Our original idea for Youth in Action was a one week program titled ‘Preparing Future Global Educators’ and working with the Sustainable Development Goals. We envisioned spending the week exploring the many aspects of the SDGs and how they relate to the community and our students. The work of this first program inspired future programs and Youth in Action MKE.
As an introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals, the students were told that each goal has an image associated with it and without looking at the official logo to design their own. Each student created their design on a felt or canvas quilt square to be a part of our SDG Quilt – you can see all the designs on our blog!
On the first day, the students had the first of three classes on public health issues that concern Milwaukee. The class was taught by Dr. Paasewe and focused on substance abuse and the rising numbers of teenagers vaping. To end our class period on a more positive note, we introduced daily mindfulness practices to the students by creating ‘Oceans in a Jar’ and leading a writing activity. To conclude the first day, we headed to Tandem – a local restaurant that strives to train young people in restaurant and management skills. At this dinner, we were joined by Erick Ledesma who told the students his story and more about the final project we would be working on throughout the rest of the week.
At the end of the week, they were responsible for a poster presentation as part of the Iron Board Cafe. The Iron Board Cafe is a creation of Erick Ledesma, the founder of Cosecha Creative Space. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Erick and his mother wanted a way to share food and information with their community. So they took an ironing board – the only table they had left– and set up a pop-up cafe. It gave them the chance to check in on their neighbors and find out who had water or who still did not have electricity. Thus the Iron Board Cafe was born. It has since become a way to foster creative place-making and connections in communities. We felt this was the perfect way for our students to share their message. Erick shared how he uses art as activism and helped the students design their deliverables such as; buttons, bookmarks, magnets, and stickers.
The second day began laying the groundwork of the students projecting. At the UWM Golda Meir Library, we were joined by Tiffany Thornton to research the SDGs and put together vision boards. The vision boards were the first step to create a poster and a product for the Iron Board Cafe. The students also participated in activities to learn about what it means to be an advocate in their community and how to move from advocacy to public policy. The second portion of Dr. Paasewe’s class was about the rise in HIV in Milwaukee and community health. Because our goal of this program was to inspire youth advocates, students were lead through activities on what makes a global leader and how to use your community support to advance your message. The day ended with our second restaurant visit to Sabrosa Cafe and Gallery. Sabrosa, a homestyle Mexican diner, hosts gallery nights to showcase local artisans and musicians and partners with many charity organizations in the community. The owner Frankie Sanchez shared his stories and goals for the space.
The second half of the week was a three day overnight at UWM Sandberg Hall. Once students settled into their dorm rooms, we started the third day with a tour by the Office of Sustainability. Kate Nelson, Chief Sustainability Officer, spoke to the group on the efforts being made to create a more sustainable campus. We toured the Sandberg Garden and compost where all of the food scraps from the dining hall becomes soil for the garden. The next stop on the tour was the UWM Food Center and Pantry, which helps to combat food insecurity among college students. The pantry started in 2018 after an on-campus survey found that 50% of students do not have enough food to eat. The last stop on the tour was the community gardens, where members of the UWM community like students can rent small raised beds to plant whatever they choose. Continuing on the theme of food security, Dr. Paasewe’s final class was on nutrition and making healthy choices. One of our lead coordinators, Dina Wolf lead the last activity for the day on food deserts in cities like Milwaukee and how hard it can be to afford healthy food choices. Students were given coupon pages from local grocery stores and the challenge to buy a day’s worth of food for a family with only $20. After dinner and free time in Sandberg Hall, students gathered to find out who their poster presentation partner would be. Each pair had two different SDGs and challenged to combine them under one issue. Partners met with Erick Ledesma to brainstorm ideas for buttons or magnets and ideas for slogans.
With only one day left to prepare for the Iron Board Cafe, the students spent their time working in the Golda Meir Library again researching and designing their final product. Students were required to have a call to action, a local connection, and design their deliverable. After the long day in the computer lab, we took the group to the Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park for a bonfire and treats. Students learned how to start a fire and small groups were challenged to a cook-off. The day ended with pizza in Sandberg Hall and meeting with Erick to talk about the work they still needed to do before the Iron Board Cafe.
The morning before the Iron Board Cafe was filled with button-making and gluing posters together. Students added the final touches to their presentation and practiced their talking points. When the time came to open the Iron Board Cafe, all the pairs of students stood by their finished posters talking about the SDGs they were passionate about and handing out their buttons, magnets, and stickers. Visitors from the campus community, parents, and friends came and went for two hours enjoying the food and information.
