4th Weeks a Charm

Hey guys! 

       I am back, posting a recap of my 4th week out on the job. This week was similar to last, we worked at Blacks Creek in the mornings, and then made our way to the Curley on Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday we got to go to Atlantic Warf to do some storytelling, fish printing, and fishing with a few groups from Community Centers from the area. On Thursday, we had a rainy day which was the first of the summer. Our programs are rain or shine, so we continued our programming even though the weather was a little tough! The kids were great sports and loved playing Gaga Ball and Mad Scientist in the rain. At Blacks Creek, our program is technically run under Quincy Recreation. They have many programs running in the area including a day camp called "Happy Acres". This is a camp that caters to special-needs children in the area, and they will be joining us every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the summer! This week was the first week they joined us, and it was a great experience to work with these kids and get to know them in a setting where they were comfortable learning and playing games with us.

The kids looking around for some sea creatures at Blacks Creek. 

       I have lived in Boston all of my life, so the Boston Harbor Islands have been very familiar to me ever since I was little. I went on retreats to Thompson and George's Island while I was in middle school and when I went to camp as a child, but for this history-focused blog post, I thought I would focus on an Island I truly knew nothing about. I visited the Boston Harbor Island Website, and found the list of Islands and was shocked at how many I had never heard of, Bumpkin Island, in particular, caught my attention. It was originally home to Native Americans, and it is in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor. A summer hospital/care facility for children with physical disabilities was built to be used during World War I for polio patients and for other illnesses for both children and adults as well. Unfortunately, the facility was closed in World War II and burned down in 1945. The island is now home to beautiful hiking trails and gardens full of flowers.his island is accessible by shuttle boat or ferry. Bumpkin Island is now a camping destination where you can explore the remains of the hospital facility and a farmhouse on the Island. After reading about Bumpkin Island, I am extremely curious about the other Islands in the Boston Harbor and look forward to learning about them or hopefully taking a visit out to them at some point! There is so much history in Boston, and I think the Boston Harbor Island history is overlooked.

A cool picture of Bumpkin Island! 

See you next week!
Maggie

Hooked on a Feeling

Boston, where the first American lighthouse was built in the harbor in 1716. The harbor an essential part to the city of Boston for tourists and residents. While scrolling on Instagram, I came across the Save the Harbor Save the Bay page and I was instantly interested in their programs and philosophy. I saw that the organization was hiring for a summer Senior Harbor Educator position, my expertise with children and high school students encouraged me to apply. 

I was offered the opportunity to work for Save the Harbor Save the Bay, an organization that is the leading voice for clean water in the region. I moved to Boston from Chicago to work as a Senior Harbor Educator. Back home, I devote a large portion of my time to Best Buddies and I work with children who are on the autism spectrum. I have always had an interest in marine and environmental studies but never had the courage to apply to a position that wasn't my speciality. The first week of orientation changed that for me. 

Orientation, the night before jitters began, thousands of question and worries that I had before my first day (i.e. I don't know how to fish, never met any of the staff before...) On Monday, we met as a team I was kindly greeted by Kristen, Bridget and the rest of the staff that I would be spending my summer with. Everyone was friendly and enthusiastic, those jitters and worries immediately went away. 
Once we got onto to the boat, I realized that- what an opportunity this is, an honor for me to be at SHSB. We made it to Spectacle Island which was interesting to learn how it was a landfill. The story behind it really taught me something, that if there's a group of people that want to change something they could with persistence and patience, once a landfill; now a beautiful beach to swim and hike at. I was hooked on a feeling and I knew that this summer position was off to a great start. There is nothing better than a job that allows you to learn and work simultaneously.

At Spectacle Island, we played this magnificent “Shipwreck” game that tested our ability to listen to directions closely and bond with our peers. I would have to say that was my favorite part of orientation. 

The second day of orientation was all about FISHING. A sport I am not familiar with, but was able to "catch" on quickly. I touched a sea worm- which hands down is the ugliest creature I have came across, it bites, squirms and is hairy. I learned how to to tie a knot and put bait on a hook. I didn't catch a fish, but I held one! (FLOUNDER MAN). Now, I will enjoy fishing because the staff and peers made it an amazing time. Seeing the students get thrilled about catching a fish and not having to use their phone to have a good time gave me a great feeling. In a world of technology, seeing teens enjoy their peer's company and not being glued to their phones is an exceptional thing to see! 

I know this summer will teach me more about marine life but I am positive that this experience will impact me and change the way I look at patience, persistence and enjoying the moment I'm in. 

