Delight of Conversation

January 28, 2012
My Future

Just a little over a week ago the Mount Adams School District honored My Future, Belinda, and David for community service and support.  This was a wonderful moment in the midst of a busy school district board meeting.

Just over a year ago, My Future began offering art and choir during after-school hours.  The numbers of students were small and have slowly grown since then.  My Future is not popping at the seams today but the slow growth has allowed for one important thing: conversation.  From the beginning, My Future has been about everyone doing art.  Adopting an idea from at least one cultures way of understanding the supper table where everyone sits down and eats together, so is the goal of My Future; everyone, youth and staff alike, participate in art and choir together—at the same.

Richness percolates up because sitting around a table for an hour or so, pulling a clay pot or decorating a mask, eventually leads to conversation.  Sometimes conversation is only between the youth, but then like a bump on a log, staff has a unique opportunity to hear what is happening in the community’s life.  Sometimes youth forget who is at the table and the conversation becomes very interesting.  However, most of the time, they are very aware who is at the table and conversation is all about what might get a rise out of staff.  It is engagement such as this that makes My Future enjoyable.  For being honored by the school board, by adult peers is very satisfying, but being in the conversation with our community’s youth is an opportunity of delight

© David B. Bell 2012