Breakfast and Buckets

How might we express gratitude for under-appreciated school staff at North Junior High?

Tasked with the challenge of improving the “back-to-school” experience, a team of high schoolers was interested in expressing gratitude for school staff who are typically under-appreciated by students. The group began considering the staff members on which they wanted to focus their efforts by interviewing a special education teacher who works in behavioral classes, as well as Dylan, the head of janitorial staff at North Junior High. 

When speaking with Dylan, the team was astounded to learn about the incredible amount of hours these “behind-the-scenes heroes” work over the students’ summer vacation to make sure the school is prepped and ready for a new school year. 

The team set to work on brainstorming unique ways to acknowledge the hard work of North’s janitorial crew. Ultimately they decided to plan a “gratitude breakfast” on the junior high’s lawn honoring the custodial staff. The team prepared a filling breakfast of pancakes, eggs, fruit, muffins, bacon, and more, and sat down to share a meal and build relationships with their new friends. Both students and guests loved having conversations with people who they typically wouldn't have talked to in depth. During breakfast, the Boise High School Chamber Orchestra played some classical tunes to keep the mood light and fun. At the end of breakfast, the team prepared a thank you speech for their guests and presented personalized gift buckets to each member of the janitorial staff.

Outcomes

After the project, the Breakfast and Buckets team reflected on how their interactions had changed with people who were typically behind the scenes in our community. This could mean janitors, bus drivers, other school staff, or mail deliverers. They realized that even a simple, "How are you?" or asking for someone’s name could change the trajectory of that person’s day. 

The staff at North Junior High were really appreciative and surprised by the team's efforts. They loved the table set up, the food, and the gift baskets.

“Working on this project helped me realize how important janitorial staff are to our schools, and how often they are looked over. It was awesome being able to show them how much we, and other students, appreciate their work and see the effects our project had on them.”
- Student planning team member

Open Book Adventures Camp 2017

How might we prevent the summer learning slide in first and second graders?

At Open Book Adventures Summer Camp 2017, 37 first and second grade “Buddies” were paired one-on-one with high school student “Adventure Guides.” During the three-day experience aimed at combating the loss of academic skills over the summer months, young campers developed a deeper love of learning, reading, and writing.

With the added challenge of adding more elements of movement and healthy living to OBA, the high school student planning team created a fun-filled schedule of reading and writing activities, arts and crafts, outdoor games and excursions, and creating meaningful connections with a near-peer.

The excited group of Adventure Guides and Buddies started their days with reading together in fun places around One Stone – on colorful beanbags, in camping tents, and beneath decorated canopies. Throughout the day, pairs participated in craft projects where they created toys that would take them outside, including jump ropes, hula hoops, and kites. Students traveled to local parks and attractions like Zoo Boise and Boise Urban Garden School where they practiced handwriting, played games, explored their surroundings, and wrote stories of real and imagined adventures. 

At the end of camp, the hard work and creativity of the group was celebrated by playing in the splash pad at Comba Park. In the hot summer sun, Buddies and Guides were able to get out and move together – laughing, playing tag, and cementing the new bonds they had forged over the last three days.

Outcomes

• In post-camp surveys, parents responded: 

“This is the first camp my child has been thrilled to attend.”

“My son’s definitely walking away excited about books! Thank you!”

• 100% of parents said their child was excited to attend OBA camp.

• 100% enjoyed spending time with their high school Adventure Guide.

• 94% of parents said OBA helped prevent "summer learning slide” in their child.

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DOUGH Means DOUGH

How might we make consent a more approachable topic for teens?

The DOUGH Means DOUGH team began their journey in September of 2016 discussing healthy relationships. Through discussions and research, the team identified that teens don’t feel comfortable discussing consent with partners. From there, the team morphed, tackling the idea of how to clarify consent in teen relationships. The team went through the design thinking process, beginning with a survey sent to members of One Stone in order to collect information about consent and sexual education. The team was heavily influenced by Al Vernacchio’s TEDx talk, “Sex Needs A New Metaphor.”

The team spent several meetings discussing the best way to make the topic of consent approachable for teens. Through prototyping and testing the team landed on an event at One Stone headquarters highlighting team pizza-making and facilitating consent-practicing activities. The title of their event, and team, DOUGH Means DOUGH, is a play on the phrase, “no means no,” and an acronym: Discussed Openly to Understand Green-lights and Hesitations. After the first implementation which brought 20 participants from around Boise, the team took a condensed version of their event to the Boise High Street Fair in order to further expand their audience.

Outcomes

Before the event, only about 60% of attendees felt comfortable defining consent. After the DOUGH Means DOUGH event, 85% of participants felt comfortable not only defining, but communicating their conceptions of consent.

Participants came to the conclusions that "consent isn't as difficult to understand as I thought" and "DOUGH Means DOUGH opened my eyes to how easy it can be to talk about consent." They realized that consent involves more than sex – it applies to our handling of all types of different situations and empowered decision making.

In their own words, "Consent is multi-dimensional: it's not just about sex, but about expressing all boundaries."

Participants said they felt "Inspired to spread the discussion about consent and consent culture," which proved that the DOUGH Means DOUGH team had succeeded in making consent an approachable topic for teens.

After months of hard work with the design thinking process, the student team spoke for themselves:

"In today's society there is a stigma against saying ‘no.’ By staying informed and knowing/feeling comfortable with your own boundaries, you can empower yourself and others to create a culture of consent, on a personal or community scale."

"The most valuable take-away from the event was having a clear definition of consent, but furthermore, knowing and feeling empowered that my feelings are legitimate."

Through the course of the project, the DOUGH Means DOUGH team engaged with over 100 high school students to make consent a more approachable topics for teens.