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Open Book Adventures Fall 2019: Good Friends

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How might we improve literacy skills in first and second graders?

Open Book Adventures (OBA) is One Stone’s longest-running Project Good program. First and second graders around the Treasure Valley come to One Stone to partner one-on-one with high school student “Adventure Guides” for six weeks of building connections and diving into activities that encourage a love of learning. Young buddies gain a fun and caring near-peer mentor while high school students expand their skills in leadership, problem-solving, communication, and empathy.

Every Monday for six weeks, 31 first and second grade students and 35 high school students came to One Stone headquarters to practice reading and writing, work on their handwriting and storytelling skills, and engage in activities promoting social-emotional growth. 

This session's overarching theme centered on the virtues of friendship: "How to Be a Good Friend!" While reading and writing, participants focused on the importance of being kind, helping others, and practicing how to greet those around us – in particular learning to say "hello" in several different languages! Each week, participants read stories focusing on the best parts of friendship, while also building new and memorable relationships with buddies and guides alike.

At the end of the six week session, families gathered to celebrate the hard work and growth of their young learners at Open Book Adventures graduation. Each student received a book to take home and a certificate of accomplishment for completing the program. Guides shared fun memories of their buddies during OBA and wrote letters to wish them well in their future literary adventures!

Outcomes:

Results from pre-and post-OBA reading tests showed, on average, a 76% increase in correct words read per minute from week one to week six. 

Parent reflections:

  • “My son’s reading scores at school have drastically improved, and he no longer needs an aide.”

  • “I definitely think my son's enjoying himself more and is not as afraid of challenges.”

  • “My daughter wants to read on her own much more at night – her outlook has improved leaps and bounds!”

  • “Because of OBA and the student guide she is excited to read and wants to do better to impress her mentor! Thank you!”

Adventure Guide reflections:

  • “It helped me grow in my empathy as well as teaching reading and writing skills.”

  • “I learned that coming up with ideas together with your buddy either in reading or writing is very helpful in growing bonds and showing vulnerability.”

  • “I was very grateful for my buddy's creativity and kooky personality – it made everything super fun!”

  • “I was inspired by how creative and motivated the little buddies were.”

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Empow[HER] Summit 2019

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How might we empower young women to use their voice to create a better world for themselves and others?

In the summer of 2019, an all-girl group of high school students began planning the second annual Empow[HER] Summit in the hopes of helping young women build more confidence in their voice. In talks with peers, the team realized how little conversation is happening around many issues facing girls today because they are seen as uncomfortable or “taboo” topics.

From periods and feminine hygiene products to reproductive health and body image, many girls are used to only discussing these parts of their lives in hushed tones or to close friends or family. The team quickly acknowledged the need to break the stigma around these important pieces of everyday female life and dubbed the theme of their upcoming summit: “Busting Taboos.”

On August 7, 2019, 55 ninth through twelfth grade girls joined the Empow[HER] team for a full-day of inclusive activities designed to open minds and conversations about all things female. As participants arrived, they sat down to decorate coloring pages of famous women who defied stereotypes including Rosa Parks, Sally Ride, and Malala Yousafzai, as well as images celebrating the strength of the female reproductive system. Girls listened and laughed along with local comedian Reese Samuels about her trials and tribulations growing up female and explored body mindfulness practices with Corinne Hathaway. During lunch, participants ate breakfast (waffles can be an anytime food!) and watched the award-winning documentary, “Period. End of Sentence.” about women in India fighting stigma around menstruation. After an open discussion about vaginal and sexual health with a physician assistant student, the girls visited stations geared at redefining the term “ladylike.” The girls showed their strength by practicing defense techniques with Jay Beecham and the Streetwise Self Defense team (back by popular demand from the previous year) and reclaimed stereotypically feminine accessories such as hair bows and jewelry by decorating them in a way authentic to each girl’s unique personality and style. Participants capped off the day by hearing stories from one Empow[HER] team member’s international service trip with Days for Girls and packing period kits for local junior high school students. If younger students found themselves at school without access to period products they could discreetly go to the nurse’s office for free tampons, pads, a change of underwear, a piece of candy, and encouraging notes from Empow[HER] participants. While packing kits, the girls acknowledged how much more comfortable they felt talking about the day’s topics and even starting sharing embarrassing “period stories” with their peers.

