STUDENTS PRACTICE LEADERSHIP
SKILLS THROUGH SERVICE

Service learning is an important part of the Student Leadership Program (SLP) sponsored by the Office of Secondary Education for Migrant Youth (SEMY).

Student Leadership Conferences put on by SEMY last year provided leadership development and service experience for 345 migrant students. Students developed, decision-making, action planning and communication skills; all in content areas related to the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements.

Five of the students attended August Institute to talk about their experiences with the program and led conference participants in yet another service learning project.

The students collected soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, and other unused hotel supplies from Institute participants for distribution by Seattle's non-profit El Centro de la Raza. El Centro provides services to people who need education, child-care, shelter, food, English training, housing, translations, etc.

The students also participated in other ways at the Institute, introducing speakers, promoting their service project, and teaching a workshop.

The students planned and conducted the workshop, which included a PowerPoint presentation developed by Nooksack SLP students, and involved 15 adult workshop participants in completing 74 personalized health packets from the hundreds of soaps, shampoos and other items collected during the conference.

In the presentation, the students shared how the Student Leadership Program conferences helped them develop skills, knowledge, and self-esteem to stay in school, graduate, and to serve as role models for other students.

The students also facilitated the testimony of adults who discussed the professional development benefits of their participation as program planners, facilitators and chaperones.

"I still get a thrill out of seeing students demonstrate that given help in understanding requisite skills, encouragement, and opportunity, they will succeed -- and given more opportunity they will excel," says SEMY’s Program Facilitator, Patricia Eastwood.

"I am among many who envision an August Institute for which students participate as planners, presenters, featured speakers, and learners," she says. "I really believe we need student participation in understanding what the research says about how we learn and what makes for high-performing schools. Students need to participate as partners in the education agenda.

"Much wiser and more articulate people than I have shared the concept that the greatest enlightenment is to become a student of a student," Ms. Eastwood says.

Karla Parsons, Derek Yasunaka and Herlet Padilla, Ilwaco High school students, Evelia Villa, a 2002 Lynden High graduate, and Prisma Villa, a student at Lynden High, were the students who participated in the Institute this year.

Herlet says participating in the Student Leadership Program has helped her "get along with people better in groups and not be so shy."

She says service learning is a good way to learn. "It’s helping others, and it helps students learn communications. It’s affecting a whole lot of other people – not just me."

After graduation next year Herlet wants to join the Air Force and then become a lawyer.

Karla attended both Regional and State Student Leadership Conferences, as well as the August Institute.

"I have made a lot of friends," she says. "And I have developed a lot of leadership skills, like listening to everyone. I’ve also become more comfortable speaking in front of people."

Karla wants to become a nurse.

Derek says his Student Leadership Program experience has helped him overcome shyness.

"Now I’m used to talking with people," he says. It also "helped me focus on school, job and goals."

Derek hopes to become an architect and design homes for the needy.

Prisma says educators who came to their workshop were touched by the good they were able to accomplish simply by gathering the extra soaps.

"It helps you realize how we should appreciate what we have and not be so negative," she says.

After graduation Prisma wants to help people who immigrate to the United States.

"I see how people suffer, how they work to get money to live and to send to their families in Mexico. I just want to give them a chance. They’re not bad people; they just want to help their families," she says through tears.

Evelia is Prisma’s cousin and lives with Prisma’s family so she can attend school in the United States.

"The Student Leadership Program helped me a lot to keep trying and never give up. Never say you can’t," says Evelia. After falling short of graduating with her classmates, the program convinced her to take PASS correspondence courses in order to graduate this summer.

Cindy Yasunaka from Ilwaco School District and Irma Moncado and Tom Opstad from Lynden School District coordinated the students' participation and transportation.

Migrant students attending the Grant-Adams Regional Student Leadership Program (SLP) Conference in May interweaved leadership training with service projects relating to migrant family services. Representatives from numerous social agencies met with the students.

