Dr. Leigh Weisz: 15:25
Right? Unbelievable. That was brave of you guys to go to, to New Orleans. I was going to say, what was that? What were a couple of the activities, the service oriented activities that the kids did there and what were their reactions?
Brad Swanson: 15:43
So when we go to New Orleans now and pretty much then as well, we have a kind of a cafeteria of nonprofit experiences. We want there to be an experience that’s related to housing related to poverty needs in that city, and specifically the Lower Ninth Ward, where Katrina hit incredibly hard was an educational piece that we obviously needed to, to, to experience. We also needed to have that conversation with a lens of race and with a lens of class and economics and social issues. And so that was the learning piece about what is, how do we do all of that when we’re on the ground? You know, maybe swinging a hammer and doing some work on a house.
But what is the bigger context that we have to be aware of in our educational piece? And so we wrote, we wrote that into the experience. And so every, every assault trip has reflection, has discussion, has journaling, has, you know, personal growth. And many challenging conversations come from that. So, but the so in New Orleans, we would do housing for a couple of days.
We’ve done educational work, we’ve done environmental work, we’ve done community gardens. So it’s a whole host of things that we have over the years come become really connected to quality nonprofits that are doing amazing work on the ground. And we might come in for a day, day and a half experience throughout the week that we are there to expose our students to that type of need, that type of mission, that type of work, but also do some really quality, meaningful service while we are there and then learn about their the need that they are meeting and what, how unique that is and, and give our students, hopefully many, many experiences and great exposure to an entirely different community.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 17:55
Incredible. Just incredible to think about how these kids and these teens are changed from these few days. I mean, it could just be a few days, but having these experiences that, like you said, they likely otherwise would not get on their own. At least, you know, naturally. Also.
Brad Swanson: 18:10
I am very intentional about it being not just a trip necessarily, not just a service experience, but really a learning experience with journaling and discussion. We also have a good time, and we also take advantage of some of the unique things that are available in that community. Right. So whether it be a jazz cruise and some other great things that happen in New Orleans. So we have we do good during the day and we have fun in the afternoon evening, you know, so it’s a really packed experience.
Ida Fiore: 18:44
But it’s a great balance for us. And I think, you know, we go to the cooking class and in New Orleans and learn how to make jambalaya and banana fosters. And we really absorb the culture. We go to Preservation Hall and we hear the music. And I think that appreciation is really important for the kids.
And when we journal, the kids have eight guiding principles that they follow during their service. And we reflect on those. And we always, every morning, we always focus on one of those guiding principles. And I also think that that is what brings the group so close together. All of the chaperones on our SaLT trips are veteran educators.
And I think that that is also a very strong component. As Brad said, we really value that capital L in SaLT because we want the kids to come home with it and bring it home and make sure that they are also sharing out what they learned.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 19:53
I was just going to say, piggybacking on what you said, I know that like, it’s not like the kids are going and they’re just doing the service only stuff. It’s, it’s also that you’re sprinkling in these super fun bonding experiences too, like balancing it all out. So they’re, they’re experiencing their brains, you know, service is fun. You know that this doesn’t, it goes together. I always think about how sometimes people use service or chores or manual labor as like, as a punishment, you know, and I’m like, oh God, no, no, no, no, this should not be how we pair it in our brains.
And so I just love that, you know, the kids can go and have this incredibly fun experience and learn about culture and be doing things they would never get the chance to do and be doing real good in the world. And that that can be one in their brain. I think it’s so neat. I was going to ask in terms of the journaling, because I do think that’s really unique to what you guys do. Is there a conversation or reflection that you heard kids talking amongst themselves about, that you’ve witnessed over the years that really has stayed with you?
That was really powerful. I kind of want to be a fly on the wall in some of these conversations.
Ida Fiore: 21:04
No.
Brad Swanson: 21:04
Let me first of all.
Ida Fiore: 21:05
I think.
Brad Swanson: 21:06
It’s.
Ida Fiore: 21:07
Okay. Go ahead.