Invigorated by this opportunity to build confidence and community, one participant summed up the day in a single sentence: “Girls are so much stronger than any taboo.”

Outcomes:

Participant reflections:

After attending the Empow[HER] Summit, what does empowerment mean to you?

  • “It means accepting me – every part, movement, crease, mark on my skin. It means educating myself about my body and how powerful I am. I respect my body, love my skin and want to empow[HER] more girls to love themselves too.”

  • “It means my voice has substance and nothing should be taboo to talk about.”

  • “Empowerment means gaining and having the courage to speak for yourself, others, or important topics in your world.”

  • “I think it means accepting yourself and being the best you while helping others to do the same.”

  • “It means women don't have to be ashamed of anything or oblige to any "expectations". Each individual is free to live how they choose.”

How did this summit help you grow?

  • “I feel more confident about my health “down there,” and I know how to respect all that I am.”

  • “I feel more comfortable with the way I look compared to other girls and that all emotions are VALID.”

  • “It helps knowing these are things everyone struggles with.”

  • “It was comforting to be surrounded by girls who were similar to me. I feel more comfortable talking about my body.”

Outside the Lines Camp 2019

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How might we build creative confidence in fifth and sixth graders through a fun summer experience?

Outside The Lines is a three day summer camp for fifth and sixth graders planned by a team of One Stone students who utilized the design thinking process to create and implement the camp. This process provided a real-world learning opportunity for the older student planners, while ensuring that the camp met the needs of younger student campers. 

In summer 2019, with the support of the Scentsy Family Foundation, One Stone offered its inaugural Outside the Lines Camp for 30 local fifth and sixth graders. During the three full-day experience, 25 high school guides and their younger buddies explored visual arts and building creative confidence through dynamic projects and field trips related to the theme: “Art in the Wild.” Each day, campers and their near-peer mentors examined Boise as an art-filled, inspiring town by exploring sub-themes of the “urban jungle,” “natural art,” and “getting wild.” Campers participated in hands-on creative activities and took excursions to the Boise Art Museum, local parks and the Boise River, and Freak Alley. Projects included making a large scale group mosaic, earthworks/nature sculptures, cyanotype (sun) prints, decorating aprons, cardboard sculptures for the Boise Bicycle Project’s annual Goathead Festival, and a group mural on fabric, among other activities that kept campers and guides connected and collaborating.

As the planning team of students changes and camp activities shift, the idea and goals of ‘Outside the Lines’ will remain. Specifically, to amplify student voice through artistic expressions that build confidence, creativity, and a sense of connection to a broader artistic community.

Outcomes:

In post-event surveys, campers and parents acknowledged a positive shift in attitudes towards art, creativity, and collaboration fueled by the relationships campers built with their high school mentors.

Parent reflections:

  • ”My kids loved attending Outside the Lines Camp. They have a bigger appreciation for art now because the hands-on projects were fun-filled, educational, and inspiring.” 

  • “The best part was that my daughters learned that they can still be creative without needing any traditional materials. They really enjoyed spending time with their big buddies.”

  • “My child loves Bob Ross a little more... and continues to love showing and exploring creativity through art.”

  • “Both of my kids loved attending! The hands-on projects are amazing. Keep up the great work. Would definitely be willing to pay for camps like this in the future!”

  • "It made art a lot more fun."

Campers reflect on how their outlook on art and creativity has changed after attending Outside The Lines Camp:

"Now I know a lot of new styles of art such as nature art." –Charlotte

"I learned that you can make art without any art materials." –Hazel

Guide reflections: 

“I think that meeting new buddies and guides was great for me because we got to feed off of each other's creativity and inspiration, and it was good to get new perspectives from people and gain confidence.”

“My buddy wasn't confident about her appearance in her photo and thought she wasn't beautiful. This helped me to grow since I talked and found ways to show her how perfect she is. It helped me learn how to teach others to love themselves.”

TINKER Camp 2019

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How might we stimulate third and fourth graders' passion and curiosity for STEM through an interactive camp created by high school mentors?

