Appreciative Inquiry

By Anna Zach

This past spring was when I first heard the words “Appreciative Inquiry.” Intrigued and curious I began searching out what this concept was all about. As spring became summer and the ILC began to wind down and the summer programs were gearing up, we began to wonder about using this “Appreciative Inquiry” concept for the development of a summer project with our Teen Job Club. After a successful debut utilizing AI, the hunger to know more began to rumble.

The opportunity to dig deep came in the form of the International Appreciative Inquiry Conference. So this past week, I found myself in Orlando, Florida exploring a wide range of workshops about AI. One of my favorite breakout sessions was about Appreciative Intelligence. As I considered things like the ability to perceive the positive potential in situations, reframe stories, and appreciating the positive, I realized that many fellow saints of old have been experts so to speak in Appreciative Intelligence. Paul was able to see the good in the thorn the Lord had allowed in his flesh. It was God’s gift to him. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Corrie ten Boom, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, was able to see the good even in the fleas that occupied the straw mats they slept on (these fleas were the reason the guards would not come in their bunk houses). So, even though I was interested in all that was shared in the conference about Appreciative Intelligence, I have become even more encouraged by it as I have seen the spiritual side of it. I find myself now challenged to look for the good and hidden treasures in all the circumstances that the Lord allows in my life. I am learning to appreciate even the shadow.

God made me and loves me

By Jami Spaulding

Daddiz, Milandra, Madison, and Grace have fun dressing up and reading books.(Picture above)

I was so encouraged this week to hear the younger kids talking with the older kids as they waited for their rides to come. Sometimes you wonder if they are really understanding the things we talk to them about, or even if it's making a difference in their world. I heard them saying things like, "We're talking about schema, it's what you know," and "Our schema is getting bigger and bigger. We're really smart." It's exciting to see them begin to apply what they are learning and to embrace the potential God created them with.

On Friday, we finished up our mental image week. We ended with a lesson on God's mental image. We read from Psalm 139 and then a poem by Jack Pretulsky. The kids were a bit restless as the Psalm has a lot of vocabulary in it, but as we started to talk about each word and what it meant the kids started getting into it. Daddiz blurted out, "God's mental image of us is good!" It was like he finally understood that God made him on purpose and is crazy about him. The kids used that comment to have a discussion about how they know God loves them. We then looked at the illustrations in the poem and talked about how God made them each different and unique. As we did the art project afterwards, it was fun to hear them saying things like,"God made me responsible, he made me caring, he made me creative...." When we came together to share our projects the kids made the connection that God made them and loves them. Milandra said, "We should add that to our schema and then when people are mean to us we don't have to get mad becasuse we know what God thinks about us is true." Mickela said, "We cause our schema and remember God's mental image of us and then we'll remember to act like him, like be kind and respectful to everyone." Madison talked a long time about how God made her special and how He will help her reach her dreams.

It was exciting for me to hear my students using the language of reading and to apply it to God and their everyday lives. How I pray it will take root in their hearts and help them to love Jesus and choose His truth over everything else in their lives.

Seeing Progress

By Jennifer Harrington

I recently came on staff with City Impact as the ILC Program Coordinator. Although I have been with the ILC less than a month, I have already been so blessed by my short time here. Each day I can see God at work in the hearts of both the children who attend and the adults who are there to teach them. The smiles and laughter of the students remain in my mind long after we have all gone home for the night, and their hugs bring a smile to my face even on the worst days.

I have been blessed by my interactions with my coworkers. They are incredible, beautiful men and women who have welcomed me and helped me transition into the position. I can see their love for children in the gentle way they interact with the students, and I can see their desire to follow Christ in the love that flows freely from them.

I have been encouraged by the success that City Impact has seen in the past, and I firmly believe that we are making a difference in these children’s lives. I am excited about the progress that the students are making in their reading skills as well as the opportunity we are creating for them to have positive interactions with adults and with each other. The combination of these is setting the students on a path of success for the future.