Brad Swanson: 21:08
Sorry. First of all, the context of it. And then I had to jump in with maybe an example and okay, I’ll offer one too as well. But the context for our journaling really is very simple, but yet personal and powerful. And so we kind of stumbled upon, but we really have embraced a, a journaling and, and discussion component.
That is what So what? Now what? And the what gives them time to talk about. What did they do? What was different?
You know, write down I did this service. I did that service. I, I helped build this wall today. I’ve never done that before. I cleaned up this area.
Whatever. What did you do? So what why is it important? Why was it needed? Who cares?
Was you did this little thing today? Does it really matter? You know, all of those types of questions involved the. So what? And then?
Now what? How are you different because of it? Did you learn something different? Did you grow differently? Are you thinking about something differently?
Do you have more questions than you ever had before? Because now you see something up front. So we really use that simple yet powerful format that can go all kinds of different ways. When you couple that with journaling, small group discussion, great reflection, challenging questions, all sprinkled throughout. So that’s the format of what we do when it comes to our experience in journaling discussions.
And we’ve had so many amazing conversations with kids all throughout that. But I know you were going to offer an example.
Ida Fiore: 22:44
Well, I was just going to say that Lee asked about like being a fly on the wall. Well, my favorite part of journaling is the kids. They do share and everyone shares. It’s not like quiet in the classroom. Everyone shares something.
But my favorite part is we do SaLT snaps in the circle. So like, it would be a positive comment to someone or how someone helped them that day and to see kids from different backgrounds, you know, I want to make sure we say that that scholarship program we, I started with Washington, DC, we carry it into SaLT and we do scholarship probably weave scholarship to dates. About 60% of our travelers that have attended on our trips. So there are different backgrounds in that journal circle. There are different schools.
We had our most recent trip. We had freshmen and we had seniors. And to see the seniors snapping out the freshmen and sophomores, I think was just amazing part of that bonding. We always say we travel kind of as a family, but we really don’t have the conflicts sometimes, and the kids form those relationships as a family. And I just I would like to just say that tomorrow, fast forward, we have shop and drop and one of the kids from Orlando is delivering to our families, a Lake Forest high school kid.
And, you know, we told her we wanted to bring someone and they have a separate chat group that Brad and I are not in. And they found someone, they made it work. Like they’re still keeping that connection together. And I think I feel like we’re doing our job if that’s what’s happening, because they need so many safety nets. And I love the fact that the teens are getting safety nets from all different communities.
And I think that’s what SaLT does on our trips, for sure.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 25:06
You’re building a community again. And what a what a common, wonderful thing to share that they want to do good in the world, that that’s their common, you know, what connects them?
Brad Swanson: 25:15
Yeah. I think that there’s an amazing social piece that happens on trips. And it’s really developmental for young people, especially post Covid and social media world, etc. To say, wow, I’m going to take a risk and maybe go on this experience for four days or maybe 6 or 7 days. And I only know one person, maybe I don’t know anybody. And what’s that going to be like, right.
And so we think about that as adults and we get anxiety sometimes about what am I going to do on this, you know, in this social, social environment. And so I don’t think we could have as much bonding and as much community that that really is on a powerful upward trajectory. The entire trip, if we didn’t do the journaling and the kind of personal stories being told and the, the risks being taken when you when you bond in some work, you feel like you have done something that is bigger than just yourself. You did it as a team and now you get to talk about it and maybe share some really personal things about it, about what you learned or what how you felt. And I will say that our students also, if there’s a theme that is reoccurring, it’s probably a grateful theme.
Our students are incredibly grateful for their lives, for their own experiences as they go through a trip like that. And it’s also empathy, not sympathy. That’s those are two themes that I think are pretty powerful. We talk about that a lot, that this is this is an empathetic trip. You want to you want to work with people.
You don’t want to be feeling sorry per se. People don’t want to be feel felt sorry for. They want to be. Maybe they have a need that needs to be met today, and maybe I’ll have that need tomorrow. And so how is it that I, you know, practice empathy throughout this whole experience?
So those are the echoes that we hear kids when, you know, tell us and when we talk about different types of guiding principles, you know, whether it is as simple as unplug, but as powerful as unplug. That’s one of our guiding principles. You know, another is this is it, which really means, you know, live in that moment. Be power. It’s powerful knowing that this experience isn’t happening anywhere else.
