one month in.

Good morning Manhattan!

So a month has passed since I hit the big apple and so much has happened in this time. The Pictet gallery morning latte which was so quickly substituted for a "vanilla single shot soya iced starbucks " has taken a backseat as I replace it with instant coffee in my small east village kitchen. Living a champagne lifestyle on beer money - harder to adapt than anticipated! Life is pretty sweet at the moment. I am loving the fast paced New Yorker ways... A week in and I was already venturing the world of laundrettes. Here I was, lunging my laundry 2 blocks down 2nd avenue to do my first bit of own washing. May i stress there is a huge gap in the "laundrette world" for bars. Seriously, forget meeting new people at your local pub - the new this is to hang out at the laundrette. My mind was clocking how much cash i could make selling beers in that place. Plenty may I add. Next time I shall be taking a 6pack with me and assessing margins for profit. (people spend a couple of hours at least chatting as they patiently wait for their whites and colours to spin in that machine)... food for thought. 

 ‎"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."-- Howard Thurman 

Global Potential has been inspirational so far! I have been so fortune- meeting people of all backgrounds, ages and styles . I really hope to be giving back as much as I feel i have gained. The program is great and myself and Renoly Santiago are running workshops at one of the schools 2 times a week on leadership skills etc... the class varies with 15-20 kids participating each week - its been awesome.  Popping to the Bronx, Brooklyn, meandering my way through different cultures- so diverse.  The GP program at CDI will be staring on Friday... here's a chance for the students at the school to get involved in their communities - action plans, setting goals, solving problems!

Global Potential, the program

www.global-potential.org

In short, the Global Potential runs as follows:

1)Training and recruiting: this phase runs between now and June next year. The aim is to get the students who are recruited for the program, to participate in several workshops where they will learn about social development, leadership, life skills, global awareness, civic participation and social entrepreneurship. Each of us school facilitators are responsible for running the workshops at a different school located around NYC (Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn). The training works towards preparing these kids to volunteer abroad over next summer.

2) (July 2011) - The kids will be taken by GP on a 6 week trip to either Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti and a new addition is to perhaps go to a reservation in South Dakota. During the trip, students will be team building, working in underprivileged communities themselves and learning about sustainable agriculture amongst other things

3)When these students return to NYC they are then considered GP LEADERS. Students are encouraged to start an entrepeunerial project of their own (with the help of GP) aswell as participate in social community work in their neighborhoods. Finally, GP leaders become GP Alumni, some joining the team as interns and staff.