The Student Activities Fair serves as a reminder of the amazing organizations, clubs, and volunteering experiences that are spearheaded by passionate and motivated students here at BC. While the token phrase of convocation, “Go set the world aflame,” may seem like a serious issue of fire safety, BC students really seem to take this interesting statement to heart with their passion for being men and woman for others. BC Soars, a new ESS organization on campus, truly captures what these statements represent.
BC Soars allows Boston College students to share their passions with students from James Otis Elementary School in East Boston by way of a dynamic mentoring program. Brittany Burke, a junior in the Lynch School and co-director of BC Soars, says she envisions the program to “function on the precepts of mutuality and solidarity as mentors imagine and learn together with the James Otis students in order to create a culminating project that will be presented at Boston College towards the end of the semester.”
HerCampus BC got the amazing opportunity to sit down with Brittany and find more about this new and inspiring club on campus!
1. What inspired you to start BC Soars?
James Otis Elementary School in East Boston was our Pulse placement freshman year and we are so grateful that we were able to become a part of the school’s community, which can really be considered a family at James Otis. The staff is incredibly compassionate, dedicated, and truly equipped to enhance the lives of their students.
However, we noticed throughout our time at James Otis that the students we worked with had a difficult time understanding that we lived in the same place that we studied, that we had to walk to different buildings to change classes, and that we had a role in choosing what we wanted to learn. After forming deeper relationships with the students and uncovering more about their lives, we came to understand that a majority of their family members had not attended college and neither had the people in their community.
Upon completion of the Pulse program, we realized that we loved the students at James Otis too much to overlook this gap in understanding. They had a very real and concrete impact on our lives and we wanted to do our part in returning the favor as they completely deserved the opportunities their environment and circumstances denied them. We felt that the best way we would be able to accomplish this goal was by establishing a strong relationship with the students of James Otis Elementary through the formation of a mentoring program that not only seeks to create personal, authentic bonds, but would also work to enhance cultural capital.
2. What exactly will a mentor do?
As a BC Soars mentor, BC students will create a weekly lesson plan on a topic that both they and their mentee are passionate about. They will carry out their lesson at James Otis once a week while also having free time to get to know the students on a more personal level. Mentors will also participate in a topical discussion group led by BC Soars executive board members once weekly back on the Heights to reflect on their experience serving at James Otis and relate that experience to a discussion topic, ranging anywhere from education reform in Boston to the philosophy of social justice and how we concretely carry that out. In our second semester of the program, next spring, we hope to bring these students to campus and have them engage in an experience that allows them to take classes created and taught by BC students and enables them to see what else the college experience has to offer!
3. How do BC students get involved with BC Soars?
If you are interested in getting involved or have any questions, please email us at bcsoars@gmail.com!
Also, look for upcoming information on our informational meetings which will be on Thursday September 19th at 8:30pm in Gasson 205!
One quick way that students can help out BC Soars and capture what it means to be men and woman for others is by voting for the James Otis School through the Target campaign. Target is donating 5 million dollars to schools across the nation. For each vote they receive, $1 will go to the school’s budget for their arts program! Help BC Soars reach 1,000 votes and give some deserving kids a chance to start the school year off on the right foot!
Follow this link straight to the James Otis page and click Vote! It takes 5 seconds and could make all the difference for these children!