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This post was written by Ahnung, a therapy dog that provides Animal Assisted Education at The Lab.  Read more here – but bottom line is this:  This dog wants more Facebook Fans, and if she reaches 600 Fans, her “Human” (Lab volunteer, Marilou), will donate $150 to The Lab. Help us out!  It won’t cost you a dime! Read more

A couple weeks ago I had what may very well be the most rewarding experience I’ve had in my long stint with The Lab, and that’s saying a lot, as I’ve had some of the most rewarding experiences of my life already working for The Lab.  I was called in to work with one high school student in particular, as he is in love with writing and The Writing Lab was in jeopardy of being canceled that day.  So, he and I worked one-on-one.

I learned that this student has been through some experiences in his short life already that are harder than anything I’ve ever had to face.  He told me that the way he deals with the issues that arise from such experiences, as well as just day to day trials, is through writing.   Read more

The Lab –  that is exactly what it is –  like some type of metaphysical Laboratory.

When stepping into this place I feel as though it is an opportunity to disect the brains of the youth that come through this program in order to figure out what is “wrong”.  But actually, what is wrong with our communities, societies, and the world in general, because the children know what’s up, but sometimes adults want to talk more than listen. My internship here at The Lab so far has been an opportunity for educational growth, as wells as a time of listening to children, who are a reflection of who I was as a young boy. It’s not so much about “fixing” them, but “examining”, while allowing them to “Examine” me.

It’s like “Hey Man, you can be where I am now, you and I are the same person. There is no reason you cannot better yourself.  Are you the labels that have been given to you?  Where do you want to be in 10 years?”.

For lack of better words The Lab has opened my eyes to a lot, Especially when I grab my scalpel and begin doing surgery on words and language in the Writing Lab!  Peace!

* A Note from Mary T:
Indeed, Kama — The Lab is a place where we highlight the STRENGTHS of youth.  We are not a place or program that sees youth in their deficits or pathology.  At The Lab, we are working to address inequities in this world, particularly in those ways that affect our youth.  We are striving to support our youth to make positive and healthy choices, even in the face of injustice.

In recent years I have come to rely on writing …. my morning practice of journaling has been a life saver for me, a creative outlet. For youth at The Lab, they are shown this “writing way” as a healthy way to cope with life’s stressors.  Too many youth do not know that they have a voice, but when they are at The Lab, they have a voice, and what they have to say matters.

This image is a sneak preview of the Lab’s Poetry & Art Anthology cover, vol VIII. It is making its way to the printer for publication soon, but we have some money to raise!    The Lab needs to raise $500 by March 31st to print these anthologies and would like to give two copies to every student who has a poem published in the anthology. Imagine the smile on the face of one of these students … can you donate even just $10, or $15, or $25 to The Lab to help with publishing costs?

You can make a donation to The Lab online by clicking here.

If you would prefer to write a check, please make your check out to The Lab and mail it to:

The Lab at Homecroft
St. Paul Public Schools
Attn: Mary Tinucci, Program Coordinator
1845 Sheridan Ave
St. Paul, MN 55116

Read more

It came as a revelation in mid-December that all my life I had been focused on the ‘art project’.  Of course I know that while creating art, a person puts themselves, their experiences, their emotions and ultimately their story into the project. I would add that the experience of creating something with your hands that is beautiful is inherently satisfying in a way that modern society does not offer. This is why the idea of learning art, doing art, sharing it with people and teaching it is thrilling and ultimately fulfilling for me.  Anyone could do art; there is not a right and a wrong way. I believe this. As an art educator in schools, community centers and camps I am enjoy planning art project for kids, teens and adults who are genuinely excited about the projects. I went to my internship at The Lab with this same enthusiasm. A student of social work and a recently trained Lab intern, I was aware of the importance of cultural relevance in planning my class so I dove into the new world of hip-hop with graffiti as the focus. My classes would be fun and meaningful. Great art would be created.

Read more

Looking out at the muddy, slushy yet GREEN grass from my office window recently, I had reason to reflect about the past year and the concept of growth.

All of the important work that happens here takes place in the context of relationships. Just as none of the tangible outcomes (poems, art, beats) that students make during their time at The Lab would be possible without raw materials (pen and paper), none of the important intangible outcomes would be possible without the investment and support by mentors and peers. Read more

It’s been approximately 6 months since I started my internship here at The LAB.  I have worked my way through many cycles of immense gratitude, appreciation for the staff/volunteers who are teaching me so much, sadness regarding the challenges our students face every day, awe at their resiliency, an overwhelming sense of being completely unable to do enough, and determination to move forward in ways that put faces to our mission.

I’m smiling now (and admittedly, a little teary) as I think about those faces……..the smiles from a previously shut-down 14 year old, the “all right Leann……I’ll see you next time” that accompanied a hand shake from a student who reportedly had a hard time building relationships…..   Read more

I have been volunteering at The Lab for over a year now, working with kids that are thought of as being difficult but who, in reality, are just like all other kids, full of dreams, playfulness and enthusiasm. When I started at The Lab, I volunteered with the Morning Enrichment groups, working mostly with the visual arts group. In this group, the youth learn how to create neat projects like mosaics, self-portraits, journal/book-making and more, while opening up to each other and to the volunteers and interns.

I love the change that takes place from when these youth first walk into the Lab to the moment they leave to go back to school. When they get in, they have heavy feet and are low on energy. During the groups, they lighten up and turn into total kids, exploring their creative and artistic sides, even if at first they thought they could not do it! By the time they leave the classroom to go back to school, they are carrying with them their final projects, whether this is in their hands or in their minds! I love that transformation, because they stop being “EBD kids” for a minute, and turn into just kids… Read more

So I wait by the door to the entrance of the building for one of the youth that I will be working with for the day in either the Recording Studio or the Writer’s Lab and I am thinking to myself,

Wow, today is another chance to bring the best out of him/her; Today is another opportunity for me to help them discover that they have so much more inside of them even than the poem that they are writing or the rap that they are saying over the mic.

With that train of thought, as I see their smile for the first time that day, I know it won’t be the last because I will use this time to encourage, uplift and esteem this expression of talent.   Read more

Blogger – Marilou, Lab Mentor/Volunteer:

I have always considered myself “navigationally impaired” and one who always gets lost and needs turn by turn directions. Don’t tell me to head east or west. Tell me turn left or right. Tell me landmarks. This morning as I was doing some research on the North Star as I work on developing more lesson plans for the animal assisted education work that Ahnung and I are doing at The Lab.
(Pictured above  - Marilou, Lab mentor & her therapy dog, Ahnung) Read more

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