And, you know, those types of things allow us to dig a little bit deeper with our students to really help them uncover those reflections and those, you know, self self-actualization that starts to occur.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 27:56
And I think about just from a developmental lens, like teenagers these days are feeling anxious and pressured and constantly evaluated, whether it’s in, you know, sports or grades or, you know, any social media, all this kind of stuff. And the idea that these experiences that you are fostering aren’t about achievement, but about just showing up, you know, contributing, connecting, unplugging and being in the here and now to do what they can. It’s just so powerful in terms of what it gives back to these teens. And in terms of just what they are so craving and needing and not really getting as much as I wish they were these days. And then the unplugging you spoke to, I was going to say to me, that’s also a pretty cool way to connect teens with each other.
Because when you know, when they are given their devices, it looks very different than when they’re, when they’re without them. So no, it’s really neat.
Ida Fiore: 28:46
The most recent trip trip, their dinner, they had their own unplugged dinner, not even involving Brad and I at all. And they just completely unplugged on their own. And they were so proud to tell us about it. That’s awesome.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 29:04
I was going to ask Brad if you would be comfortable sharing kind of how you came up with volunteering in Orlando with Give the Kids the World, because that was kind of cool. You shared with the parents.
Brad Swanson: 29:15
Yeah. Thanks for thanks for asking. So we, I, we mentioned earlier that each trip is very intentional. The location, the type of nonprofits that we partner with. The the conversations that happen.
Certainly are repetitive because it’s about growth and it’s about doing things they’ve never done and it’s about serving others. But the, the type of work and the type of experience looks different and has its own personality. We like to say so new Orleans has its personality. Alaska has its personality, of course, and Orlando was our third trip that we started. And we’ve done a few kind of one offs to Puerto Rico, DC, New York.
So we have a few others as well. But those are the three that have been really standard for us. The Orlando trip is incredibly powerful. It’s a very emotional trip. And the reason and it’s not because of Mickey necessarily, although we do go see Mickey and Minnie and have at least a little bit of fun at the parks, but there is an amazing place there called Give Kids the World and Give kids the world is about 20 minutes outside of Disney is a, you know, nationally known nonprofit.
And essentially, they are the sandwich between Make-A-Wish and Walt Disney. So if you are a Make-A-Wish family and you select Disney as your week long trip, Make-A-Wish does all kinds of things with the parks and all kinds of things otherwise, but they don’t necessarily do your housing and your day to day and give Kids the World, which started in 1986, has developed into an amazing 100 acre location and envision Candyland brought to life, essentially in which families stay at give kids the world and all of their needs are met and smiles and hope are, you know, communicated all day long as they are given meals and go on rides and and play all kinds of games, have a spa. Eat ice cream for breakfast. You know, you name it. It happens at give kids the world.
And then you may go to the parks. Of course, as your other. You know, your daily experience through Make-A-Wish. And it’s an amazing place that was, you know, created years ago and has has grown into what it is today. I think they house correct me if I’m wrong, Ida.
They may be housed 200 family, 170 families maybe is at their maximum. So it’s a pretty amazing place. And my first my personal story is that in 2004, we were recipients of Make-A-Wish. My middle daughter, who is happy and healthy and newly married at age 29, is a leukemia survivor. And so during her kindergarten years, she did kind of the normal testing for kindergarten and things kept coming back question marks.
and that led to a diagnosis of leukemia. And so, you know, that that upset our world like we never could have predicted. And it was such a, a challenging time in countless ways. But it was also a really amazing time for us to see the generosity of community and family and people that you’ve never known. Point is that we went we went to give kids a world in 2004, and it’s an amazing experience for me now to go back once or twice a year and bring students back to a place that meant so much to me and my daughter and my family, and now we get to give back to them and kind of do a full circle moment in regards to our experience there.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this would be a path that that I would be on when we were simply a very young, scared, terrified family going through our own tragedy. And then here, 20 some years later, able to bring students back and, and stay in touch with them and essentially just say thank you every single time.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 33:38
An incredible story of resilience and gratitude in, in and of its own right. But thank you for sharing that with us. I wanted to kind of pivot because I know we’ve talked a lot about these incredible trips that you guys lead, but I know there’s also really meaningful service projects that you do right here at home. And so can you tell us a little bit about kind of how those came to be and how teenagers might get involved without even getting on an airplane?
