The TSW Kensington Fire Story

At the beginning of June we passed the 2 year mark since we moved to Jackson. What a 2 years we've had. After much consideration we have decided to leave our roles here at the Perkins Center. Emily has been volunteering here for the past 2 years and I have been the youth director. I have resigned my position effective at the end of our current summer arts camp. So much could be said about our reasons for leaving of the Perkins Center but the simple version is that we feel it is time for us to move on.

As we thought about where to go and what to do next in our lives we were leaning towards heading back to the northwest for a season. With no real ties to anything or anyone beyond the Perkins Center, Mississippi seemed like an unlikely place to stay. It was around this time of deciding to leave and what to do next that we met some new people who have become close friends. For the first time in a long while we began to feel part of a community. Turns out our friends Joe and Elli are moving out of their apartment/art space in an area of town called the Milsaps Art district at the same time that our commitment to the Perkins Center would be up.
The idea of us moving into Joe and Elli's place began to get tossed around and few weeks ago and on a train ride down to New Orleans we got a call from Joe saying that if we wanted the apartment we could have it but we had to act quickly because other people were showing interest. So in a moment of excitement and uncertainty we made the decision to take the apartment and stay in Jackson .

As we've become more involved in the city we've come to see a beauty in its people and culture that seemed invisible to us for quite some time. There is something going on that seems unique and new. We don't know how long we will stay but we are excited to be staying in Jackson. The new space we'll be living in has a room that is set up for music recording so I'm looking forward to setting up my home studio there and investing more time into my music. Emily is looking to continue her education at Jackson State University and is glad that she will be able to keep in touch with most of the children we've become friends with over the past 2 years.

I don't know what the future of this blog will look like as it started out as a way to document and keep you in touch with our time working here at the Perkins Center. The name may change but we will hopefully continue to post updates.

I have also started a myspace page for my music (thanks Katie). So if you are into being virtual friends stop on by www.myspace.com/johnnybertram or if you want to be real friends that's even better.



We hope all of you are enjoying the summer season. Im pretty home sick for the mountains of Idaho these days. I find myself day dreaming about swimming at Warm Lake a lot lately.

Emily and I wish to thank all of you have supported us and encouraged us through out our time here. I m blown away when I think about all the people who have chosen to stay connected with what we've been doing. Your love and friendships have helped make this a life changing experiance for us.

Peace,

Johnny




p.s. go see Sicko

It's getting hot down here.

Our Summer Arts Camp is up and running. We are having a blast but between the heat and the 45 students enrolled we are very tired. Things seem more in control this year. I can see a lot of maturity in the staff. We have really been focusing on stepping back and letting others lead which has been a great thing. I see young leaders stepping up as they are given more responsibility which is pretty encouraging.

Our days consist of a variety of activities including, swimming, photography, baking, gardening, going to the library, singing funny songs, playing basketball, dancing, singing, learning to play piano, studying for the up coming spelling bee, and of coarse kick ball.

On evenings and weekends we've been hanging out with new friends Brad, Sage, Joe, and Elli. Its nice to have a crew of like minded yet unique people to encourage and challenge us.
Emily on the train they call the City of New Orleans

Johnny and his mustache getting mocked

A New Orleans Weekend

We are in New Orleans this Memorial day weekend. We rode the train down from Jackson for a cheaper price than it would have been to gas up the Subaru and park. We are currently headed out the hotel door to a benefit concert featuring "My Morning Jackets" Jim James and the Indigo Girls at Tipitinas.(very excited!) Spent the day walking all around downtown, the french quarter, and Frenchman street. Nice little getaway!

thanks for reading our rarely updated blog,

Johnny n' Em

My maimed feet
posted by Emily



I am a lover of living things, frequently protecting toads, lizards, turtles, dogs, and cats from bored little boys. But last week in the garden with Pierre, I realized that I hold some profound hatred for the fire ant. There is no warning when they attack—a several second delay leaves prey exposed and vulnerable. Their bites last at least a month and cause almost unbearable itching and misery. I am a non-itcher, an anti-scab picker, but you MUST scratch these bites to get the poison out. So as I stepped on an invisible hill in the garden and got several bites last week, I cursed the tiny insects aloud to little Pierre. He replied, “but God made them,” probably quoting one of Miss. Emily’s ‘do good to all’ lectures. But I found myself adamantly disagreeing with Pierre saying, “no Pierre! They’re from the devil!” It was at that point that I realized if I had to choose between living with monstrous roaches or cursed fire ants, I would take roaches.

