January 18, 2011 – 8:23 pm By Father Jeff
I am heading out this week to work on a “Group Relations” conference. These conferences are unique and exciting opportunities for folks to learn through experiences about group, organizational, and social dynamics and the exercise of authority and power. This particular conference is called ”Leadership, Passion and Accountability in Organizational Life Today.” The conferences are experiential. … Read more
January 16, 2011 – 10:01 am By Father Jeff
I am excited–this week six Hopeworks youth are heading to college–with three of them CRIB bound! Amazing! And then to top it off, two Hopeworks staff, Yesenia and Patrick, will be starting their graduate careers at St. Joseph University through a partnership that SJU and Hopeworks just created. Wow, there is schooling going on all… Read more
November 19, 2010 – 9:01 pm By Father Jeff
I saw a big pile of leaves earlier this week—aren’t they great? It was fun to kick through them, to smell them and especially to feel all of the memories from leaves past! It was just one of those things that made me smile. They were not the only things that made me smile this… Read more
November 10, 2010 – 9:04 am By Father Jeff
Wow, we just finished up the CRIB Open House Warming. What an event it was. The energy of connecting, celebrating, possibility and nurturing were so very present. Two quintessential moments for me that stand out from the day: Barbara showed up at 10 am and baked cookies throughout the day to keep the CRIB smelling… Read more
August 28, 2010 – 12:05 pm By Father Jeff
I am realizing that having resources to bring to purpose is different than having passion for purpose. I believe that I often confuse the two. Resources support our passions, but they don’t make the passion. Leadership here is connected to cultivating passion and deep desire–the very stuff that fuels our lifeblood, to bring that online in service of the youth—such a powerful movement.
August 18, 2010 – 9:47 pm By Father Jeff
I also had the opportunity to meet with a mom of one of the potential CRIB youth. Very special, as she visited and toured the CRIB. It is a big step for her to see her son move here and I was impressed with how her heart is big enough to say yes to him coming here!
August 18, 2010 – 10:37 am By Father Jeff
Kory’s death–he was shot just two weeks ago–is still lingering. It is hard to shake. I am surprised a bit by this, as this has happened before. That sounds crass, but I don’t intend it that way. All deaths here are difficult and are tough to work through. I find that each of the staff… Read more
August 4, 2010 – 11:40 am By Father Jeff
Yesterday, we received news that one of Hopeworks trainees was shot and killed only one block from our office. It happened over the weekend, Korey Johnson was 18—a great kid who was here for a little over two months. He was last at Hopeworks in June but we saw him around the neighborhood only this… Read more
July 27, 2010 – 8:18 am By Father Jeff
Doing the work of youth development can be so rewarding. Especially when, you have a chance to see the fruits of your labor. I recently had one such moment in talking with Jovanni who is a former Hopeworks trainee. Jovanni just graduated with his associates degree and is now heading to Drexel for his undergraduate… Read more
July 6, 2010 – 12:43 am By Father Jeff
Thinking a lot about processes–how to understand what we are doing and how to do it better. Seems mundane, but really not for it is in the thick of the details that it is possible to find new opportunities.
