Since Usa River Academy started their exams two weeks ago and have now gone on break, we have not been having Full Circle class. I thought that with all this free time I would relax, sightsee, read some books, take up golf, or actually learn Kiswahili.
Hahaha…yeah right. I think I am actually busier now than I was before! Instead of relaxing, I am preparing my “Implementation Planning Matrix”. I am reading books…well, curriculums, but that’s almost the same thing. It’s a good thing that I don’t really have any interest in golf, because the only green that I am seeing is in planning for next term’s focus on the environment and agriculture.
As for my Kiswahili, I have at least stopped telling strangers on the street to “wash me,” so there’s that to be thankful for!
Well, actually there is a lot to be thankful for. I mentioned the “Implementation Planning Matrix” that I am working on. While I like paperwork about as much as the next person (so, not very much), I have really seen the value of the documents that we are working on right now. Many organizations try to make their activities and grant applications look like they match their mission and vision, but after going through the mental exercises that Melissa has been putting us through, we have each gained a clear understanding of what the TFFT goals are and how we can achieve them through our respective programs. It has really been valuable to me to go through the step-by-step process of looking at our goals, deciding how to achieve them, and planning Full Circle activities from there.
One of the ways that we are achieving our objectives is to utilize this precious break time for educational purposes. We are trying something new this break, which is to enroll some of our secondary students from Usa River Academy in a week-long beading workshop with Bahati Jewelry. All of our students have such creative minds, I cannot wait to see (and share with you all) what they make! If this project is a success we will be looking for more learning opportunities like this one in the future to keep the students busy and teach them a skill during the break.
While the students are busy beading, I will be busy developing the curriculum for the next school term and working closely with teachers to involve them in the planning and implementation of Full Circle. As I mentioned, Full Circle will be focused on being stewards of the environment and also, my other passion (besides youth development), agriculture. After my first trip to Tanzania in 2007, I saw the vast opportunities for development through agriculture. I changed my area of study to international agricultural development, so now I can’t wait for this to truly come “full circle”!