"American cockroaches are 1,5 inches long, making them the largest of the house-infesting cockroaches. American cockroaches generally live in moist areas, but they can survive in dry areas if they have access to water. American cockroaches prefer warm temperatures. In residential areas, these cockroaches live in basements, around pipes and sewers, and may move outdoors into yards during warm weather. These cockroaches can be found in basements, crawl spaces and foundations."


Garden Photo Gallery
The new squash garden is in the foreground, and the original garden behind it

Our herb garden includes lavender, oregano, basil, chives, lemon balm, mint, sage, rosemary, thyme, and cilantro.




Tomato row

We have 32 tomato plants this year, with 6 different varieties






First white scallop squash and zucchini of the year!

Before and After

BEFORE


After

"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard


update soon

shalom,

johnny "CATFISH" bertram

Jackson folks

I'll be playing at Cups in Fondren this Friday. Stop in and enjoy a skinny decaf latte no foam.

Peace,

johnny

Pickin' and Paddlin'

Emily, Jerica, Jeremiah, Jamicia and I went out to the pickin' and paddlin' festival last Saturday. Despite the cold weather we had a great time. The kids loved the climbing wall and we liked the bluegrass music. My friend Austin and I entered the canoe race and lost horribly.

Photo Journal

We've been working to get our youth garden started again this year.




On St. Patricks day Emily took some of the girls downtown to the annual parade. (Peaches)
(Emily, Peaches, and Jerica)



Hanging out with kids in the park.


I finally was able to hook and catch a large mouth bass even though it was pretty small. I had a blast Saturday morning fishing with friends Eric and Dylan at Roosevelt state park. We each caught several fish but no keepers. Eli (Dylans dog) enjoyed licking the fish before we threw them back.


Yesterday Emily and went and visited this amazing swamp just north of Jackson. We saw several small snakes and even a gator!

No More War

Recently the 4th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war passed. For the last 4 years Ive noted that day and reflected. My emotions have ranged from anger to deep sorrow as we see daily the toll of war on lives. On the PBS news show, "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" They frequently show tribute to fallen soldiers in combat by posting a photo, how old they were, and where they hailed from, all in silence. Three years ago when I first saw them close the newscast this way it choked me up. To see images of 18, 19, and 23 year old soldiers who had died at war and for what? Slowly my sorrow turned to anger as Jim would end is news cast with, "here in silence are 12 more". Now 4 years into the war I find my self numb to the faces as they flash across the screen. And how much more have I grown numb to Iraqi civilians who have been killed. We rarely see them. Much less view them as equally important and as dignified as any American. Reports now show that 59,405 Iraqi civilians have been killed throughout the war and that is the minimum. It could be as many as 65,ooo.

I don't desire to debate the war here on the blog but simply to reflect on the reality of what is taking place. As Americans we often forget the power we have in the world. We have been given so much by being born in the wealthiest empire in the history of the world. I feel the pressure of that responsibility. I feel a tug at my heart like something in my DNA telling me to stand up for the broken and poor in the world. And when 59,000 thousand innocent civilians have been killed in an unjust war something is grossly wrong.

Last week on the anniversary of the beginning of the war, Jim Wallis of Sojourners led a group of concerned Christians to March on the white house in all night vigil and protest of the war. In his speech before hand he said,

"By our deepest convictions about Christian standards and teaching, the war in Iraq was not just a well-intended mistake or only mismanaged. This war, from a Christian point of view, is morally wrong – and was from the very start. It cannot be justified with either the teaching of Jesus Christ or the criteria of St. Augustine’s just war. It simply doesn’t pass either test, and did not from its beginning. This war is not just an offense against the young Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice or the Iraqis who have paid such a horrible price. This war is not only an offense to the poor at home and around the world who have paid the price of misdirected resources and priorities – this war is also an offense against God.

And so we are here tonight, very simply and resolutely, to begin to end the war in Iraq – not by anger, though we are angry; not just by politics, though it will take political courage; but by faith, because we are people of faith.

This service and procession are not just another political protest, but an act of faith, an act of prayer, an act of non-violent witness. Politics led us into this war, and politics is unlikely to save us by itself. The American people have voted against the war in Iraq, but political proposals keep failing one after the other.

