1. What do you think went well during your workshop? Name at least two things.

I think that the making of the felt squares went really well because all of the kids squares look really good and we had no shortages of supplies or any thing, the entire activity went very smoothly. I also think that our presentation part of the teach in, when we teach the kids the facts about AIDS went very well, no one made any mistakes and everyone knew the material well.

2.What did you think about being a “teacher” for two hours?  What was exciting/challenging? How did you manage, as a team, to address what came up?

Being a teacher wasn’t too hard but that is with weeks and weeks to prepare for just an hour time slot, I also felt like that the kids talk to you differently then they do when you are their peer. It was exciting to see all of our hard work come together so well in the teach in. I think that our team worked well, we all knew what to say and we answered any questions the kids had.

3. What would you have done differently in your workshop, if you could?

I would’ve liked to be able to finish the quilt we were making in class so that the kids would get to see all of their work finished, that way it would be much more rewarding.

4. What lasting learning do you leave with about your topic and/or social justice activism?

I learned how good it feels to volunteer and know that you are helping for a good cause and because of this I look forward to more social justice work in the future.

5. What went well with your set up groups? What are your thoughts about the assemblies?

I had a lot of fun with my set up groups getting ready to play the song and I thought that it sounded good in the end. I thought the assembly really tied up the whole teach in experience for the kids and it was a good way to show the PSA’s and the video.

6. Comment on the process that led up to the Teach-In? What did you like? What suggestions do you have for next year?

I thought that we had a good amount of time to do our work in and it made sure that everyone’s presentation was perfect in time for the teach in.  I don’t think anything should be changed for next year.

Last Friday Alma, Olivia, Katharine, Lenny, Adam and I all went to AID for AIDS. When we go there we expected to be assigned to our usual task of folding pamphlets but this time they had something different in store for us. Our job was to take the pamphlets that we had folded on our previous visits and put them along with two condoms, and packet of lubricant into a Ziploc bag to be distributed all around New York city. AID for AIDS was giving out these little packets to encourage people to have safe sex and to teach them why it is so important. It felt good knowing that just one of these tiny packets that we were packing could save someone’s life from AIDS. We all got a lot of work done and at the end it felt good to see a heaping pile of Ziploc bags tightly sealed covering the entire table. We started with boxes of each material that would go into each packet and within an hour we were already asking for more supplies to pack. Even though my group has already gone five times we plan to continue our volunteering for a while longer. We will be working in the AIDS Walk so If you would like to support a very good cause, register to walk at, http://www.aidswalk.net/NEWYORK/takeaction/register.html

The AIDS Walk is on May 16 so I hope to see you there!

On March 16 I went to the AIDS walk office building with Matan, Lenny, Adam and Alma. On this visit we planned to have our interview with Shaun Shepard one of the head organizer of the New York AIDS Walk. We prepared some questions to ask Shaun about his work at the AIDS Walk.  Listed are a few of the questions that we asked Shaun Shepard in our interview.

. Personal connections with HIV/AIDS: Shaun had a Cousin born infected with the HIV virus.

. Organization’s linked to Aids Walk: the most important partner of the AIDS Walk is the GMHC (Gay Mens Health Crisis), Duane Reade, the Gap, Macys, and about 30 other AIDS service organizations

. Importance of AIDS Awareness: Aids is an epidemic. It doesn’t affect one group but it affects the whole world. None of us are immune to it so we all need education and awareness about it.

. How much money does the AIDS walk bring in every year: in 1986 it raised $710,000 and in some of the more recent years it has raised as much as 105,000,000.

. Shaun’s job at the AIDS Walk: He supervises and hires workers and also supervises what jobs each worker is doing.

. What do you think is the most shocking statistic about AIDS/AIDS Walk: In some AIDS Walks there have been 50,000 walkers and only 24% of them fundraised. The other 76% might have thought that their money would go to the pockets of the people in charge of AIDS Walk. Also, Black Women between the ages of 15 and 24 are the biggest victims of HIV/AIDS.

After the interview we went back to work putting all of the boxes of posters into lines according to what type of poster was in the box. After aligning all of the full boxes we got to have a little bit of fun looking around the room for empty boxes and getting to stomp on them so they could be recycled. I think we all learned a lot on this visit.

On Friday I went to Aid for Aids for the second time with Katharine, Lenny and Adam. We left school at two thirty and were taken by a driver named Victor to the Aid for Aids office at 120 Wall Street. At the door there was a little confusion with the security guard but eventually he let us in to the building. We went up to the office and were escorted by Hannah to our usual table. A man named David showed us what work we would do that day and as expected it was the same thing as every time, folding pamphlets. Although we have been ding the same thing each time it is very rewarding seeing that whole box filled with our hundreds of pamphlets, knowing that those pamphlets along with a condom would help educate someone in a third world country about HIV and Aids and hopefully prevent them from receiving the virus. We asked David a few questions about his job like why he chose to work at this organization. David told us that Aids was a subject that he was very passionate about. He also told us about how exactly the organization stays in touch with communities in other countries. Those communities send consulates to New York to talk with the organization and get aid from the organization for their own homes. After finishing our work Victor drove us back to the school.

This past Thursday Adam, Alma, Matan, Olivia and I went to the Aids Walk office on 119 west 24th street. Matan Adam and I took the subway up and met Alma and Olivia at the office. We arrive and were immediately escorted by Shaun Sheppard (our contact) upstairs to a large room. In the room we were greeted by a woman who gave us stacks of flyers and asked us to put them into groups of 25. We did this for a while until all of the flyers were finished and then the lady gave us boxes of cardboard signs that we had to put stickers on. After working for a while we got some food that the organization was giving to anyone who volunteered there. For volunteering there we were each given two shirts a hat and a water bottle. I had a great time on this visit and I am really looking forward to going back there on Monday.

AID for AIDS is a nonprofit organization that helps people in other countries who are coping with AIDS  and do not have access to medical help.  On Friday I visited AID for AIDS with Lenny, Adam, Alma, Olivia, and Katharine, and Sarah it was very interesting. We took the subway up to Wall Street and walked to the building. To get in we all got student ID’s for security purposes. When we got there we were given a tour of the facility, we saw a room filled with Medicine to help treat HIV and AIDS. We saw a mailroom where medicine is sent from around the world. When people are on prescription drugs often their prescriptions change and the medicine is thrown out, but at AID for AIDS they take that medicine that people do not need anymore and they send it to people in other countries who do not have access to proper medical care. They also have a room filled with wheel chairs, walkers, and crutches that were going to be sent to Haiti. There were many offices in the facility and each ones had its own unique purpose. After the tour, Olivia, Adam and I were put to work folding posters and putting them together with pamphlets to be sent to other charities that help them. We had a lot of fun helping AID for AIDS and I am really looking forward to our next visit there because it felt really good to help.