What’s in Wonderfolk?
When one thinks of Wonderfolk, we wonder what comes to mind. We hope that people think about our amazing students, our desire to make an impact on the world, and our partnerships with local Portland organizations.
But what does that all really look like? We’re here to give you the inside scoop and break it all down for you!
Mentor Meet-ups
We meet a minimum of two times per month, usually on a Saturday, from March through June from 10 AM to 3:00 PM
During the mentoring program we explore community service, personal growth, and prepare for our trip abroad through discussions and activities
During this time we also have engaging activities with our community partners like documentary filming with MetroEast Media, healing through art with local PDX artists and many more!
The cohort is also introduced to the peer mentoring program. Alumni mentors provide mentees with the guidance, tips, and skills needed to thrive in Wonderfolk’s programming and beyond. Each alumni is paired with 2-3 current students
All mentor meet-ups are followed by a delicious meal from a local BIPOC owned restaurant!
Curriculum
Our curriculum consists of an experience that will expand your worldview, push your comfort zone, and inspire personal growth
We dive into our cultures and our social identity wheel
We start every curriculum/mentor meeting with our community agreements, a list of ways we want our voices to be heard and respected, created by the cohort
We discuss the difference between community service and community based service and identify the communities we belong to/the importance of respecting all communities
We explore local social issues that affect the communities we belong to and how we help bridge gaps
We create a definition of what leadership means to us individually and as a group
Project Highlight: Our Naturehood with Jacobsen Salt Co.
We meet at The Lot at Zidell Yards where we get introduced to the Jacobsen Hive program to discuss the ecological impacts of native and non-native bees. We talk through the basics of honey bee biology (with a focus on pollination and honey production)
Students get hands-on experience through the biodiversity planting activity. Sunflower, echinacea, and calendula beds are planted! Fun fact, all working bees that we see out on the flower fields are female bees!
A couple of months later our students process both honey and wax. We do this at the Jacobson warehouse inside the honey cleanroom. Students are in full gear, wearing hairnets, gloves and cleanroom jackets while learning how Jacobsen honey gets into our favorite home recipes
The cohort gets to take a sample of the delicious honey they harvested after the processing meet-up!
