When I first started at City Gate in January, one of the most frequent topics the students asked me about was college. I remember on the first day a third-grader asked me, “What do you do in college?” Then another girl chipped in and said, “You probably go to a lot of parties, right?”

“No, not a lot of parties,” I said.

“That’s what they do on T.V.,” she countered.

It is hard to communicate the college experience to a child if you are the only college student they’ve ever met, or their prior knowledge comes from the mass media. So, you can probably imagine the excitement I felt when Kristin told me that we were doing a Pen Pals and Partners Program for our City Gate kids in conjunction with American University.

Pen Pals and Partners was not only a great way for our after-school kids to meet college students, but it was also a great way from them to interact with cultures different from their own. I remember the first time the AU students met with the City Gate Kids. On the way, I don’t know how many times I kept telling the students to keep their voices down or told them to save their excitement for when we get to the church. Once we got there, they did a complete 180; they virtually didn’t speak and rarely interacted with the AU students. The AU students, who were predominantly White Americans and outnumbered them 2:1, more likely intimidated the SE kids. It wasn’t until the AU students introduced themselves (and their favorite ice cream flavor) and played games (”Move your Butt” and “Indian Chief”) did they not only open up, but reverted back to their in van excitement. It was great to witness how two groups of completely different people from completely different environments can find commonality with each other.

Pen Pals and Partners has been an innovative way to introduce college life. They loved American University’s library, went crazy at AU’s basketball game, walked within their dorm rooms and hung out in their lounge while eating pizza. And also, our after-school kids rarely ask me about my college life anymore. It’s probably because they’re experiencing it themselves.

Tiauna Miller
AmeriCorps Volunteer & City Gate Program Associate

We at City Gate realize that everyone in the known universe has a blog entry related to the recent inauguration of President Obama. But instead of expressing any overly-detailed opinions or waxing philosophical about what it means to have our nation’s first African-American president, I’d like to take this opportunity to share three simple observations. First, the picture below:

Our after-school children first started showing up with Obama caps and buttons in December. Teaching them the importance of government and their role in democracy has always been difficult (they simply didn’t relate), and the way social studies is taught in DC public schools is usually drudgery, but suddenly our children knew facts and figures, political players, and even statistics. (Student: “Yes, and did you know he was president of the Harvard Law Review…” After-school instructor: <shocked silence>)

Second, we have been collaborating with another non-profit which wants to do some sports-based mentoring in SE. The guys who run this organization are well-educated, street-savvy, and truly passionate for at-risk youth. As we sat in the basement community room one night to work out a grant proposal, the upcoming inauguration came up. One of them said, “It’s cool to be smart now.” All I could think of was, “thank you, God.” It’s tough to compete with rappers and sports stars for influence over our children and youth. Maybe now we have a bigger piece of the pie.

Lastly, I’ll share a personal experience that illustrates how the flavor of race relations in our country has started to change. As I walked to my car that same night, an African-American colleague asked me if I was ever afraid of working in SE. I gave him my first and honest answer, which was no, even at night I’ve found folks there to be friendly and helpful. “Usually though,” I added, “being a white woman in SE, it’s because they think I’m lost.” My colleague laughed. Having working in one capacity or another in that same neighborhood for the past 8 years, I’m almost never lost. However, in that moment, as we both chuckled, I realized that this moment may just be a tiny droplet in a tidal wave of such conversations. Here’s to hoping.

Truly this was a victory for African-Americans. But more than that, this is a victory for all people who have felt — for a variety of reasons — that they were on the outside of a great society looking in. They are the very kind of people we work to help at the “city gate”. This is not about holding up a certain race or demographic — it’s about justice. This is not about inclusion or multi-culturalism — it’s about valuing people as individuals, uniquely created in His image.

Whatever you think about the economy, the war in Iraq, and our new president, I hope you share at least a little of that victory. For myself, I can’t wait to see what it’s “cool to be” next.

Kristin Wiener

On Saturday, November 22, children in our after-school programs in NE and SE DC joined volunteers from Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church and American University in the Help the Homeless Walk-a-thon . This event, held every year, raises many thousands of dollars for worthy local organizations that serve homeless men and women in our area and increases awareness of this extreme kind of poverty.

Prior to our walk, we did what we often do and hosted a lock-in: a fun, rambunctious, once-a-year, sleepover for our after-school kids and a long, exhausting, bleary-eyed night for us chaperones. Always terribly popular with our kids, I have often conjectured that this is one of the few times they get to let go and just be kids — no need to be watchful as they travel the streets, no thoughts about school or struggling with homework, just a time to play games, watch movies, and stay up much too late at night. For the staff, this is our golden opportunity to interact with our kids in the way we like best — hearing their laughter, seeing their smiling faces, and experiencing child-like joy along with them.

We always discuss the purpose of the walk with our after-school kids and ask them to make banners and signs to carry on the walk. This year, while struggling to gain the full attention of two girls who insisted on singing instead of speaking, I managed to record a song about homelessness created solely by them:

If I was in charge of the whole wide world…
I would help the homeless …
By giving them some food.
By giving them a home.
By giving them a job.

If I was in charge of the whole wide world…
I would tell the people…
To give the homeless some money.
To lower gas prices for the homeless.
To give the homeless a car.

If I was in charge of the whole wide world…
I would love the homeless.
I would treat the homeless like they were my sister.
I would treat them like they were special.
I would wake up in the morning and give them a hug.

