My Wish for Will Part II

If you're like many people I know, you can tell a story at the drop of a hat about an adult that influenced, inspired, or encouraged you as a teen -- that special English teacher, or the shop teacher, or a coach. Maybe it was a local business owner who gave you a job, or maybe it was your friend's mother. I always love those stories (in fact, I'd love it if you'd share yours in the comments -- they're just the best stories).

When I think of Alison's definition for sustainability, "not marring" but also "making it better," I have to think of today's kids, and the kids they'll have someday. My greatest worries when my country initiated a war five years ago were of the generations of affected children here and there who will not get their everyday needs met -- for food, shelter, education, and love -- and how that will affect the next generation after them. When I think of handing down something good, I think of handing something good to a child, something of value -- like trust, the value of relationships and learning, and love of beauty and our world.

That's why I was thrilled when Dave Eggers made his TED wish (you can view the whole rollicking, funny, heart-warming speech here at the end of this post). What a great thing to ask: "I wish that you -- you personally, and every creative person and organization you know -- will find a way to engage with a public school in your area, and that you'll then tell the story of how you got involved so that within one year we'll have 1,000 examples of transformative partnerships, profound leaps forward."

Here I go again, naively thinking that we have enough people with some longing and some time to help every kid, and every community that needs help helping kids. In the video, Eggers provides an entertaining and compelling story about how we can all change the world with just a few hours a month devoted to mentoring and tutoring pirates, superheros, and time-travelers (you'll see what I mean).

In My Wish for Will Part I, I introduced you to my own brand of superhero: Chicago teacher, photographer, and sometimes NY Times columnist, Will Okun. Pouring his heart, soul, precious time, and love into some kids who might not have such a superhero in their corner otherwise, Will is one of the millions of teachers Dave Eggers is talking about helping.

When I wrote Part I, I asked Will about what he would wish for, and he sent me this story of Nicholas Bounds, one of Will's students whose life has been dramatically affected by the kind of support Dave Eggers talked about in his TED Wish. Will's wish wasn't that much different from Dave's: that every kid could have what Nicholas Bounds had -- an adult who takes an interest.

As usual with Will's articles, his story about his student, Nicholas, is a different story than I'm used to about kids and school; it's shocking and heartbreaking, but hopeful and inspiring, too. Most of all, what comes through in his stories is his wish for more possibilities for the kids he works with. "Behind most great students are loving and supportive adults. Unfortunately, too many students do not benefit from positive support, and these are typically the children who have so much difficulty in our school. I agree with Nicholas that the long-term support of just one positive adult can make all the difference in the lives of children," Will says.

In his most recent article on what a difference One Class could make for teens in his school, he asks a good question: "Why should students on the West Side of Chicago not have access to the same resources, technology, and programming that is certainly offered at our nation’s 'Top 100 High Schools?' Engaging technology programs like Hoops High demonstrate that attendance and (thus) academic performance will greatly improve in urban schools that are able to offer a range of exciting extracurricular classes directed at both the needs and the interests of the students."

Already Once Upon A School has 20-30 of the 1,000 stories of these kinds of programs -- just what Dave Eggers asked for at TED 2008. My wish for Will is Dave's wish -- that anyone listening, reading, finding themselves longing to help, but not knowing what or how -- find a project or a school, a tutoring group or an after-school program, or start something of your own -- find a way to help a kid. We can buy all the green gizmos in the world, and cut our carbon emissions in half, but if the next generations are crippled by ignorance and a sense of impossibility, sustainability will be just another elite concept.

You can start your own 826-like organization with your company, service organization, or local community. Or, if you're near one of the Once Upon A School Projects that are being added every day, you can volunteer. But it doesn't even have to be that big a deal: you could just call a local school or local teacher tell them how many hours you've got to help some kids. Here are some ideas and here are some Frequently Asked Questions.

I don't have a clue as to how I, a mom/coach/blogger in California, can help make Will's wish for programs like this in his area, West Side Chicago, and his school, Westside Alternative High School, come true. But I have hope in possibilities. If you know someone in Chicago, please forward this to them. If you are affiliated with a corporation that has an office in Chicago, or any organization that might want a service project in Chicago, please let them know about Dave Eggers' wish, and about Will's school and neighborhood schools. If you have an idea how to help me take some steps towards my wish for Will, e-mail me at chris at humankindmedia (add the dot com).

And watch this video. Let's see what's possible.