By Soma McCandless
So you missed our annual breakfast. Not to worry, details are below:
People started flowing into our new location, the Santa Clara Convention Center, at 7:00AM. There was a 5 minute walk from the parking lot to the breakfast hall. Along the way, every guest was greeted by many smiling youth pointing the way to the reception. When the doors opened, guests entered a beautifully decorated ballroom with over 120 tables!
As the breakfast began, the 1250 guests were serenaded by the Willow Glen Pep Band. All guests were welcomed.

There were:
Students
Teachers and school staff
Principals and Superintendents
Elected Officials
Volunteers
Sponsors
Police Officers and many more!

The keynote speaker, Steve Young, was warmly introduced by Bay Area businessman and philanthropist John Sobrato. Steve moved the crowd with his stories of both his childhood and young adulthood. Steve was funny and articulate and provided many great laughs. He talked about the incredible support he had from his parents, his own motivation and hardships, and the support his son is now receiving from his school. Through his stories he touched upon many Developmental Assets and the importance of all the work we are doing!

Chief of Police from Los Gatos Scott Seaman and Los Gatos High School Senior Olivia Flechsig were the Master of Ceremonies.

Guests watched as schools, community leaders, and youth were presented with Asset Champion Awards. Many individuals, schools, and organizations were nominated. All nominees were recognized.

The guests were treated to a beautiful vocal performance by Shannon Haley, a student from Archbishop Mitty High School.

And of course we closed with a request for any and all generous donors out there to donate to Project Cornerstone so that we can continue to support asset building throughout Silicon Valley and beyond!

If you missed the breakfast this year, no worries, we will be back next year to once again celebrate all of our local heroes and UPstanders!

The ONE artwork created by Kathryn Otoshi for Project Cornerstone is now up to $500. Bids will be accepted until 3:00 Wednesday, 3/27/13. Email your bid to anne@projectcornerstone.org. The auction will continue at the Asset Champions Breakfast on Thursday morning and conclude at 10:00 a.m.

Kids need adults they can trust…
Who did you turn to for advice, comfort, and understanding when you were young? Was there an adult you trusted and enjoyed talking with? If you had an adult outside your family who was there for you during tough times and good times, you probably understand how important a relationship like that is for a young person. Now you can be that adult friend. Whether you’re a parent, neighbor, teacher, tutor, coach, aunt, or older cousin —you can build assets in youth. Other Adult Relationships is Asset # 3 of Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. We create developmental assets by providing youth withpositive experiences that will help them thrive.
Research Shows…
According to Search Institute only 52% percent of elementary school aged children in Santa Clara County have three or more non-parent adults in their lives. Caring adults are important to the development of young people. Youth who have three or more caring adults in their lives feel happier, do better in school and are less likely to be involved in risky behavior.
Tips for building asset # 3…
Build relationships with the kids in your neighborhood by inviting your child’s friends and any other kids in the neighborhood over on Valentine’s Day to bake cupcakes, cookies or any other Valentine’s Day treat. It would be a great opportunity to strengthen the relationships in your neighborhood. If you don’t know the families in your neighborhood, you might want to consider introducing yourself. This can be the first step to begin creating relationships with youth in your neighborhood. Connect with young people outside your own family and make an effort to interact regularly. They need caring adults to bounce ideas off, ask questions, laugh with, and help sort through sticky situations. If you’re a parent, encourage other caring adults to develop a friendship with your children.

By Linda Silvius

If you are a regular follower of our blog, you may remember that I was lucky enough to travel to Cuba in January 2012 and when I wrote for our blog, it was about the amazing literacy rate in Cuba– 97% of their population is literate. Their students score higher than any other country in Central and South America on standardized tests. Their education is free all the way through university level.  When Fidel Castro led his revolution in the late 1950’s and early 60’s, education was one of two major priorities.  What did he do to move this country from 24% of their population who were totally illiterate to only 3.9%?

One trip to Cuba in a year is lucky – two in a year is VERY lucky!! So when the opportunity arose to go again this December I decided that I wanted to learn what the “secret” was to this amazing literacy rate. Turns out it was no secret at all – in fact they have a Museum of Literacy in Havana that documents the entire process. And I have to say, I walked out of that museum amazed at how a very simple concept had the power to change lives forever.

In January of 1961, Fidel Castro issued a call to young people – students aged 14 and 15.  He summoned them to step up and go into the rural areas of the country where the literacy rate was at its worst. He asked them to leave their homes and live with host families. These young people were to work in the fields with their host families during the day and teach them to read and write at night. One hundred and five thousand students ranging in age from 12 – 15 stepped up and volunteered!! Yes, 105,000 young people volunteered!

These youth were then given a crash course in how to teach reading and writing to people who were totally illiterate. The people who taught the youth were experienced teachers who had gone through the university program for educators and were teaching in schools all over Havana and surrounding areas, in addition to university professors. People who were in political agreement with Castro came from Mexico and all of Central America to teach the youth. This effort was massive and focused.

Every movement has its symbols – and this one was no exception. Each of the youth teachers who went into the countryside took not just their teaching supplies but also a lantern that had been supplied by theSoviet Union. Since the studying and teaching had to happen in the evening, after a day in the fields was finished, and there was no electricity in rural Cuba, the lantern was not only the symbol of the literacy movement, but a very practical tool needed by the young teachers.

The oldest person taught to read and write was 110 years old. The youngest teacher was 8 years old! Many of the youth teachers from the literacy campaign went on to become teachers as adults and some are still teaching! The museum has a documentary film, “Maestra” which tells the story of 3 teachers from the literacy movement. It was clearly a time in their lives when they – as young people – knew they were a resource to their community!