Working through it

By Bethany Larson

Working in the Reroute room may not always be the most popular job, but I have found it rewarding and encouraging in my own life. For a few days in the past week, I have dealt with a couple students who seem to have a reoccurring issue. When they get upset or flustered about something, they tend to get angry. Many times we talk through their anger and brainstorm ways that they can deal with their anger in a way that doesn’t disrespect or distract others.

I enjoy working in Reroute because you can track the progress of a child and their growth. I am daily praying for these students because I know that their anger may not always be rooted from what happens at the ILC. Their anger may stem from other sources that they may have not let go of. Recently, I was discussing anger with one student. I asked her, “Does being angry help the situation? Does it make you feel better?” She knew that it didn’t.

More and more I am aware of the spiritual warfare we are in. Our human nature and the human nature of these students is to be angry and hold grudges. But because God forgave us and has accepted us for who we are, we can let go of our anger and learn to forgive others. I continue to pray and ask you to join me, that God will continue to soften the hearts of these students. Pray that they will learn how to give their fears, worries and anger over to God, and that they will learn how to love and forgive others the same way God did for them.

We promise

By Ashley Larson

Each afternoon I look around my classroom and I see eight intelligent looking 4th and 5th graders. Each are either snuggled into a comfy chair, spread out on our fuzzy rug, rocking gently on the cushy rockers, or sinking into a giant purple bean bag, completely consumed in their favorite book. Some like to read about great storms and exotic animals, while others laugh along with the adventures of Skippy Jon Jones or Wodney the Wat.

On our wall hangs a very important promise that each child takes very seriously, as they should since they wrote it and committed to follow it. Their promise reads:

We promise to make our read room a place where we are all kind, respectful, helpful, polite, and good listeners. We vow to have good attitudes and to treat everyone fairly. We will also participate in all activities and we will not hurt others or get mad.

Last but not least, each child is wearing the most intellectual looking glasses we could find, yes black plastic glasses. Now they really feel like true readers as they get lost in each of their unique stories. It has been a blessing for me to watch these students progress in just three short weeks towards our mutual goal of making reading a fun experience. They truly are smart kids, and some of them are just now discovering that reading can actually be a good experience no matter what level you are at. It is exciting for me to imagine the next six weeks as we dive into the adventures of reading even further!

R.E.A.L. life changes

By Miriam Heider


My prayer for the R.E.A.L. room has been that students would not only improve their reading scores, but develop a lifelong love for reading. I also pray that God would develop meaningful relationships between volunteers and students. Some of our students have only received 10 reading instruction sessions, and already I am seeing this happen. Volunteers come into the R.E.A.L. room anxious and excited to read with their student. Some have been amazed at the progress their student has made in the short work since they last met. It’s been exciting to see the volunteers realize what their investment means to a child.

The students are eager as well when they enter the R.E.A.L. room. I see genuine excitement when I remind them who they will be reading with that specific day. If by chance a volunteer is gone, the kids are disappointed they won’t be able to read that day. The students still have their struggles and frustrations, but they are approaching reading with a different mindset than before. Confidence is growing, and along with it their confidence, a love for reading.

Teen Job Club Community Project at Hartley

By Anna Zach



It is finished! With great joy the final touches were completed on Hartley Elementary’s playground, ending a summer long journey. Looking back to the first weeks of June when our process of creating a community project began, it really is amazing and wonderful to see possibilities become reality. It is encouraging to me as a facilitator of the process to know experientially that what I have always believed is in fact true; young people have amazing potential and fantastic ideas. They are capable of far more than I suspect most adults believe they are. Though this may sound silly to some, I am honored that I was a part of what Teen Job Club did this summer.

