During the month of October, we were able to reconnect with PSP scholars in southern and northern California. During these meetings, we were reminded of the special privilege of being a part of PSP and the responsibilities that come with it. Scholars came together to create and discuss their personal mission statement and steps they must take to meet their personal and communal goals.

Our scholar meetings began with ice-breaking activities so that all of our scholars felt comfortable sharing with each other. They were assigned groups based on their favorite candy bars and got to meet new scholars from their area. Scholars took turns answering questions to each other from “Share the funniest situation you have experienced with PSP,” to “If you could spend a year in another country, where would you go? Why?”

Our scholars reviewed the PSP mission statement and evaluated and reflected on how it is impacting their lives. Once they shared with the group they got to work independently to craft their own personal mission statement. We did not have them share to the group if they didn’t feel comfortable as this was a personal reflection exercise. We encouraged scholars to evaluate what steps they need to take in order to fulfill their own mission statement.

Scholars then got to walk around and discuss with small groups as they did a gallery walk to answer questions around the room. The questions posed to them ranged from “What changes do you want to see in the world?” to “What does PSP help you do?” They answered these questions as a group and it was inspiring to hear the great things that our scholars wish to accomplish. They were all in agreement that they want to make a difference in their communities and enrich their lives through education.

One of the final activities was sponsor letter writing. We discussed the importance of writing to PSP sponsors and who they are. Scholars are full of gratitude as they can only experience the enrichment activities that they do because of their sponsor. They all said they feel encouraged and proud of their sponsor having such high hopes for them.

To finish the meetings we created a community web. Program and Operations Manager Maria started us off and we took turns answering “What do I contribute to the PSP community?” By the last person, we had an interconnected web and we could all see that PSP is a community and a safety net. Our scholars had a sense of all of the people who believe in them and are there to support them along the way.

We enjoyed seeing all our scholars at these meetings and reaffirming our commitment to PSP!