Learning Life is pleased to present this latest spotlight on families involved in our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI). The Saunders Family, featured in the adjoining photograph, recently joined CDI, and have been participating in our fundays, which start with a food tasting to encourage learning and adventurousness with world foods, then follow with a series of world learning and physical fitness challenges. Below, each participating Family member — the grandmother, Carol, granddaughter, Aubrey, and grandson, Deon — tell us more about themselves and what they like about Learning Life.
Carol Saunders
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in Washington DC. I have lived in DC all of my life, except for one year in Columbus, Georgia in 2012.
What’s your current and/or past line of work?
I am currently disabled, but volunteer a lot. I previously worked as a nursing assistant, medical assistant, and in retail sales for Goodwill Thrift Store.
Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you thus far? If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?
The day I was able to help someone. It had to be about 2004. I was home and disabled. I had to figure out a way to keep myself busy, not go into depression, and help other people. So, I decided to give back by volunteering. I started with my grandkids, helping with food, security, counseling at their school for after-school events. Then I started helping seniors. Four years ago I started volunteering at Arbor View Community Center, helping seniors to find and get things, like housing, food, transportation, counseling, medical care, etc. The volunteering helped me come out of depression and feel better about myself as I helped others feel better.
What do you like most about Learning Life?
I like the exposure that Learning Life gives kids to different cultures and countries. I like the volunteers that Learning Life has. They’re good people.
What’s one experience you’ve had with Learning Life that has been particularly meaningful to you?
Sitting down with a volunteer to learn about other countries. It helped me to help my grandkids. Sitting there together learning along with my grandkids was a plus.
Aubrey Saunders
Where were you born, and how old are you now?
I was born in Washington DC in 2011. I am seven years old.
What grade are you in, and what’s your favorite class in school?
I am in first grade. My favorite classes are reading and art.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to play with Slime, and I really love to do arts, like painting and drawing.
What would you like to be when you grow up?
I want to be a teacher for little kids.
What do you like most about Learning Life?
I like the [funday world food] tastings, the computer work learning about the world, and the [fitness challenge] exercises.
Deon Saunders
Where were you born, and how old are you now?
I was born in 2010 in Washington DC. I am eight years old.
What grade are you in, and what’s your favorite class in school?
I am in third grade. My favorite class is gym.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to play dodgeball, basketball and football.
What would you like to be when you grow up?
[Smiles.] That’s hard…I would like to be a dirt bike rider or a banker.
What do you like most about Learning Life?
I like the [funday fitness challenge] exercising, and the [world tasting] foods we eat, like mangoes and peanuts.
Intern Spotlight: Quanchao Fan
Learning Life’s student interns this spring semester 2019 are assisting with curriculum development, research, and international fundays as part of our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI), among other things. Quanchao (Marvin) Fan, interviewed below, has been helping with this work and outreach to possible CDI partners in China.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born and raised in Xinxiang, Henan, China, an industrial city with a population over five million.
What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?
I am in my second year of a Master’s degree in International Education at George Washington University.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I like to play and read with my little baby boy, Yuwen, now 9 months old. I also like to watch movies (especially historical dramas and comedies) with my wife, and play basketball or video games with friends.
Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you thus far? If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?
I had an American teacher who taught us spoken English when I was a freshman in college in China. Before college, I had never been outside of my own province in China. I knew little about the outside world. During that one year of teaching us, this American teacher not only helped us improve our English speaking, but also introduced us to American and world culture, which totally opened my eyes to the world. I was lucky enough to become her personal assistant then, and that gave me a special opportunity to learn from her. She patiently guided me on how to be a responsible leader and organized professional. She even helped me get an internship with the State of Washington’s Department of Commerce in Seattle during my senior year in college. That was the first time I left China, and the first time I lived and worked in a completely different culture, which was challenging and life-changing for me. This professor has continued to mentor me for the last 12 years. I feel extremely grateful to her.
What are your career plans?
My next step is to return to teaching, maybe as a Chinese language teacher here in the United States. Eventually, I want to be an educator that can help young generations to be confident, independent-thinking, self-controlled, grateful and willing to learn.
Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?
I believe this is a great opportunity to learn about kids from American lower-income families. Moreover, I would like to do my best to help these kids to learn about themselves and the world just like my American teacher in college has helped me.
What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?