Brad Swanson: 34:03
Yeah, I do.
Ida Fiore: 34:05
Sure. So yeah. So yeah, we’ve, I think we have done 38 SaLT trips to date. So that’s kind of cool since 2015. In 2020, we shifted like the entire world shifted during Covid.
Obviously, we couldn’t travel. So what happened was some of our former travelers, two girls in particular reached out to, I think it was me first, and then we brought Brad in and they sparked the idea of what is happening to the families that may need additional support in our community during Covid. So just to back it up a little bit, Elm Place did the day of giving that North Shore School District 112 does now throughout the whole district, but originally it started at Elm Place. So many of the families since I ran that program at Elm Place knew me because of the DC scholarships because of the Day of giving. So what was happening?
My school email. Many of the families were reaching out saying that they didn’t have food because at the time there was no food given to the schools to send to the families. So we shifted fairly quickly. I remember Charlotte Harrigan calling me. I believe it was in April and the beginning of April.
And when we were all trying to figure out our lives, and then we brought Brad in and then two other girls who had traveled with us and shop and drop came from an idea of students getting together, saying, what can we do? We officially launched Shop and Drop on May 3rd, 2014 or 2015. No 2020. Sorry, I was thinking of when SaLT started 2020 and what we thought was six weeks has been six years. We started with 25 families.
We currently have served to date 853 families. Our families range from Lake Bluff to Skokie. In July of 2020, we started our Love to Learn program, knowing that the kids that were from our shop and drop families probably needed some support with schooling, with technology families had these iPads not knowing what to do with them. So we started Love to Learn July 2020 at the Highwood Rec Center. We were the first teachers in front of kids faces since Covid had started, and we had high school tutors, students come in to tutor, which was amazing.
And then a few years after that, we started the Take Care initiative. The Take Care initiative, actually started when migrant families came from Venezuela to Chicago Processing Center, and we served about, along with eight other cities and villages. We served about 800 buses of migrant families with warm clothing and small essentials. And we did that with a lot of support from surrounding communities. I always say I am because we are, and I really feel that with Take Care and Take Care has evolved a little bit with. I was a teacher in Highland Park when the July 4th tragedy happened, and on July 5th we were in my dining room organizing the Highland Park Strong t shirts and yard signs and bumper stickers in any way to raise funds to support those that were impacted.
That is one moment that I won’t forget because the community really stepped up. But another moment is when I walked into the school for the first time since the tragedy, the very first day, and going into the teachers lounge where our mailboxes were, and seeing my mailbox completely filled with cards of love and hope and support from surrounding teachers, from Lake Forest, from Deerfield, you know, from Northbrook. And just saying, you’re going to have a good year and we’re here and whatever you need. And I felt I had a safety net underneath me from all these communities. And we really took that along with, you know, every all the support everyone was given from the Highland Park tragedy.
And we started the Take Care initiative. And the Take Care initiative supports communities in crisis. We supported sent packages to Camp Mystic families after the flooding tragedy. We sent 2000 packages to LA firefighters during the wildfires. I think it was a year and a half ago.
We most recently sent packages to the Milwaukee Cancer Ward for the pediatric kids that are staying there long term. There is a teacher locally that’s child was just diagnosed with AML and we have been sending her packages monthly. So we really try to do a lot of little things to support others in need. Brad, can you think of any other take care initiatives that I might have missed?
Brad Swanson: 40:24
Well, the thing about Take Care is that it’s very responsive. And students, you know, see tragedy or see heartache and have a hard time kind of saying either, oh my gosh, I feel numb again about that happening again or while we, I wish we could do something. And so take care gives them that outlet to say, what if we did something for someone and we can do this? This is what I just heard about yesterday. And so that’s what’s really powerful about Take Care is that it a lot of those situations are student initiated, and sometimes it’s been as simple as our own first responder community.