Crab ya later, 
Katerina 

All Aboard All Access

My first time on all access and it lived up to its expectations. I'm beginning to learn that all Save the Harbor events are organized chaos. I believe the head count for the day was 500 children. David said that was the biggest group of the year, on the day with all new staff.  Max and Sam were already exposed to all access and knew the drill but Melissa, two office interns, and myself were just as confused as the kids. Getting the kids on the boat was the hardest part, I forget how long it takes their little legs to get going when in that big of a group. It's overwhelming, some of them have never been on a boat or even in a activity with so many new faces around them. On the boat we go around talking to the kids and teaching them about the islands we pass, Deer Island being the one they're most interested in, naturally. Seeing the kids run around the island going into the "Dark Tunnel" and conquering their fears, playing sports, and just exploring was so much fun. Their faces full of excitement and curiosity. I have to say the ride back was my favorite part. I've always said that I am not good at making quick relationships with kids, I prefer seeing them everyday and gradually building the trust and love but this trip got me out of my comfort zone. I knew I would most likely not meet them again so I had to take advantage of the time I had with them. I meet this group of kids ages 5-7 and they stole my heart. They taught me games, I told them ghost stories, they told me their favorite part of George's island and we just talked. After we guessed each others ages the kids wanted me to guess where their families were from. When I finally told them I was Honduran and Irish one of the boys got excited and said he is Irish and El Salvadoran. I then became his sister, once that happened everyone joined in. They all began calling me sister by the end of the ride back, I have never been showered with more hugs than I did by that group of kids. I think I may have had more fun than the kids.

Some of my new siblings

 Catch ya later,
Ana

Does it get any better than Hustle Day?

The hustle field at CHV!

Hi everyone! So today was one of the most exciting days at Camp Harbor View. It was the last day for the kids in session one so that meant the first group of kids were done for the summer and there will be new group coming in for session two. In honor of it being the last day for them, it is called Hustle Day, and trust me, it was way more fun than it sounds! We started off the day by taking a tour around the Boston Harbor and then when we got to the island the day was full of colors! Yellow, blue, orange, purple, green, everyone was representing their individual group color and it was pretty exciting to see how ready the kids were to play and compete on the fields with their groups.
It was set up like a relay race so when the games started, I decided to go to the Wheelbarrow race and help out there. While we waited for the teams to come we played a game of crock-a-dilly-oh-my which was really fun because we all sang even though we didn't know all the words which was pretty funny. After that, we played a name memory game in which you had to say your name and something that began with the first letter of your name, and say the people's that went before you. I won't lie, it was pretty hard at first, but then it got easier and I remembered lots of new names and faces! When it was finally time to "wheelbarrow" the kids got in position and it really made my day to see all of them cheering on not only their teammates, but other teams too. They were all working together to win the race but also to have fun and make the best out of their last day at CHV. Moments like these, are what really make summers memorable. Although it was an exciting day, it was also a little sad because we already knew most of the kids and it was our last day with them, but we made the most of it and that's all that matters.

Til next session!  Keep exploring!

-Rusenny

Sound Waves

On Saturday, a few of us at Save the Harbor attended the Sound Waves event on Spectacle Island. Sound Waves is Boston Harbor's only Blues Beach Festival, where a few bands hop on board a concert ferry and play tunes while we cruise over to Boston's beautiful Harbor Islands. At Spectacle Island, people can get off of the ferry and go hiking, swim at the Island's sandy beaches, look for Spectacle's famous sea glass, or have lunch under the shade at their lunch patio. You don't have to leave the boat though. A bunch of concert goers stayed on board all day, soaking in the sun and enjoying the event's many bands.

The weather couldn't have been better this year: it was hot and sunny all day with cloud spotted, blue skies. We went with some attendees to the beach, where we dipped our feet into the refreshing water and listened to the bands from a short distance. They played a lot of their own songs, but also a bunch of fan favorites that everyone could sing along to. It was a perfect mixture for grooving to some unfamiliar sounds and singing along to some classic hits.

We were warmly welcomed by the event organizer, John Hall, who produced a flawlessly smooth event, and a few of the concert attendees who noticed us right away by our blue Save the Harbor shirts. Immediately after the boat left the dock, a man introduced himself to us and began praising Save the Harbor and all that we've done over the years to clean the area. He recalled when he was a teenager and went boating on his friend's vessel, how dirty and toxic the water was. He said that as they sailed through the Harbor, they'd constantly run into trash and other objects that were thrown into the water. It's obviously, no longer like that! Throughout the day, he'd see us and point out the beauty that the Boston Harbor has become and say, "This is all here because of you guys and the organization that you work for."

It feels great to be part of an organization that has done so much for the city and it's people. I can't wait to meet people at the rest of this year's Better Beaches Events and hear how happy they are with Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay!

Spectacle Island from the distance!

-SEAN