I have
volunteered at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning for about three
months now. As this experience is drawing to a close, I thought I'd share some
thoughts about the center itself and also volunteer organizations in general.
Because I have had only limited experience with this organization and indeed
with organized volunteer groups in general, I would like to preface my opinion
with the confession that I am no expert. This being said, here is my video reflection.
I fell in love with the Carnegie Center's building, gifted by Andrew Carnegie. Below is a photo of the gorgeous old building.
the Carnegie Center's event based on the book Fear and Loathing
in Las Vegas. The book, written by Hunter S. Thompson, is
mentioned on a Goodreads as, "The best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken." Prior to the event, I volunteered by posting posters advertising the event in local shops around campus and the chevy chase areas.
I also volunteered at the actual event. The event included music, open bar, drag show, and food. Also, several artists created paintings and drawings inspired by the book. The event included music, open bar, drag show, and food. Also, several artist created paintings and drawings inspired by the book.
Below is the cover of the book, which is illustrated by Ralph Steadman.
Ralph Steadman was the very skilled illustrator who created all the images in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
At the event, guests dressed up in 70's style costumes, drank alot of alcohol and ate a lot of food, and they seemed to be having a great time. There was also a Russian roulette table, at which guests one various small prizes like candy and sunglasses. I was stationed at this table to monitor and hand out prizes. I stayed by the table, which was next to the open bar and donut bar, for the two and a half hours that I worked the shift. It was quite an experience, and I certainly was not expecting it. I did not know anything about the book prior to the event, and honestly I was expecting something much different. However, it was a unique experience, and I am glad I was able to help.
Tim Doner is a polyglot, which is a person who knows and uses several languages. His TED talk happened about two years ago. Two years prior, the New York Times published an article about his talent of language learning, called Adventures of a Teenage Polyglot. He begins by explaining how the media twisted his story, making it essentially a sensational about a neat trick he could do, on a level with "a skate boarding bulldog in a baby suit."
Next Doner explains his real interest in language. He claims that, contrary to the popular opinion among linguists, language is very strongly tied to worldview, and thus to culture. He wants to learn about other cultures and world views, and that is one of his major reasons for learning languages.
Doner was immersed in language diversity from a very young age, being a child voice actor. His family and friends found that he had a knack for accents and inflections. Next, throughout middle school and high school, he studied Latin, French, and Arabic. But he was having trouble with them. After several years of a language, he was still not comfortable conversing in it. This made language learning frustrating. Essentially, he had only thought of language as lists of rules and grammar.
So, he tried a different method. In an effort to learn about the crises in the middle east, he began learning Hebrew. Instead of the usual method, he began watching television in Hebrew. Within a short amount of time, he could converse in Hebrew. This is often called an immersion method, which focuses on learning in the context of conversation. So, his success led him to try another language, and then another, and then another.
Another method he used to help him learn used Youtube. He posted videos of him speaking in various languages, and invited comments. Many who already spoke those languages would give him tips and encouragement. Essentially, he found a way to converse with people in languages which he could not usually.
Next he went over various methods for keeping vocabulary straight, and basically the logistics of learning languages. As a student of Latin and Greek, this was helpful for me! I really appreciated his tips, but I and the audience were more effected by his main point. He explained that languages are dying. He claimed that every two weeks a language dies, and with it, a culture. This is very sad to any linguist. And he calls the audience, not to fix the dying, but to learn languages as a way to open and expand your worldview. Learning about other cultures makes us good citizens and friends, but it also improves our understanding of the world and ideas around us.
Doner giving his TED talk. A year ago, he knew twenty languages!
Moving on! Doner's execution of the speech was excellent. He tastefully included humor, and his audience clearly enjoyed it. He also included an excellent call to action, appealing to the emotions and reason of his audience. The only area I can see for improvement would be that he could benefit from seeming a little more humble. Despite the fact that he has reason to be very proud, humility of speech appeals to audiences more.
As a lover of languages and of learning about culture, I strongly appreciated this TED talk, and encourage anyone to watch it!
I have had the privilege of serving an organization designed to educate people. Despite scheduling issues and other difficulties, I am grateful to have an opportunity to serve other people. I am also thankful for Erica Cook, who has been patient and helpful in working things out so that we can fulfill class requirements. Attached above is a video of some of my thoughts about the Center and my experiences with it.
One pretty fascinating performance which they had during the International Eating and Reading Night was Capoeira, an African balancing game set to music. The music is intentionally designed to get caught in your head, so fair warning! Above is a clip of the performance.
The Carnegie Center is especially oriented around educating children. To this end, they have tutoring, family classes, and also they have authors come in to read their children's books. One child wrote this sweet thank you note, and this was really touching to me.
Alecia Whitaker is an author originally from Kentucky. She now lives and writes in New York, but the Carnegie Center invited her to visit and read one of her books.
All this being said, I think that it would be easier to serve my community if it was not through a class. Without the pressure of class deadlines and confirmations of service, I believe that young people could help the community more effectively. I strongly encourage anyone to volunteer at the Carnegie Center in their free time.
Last week, I attended the International Eating and Reading Night at the Carnegie Center. I volunteered as an event assistant, greeted guests, and helped with cleanup afterwards. Even though I have communicated with Erica, the program consultant at the Center, I had never gotten to visit the building before. It is a beautiful building, and very old. Its high ceiling and chandeliers are particularly elegant. I enjoyed just walking around in the century old building. Below is a picture of the meeting room.
The Carnegie Center holds an International Eating and Reading Night every year, inviting special readers as well as leaving the floor open for any guest to speak.
I found out that until 1989, the building which now houses the Carnegie Center was actually the Lexington Public Library. According to, the plaque in front of the building, it was "the first Library west of the Alleghenies". Below is a shot of the sign taken by photographer Vladimir Kopolovich.
Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist and famous philanthropist, donating millions of dollars toward many charities and programs throughout his career.
I love the building, but the Eating and Reading part of the night was intriguing too. The thirty or more guests each brought various dishes from their homelands. There was everything from Turkish Delight to West African dishes. There were plenty of delicious dishes, and eating together is the perfect place to make new friends.
After the meal, various speakers read poetry and some prose in their various languages. Between German, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and many other languages, no one understood the meaning of all the readings. But the sounds were beautiful. The intricacy and grace of language constantly amazes me. What a great way to educate one another! I am excited to serve at many more of such events.
We live in a culture filled with zombies. We wonder around with our eyes glued on our phone screens and our minds driven about by every advertisement and flashing light. This aimlessness dulls our minds and our hearts. The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning fights this ever increasing trend in our culture. According to its mission statement, the center's main objective is essentially to help people learn about the literary arts and imaginative learning so that they can voice their own thoughts. I believe that this kind of learning is absolutely key in fighting the epidemic our culture is facing. Their programs, centered around writing and literature, include classes in creative, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry writing as well as several language classes. For example, starting on the 30th of this month, Renia Belmadani, a professor who believes strongly in the power of education, will be holding an Arabic class through the Carnegie Center. There are also writing contests fairly regularly at the Carnegie Center. Below is a picture taken during the Gabehart Prize winner's reading.
This photo was taken from the Instagram account of a volunteer at the Carnegie Center.
I have not yet gone to the center, but I am looking forward to working with such a unique and powerful program. You can learn more about this center through their Facebook, Twitter, and of course their website.