So our EMTs and our fire and our police, and we’ve done take care packages for them. Just because things have bubbled up and or, you know, people are having a hard time and, you know, let’s, let’s help people feel like they’re not alone, even in tough jobs. We’ve done take care initiatives and.
Ida Fiore: 41:30
Our trips, I was going to say on our trips.
Brad Swanson: 41:33
On our trip to maybe do some bags of, of thanks and some little love packages for people that are working in our hotel or people that we met along the way that really moved us. And so we might have the extras in our bags and say, I think we, I think that person really could benefit from a take care package and pull it out and give it to them. So you know that that’s the initiative that everybody can do some of that. Right? And so we want take care to be responsive and simple yet powerful and accessible by so many.
So those are the three programs that we have on a more consistent basis. You know, food insecurity with shop and drop, educational inequities with love to learn and take care, supporting families and individuals in crisis. Those are ongoing. And that’s really what we are able to utilize when we work with our really committed. We call them our student interns here at SaLT.
We’ve we’ve ranged between 15 and 20 on any given year of kids who are kind of extra committed and really want to do more and, and, and help, plan and help do the behind the scenes and we’ll do anything in a moment’s notice to help a service project be successful. Yeah. And also inspire us, of course, all the time.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 42:52
It’s amazing hearing these stories. About how, first of all, kindness is contagious, you know, and, and during the Highland Park tragedy, I remember, you know, parents saying, what the heck can we do? Our kids are helpless. And, you know, it was just a horrible, paralyzing feeling. And we kept saying, if there’s something little you can do, action is really healing. And so it just sounds like you guys really took that, you know, that idea, that concept.
And again, no matter how small, it doesn’t matter. It helps the person feel like, no, no, no, there is something I can do to help. It’s actually gets you out of that. And also it really does make a big difference. It’s that tiny gesture that someone is going to experience is I’m not alone in this tragedy.
And unfortunately, there throughout the whole, you know, the whole world. And so it sounds like you allow the students to come up with these, some of these ideas themselves, and you get behind them and you have a lot of people in the community supporting you and to make these things come to fruition. So it’s, it’s amazing. I just want to like switch gears for a minute and acknowledge again, what you’re doing for these teens is truly incredible. I wanted to ask you guys, what kind of characteristics are you hoping to build in terms of their long term development from having these experiences?
I can think of a lot, but what’s one of them that’s really kind of important to you guys?
Ida Fiore: 44:16
I think it’s so funny that you asked the, you know, the, the interns and a lot of the kids that come on our trips that volunteer with us on a regular basis, they call South SaLT University. And they, I feel like this week alone for shop and drop to happen on Saturday. They’ve been to Sam’s Club. They’ve rescued the bagels at once upon a bagel. They picked up the donation at Bent Fork.
They picked up our Giving Kind donation. They went to the bank. They went to target. They know places to shop for the least expensive pasta, where to get the best deals. They come to the site.
They let people in when they need it. They’ve also run a fundraising campaign this week alone just for shop and drop. So I think that my for my hope, my hope for all the kids is that they always know that not only that, Brad and I are there for them, but they’re there for each other. And I would think that’s my hope that I’m building is the relationship component with all the kids, because I do think that that is the most important thing today, with all the issues that our kids are growing up, and number one, being the social media component. And I know how difficult that is.
And I think that just looking out for one another, and like Brad had said, that empathetic piece and being there not just for those in need, but being there for each other and friendships. Beautiful.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 46:08
Thank you. Brad, anything you want to add to that?
Brad Swanson: 46:11
Well, you know, take care. Coincidentally is one of our guiding principles. And that kind of is referring to that, you know, take care of yourself, take care of others. It’s a two way experience. Another, a couple things that come to mind in regards to that.
I think we, we want our, our student interns and anyone who works with us, regardless of the, the level of commitment or the length of time to really understand that, that they have power to make change, that they really can be today’s leaders, not just, you know, we think of young people as being tomorrow’s leaders. They can be today’s leaders. And we believe deeply in student driven, adult supported. We want them to be in the front to take that lead, to make that suggestion, to ask that question. Because we want them to realize and have that confidence to be a leader, to make change, to make the world a better place, to make their world a better place.