Going in to the holiday season, I hope you will feel inspired to give as generously and love as freely as these children do. I invite you to join us as we strive to shape these children’s lives, and are shaped by them in turn.

Kristin Wiener

This morning I opened The Washington Post to an editorial entitled “The Summer Gap: Poor children should not return to school already behind.” Let me share the first paragraph with you:

A new school year is beginning, and students are returning to classrooms with stories of how they spent the summer. Many will talk of taking trips to historic places, having fun at summer camps or learning new skills. But an idyllic summer is a myth, not the norm, for most low-income children. For them, the end of school is the end of opportunity and a loss of academic skills that leads to them entering September already behind their better-off peers. Efforts to close America’s achievement gap would be helped if more attention and resources were directed to these crucial summer months.

I want to thank you for your support, which has helped us touch the lives of nearly 200 children and teens — many living at the poverty level. Instead of being unsupervised or on the streets, they had a safe place to come to, three decent meals every day, summer fun, field trips, and a variety of enrichment opportunities. Besides giving kids a chance to be kids, our day camps helped stop what educators call “summer learning loss.” We see real evidence that our kids, instead of sliding farther back, will be better prepared to go back to school — in terms of better social skills, increased intellectual curiosity and background knowledge, as well as having done reading and math during the summer.

It is a huge challenge to put together the programs and staffing every summer that these kids need — and we couldn’t do it without you — the individual donors, the churches, the Urban Hands mission groups who share the dream of every child becoming all that God created them to be.

Every day we see bright-eyed, beautiful five-year-olds bouncing in the door — as well as fifteen-year-olds where sometimes it feels like our opportunity to help shape their lives is slipping away. We thank you for caring, for helping and loving these kids. Pray for us as we head into fall. We’re providing backpacks, school supplies, even shoes as kids go back to school. We’re starting a new after-school program in another public housing complex and have been vetted by the DC Public Schools to assist onsite with after-school programs at two high-need elementary schools.

The needs and opportunities are greater than ever, and we need and thank you for your support.

God’s peace,

Lynn Bergfalk
Executive Director

Inevitably, during summer camp registration, I speak to several parents who ask, “What do the children do in camp?” I try my best to tell them everything. However, our camps contain such an amazing array of activities each year; it would be easier to tell them what doesn’t happen. For example, I could say:

• “While in camp, your child will never go hungry and will not be bored.
• They will never be without something to do or someplace to go, something to learn or a new thing to try.
• They won’t be put down, told they are stupid, or only given one chance to get things right.
• There will be no dozing in front of the TV, no high-stakes testing, no hanging out in the street, and they will never wonder if they are wanted or safe.
• We will never assume your child can’t do something, because of the way they dress, how they speak, or where they live.
• And we will never forget that this child is your precious one and only, irreplaceable and special in every way.”

In the future, I probably should write notes to read off of or perhaps produce an informative brochure. It could go something like this:

For these seven weeks of summer camp, your child will also be our child.
Therefore, they will be nourished, cared for, loved, and disciplined.
They will be taught math and reading, science and sports, history and art, right from wrong, and that they are unique and highly valued.
They will be given an outlet for their creativity, a shoulder to cry on, encouragement for their efforts, a pat on the back when they succeed, and a hug when it’s been a hard day so far, and it’s only 9 am.
They will learn how to be helpful and polite, clean up after themselves, show concern for others, and take responsibility for their own actions.
They will gain new friends, computer skills, and a better perspective on the world around them.

At the end of seven weeks, the same child you sent to camp will come home to you– but they might just be more respectful of others, confident in their own abilities, and ready to succeed in school — be prepared.

Obviously, we’re not in the business of producing perfect children. But we are here to bring children who are marginalized to the center of society, where they can use their skills and talents, and reach their full potential.

Looking toward this fall, we’re exploring new ways to give even more children from disadvantaged neighborhoods the kind of opportunities our summer day campers have had. Will you join us?

Kristin Wiener

Temperatures here in DC tell us summer is on the way. School will be out in just a few more weeks. Families are looking forward to vacations, trips to the beach, and other special activities.

For City Gate, this is one of the busiest times of the year as we plan and prepare our summer program. This year we have camps in Southeast DC, Columbia Heights, and Tenleytown neighborhoods , plus an additional youth empowerment program for teenagers that will touch the lives of as many as 200 children and youth.

We are putting together a great program and staff, and have some — but not all — the resources we need. And that’s where we need you. You might be able to pick up the cost of camp for one child for the whole summer, or for a week, or maybe just a day. But we need partners who believe, as we do, that every kid should have a safe place to go, activities that are both fun and enriching, three good meals every day, and new experiences that will help children grow and thrive.

Together we can make a difference for children living in poverty. We can provide a safe and supportive environment every weekday through the summer. We can make sure kids get three good meals a day. We can allow kids to be kids: having fun at the pool or playing games, taking day trips or participating in special events. We can expand their horizons through new experiences, and provide engaging educational enrichment that will help kids go back to school in September with greater self- confidence and stronger academic skills.

I invite you this spring to make an investment in a child by helping us provide the summer opportunities that will help them reach their God-given potential. Please take a moment to read our “Make Summer Great in 2008” flyer to see how you can be involved. We thank you for your compassion for children, for your prayers, and your financial support.

For love of the children,

Lynn Bergfalk