On a recent trip to a conference on service learning I was struck in the realization that what our young people did this summer was a truly unique experience. I realized that most service learning projects, while desiring to create youth voice, seem to fall short in genuinely allowing it. I realize that this is partially a byproduct of working within curriculums and schedules, but I believe our approach, one modeled on appreciative inquiry, truly gave opportunity for not only a voice to be heard, but gave the voice authority. These young people searched themselves for an idea, decided which idea they liked the most, and pursued the idea into a tangible and doable project. When it came right down to putting paint on the cement (and removing it when necessary), it was all them.

I am very excited that our young people, while greatly benefiting from the experience, were able to provide a greater blessing than they themselves received. Ultimately, the recipients of service learning projects should benefit the most from the experience and I feel certain that their labors did just that. There are many, many children and teachers who will, through this coming year and into the next, enjoy the beauty that the teens in Job Club created for them.

Making reading fun

By Jami Spaulding


Wow! What an amazing first couple of weeks it has been. The kids have adjusted really well to the new format at the Impact Learning Center. They seem to be beginning to see value in what we do in the read room as well as in tutoring and are enjoying getting to know the staff and volunteers. Milandra came back from tutoring the first day and taught us the sign language word her tutor had showed her. Daddiz came back to report, "I love that place, my guy is so cool!"

Things have settled into a nice routine in the read room. It's interesting to see the kids relate the books we've read to their lives. They comment on everything from, "Wow, that picture looks like my little sister!" to "Oh, he was really mean to the new kid. That's not nice at all." The kids seem to enjoy the other activities we also do. They did great thinking about what respectful words sound like and had a blast trying to come up with 100 acts of kindness.

Yesterday we talked about their own dreams and what they want reading to help them do. Madison said, "I can't read the big Bible, but I can keep practicing and read a little kid Bible and then I'll know more about God." Many kids said they want reading to help them be a doctor. Some said they want to improve their reading to do better in school.

My prayer is that the kids will understand that God made them smart and that He will help them achieve all these goals if they'll only let Him. We've worked hard setting the foundation for the essentials at the ILC and re-affirming the importance of reading well. I'm so excited to get busy with our reading strategies and see how God grows us all this quarter.

Program Changes

By Todd Bowman-Program Director


In February of 2006 the Impact Learning Center opened its doors for the first time. Overall the quality of the work, activities, and programs which happened there each day after school was outstanding. To give you a visual framework, the Impact Learning Center focused primarily on three areas:Literacy, Leadership, & Fun.

There was, however, a fundamental problem with this program, which was transportation. Despite being creative with van routes, we were only able to pick-up and transport about thirty students to the ILC. This meant the majority of students involved in other City Impact programs would never have the opportunity to participate in this wonderful program.

The major way in which we decided to solve this dilemma was to move the Strengths-Based Leadership component from the ILC to our Tuesday night Bible Club program which currently involves between 100 – 150 students. Not only will all City Impact students now have the opportunity to learn how to use their God-given strengths to make a positive and powerful impact in their communities, but this Leadership piece also fits well within the Bible Club framework. While the Biblical teaching at Bible Club allows youth to grow in their knowledge of God, the Leadership component, with its emphasis on service, provides a framework within which youth can live out their faith.

In contrast, the Impact Learning Center is now exclusively a reading program designed to produce rapid reading gains. Between thirty and forty students from four different schools will enroll in the ILC for nine week sessions. Students will receive eighty minutes of reading instruction each day with the goal being that all first, second, and third grade students will receive one-on-one tutoring every day. To meet this one-on-one tutoring goal, we will need approximately one hundred volunteers to contribute forty minutes of time each week.

In the coming weeks and months, this blog will detail stories that happen in both Bible Club and the Impact Learning Center.

This is an exciting time at City Impact. God is moving powerfully in our organization and the curriculum and materials we’ve developed over the past year are just the tip of the iceberg. Thank you for your faithful reading of this blog and your investment in youth in Lincoln’s urban communities. I pray that each of you will not only continue to stay connected through stories, but will also consider joining us as a volunteer or a financial supporter.