It is a Camping Ground on the right bank of the Columbia River in Vantage, Washington. I was there camping with my best friend in the summer 2011. From our camp site, we could see the spectacular view of the great Columbia River and feel the river’s cool wind. At night we could see millions of bright stars in the dark blue sky. I still have the breathtaking view in my head. That was my first time camping, building a camp fire, making and eating s’mores, sleeping in a car overnight, and clearly seeing millions of beautiful stars.
Learning Life Partners with CPDC
Learning Life is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) to provide free, innovative, world learning activities to families at CPDC properties and in the surrounding community.
The CPDC is “a leading not-for-profit real estate developer dedicated to providing safe, high-quality affordable housing to low and moderate-income individuals and families.” The CPDC owns and operates more than two dozen apartment buildings in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland that provide housing and activities for their residents. Through the partnership, the CPDC is providing Learning Life with community center space and materials to carry out our “Fundays” and other events to help open the world to lower-income families. Learning Life started working with the CPDC informally and periodically in 2018, but formalized this relationship on Thursday, February 14.
In 2019, Learning Life’s Fundays will occur twice monthly on Sunday afternoons from February through April, and will be the primary vehicle through which we complete our international food culture project. The food culture project follows on our 2017 community photo project, and engages participating lower-income families in Washington DC, Dakar, Senegal, and San Salvador, El Salvador in learning about each other’s food culture as well as basic nutrition in cooperation with the Georgetown University School of Medicine. The Fundays are free to eligible families, and engage them in a combination of mind and body challenges to develop their physical fitness and world knowledge. For more about our Fundays, click here.
Learning Life Launches Fundays 2.0
Learning Life is pleased to announce the launch of our “Fundays 2.0.” These Fundays bring Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI) to a new level by blending project-based world learning, foreign food tastings and fitness challenges, with prizes for children who score the most project points.
Seeking Volunteers
For our Fundays, we are looking for volunteers in metro Washington DC who (1) are interested in world affairs, (2) like working with children, (3) speak Spanish, French or Arabic at an advanced to fluent level, and/or (4) have professional or amateur interest in fitness, food, nutrition, or health. Having a car is a plus, but not required.
Depending on their skills, interests and our needs, volunteers help with guiding families abroad (via Facebook) or in DC (face-to-face) through world learning or fitness challenges, world food tastings, and/or social media communications.
Context
Since August 2016, Learning Life’s CDI has engaged lower-income families on three continents in internet dialogues and projects to help open the world to more people, democratize diplomacy, and nurture more caring, capable citizens. CDI now engages families in Washington DC, USA, San Salvador, El Salvador, Dakar, Senegal, and Jerash, Jordan.
In 2017 and 2018, Learning Life carried out ten Fundays. These Fundays 1.0 engaged CDI children in Washington DC in international learning (e.g., geography, globalization, world health) through presentations and games. The Fundays 1.0 were a supplement to our CDI family projects, which included a photo project in 2017, a food project in 2018, to be completed in April this year, and a storytelling project in 2019, which will run from May to November.
Funday Details
This year, Fundays 2.0 combine our fundays and family projects, and add a fitness challenge. During each Funday 2.0, all families will move back and forth through two “Move your Mind” (MM) world learning activities, and two “Move Your Body” (MB) physical fitness activities, with twenty minutes devoted to each MM and MB. CDI families abroad (in San Salvador, Dakar, Jerash and elsewhere) connect via our CDI Facebook Group from their home, the office of a Learning Life partner organization or association, or wherever they are comfortable and have the best internet access. Learning Life volunteers communicate directly with families abroad via Facebook usually in the families’ native tongue to guide them through the day’s project steps, including the families’ cross-national interactions via Facebook.
In DC, volunteers and families will meet at the Arbor View Community Center at 1212 Southern Ave SE on the following Sundays at 1:30-4:30pm:
February 10, 24 March 10, 24 April 7, 28 May 5, 19 June 2, 23 July 14, 28 August 11, 25 September 8, 22 October 6, 20 November 3, 17
Those volunteers coming by car can meet us directly at the Center by 1:30pm. As you enter the Arbor View Apartments driveway, the Center is the second building on your left. It is on the ground floor of the building right after the playground. There is free parking right outside the building. For those volunteers coming by metro, volunteers with cars will pick you up at the Southern Ave Station on the Green Line at 1:15pm.
Carol Saunders
What do you like most about Learning Life? 
