This week, I was able to finalize the activity I was planning for the Act for Change table at the Ulster County Fair. We decided to have fairgoers decorate a puzzle piece with things they feel represent their identity, and add that puzzle piece to a larger puzzle that would be collectively made by participants. We felt that this would emphasize the idea that we are all a piece of a larger puzzle to fight racism and injustice, and we all have to do our part, while giving participants a creative outlet to express themselves. We will also be handing out seed packets to encourage participants to “plant seeds of change” in their communities. I also helped with some more general 4-H fair planning, like mailing envelopes for the 4-H auction bidders and organizing the sign-in binders.
I continued to work on the flyers and quarter cards for the fair as well and reached out to past Act for Change members to see if some would be available to come to the fair to speak with the elected officials who would be attending the fair for a meet and greet. No one has been available to come in person yet, but a few have volunteered to send in statements about their experiences with Act for Change for us to share at the fair, which is great! I also attended a public presentations training for the meeting with elected officials at the fair, as well as a meeting with the county executives about Act for Change that will be happening in a few weeks, near the end of this internship. I am looking forward to both of these meetings to share my experiences and gain some new perspective!
I attended another day of the summer school this week, where kids began crafting their clay sculptures. Each day, there are 2 sessions where the same activity is done but with a different group of students, so each class is like a learning experience for how to improve the organization of the next one. For example, this week, we handed out the clay a bit too early, so students began jumping ahead to using the clay, when they were not entirely finished with the previous step, which helped us adjust the pacing of the second session. Next week will be my last session, where students will finish shaping their clay sculptures and being painting them. This summer school so far has been a great experience in working with students and in the education field, as well as adapting and improving certain activities that do not go as expected.