During summer 2019, One Stone students led the second annual three-day TINKER Camp, a One Stone STEM camp for third and fourth graders. During this free mentoring program for underserved youth across the Treasure Valley, 34 eager learners were paired with high school students for three full days of exploration, science activities and experiments, field trips, technology and engineering challenges, and mathematical application. 

The One Stone student planning team had a strong desire to make this camp fun, inclusive, and inspire a deep curiosity and engagement in STEM that was accessible yet challenging. The week was jam-packed with design challenges and opportunities for young students to research and engage with new topics while building positive relationships with a high school mentor. Pairs worked together to tie dye lab coats, explore exothermic reactions with an “Elephant’s Toothpaste” experiment, learn the basics of coding with exploding dots and constructing binary code bracelets, problem solve by engineering Rube Goldberg machines, build potato powered batteries that could be used to uncover hidden messages in lights and even play a song! The teams also grew a curiosity for learning about states of matter that resulted in yummy root beer and tested their mathematical skills to win an enthusiastic game of water balloon battleship. LEGO empires were built and explored at the Discovery Center of Idaho along with explorations of space and physics in the exhibits, owl pellets were dissected at the MK Nature Center, and “junk drawer robots” were constructed and raced at the Reuseum. Every day students reflected on all their incredible connections made with each other alongside the new discoveries in STEM.

By the end of camp, everyone was buzzing with their appreciation and enthusiasm for the opportunity to engage with each other on STEM projects in such a fun way. We still hear stories of students trying their hands at DIY experiments inspired by TINKER at home! 

Outcomes: 

Reflections from parents:

  • 100% of parents said they would recommend TINKER Camp to another family AND would sign their child up for future One Stone programming. 

  • “We LOVE One Stone camp experiences and highly recommend them to our friends. Thank you One Stone!!”

  • “The interaction between my child and their buddy was fantastic! Syd went from not wanting to come to camp to not wanting to leave!”

  • “Through TINKER, my child has absolutely changed her outlook on STEM! Not only is she explaining the concepts but she’s explaining the WHY when she talks about the activities.”

  • “TINKER has renewed her interest in STEM and math. She now wants to have a science-themed birthday party!”

Reflections from guides:

  • “Learning to help and direct these younger children and perform as a leader was really empowering as a young adult.”

  • “My experience at Tinker was fun. It helped me learn patience and let me understand the fun and challenges of helping third and fourth graders. I also got to learn new material alongside the kids.”

  • “I learned about the power of a compromise and that everyone wants to be noticed.”

  • “As a guide, I learned patience with others, how to handle difficult situations and how to better work with others. These lessons will help me in my future.”

  • “I learned ways that science plays into everyday life and how there are ways to make it lots of fun. I will take these lessons and apply them by observing new ways science relates to all things.”

  • “I learned that I need to be more patient with people. This is going to help in the future because it was a good way to learn how to adapt, change, and stay calm in stressful situations.”

  • “I learned that showing enthusiasm toward something that my buddies weren't interested in helped them to open their minds and find ways to have fun. I can also use this to help myself find joy while doing things that don't appeal to me very much.”

Open Book Adventures Camp 2019

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How might we help reverse the ‘summer slide’ in literacy skills of local first and second graders?

Open Book Adventures Camp is a free, three-day long summer camp experience for first and second graders in the greater Boise area. During OBA Summer Camp 2019, 28 little buddies were paired one-on-one with high school “Adventure Guides” for an unforgettable journey in reading, writing, phonetics, penmanship, and exploring the world through a literary lens. 

Campers spent the mornings reading with their big buddies in areas around the One Stone building, which were decorated as various nature scenes. As the pairs dove into stories, they were transported to rolling hills, mountainous terrain, roaring rivers, mysterious caves, and peaceful campsites – a reminder of the power of literacy in taking people to unexpected places. In the afternoons, campers took daily excursions to the Discovery Center of Idaho, the Idaho State Museum, and Zoo Boise to inspire imaginative stories, build connections through play, and expand vocabulary. Encouraged by near-peer mentors to look at every moment as a learning opportunity, participants were eager to grab a book to continue exploring the world or a pencil to capture a new adventure.

By supporting their young buddies, One Stone Adventure Guides gained valuable mentorship experience while developing skills in empathy, creativity, problem-solving and leadership. Guides voiced their amazement in seeing how much their own behavior and attitudes influenced their young counterparts and how proud they felt when they were able to lift someone’s mood.

