CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Five members of Harvard's
football team found themselves leading teams of a different variety
this summer, looking for a different kind of victory. These
gentlemen of the gridiron committed nine weeks of their summer
vacations to teaching low-income children the fundamentals of
literacy and learning through the Phillips Brooks House Association
(PBHA).
The PBHA is a student-run public service organization that
strives to promote social awareness through social service and
social action. Historically, the PBHA, founded in 1900, has done
outreach work with the mentally ill, the incarcerated, homeless
individuals, and public housing communities. The Summer Urban
Program (SUP) streamlines the greater mission of the PBHA into
focusing on low-income students of Boston and Cambridge, and to
helping assimilate high-school age refugee and immigrant students
by teaching English as a second language and greater cultural
understanding of their new country.
Juniors Noah Van Niel, B.J. Merriewether, and Steven Williams,
along with sophomores Andrew Berry and Brenton Bryant, eschewed the
opportunity to work in the corporate sector this summer for a
chance to enrich the lives of PBHA students, ages 6 to 20, by
participating in SUP in various neighborhoods of Boston and
Cambridge.
B.J. Merriewether a wide receiver from Jacksonville, Fla., said
that as soon as he heard about the program, he knew it was
something he wanted to do. Merriewether, who served as a director
of the Roxbury Youth Initiative, helped design a curriculum taught
to roughly 80 kids from the Roxbury area. Under his watch, students
learned about literacy, mathematics, science, government and
history. They spent their mornings in classrooms, learning the
fundamentals of these subjects to keep their minds sharp between
school years. The kids took educational field trips each afternoon
exploring Boston and outlying areas, designed to apply the
knowledge they were gaining in the classroom. This, said
Merriewether, afforded the kids an opportunity to be exposed to
different kinds of people.
"I grew up in a predominately black neighborhood," said
Merriewether. "I wasn't exposed to other ethnicities much. I wanted
to help get these kids into other types of places."
David Dance, the staff director who oversaw Merriewether's
program, said Merriewether's commitment and work have been
outstanding.
"He's really been fantastic," said Dance. "The relationships he
fostered were extremely productive and the atmosphere was very
positive. He's an excellent mentor. He's really wowed everybody as
the summer has progressed."
Cornerback Andrew Berry, of Bel Air, Md., echoed Merriewether's
sentiments about the work he's done in the Cambridge Youth
Enrichment Program. Berry taught third-graders math, literacy and
other core academics for about three hours a day before supervising
their afternoon field trips. To Berry, the most important thing was
seeing the impact he was having on students' lives.
"People think because Harvard is in Cambridge that all of
Cambridge must be affluent," Berry said. "It's not, really. It's
not all like Harvard Square. There are some really needy areas."
Each of the five Crimson players has become more of an advocate
for the area he spent much of his summer working in. Each says it
was a challenging, rewarding experience he wouldn't trade. And each
player has walked away feeling like he's given back to his
community in a meaningful way.
Noah Van Niel, a fullback from Newton, Mass., taught English as
a second language through the Refugee Youth Summer Enrichment
(RYSE) program. His students were refugees and immigrants between
the ages of 12 and 20. Van Niel worked primarily with students who
had lived in America for up to a few years, but who still weren't
confident in their speaking abilities. Instead of teaching them the
basics of the language, he focused on helping them experience
poetry, novels and even Shakespeare. He describes his students as
eager to learn and says he hopes he enriched their language skills.
"I feel a real sense of accomplishment," Van Niel said. "Each
kid spoke better English when they left than when they came in. I
feel like I've given them, hopefully, a positive role model, in the
classroom and outside it. I've tried to give them an appreciation
of learning and of school, so when they go back in the fall,
they'll have the confidence to know they can succeed."
In the coming months and years, organizations like the PBHA can
look forward to greater support from the Harvard Crimson. Head
coach Tim Murphy is encouraging all of his players to get involved
in their communities.
"I'm very proud of these guys because, to a man, they passed up
higher paying corporate jobs to give something back," said Murphy,
who plans to formally implement community outreach into the Harvard
program.
"Our guys have a record of community service," said Murphy. "But
we are going to formalize our program, naming it ‘Crimson in
the Community,' with a goal of 100 percent participation by team
members. Our kids have a lot on their plates, but it's important to
recognize how fortunate we are and to give back. Many Harvard
players have done it, but this will increase participation and
documentation."
All five players had different experiences this summer, but all
agreed it was a bonding experience, as they were able to share
teaching experiences and funny anecdotes with one another during
morning workouts. Van Niel expressed gratitude for having had the
opportunity to teach camp this year and hopes to return next year.
Berry marveled that his efforts had such a strong impact on the
students.
But maybe Merriewether summed it up best for the group when he
said, "It's been a blast!"
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