In developing their leadership, some of the students took the information gathered from the agencies and developed skits to perform before their parents and the other students.

One group of students, as its service project, helped gather information for the following story. The reporters were Daisy Nunez, 9th grade, Soap Lake; Erik Flores, 9th grade, Soap Lake; Betuel Gonzalez, 9th grade Quincy; Esmeralda Lima, 9th grade, Royal City; Otilia Angel, 10th grade, Royal City; Carley Leyva, 11th grade, Moses Lake; and Angel Diaz, 10th grade, Soap Lake.

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There are various organizations that can help migrant families overcome problems such as alcoholism, drugs, youth pregnancy, and child abuse.

The Grant County Prevention and Recovery Center (PARC), for example, provides treatment, counseling, education and prevention services for substance abuse.

Florentino Hernandez, a counselor at PARC, faced substance abuse in his own family.

"It was in my family, and I wanted to help," he says. "Many families have problems just like mine."

PARC receives many referrals from courts and from other social agencies.

Mr. Hernandez says his work is particularly gratifying when he’s successful. Such has been the case recently as he has helped a pregnant teen-ager get off drugs and alcohol. Clean and sober for seven months, she had a small setback but is back in treatment. Mr. Hernandez is hopeful the young mother will now stay sober the rest of her life.

"When you can help somebody – even that one out of 50 – that keeps you going," Mr. Hernandez says.

Maria Ybarra de Vega, a counselor with Quincy Middle School, helps young people deal with many different kinds of problems that are obstacles to success. She helps students who come to school unable to speak English, and in one year sees them achieving success in regular classrooms.

The counselor, who worked the fields as a child, encourages migrant parents to promote education among family members. Even if the parents don’t speak English, helping their children read Spanish well ultimately helps them succeed in English, as well.

Jay Atwood of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office helps fight drug and alcohol abuse through education, but in so doing also fights low self-esteem and related problems such as teen pregnancy.

"My most important job is prevention," says Deputy Atwood. "I would rather stop you from buying drugs than later arrest you and take you to jail."

He quotes from a pamphlet that "you don’t have to be buzzed to be busted," explaining that "with less than one beer, I can snag your driver’s license."

Bobby Martinez with the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse also warned against underage drinking, noting that under new law it is easy for a minor to lose his driver’s license just being around others who are drinking.

Deputy Atwood also warned of the most popular drug currently being used by teen-agers. Methamphetamines are "scary," he says. It can mess up your brain, make your teeth fall out, and cause premature child birth.

"Stay away from it," the deputy urges.

Rosita Castillo of the Moses Lake Community Health Center warns migrant students and parents to make sure they take care of their health – particularly prospective mothers. Serious problems can result when mothers suffer from bad health.

Ms. Castillo expects the Moses Lake clinic to be very busy this year, as many migrant families lose medical coupons and are forced to turn to the state’s Basic Health Program.

"The key to everything is prevention," says Ms. Castillo. "If you take care of yourself, you can live to be 100."

Olga Gaxiola of the Division of Children and Family Services warns parents to seek counseling if they tend to lose their temper and become abusive to their children.

Negative communications between children and parents often leads teen-agers to run away or turn to drugs or other self-destructive behavior. If parents become abusive, they can lose their children altogether.

"The last thing we want is to have an investigation and have your children taken away," Ms. Gaxiola says.

To teen-agers, she warns, "Don’t have a baby before you’re prepared." This can frequently lead young parents to abusive behavior.

Marie Cortez-Hitchcock of Work Source agrees that teens need to avoid early parenthood. Her son had two children from two girls when he was just 15. This has nearly ruined his life.

"The state doesn’t care how old you are," she says. "If you have children, you’re responsible for child support."

Whatever the circumstances, in her work with the state Ms. Cortez-Hitchcock’s goal is to help people become self-sufficient. Work Source can help people prepare for employment, learn how to compete for a job, and find appropriate openings for which to apply.