At the end of camp, guides and buddies celebrated their newfound friendships with the best camping tradition of all: sitting in a circle, eating ooey, gooey s’mores, and already looking forward to the next adventure.

Outcomes:

  • 100% of parents said they would recommend OBA Summer Camp to a friend or family member.

  • 100% of parents “strongly agreed” that child enjoyed spending time with their high school Adventure Guide.

Parent reflections:

“I was very impressed by the personal communication and one-on-one attention the high school guides gave the children. I noticed that even the person greeting us in the morning would take note of each kid’s name and tell them that their big buddy was waiting for them inside.”

“The interaction between my child and her buddy was wonderful, engaging, encouraging, and thoughtful.”

“This camp has helped my child adapt to new situations, build social skills, have fun reading and build autonomy.”

“My eldest daughter has always had a strong outlook on reading and writing, but it is nice to have someone who is older and cool (so not Mom and Dad), share a positive outlook on reading and writing. My younger daughter is not quite as strong in reading and writing, and the change within her was quite strong. She came home and "read" to the wall, so excited to present her new found skills. She said that she practiced "a lot" at camp.”

Venture Camp 2019

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How might we explore and practice social entrepreneruship with 7th and 8th graders through a fun summer experience?

During Summer 2019, 15 seventh and eighth grade entrepreneurs participated in the first ever Venture Camp. The three day camp focused on learning about what an entrepreneur is and hearing stories from local entrepreneurs from organizations such as Roots Zero Waste Market, Gluten Free Galaxy, Trailhead, Sage Yoga and Wellness, Piehole, and Pure Love Sustainability. Campers separated into four teams to create their own business and worked towards a pitch competition on the last day of camp. Highlights included making branded t-shirts, learning to tie ties, and celebrating the pitch wins with ice cream. Shout out to ConsumerNET for winning the “Best Product” competition with a consumer built cell phone network with a fully functioning prototype. Congrats!

Outcomes:

  • Advice from six local entrepreneurs 

  • Four startup ideas pitched

Feedback from Venture Campers:

“Before Venture Camp, I never really considered being an entrepreneur. At first, Venture Camp was a bit out of my comfort zone. However, it pushed me to think deeply about myself and what I want to do with my life. I now see that being an entrepreneur isn't out of reach, and that though it won't be easy, it definitely can be an amazing life experience. Venture Camp was a lot of fun too, with great food and games. It was really interesting to hear from the owners of several startups in Boise. The pitch competitions pushed me to be a better public speaker, and it was a lot of fun prototyping a business. I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of if you have ever thought about being an entrepreneur or not. Thank you to One Stone for bringing such a great experience to me and many other middle schoolers.” –Will Olson, 8th Grader at Lowell Scott Middle School

“My team, Mountainia, pitched a collapsible, connectable tent called Cliff Face™. The idea behind our product was to create a super fast, easy-to-set-up tent that would speed up the process of setting up a campsite. It was fun to brainstorm ideas and I enjoyed visiting other local entrepreneurs to learn about their businesses.” –Kellan Reagan, 7th Grader at North Junior High 

Better[MEN]t: Man Camp for Boys

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How might we model vulnerability, curiosity, and kindness for junior high-aged boys knowing males bond through outdoor and physical activity?

Man Camp for Boys was a one-day event held on June 12, 2019 by the Project Good group, Better[MEN]t, which was formed by a One Stone student leader who was inspired by Project Good’s female empowerment group, Empow[HER}. 

The Better[MEN]t team’s goal was to help middle school boys become better men through outdoor and physical activities. Man Camp for Boys was the culmination of a 9-month project where a group of high school-aged young men and adult coaches took a group of eleven 6-9th graders up to Bogus Basin for a half day of survival skills, wilderness first aid, outdoor games, team building, cooking meat over a campfire, and self-reflection.

The event was driven by the team’s guiding question, “How might we model vulnerability, curiosity, and kindness for junior high aged boys knowing males bond through outdoor and physical activity?”

The Man Camp for Boys idea was developed after months of exploring issues like toxic masculinity, the #metoo movement, as well as high rates of depression and suicide among young men. The Better[MEN]t team traced these topics back to middle school, when young boys tend to lose a sense of identity, passion, and purpose. 

