcia and Chisa

Meet Crystal: Digital Connector

Hi, my name is Crystal. I was born and raised in Dallas, TX. I am 17 years old, in the 11 grade, and I attend Hillcrest High School.

My favorite sport is track. I love being around my friends and family. I also like leaning new things. In my spare time... I love texting, talking on the phone, and EATING!! That's me...

THE infamous funny moment in Digital Connectors

This is a funny moment in Digital Connectors when Crystal falls out of her chair. I guess she thought she could fly like a bird or she was that excited about all of the technology she's learning.A lot of people don't think we have fun in Digital Connectors because we work so hard. We have a great time together. I love you guys.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

This was our first attempt at "Mass Stand-Up" and sadly it was a failure. This attempt did not go to waste though, it served as a learning experience to help us accomplish our task. As you will see in the next video, things will go differently.

Hi, this is my first post ever.

Hi, my name is Michael as you can probably tell by my screen name. Also, as you can tell as well this is my very first post so I just want to say "Hello Bloggers!" I would like to tell you a little about myself. I am 17 years old, and I aspire to be an engineer. I am not sure which engineering discipline I should follow, so if any of you guys have any advice for me it will be well appreciated. Well that is all I have to say for now so "Good Bye and Happy Blogging!"

Elle's Movie

I have been doing a movie in Digi High. It was complicated at first but then I got a chance to sit down and understand the process of making and managing the time for my movie. So when I corrected everything that was not in its place, I looked at it and to say It was AMAZING!! I am very proud of myself that I am learning so much in a quick period of time.

Digital Connectors: Meet Shannon

Hey my name is Shenandoah but most people just call me Shannon because it too hard to pronounce. I'm in the 11th grade WOOP WOOP!!! at North Dallas High School.I LOve math it just comes so easy to me . I also LOVE dancing it's so fun and hard work my favorite type of dance is modern dance. It's a dance style that centers on a dancer's own interpretations instead of structured steps, as in traditional ballet dancing. I love animals they're so cute well some of them. My favorite animal is a white tiger there so unique just like me nice, sweet, gentle, calming. I'm just a relaxing person and I like to have FUN.

Meet Vanessa

I am a sophomore ,I attend Skyline High School, and I am in the Interior Design Cluster. I joined Digital Connectors to help further my knowledge on computers and design. I believe that I will be able to accomplish all things in my life with effort and perseverance. I tend to be very outspoken and I love to speak on topics that interest me. Also I am very intellectual and one day hope to inspire the youth. I motivate myself by trying to stay positive and focusing on my goals. Life is short an I intend to live it to the fullest. Also I believe that bad things happen so that good things may follow.

My First Day

My first day at d.c. high school was very interesting. I got to meet outstanding people, who are trying to do something with their lives. I had a silent interview and it was kind of strange. People who dont know you try to get to know you by just staring at you. Then they ask you questions to see were they right or wrong.

Digital Connectors Begins

I can't believe its finally here!

Digital Connectors officially kicked off on Nov. 9th!

This week the 8 connectors spent time getting to know each other

by participating in silent interviews, ice breakers, and general discussion.

The connectors also spent time learning about their new mission as Digital Connectors as well the missions of One Economy Corporation, The Beehive, and Connectors Club.

We discussed topics in Leadership, Philanthropy, Diversity, Personal Development and Professional Development.

Next week, we'll be diving in to the topics such as the history of

Computers, Digital Literacy, Hardware, and Networks.

The DigiCon Crew researching famous philanthropists.

Digital Connectors is coming!!

We are so excited to be a part of this amazing grant that will allow us to teach high tech skills to our young people! Check out the announcement made earlier this week:


Wireless carriers donate $1 million for tech training
Funding classes for 360 low-income youths on wireless issues and technologies
By Matt Hamblen
October 7, 2009 02:51 PM ET

Computerworld - SAN DIEGO -- The nation's four largest wireless carriers today announced a joint $1 million contribution today to a program to help bring mobile broadband education to low-income communities.

