GIVE BIG for our BIG TRIP!

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY FOR PARTICIPATING IN GIVE BIG!

Together we raised over $10,000 for our annual Hood trip and beyond!
Right now the Service Board is wrapping up another year of mentoring youth to conquer mountains on a board, in their community, and in themselves. This means one of the most important parts of tSB is fast approaching: the Hood Retreat.  Every June we pile all of our youth and mentors into vans and drive down to Mt. Hood to push our growing edge one last time and to solidify the family ties that have been built over the last 6 months. For youth like, Tyvon, this trip is the most important part of tSB.

Mt. Hood was a life-changing experience. The snowboarding is great, no doubt, but that wasn’t the highlight in my eyes. The experience going down to Oregon, with our second family, and connecting the way we had makes this trip all the more worth it and important to our lives. The joy, happiness, smiles and tears that comes with every activity on this trip makes everything so exciting and not a single negative thing happens going there. From the hike, to dinner and to the heart circle at night, if I hadn’t gone on the trip the first time, I wouldn’t be as happy nor outgoing as I am today.

May Day with tSB

While the rest of the city celebrated, pushed forward or convulsed within it’s self after the May Day march and rally, the youth at tSB wanted to continue in the expositive spirit of May 1st and held a panel discussion and workshop with immigration rights group One America. The panel was kicked off by tSB Alumni and former peer leader Carlos who has dealt with the struggles of being an undocumented teen in Seattle. Second was Rawha Habte from One America spoke of her experience as a refugee from east Africa and what lead her to want to champion the rights of others. After which Rawha lead the entire group an a workshop on awareness of immigration issues. After some reflection time in small groups one youth peer leader Juan-Giovanni Williams Harris had this to say:

I think it [the current system] is unfair and very unjust due to the fact this country is based of immigration for means of bettering the conditions for oneself or family. It’s wrong to deny that right to anyone else because all they wish to do is be on the road of happiness – and the freedom land known as America has been known as putting people in a less trafficky lane to closer be to that success. Especially when one works harder than most of the native inhabitants of this country for less pay. It is very hypocritical and the American government needs to make it easier for immigrants to become citizens.

A very personal issue to many of the people associated with the Service Board the discussion and work around this topic isn’t finished by a long shot.