Eleven boys from diverse schools, grades, and backgrounds engaged in the free experience. It was led by 10 high school guides through a series of games and activities including Capture the Flag, hikes and conversations, a wilderness first aid training scenario, and One Minute Life Stories.

“It was fun to get away, get outside, and meet new people,” said one of the participants. “I liked that the survival activity on top of Shafer Butte was led by a high school student who was a certified wilderness first responder. That’s something I didn’t know existed for high school students and something I might want to do when I get older.”

Before they came up with the idea for Man Camp for Boys, the Better[MEN]t team designed an empathy experience where a small group of sixth grade boys were paired with high school mentors who taught them to weld or use the laser etcher. 

“It was an opportunity for the team to have conversations with the boys while physically making something,” explained Better[MEN]t coach Michael Reagan. “The younger boys were having fun learning to use cool tools and technology in the Foundry, while our team was learning about their male role models, perceptions of masculinity and gender roles, as well as their personal interests and curiosities.” 

Through this empathy experience, personal reflections, and other research, the team identified that middle school is a critical time of life when many boys feel forced to reduce or abandon a number of passions like music or sports. The loss of other “childish” games and time to play outside results in a loss of imagination, creativity, and vulnerability. This loss of identity can contribute to depression, anxiety, bullying, inauthentic relationships, and a series of poor social decisions. 

This led to the team’s insight that the most important thing that younger boys need is to see older boys and men modeling positive behavior.

“Initially, during our implementation, I wasn't sure how much of an impact our project was going to have on these kids,” reflected Jadon C., one of the members of the Better[MEN]t team. “After working with them for a few minutes, it became clear that they were really taking what we were saying to heart. I had forgotten how it felt to be a younger kid spending time with high school kids. It felt like we had taken on a mentor role just in the short time we spent with them.”

One Stone’s Project Good provided free food and transportation for the participants to and from Bogus Basin.

Epilogue

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How might we create a positive and comfortable process for people to make post-life arrangements such as determining a legacy, choosing personal aspects of a funeral, and saying goodbye to loved ones?

Epilogue began as a project focused on the topic of grief and loss, and what could be done to help people those feelings. The group of students went through lots of empathizing with those who had experienced loss, as well as those who work in a field that directly relates to death, including a service worker and a funeral home director. Through the empathizing phase, the students learned that the funeral planning process is long and stressful, and puts lots of pressure on the family while they are going through the grieving process. 

The team realized that grief is a long and difficult process, and having to plan a funeral while also experiencing the grieving process can often become overwhelming. This problem became the center of the project, which focused on educating graduate students and helping them plan their own end of life celebrations, both to make it easier on their loved ones in the future, as well as help the young adults become more comfortable with talking about the topic of death. 

An epilogue is defined as “the speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.” This became the title of the project because of the student’s belief that people should have control of their own story and how they want to be remembered. The team spent weeks researching different aspects of funeral planning and the steps that need to be taken once a person has passed. The group also contacted many different businesses and professionals in the fields, to learn from them and use their help in the design thinking process. 

Implementation consisted of a two-hour event at BSU, where five stations were set up to cover different aspects of funeral planning. The stations were Legal Documents, Body Preparation, Funeral Costs, Decorations, and Letters to Loved Ones. Each was run by one or two students who had done extensive research and were very knowledgeable about the topic. There were also several experts at the event to facilitate and help with any questions that the students were unable to answer. All were welcome to attend, although the target end users were graduate students attending BSU. Every station had one or more documents for participants to take home so that they would be able to continue their funeral planning process outside of the event. 

Outcomes:

  • 22 people attended the event, not all of which were graduate students. Many of the people who attended came because they had a genuine interest in funeral planning and wanted to plan their own end of life celebrations. 

  • 19 participants left their email address so that they could receive further information and learn more about One Stone. 

  • Over 100 documents and flyers were distributed, with information ranging from floral arrangements to living wills. Participants seemed very surprised about all the different aspects of funeral planning, but grateful that they had the information and were preparing for the future. 

  • The overall response to the project was very positive, and those involved were grateful for the opportunity to learn about a topic that often goes unnoticed. 

 





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