Interning at DinoMights

Every Tuesday I meet with a group of Social Work students at my school and we discuss what is going on at our internship placements. It often turns into somewhat of a group therapy session as students share the challenges they are going through. The most common frustration that students talk about tends to be dealing with their supervisors. Many feel that their supervisors do not understand the purpose of the internship and assign them tasks simply to keep them busy rather than tasks that truly foster learning. Others say that their supervisors do not have time for them, and that they are left to figure things out on their own. There are some students that even feel resented and unwelcome at their internships.

I am grateful to say that their experiences are nothing like what I have experienced interning at DinoMights. From day one the staff has made my learning a priority. I have to admit that I was pretty sure of myself when I began working here. After all, I had been involved in DinoMights for almost my whole life, there couldn't be that much that I didn't already know. That notion was quickly put to rest as I realized there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that as a program participant and even as a volunteer I was never aware of. For example, it is a lot of work to coordinate rides! I had no idea as a kid that there were calls, emails, and spreadsheets involved in getting my coach to my house every Wednesday morning before practice.

Even beyond the countless hours of quality youth work experience I have gained over the school year, I have been introduced to a lot of helpful new skills in the DinoMights office. I have had the opportunity to help plan a major fundraising event, edit video footage, record financial information, recruit volunteers, learn how to use complicated computer programs, test student's academic skills, and connect our program with other community resources. The staff has even been trying to teach me how to drive! I can't say how much I appreciate Scott, Pa Kou, and Eric's willingness to teach me. There have been many times when it would have been easier (and faster!) for them to complete a particular task themselves but they took the time to show me how to do it instead. I don't feel the same pressure that many of my peers feel at their internships about perfect performance. I want to do my job well, but I also know that mistakes are a part of the learning process and that no one here is going to reprimand me if I mess up. I feel free to ask questions and have always felt very supported by everyone in the program.

I am so appreciative of the diverse experiences and learning opportunities that I have had so far here at DinoMights and am looking forward to continuing that during the rest of my time here!

March Girl's Group Fun!

Every month the fourth grade girls get together to do a fun activity. The purpose of this group is to nurture the girl's friendships with each other while building relationships with the adult leaders and to provide more ways to stay connected with the program when they are off the ice. This month we decorated Easter eggs. It was even warm enough for us to do a hunt outside! It was a beautiful day with some beautiful DinoMight girls :)

Behind the Scenes with Brad Bombardir

Jalin, Sierra, and Preston earned a very special experience at a recent Minnesota Wild game. Jalin was the winner of the John Foley Excellence in Servant Leadership award and the others were the Hockey in the Hood Cup winners for Academic Excellence. As a reward Brad Bombardir, Director of Community Partnerships and former player for the Minnesota Wild, rewarde the winners with a special Behind the Scenes tour of the Xcel Energy Center before a Wild home game. A very special Thanks to Brad and all the special people at the Minnesota Wild that make us feel so important. The experience was amazing! The kids were grateful and learned a lot.

Below are some of the highlights from our trip.

Preston and Sierra pet a Bhrama Bull in the lobby before the game. The Bull was there to advertise for an upcoming Rodeo. It was an unexpected way to begin our journey.

Brad took us down to ice level through the players' entrance. We saw the Zamboni Machines up close. It really is fascinating how they work.

We met the game officials. These guys travel . . . A LOT! After that we watched warm-ups from the ice level (Picture at top).

Brad took us up to the Press Box where we met Tom Reid, former North Star and WCCO Radio Play by Play announcer. We also got to go on the FOX Stage and say the "Let's Play Hockey Cheer" with Brad.

Next we went to the control room. This is where everything from the scoreboard to the horn to the cameras are controlled. It was really mind blowing how much stuff happens during a game. The kids learned a lot in here. The began to understand that "Hockey Player" is not the only sports career.

We got to watch the team take the ice from right outside the locker room. One of the players said to Brad, "I'm going to go CHEESEY." Later we asked Brad what he meant. Brad explained that "Cheese" is a French Canadian slang term for shooting the puck in the upper part of the net. Finally we got to watch the game. We were shouting "CHEESE" every time the Wild got a chance to shoot. The Wild won 5-2. Most of all it was a win for three kids who have worked hard to serve others and do well in school!

DinoMights Communicate with the White House

We say time and time again here at DinoMights that we are much more than a hockey team. We do our best to give our kids knowledge and experiences that they will be able to carry into adulthood. Last summer at Power Camp (our week long academic camp) we wanted to teach the kids that they have a voice, and that their voice has power. After spending a week learning about the environment and our responsibility to care for it, DinoMight students were asked to write a letter to the president of the United States, sharing with him what they had learned and asking him to make their concerns a priority. One little boy proudly read his letter in front of the whole group. Since then, almost six months have passed and our students have probably forgotten about their letters to the president recently. They will be reminded soon though because a response letter from the White House was just delivered to the DinoMight office! We are excited to share with the kids that someone read their letters. For a little kid to imagine a letter that they wrote being read at the White house has to be an incredible feeling. We hope that these sort of activities will encourage our students to have a political voice in the world. No matter which party or elected official they choose to support, we hope that they will use their vote to empower their communities and to be advocates for justice. People in the neighborhoods we serve are often underrepresented in elections and other political activities and we hope that our youth will be catalysts in eliminating that disparity. We believe that our students have important things to say and do our best to let their voices be heard!