I believe it will take faith to end this war. It will take prayer to end it. It will take a mobilization of the faith community to end it – to change the political climate, to change the wind. It will take a revolution of love to end it, because this endless war in Iraq is based ultimately on fear, and Jesus says that only perfect love will cast out fear."

Following the march 222 people were arrested for acts of civil disobedience.

In the bible I remember reading once that Jesus said, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you". I kind of think he meant that.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you
come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who
have come alive."
~Howard Thurman



Thank you to Erik for sharing this with me.

Backwards Hamburger

The times they are a changin

I’m going to start this post with the most used grouping of words in all of blogosphere. So be forewarned cause here they come………

Sorry for the lack of updates lately.
Only this time I really mean it. I realize that the blog has slipped a little as of late but I will attempt to bring you up to speed on things. Honestly there have been some hard times in the last few months. Things have happened to us in our work here that have left us at times feeling very discouraged. We have questioned how much longer we want to stay in here in Jackson and discussed what our next step might be. I can’t go into full details but know that we are cared about here. I think it is healthy for us to evaluate our situation and to question staying or leaving because if its time to go we can figure that out and go but if we are to stay I think we can renew our commitment to what we are doing and find renewed passion. I can say that some of the frustration comes from witnessing the depth of the problems in our community. It’s a fight each day to keep up hope. The odds are so stacked against a child growing up in certain situations that we see. The older they become the harder it seems to connect. We are reminded that we can’t fix these problems alone. We understand so much more now the power of indigenous leaders who could potentially have a great impact on their community. Even amidst the hopelessness and discouragements there are still glimpses of hope.

Cortez is a ninth grader at Provine High School down the street from our house. Last summer he was my assistant for our summer camp and we had a lot of time together. He and his family recently moved into a Perkins center owned home 4 houses down from us. Cortez loves to play basketball and I actually met him over a year ago out on the basketball courts behind our house. We have a policy that our park at the Perkins Center is closed (gate locked) unless a staff member is there to supervise the grounds. Many times Cortez would ring my doorbell wanting me to open the park so he could shoot hoops. As I got to know Cortez more I began to value his friendship and I could also see how he responded to encouragement from me. I began to tell him that I had big dreams for him. I tried the to plant the idea in his head of him taking over for me as Youth director someday. My intention was to let him know that this park and place was his so he would begin to take ownership of it. I told him a good starting point would for him to be in charge of the park and I talked of him getting his own key. He took the idea and ran with it. He hasn’t received his own key yet but on most weekends you can find him out in the park. This past Sunday he kept the park open from 11 am til dark. I watched as kids flooded the park throughout the day. The park is such a valuable resource in the community. It gives kids a safe place to come and play and keeps them off the streets. As the sun went down Sunday evening I peeked out the back window to see only 3 people still playing basketball. I noticed plastic bottles littering the ground everywhere from drinks purchased and consumed from our drink machine. We have several garbage cans throughout the property but for some reason people prefer to throw it on the ground. I looked out a few minutes later to see Cortez walking around the basketball court with a recycle bin in hand picking up the trash everyone else had left behind. In that moment I realized that Cortez had taken ownership of his park. I’m amazed how the smallest of actions can bring the greatest of hope.

Black History Month

John Perkins

American Hero

Mp3's and a Review

I've posted some Mp3's at johnnybertram.com and a fellow blogger has written a nice review of my songs. Check out the review here.

02/02/02 - 02/02/07
5 years and counting

2 things + 1 thing =

1. johnnybertram.com is up and running. This site will be devoted to my music.

2. Our friend Pam is letting Emily borrow her graphing calculator so we no longer need one. Thanks everybody for searching your closets, garages, and dog houses for that old calculator that never really use anymore.

3. Does anyone out there use algebra in their everyday lives? Seriously if you do please leave us a comment explaining how so. I asked myself that question everyday in high school and now 8 years later as i watch Emily struggle through stuff like "x (f-) + y'*44(y)= s" the question still feels relevant.

Summer Plans

Curious about what we do in the summer? Check out our grant proposal for our Summer Arts Camp. Emily wrote this and all I can say is that she is very gifted and im amazed at her vision.

The Spencer Perkins Center (SPC) Summer Arts Enrichment Camp is an eight-week program for youth grades kindergarten through seventh. Camp is held on the grounds of the Perkins Center on Robinson Street in West Jackson. The center includes a clubhouse, two full-length basketball courts, a baseball field, our youth garden, a volleyball area, and a playground. The cost of camp is $35.00 per week per child. We offer full and partial scholarships to qualifying individuals, as well as family discounts.

