Students (Camille Bersonda, Edmund Cruz, Kevin Zheng & Erica Narciso) from San Mateo High School, led by Erica Narciso, met recently with Bonnie Ora Sherk and Manisha Dhar to discuss ways to support A Living Library. Their written statements of why they want to be involved with A.L.L. are shown below:
My interest in your program was because that you really want to reach out to schools and spread the topic of the importance of ecology. I believe your goals and lessons are very essential and the work you guys have done for recreation and beautification are worth being noticed. So, I would like to offer my help in such a program with my knowledge of technology in order for A Living Library to get more attention and spread the word over the internet. I think what you are trying to accomplish deserves more credit and respect and I look forward to working with this program.
- Camille Bersonda
Personally, the idea of incorporating ecology and redesigning school communities is great for the students to enjoy as well as appreciate the wonders of nature. Once A.L.L (A Living Library) can get more of its voice globally, then students from everywhere will be educated and astounded by how nature can be beautiful and educational. Helping A.L.L as a volunteer will ensure that A.L.L is one step closer to sharing its magic of nature from one to all. From planting trees, making mosaics, and helping the environment gives great benefits of both being much greener and much more creative when it comes to the community.
- Edmund Cruz
In my search for a volunteer opportunity related to computer sciences, I came across A Living Library through VolunteerMatch.com and assumed the given task would simply be to create or modify website for a library. However, A Living Library is not your typical library, a silent building filled with books, its knowledge is centered around parks where children and adults alike come together to learn a countless amount of subjects. Similarly, the internet gives people a boundless amount of information but sitting at your desktop or laptop or being at school all day is not the same as being in the great outdoors and interacting with others, an opportunity that A.L.L opens up by branching out and creating Think Parks. The hands-on experience as well as the connections that can be formed between people and nature is what makes A Living Library unique and fresh, a stark contrast to today’s technological age, but highly necessary.
- Erica Narciso
A Living Library has contributed to numerous communities by setting forth projects that bring ecological innovation and building a learning place within those communities. Think Parks in Chinatown and Excelsior for example, bring children and adults alike to participate in local gardening and teaching the youth about how important it is to create a culture that will last for years to come. As a student recently joining A.L.L., I have explored their goals and would love to take part in their mission to create a better community through education, shared experiences, and a positive attitude. My next steps would be to visit A.L.L’s programs at schools and libraries to see how they work and if its possible to volunteer at those locations.
- Kevin Zheng
Students from Junipero Serra Elementary School learned about the meanings and metaphor of A Living Library in a discussion led by Bonnie Ora Sherk, as part of a class in the Bernal Heights Living Library & Think Park Afterschool Program. Afterwards, the children incorporated their ideas and made an illustrated book describing A.L.L.
This planting was accomplished in conjunction with Bonnie Ora Sherk, Founder & Director, Life Frames, Inc. and A Living Library Nature Walk, and John Miller, Park Supervisor, SF Recreation & Park Department. This Living Library Nature Walk is linking multiple parks, schools, public housing, and streets, leading to currently hidden Islais Creek at the south side of St. Mary's Park, near Highway 280 in San Francisco. The Nature Walk is a prototype for what can be occurring throughout the whole Islais Creek Watershed, the largest in SF that interlinks eleven communities in southeast and southwest SF, through creating a new, narrative native landscape interconnecting diverse community assets and resources, framed by the Watershed.
Also, proposed is development of Northern & Southern Gateways to the Watershed, that would incorporate the currently derelict 101 Freeway Interchanges at Chavez/Potrero/Bayshore (to become Northern Gateway) and Alemany/Industrial Way/Bayshore (to become Southern Gateway). More about this exciting opportunity later. Stay tuned....... A Living Library, Life Frame, Think Park, & A.L.L. are registered trademarks
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