FOX 9 Morning Show with MA Rosko

Check us out on FOX 9 Morning Show on 1/20!

We're very excited to be featured on The FOX 9 Morning Show with M.A. Roscoe tomorrow morning, January 20, 2010. If you have access please tune in and watch. It's our first LIVE T.V. appearance!

Thanks to our friends at Infinity Hockey for setting this up!

In the meantime we invite you to check out the DinoMights store on the right side of the screen for a Raffle and T-Shirt Sale to help raise proceeds for DinoMights programming. We are giving away Center Ice tickets to an upcoming Wild Game as the raffle Grand Prize.

Reasons to Give: Your support makes a difference

Have you ever heard the story about the boy and his grandfather who were strolling on the beach when the tide was out? They discovered a multitude of starfish drying out in the sun. The Grandfather started throwing starfish back into the sea. The boy protested, "Grandpa! What are you doing? Do you see how many starfish are on the beach? You can't make a dent in the number even if you stood here all day. What your doing doesn't make a difference."

The Grandpa looked at the starfish in his hand and said to the boy, "It makes a difference to this one."

It really can feel that our efforts don't make a difference when we consider the broad list of needs and causes in our world today. So when we give to something we really want to know that it makes a difference for the people the organization serves. We want to know, at least, if the ones we are supporting are getting back into the water, so to speak.

So we want to let you know that DinoMights does make a difference. We can't measure every intangible that makes "Hockey in the Hood" really great, but there are a few important things we can point to as indicators of success.

The mission of DinoMights is to equip our urban youth to develop Physical, Academic, Social and Spiritual Excellence. So let's take a look at each area to see how DinoMights is making a difference.

PHYSICAL

Playing ice hockey teaches kids many things, and it also helps them to be physically healthy. 32% of US children and teens are overweight or obese. That is a staggering statistic. Meanwhile, there are currently no parks with recreational ice hockey rinks in Phillips, Powderhorn, and Central neighborhoods. Moreover, we hear quite often from parents that they don't feel completely safe about their kids going to the park to play. So DinoMights is providing the opportunity to stay active during the winter for kids in South Minneapolis.

We can point to the success of this effort in several ways. First we do a hockey skills test at the beginning and end of each season. Roughly 90-92% of DinoMights improve their skills on a yearly basis. This shows that participants are getting stronger and improving as athletes. They are bucking the trend of obesity by staying active throughout the winter.

Also, quite a few of our students have been able to play at higher levels. Over 30 DinoMights have participated in High School hockey, which is very competitive in the State of Minnesota. Many more have participated in other high school sports such as Track and Field, Football, and Cross Country.

ACADEMIC

The high school graduation rate for DinoMights is 85%. That is significantly higher than the Minnesota Department of Education report in 2005 that stated the rate for Minneapolis Public Schools is 55%. Again, that is staggering. A 30% difference is a significant statement in favor of DinoMights' academic success.

We provide tutoring mainly to our youngest students with the intention of getting them to read on grade level by the end of 3rd Grade. Reading on Grade level by the end of 3rd grade is a major predictor of future academic success. We perform yearly reading assessments on the tutoring students both to provide them with level appropriate materials and to see their improvement. Each year in the last decade, 100% of tutoring students have improved one reading grade level or more. In other words, 0% of DinoMights tutoring students have fallen further behind in reading for over 10 years.

SOCIAL

Phillips, Central and Powderhorn are on the news far too often for violent acts of crime. In order to stay out of the news urban youth need positive places for peer interaction. One of the most common things students say on their yearly evaluations is that DinoMights helped them make friends.

Recently, one of the original DinoMights got married and he had another original DinoMight as his best man. Our intern Kelsey grew up in DinoMights and it is amazing to hear her perspective on how DinoMights influenced her childhood peer group. She is a junior in college and still spends time with her DinoMights teammates.

In addition, the youth growing up in the program learn the value of service. Each year DinoMights engages in the Greg Carroll Learn 2 Skate Program. Our coaches and students teach the first graders at Green Central Elementary and Andersen Elementary how to ice skate. It is a major self-esteem booster for the first graders. Our kids see that and it makes them want to serve more.

15% of our volunteers are former students. Many grown DinoMights have served on the Park Ave. Church Summer Staff. Many more are involved in service careers and service with their churches.

SPIRITUAL

It can be hard to measure spiritual impact. However, the students that have gotten the most out of DinoMights over the years are the ones that have learned that the Gospel, or Good News, to urban kids is a team sport that helps them stay physically healthy, academic support in the face of low performing schools, a great place to make friends, and the knowledge that Jesus loves them.

We don't force any of our students to become Christian. We also don't tell them what church to go to, how to be baptized, or how to take communion. We do however follow the command of God to love thy neighbor as thyself. We also take heed to Jesus' words that the Kingdom belongs to the children.

Many of the students value this part of DinoMights very much. One student put it this way on his yearly evaluation in response to what he values most about DinoMights, "That we beat the stereotype that all hockey players are white and that we do it through Jesus Christ."

In conclusion, your support makes a difference. It allows DinoMights to equip urban youth to develop Physical, Academic, Social and Spiritual Excellence. When you look into the sea of needs and feel that your efforts don't matter, think of the DinoMights youth and know that it matters for these ones.