Vision Statement for Real Life Learning
This type of learning instills wisdom, compassion, respect, and understanding in order to prepare students for interactions in an increasingly global society.

The intentions of real-life learning are:

• To promote an understanding of another’s life and point of view
• To provide opportunities for students to discover their God-given gifts
• To develop compassionate and globally-minded citizens
• To equip students with a willingness to give of themselves in service to God and others

Amy (Wissink) Swanson, Director of Cultural Immersion
Minnehaha Academy
3100 West River Parkway
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Fax: 612-729-8321
wissink-amy@MinnehahaAcademy.net

Format for May Term 2007
(May Term becomes June Term in 2008)
May Term occurred during the week of May 14-18, 2007. Freshmen student groups (typically 10-12 students), led by faculty team leaders partnered with community sites on Monday – Thursday of May Term week, and participated in a post-reflection retreat on Friday. Community partner locations and on-site hours for teams varied. Most teams visited local community sites during a typical school day. Some teams participated out-of-state beyond the normal school day, including the evenings and weekends of May Term week.

Community Site Partners 2007
MA student teams collaborated with 12 different community sites during May Term. 11 sites were located in the Twin Cities metro area – and 1 site was out-of-state. A brief description of all the specific site partners, locations, and activities is provided below:

Hope Academy, Minneapolis
Description: a private, Christian, urban K-8 school
Activities: assisting and collaborating with both elementary students and their teachers throughout daily classroom learning activities

Augustana Home, Minneapolis
Description: a senior care center for elderly Minneapolis residents
Activities: interact with senior citizens, assisting with daily social activities; including playing games, exercising, singing, watching movies, outdoor walks, arts & crafts projects, puzzles -- and working in the gift shop, thrift shop, and coffee shop.

Whittier Center, Minneapolis
Description: an urban, early childhood development, learning center for at-risk children
Activities: interacting with young children (ages 3 mo. to 4 yrs.); accompanying children to all daycare activities; including planning and teaching sensory lessons (such as art, music, science) to preschool children

Berean Church of God in Christ, St. Paul
Description: an urban, pentecostal church in downtown St. Paul; a primarily low-income, African-American congregation
Activities: assisting with church and community projects, including groundswork, painting, spring cleaning, tutoring, office assistance, and participating in youth and family outreach program

Tubman Family Alliance, Minneapolis
Description: a community shelter for abused women and children
Activities: participate in shelter activities with shelter staff and residents; including serving meals, playing with children, assisting in the computer lab, gardening and yardwork, spring cleaning, designing resource bulletin boards, and organizing special events

Kwanzaa Community Church, Minneapolis & City Life Center, Minneapolis
Description: a diverse, urban PCusa church; a crisis pregnancy center
Activities: assisting with church and community projects, including groundswork, spring cleaning, and painting

MN Internship Center ESL High School, Minneapolis
Description: an ESL Minneapolis charter school for high school students, primarily ages 15-20 from east African speaking countries
Activities: assisting beginning and middle-level high school students and teachers with daily classroom activities focused on learning English as a second language; including tutoring in basic reading and writing skills; also including cultural exchange activities (such as visiting a Somali grocery and mall with students to learn about east African culture)

Ebenezer, Minneapolis
Description: a senior care center for elderly Minneapolis residents
Activities: interact with senior citizens at the Adult Day Program Center; including playing games and cards, cooking, arts & crafts projects, exercising, music, conversation, and organizing special events

Green Central Park School, Minneapolis
Description: an urban, Minneapolis public K-8 school; more than 50% of students are Spanish-speaking
Activities: assisting and collaborating with both elementary and middle school students and their teachers throughout daily classroom learning activities; including science fair projects, helping students prepare for a talent show, and the 4th grade bike trip

Marie Sandvik Center, Minneapolis
Description: a community assistance center for low-income families
Activities: assisting with community outreach program for adults, youth, and children; including childcare, community worship services, serving meals, kids’ programs, and on-site volunteer projects (such as sorting clothing, organizing craft materials, or preparing meals)

YWCA, Minneapolis
Description: a YWCA community programs center
Activities: assisting with kindergarten classroom programs; accompanying children and students to all organized learning activities; including teaching simple sensory lessons (art, music, science) and helping organize outdoor activities (physical education, playground games, gardening in roof top garden boxes)

*Good Neighbors, Inc., Paintsville, Kentucky
Description: a home repair ministry serving low-income families in Central Appalachia
Activities: construction work on homes in the Eastern Kentucky Counties of Johnson and Magoffin; includes on-site home building in the community during the day; evenings include community and Appalachian education activities (such as folk music, storytelling, community picnic, evening campfires & devotions)
*This learning site was the only May Term partner that was not a local site. Students traveled via minivans to Kentucky. Students stayed in a community facility at a local church, with dormitory-type rooms.

Format for Future June Terms
The June Term program will be expanded in 2008 to include all students in grades 9-11. The program will occur during the final week of the 2007-08 academic school year, June 2-6. Learning experiences will continue to include both local and out-of-state community site partners – and will be further developed to accommodate the inclusion of sister-school visits, short-term missions trips, language study trips, and similar cultural immersion trips during June Term.