We’re really intentional about the word there because they have a sphere of influence and they can make a a difference in their world. And so little by little, is one of our guiding principles as well. To really understand that I don’t need to change the entire world, but I have influence that I can use. And so to have the confidence to make change, but to do it in, in a way that is kind and empathetic and caring is powerful. And that’s, that’s what true leadership is.
It’s not a loud voice and it’s not, you know, a title. It is its passion for the purpose that you have. And when we help young people see that they can be leaders regardless of age or circumstance or economics, then that’s something that I want them to really carry for a lifetime.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 48:22
Amazing. How can people in the community help support your local programming? What events are coming up that we should know about? Tell us.
Brad Swanson: 48:32
There’s always something coming up. Yeah.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 48:35
You guys are busy.
Brad Swanson: 48:36
The calendar is always full. I know you want to go through a few of the things coming up that.
Ida Fiore: 48:44
Sure. We’ve been lucky enough to be chosen as the non-profit recipient for. From Celebrate Highwood for Pumpkin Fest second year in a row. So we’re very proud of that. That’s next weekend.
That is October 2nd, third and fourth. So, you know, come and join us if you’d like to volunteer or just bring your family there. It’s a wonderful family event. We have a holiday market coming up at Elly styled over Thanksgiving where we’ll be selling our candles. Our candles will be featured at a farm on October 17th.
If you’d like to come and buy a candle. We also sell those online and 100% of the proceeds go to our programs. In addition, we have Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. If you want to wake up with your family on Thanksgiving morning at 6 a.m., we could use you as a volunteer. What we didn’t speak about Brad was that we do encourage parents to join us when they’re able to.
And the kids. You would think they don’t want their parents around, but a lot of times they do. And many of our intern parents or our SaLT traveler parents, our deliverers, on Saturday, they will pick up items if we need it and they really help us a lot. We are. Brad and I are the blessed recipients of this community, and I think it’s the reason why SaLT has been so wonderfully successful, and we’re grateful to everyone who has supported us.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 50:27
Amazing.
Ida Fiore: 50:28
I can’t think of any other programs, Brad, can you?
Brad Swanson: 50:31
Well, it’s just all it’s it’s support in big and small ways, right? We try to have events, you know, every all these things cost money in order to help facilitate. But we are as frugal as we can be. And, and we’re 100% volunteer. We don’t have any paid staff.
And also our site is literally given to us rent free at Renaissance here, Renaissance place here in in Highland Park. And it’s an empty storefront that wasn’t being rented. And we approached them and they said, yes. And so we’ve done that probably nine different times. We move a little bit when it gets rented.
But, you know, so we’re, we’re very aware of our budget, but we try to do a lot with a little. And any support volunteer or monetary is of course, so deeply appreciated.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 51:24
What is the website?
Ida Fiore: 51:25
We have a Google site. Yeah, we have a Google sign up form for kids that want to get involved. They can just email us. That’s probably the best way at salt@saltservice.org. And that’s the best way to is that that’s our email, right? Brad. Perfect.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 51:50
That’s the best way. So it sounds like emailing you. We’ll put it in the, in the show notes too. We’ll put the email.
Ida Fiore: 51:54
Yeah. Or give us a like on Instagram and you can always DM us on Instagram. We’re pretty quick about that response. If you’re interested in the Google form to sign up for our November December dates are coming out in the next week. So definitely now is the time to sign up. We’d love to have kids from all different high schools.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 52:16
Thank you so much, Brad and Ida for your time today. Everyone, please check out all of this. All of this will be linked in the show notes. And then everyone, please check out more episodes of our podcast. Thank you guys again for your time.
Ida Fiore: 52:29
Thank you again for this opportunity. It was wonderful. Absolutely.
Brad Swanson: 52:32
Thanks for your time.
Dr. Leigh Weisz: 52:33
And thank you as always, for tuning in.
Outro: 52:35
Thank you for listening to The Coping Podcast. We’ll see you again next time. And be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes and check out our podcast page at copingpartners.com.