The contributions from AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA will be donated to One Economy Corp., a Washington-based non-profit organization that seeks to find innovative ways to deliver technology and information to low-income people.

The funds will be used to help fund One Economy's Wireless Digital Connectors program, providing 360 youth, age 14-21, with up to 200 hours of training in wireless technology, including software design and how to safely use wireless technologies while driving.

The program was announced at the International CTIA Wireless conference held here this week. Once trained, the 360 youth from low-income neighborhoods are each committed to provide at least 56 hours of technology-related community services in their areas. Rey Ramsey, CEO of One Economy, said that the nonprofit has already provided technology trained to about 3,000 youths, who have in turn performed 56,000 hours of community service.

He called the One Economy program, created nine years ago in a basement of a home in Washington, a means of "connecting people to the tools they need to improve their lives through a sustainable, lasting and innovative curriculum focused on mobile technology."

One Economy has programs underway in 10 cities.

Meet Tameshia...Digital Connectors Instructor

I keep telling people that every day I become more and more impressed with the 20-something age group. They are innovative critical thinkers who know and utilize technology and want to change the world. And so many of them are on the path to do just that!



Tameshia is an African American Studies AND International Relations double major. She has taken some time off so she can save up to finish her last year at school. When we interviewed Tameshia for the After-School Academy position, she was very open about her passion and desire to change the world. I could tell it came from the very depths of her and was in no way a passing phase. We want people like Tameshia on our team!

Tameshia works part-time in our After-School Academy and, because of her amazing skill and love for technology, she will also be running our evening Digital Connector program for the teens.

Tameshia has sometimes helps with the Friday night and Saturday meetings at Teen University. None of that is in her job description. She just attends because believes in building relationships.

She is an extremely important addition to our team. Thanks, Tameshia!

What's going on at Roseland

Last Monday we kicked off our education programs in Roseland. We've got GREAT things going on!

The After-School Academy (ASA) is in it's second year at Roseland. Danielle Evans is heading up the effort and doing a wonderful job.

Anna Hart, Phillip Hawkins, and Tameshia Ridge are our amazing Americorps members who are helping her manage our 30 kids and numerous classes. The ASA has partnered with Susie Marshall with the Gleaning Network of Texas. She is helping our kids create a fantastic community garden that we are hoping will become a mini-farmer’s market (run by the kids) to the Roseland community. We are also partnering with Shawn Williams of Dallas South News who will be helping our kids become junior reporters, with the hopes/plans of them reporting out on the Dallas South News site in a month or so.

At the building across the water park area (2101 N. Washington) on the first floor is the Roseland Library/Bookstore. Katrina Hobbs, another Americorps member, is doing great things there. Katrina is at UTA majoring in Education. She grew up in Roseland and has been a part of Central Dallas' programs for 14 years. She’s so excited about beginning to work with kids on their reading. We also sell books there for 25 cents for paperbacks and 50 cents for hardbacks for adults and children.

We also have a Teen University in that same building. Terrence Brooks, another Americorps member is going to school at Dallas Theological Seminary. He plans to run his own non-profit one of these days, but I'm hoping we'll be able to sell him on sticking around here. He’s amazing with the teens. He’s working on helping them with their reading and school work. In addition, we just received a grant in partnership with UTD. UTD will provide us with 2-4 college students to work with the teens on homework, college preparation, career research, and taking college trips.

Finally, we received a grant from One Economy in conjunction with CTIA and Comcast. It’s a Digital Connectors program. Tameshia, who also works in the ASA, will be running the program. Tameshia is awesome at technology and is extremely excited about teaching the teens. The program is for 14-21 year olds and focuses on several skills. Technology is the big focus, but they also has a leadership, financial literacy, and service component. Through the program, the teens will become certified by Cisco Systems to be able to rebuild computers. They will also be creating a mobile app and be creating videos throughout the program. I am so excited we were chosen to be a part of that and can’t wait to see what happens once the group mobilizes and becomes technology point people for the Roseland community.

Whew! So…please! Come visit us!! Great things are happening and I would love to show you what they look like!

We'll keep you posted!