this 1 bugs me especially. mostly cuz my son did this after dropping out of hs, and it changed his life. even tho he was a kid w tons of privileges, it took a year of service to others to wake him up.
but also cuz it’s just insane to fire volunteers. at the time, he got a little under $5k for college. they get a small stipend and a bus pass.
for that, he tutored kids and ran afterschool activities in a charter school in bronzeville. he was great at it, and the kids adored him.
he’s pretty tall, and those little bugs looking up to him is something that will probably always stick w him.
on mlk day they painted all the walls in a homeless shelter. i dont remember all the other stuff they did.
they drilled leadership skills into them. they learned kindness and compassion.
so, efficiency-wise, it doesnt get any better than that.
but sure, take a chainsaw to it.
we cd have paid for his college, but he stubbornly refused our help. he went to a city college for 2 yrs, then uic. he graduated 1st in his class. he’s very smart, but he rly struggled in school. he went on to get a full boat for his ms and phd in math.
i think of all the kids who didnt have anyone to fall back on, like he did.
it’s also not completely fed funded. they raise their own money from corporate sponsors and alums.
i hope someone w deep pockets steps up. it’s bill clinton‘s baby, so hopefully he will step in.
maybe that’s y it caught their attention.
this is just a new definition of stupid.