On December 22, 1961, Castro declared that illiteracy had been eradicated from Cuba. It had been less than a year since he challenged the young people of the country to step up to the challenge of ending illiteracy. At that point in time over 20% of illiteracy had been eliminated, with 3.9% remaining. To this day, they have held to that rate!

They have packaged their literacy curriculum/campagin so it can be used in other places. Venezula, Brazil and Nicarauga have all used their curriculum and also eradicated illiteracy. It is also being used in Canada and Australia.

So how did those young people know when their adult students were “done”? Was there a final exam they had to administer?  Did they have to read out loud or write an essay to be graded?  The “final exam” was for the adult student to actually write a thank you letter to Fidel Castro. The Literacy Museum has thousands of those letters on file – and they certainly tell the story of an idea that became a reality because youth were empowered to teach their elders in communities to read and write!

YOUTH AS RESOURCES!   

On the first day of Christmas, Project Cornerstone gave to me….

First Day An UPstander on the playground

Second Day Two warm fuzzies

Third Day Three role plays

Fourth Day Four ABC readers

Fifth Day Five parent groups

Sixth Day Six teacher trainings

Seventh Day Seven community meetings

Eighth Day Eight groups of assets

Ninth Day Nine Los Dichos lessons

Tenth Day Ten free fish a-swimming

Eleventh Day Eleven service projects

Twelfth Day Twelve youth a-thriving

Dia de los Muertos is a traditional Meso-American holiday dedicated to the ancestors. The celebration honors both death and the cycle of life. It is also a way to remember people that have passed away, while acknowledging the relationships still present with the deceased.

In Mexico, people celebrate this day by going to the cemetery and taking their loved ones their favorite dishes, music, and other items that symbolize what they enjoyed during their life. Another common practice is creating altars with pictures of their deceased loved ones. Altars are decorated with orange and yellow marigolds, candles and items that represent the deceased.

Two of the special foods enjoyed by people in Mexico during Day of the Dead festivities are the pan de muerto and sugar skulls. Pan de Muerto is a special semi-sweet bread with bone like shapes on the top of the bread. A plastic skeleton is hidden inside and It’s believed that the person that bites into the skeleton will have luck. It is also believed that when people take a bite out of it they are “taking a bite of death” and it protects them from fear of death.

Pan de Muerto Recipe
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup water
6 cups flour
2 packets dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons whole anise seed
2 tablespoons orange zest
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
Glaze (see below)

Preparation:
Bring all ingredients to room temperature (except for the water which should be very warm) before beginning.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, anise, salt and 1/2 cup of the flour. In a separate bowl combine the eggs and the water.
Add the egg/water mixture to the first mixture and add in another 1/2 cup of the flour. Add in the yeast and another 1/2 cup of flour. Continue to add the flour 1 cup at a time until a dough forms.
Knead on a floured surface for about 1 minute.
Cover with a slightly damp dishcloth and let rise in a warm area for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Bring out dough and punch it down.
Remove about 1/4 of it and use it to make bone shapes to drape across the loaf (see below.)
Or divide the dough into smaller pieces to create other bone shapes. Let the shaped dough rise for 1 more hour.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes for smaller loaves and up to 45 minutes for larger loaves.

GLAZES (After glaze is applied you may decorate with additional colored sugar.)
Bring to a boil- 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice. Brush on bread and then sift some additional sugar over the top.
Mix 3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate and 1/3 cup sugar with 2 egg whites. Brush on bread during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Bring to a boil- 1/4 cup piloncillo, 1/4 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cranberry juice and 2 tablespoons orange zest. Brush on bread after bread has cooled.

BONES The most common bone decorations are very simple. Sometimes it’s just a matter of forming ball shapes and pressing them into the loaf in a line. You could also take a piece of dough, roll it into a long cylinder and place a ball at each end. You can get much more detailed if you like, but even a slightly “knobby” looking loaf will get the idea across.

Events in the area:
1. San Francisco Day of the Dead Procession and Festival of Altars
Friday, November 2, 2012
www.dayofthedeadsf.org

2. The National Hispanic University: Dia de los Muertos 3rd Annual Festival
Saturday, October 27, 2012

http://www.nhu.edu/dia_de_los_muertos/index.htm

3. 2012 Fruitvale Día de los Muertos Festival
Sunday, October 28, 2012

http://www.unitycouncil.org/dia-de-los-muertos/

Recommended Día de Los Muertos Children’s Book: The Spirit of Tío Fernando – El espíritu de tío Fernando by Janice Levy

Following Project Cornerstone’s 6 week Take It Personally study group at Eisenhower Elementary School, 5 families decide to continue their asset building by scheduling a Family Service project to join forces as asset builders for their own kids, for each other’s kids and for the larger community. Prior to a potluck dinner “meeting”, the Service Project Champion of the group researched options at:  www.volunteermatch.org

She chose the following ideas to present to the group:

Environment: Habitat restoration: http://rei-redwoodgrove-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Packaging food at Tri-city volunteers food bank: http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp861028.jsp

Make a difference to seniors near you: http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp1073223.jsp

The group decided to go with the Food Bank option and scheduled a weekend Service Project for their families.  Here is a link to a short video clip to get a sense of what it is like. http://www.youtube.com/user/TriCityVolunteers?feature=guide

www.tri-cityvolunteers.org

Does this inspire you? Let us know how you extend your family asset building to impact the larger community by sending your story to:

info@ProjectCornerstone.org