SPC desires to enroll youth from the immediate area, as there is much need around us. However each year there seems to be a great balance of children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. A handful of affluent families deeply value our program and continue to tell others about it, but we are also intentional about holding spaces for new and returning campers whose families can’t afford tuition. We offer full and partial scholarships to those families depending on their ability to contribute. The mix of economic classes has proved a positive experience for youth. Children so often lack the stereotypes that many adults project, and tend to accept others and intermingle freely. Youth have learned valuable social skills, as well as the ability to judge others on character and personality.
Each summer college students come from across the country to become summer interns at the Perkins Center. In exchange for serving as counselors to our youth, interns receive a weekly food stipend as well as a $2,000.00 scholarship toward college upon completion of the summer. We strive to draw a diverse group of young interns, male and female, who are passionate. Our belief and experience is that this passion and diversity will make a lasting impression on our youth. We also run what we call our Junior Internship Program, where high school students who’ve come up through our programs, are given positions of leadership. When given responsibility and trust, our Junior Interns tend to blossom and rise to the occasion. They act as role models to youth, coming from the same community that they do, and give campers a goal to reach for. Junior Interns are then paired with college interns during academic time and afternoon activities, and tend to look up to and learn from the college interns. Junior Interns continue to return year after year, remaining steady figures in their students’ lives. The foundation pays Junior Interns a stipend every other week.
Everyday of summer camp students split up by grade level and attend two hours of academics in assigned classrooms. The average student to teacher ratio is 3-1. SPC takes academics very seriously and attempts to get students at or above grade level by the end of the summer. We offer individual tutoring as well as addressing the core subjects of math, language arts, spelling, writing and history. Teacher teams complete a lesson plan each week and follow a list of grade-appropriate objectives. SPC works with Jackson Public Schools to help children complete their mandatory summer reading projects. Each class takes a weekly trip to the library to conduct research, check out books, or attend activities. Students also spend time in the computer lab twice a week during academics. After class time campers and interns attend the JPS lunch program, followed by a period of rest and snack. Students will then have the opportunity to participate in our proposed art enrichment courses in the afternoon. Students will again split up into assigned age-appropriate groups of eight. College and Junior interns will be responsible for teaching one enrichment course for the entirety of the summer based on their skills and interests. Students will attend each enrichment course once per week, totaling four different mandatory courses each week. Interns will create a course outline and timeline for all eight weeks during orientation, before camp begins. "Enrichment teams” of interns will be responsible for scheduling at least one professional guest teacher throughout the summer. The enrichment courses include digital photography and film editing, Piano/guitar and performance, baking and nutrition, and painting and sketching.

Digital Photography and Film Editing

Digital photography not only is the prominent photo style of the present and future, but it is affordable, offering endless outlets for creativity. Equipping youth with the ability to capture moments and experiences in their own style is a wonderful form of empowerment. All summer campers will participate in photography class once a week. Lesson plans will include basic framing, timeliness in taking a shot, still life, action, flash and lighting. Each lesson will be altered to an age-appropriate level. By the end of eight weeks each child will have both a physical and a DVD portfolio of all the work they completed throughout the summer. The older group of children (5th-7th grades) will have the option of taking our film and editing class. Here they will learn the basics of filming and various filming styles, on top of digital photography. By the end of eight weeks these youth will have completed an entire short film as a group. We will utilize different forms of media to instruct youth, including film clips, Internet research, and book exerts. Computers and printers will be essential in conducting this course, as they will be used for creating photo slideshows, burning DVD’s, editing film, printing out photos for take home portfolios, as well as storing, altering, and processing photos.

Piano/Guitar Performance

Youth will have the choice of attending either piano or guitar lessons once a week. We have an extremely talented, passionate and musical staff to head this course up. Our belief is that by giving youth the opportunity to get the basics of a musical instrument down, their confidence, talent, and creativity will be drawn out. The door will be open and the foundation set for them to pursuit musical interests in the future. We will also incorporate song writing, poetry and vocal performance into this course. By the end of eight weeks, each student will have written and performed an original song.

Baking and Nutrition

Mississippi currently has the highest rate of obesity for adults and high school students in the country, along with the highest rate of deaths due to heart disease. We also hold the highest rate of diagnosed diabetes among adults in the U.S., as well as having considerable problems with type 2 diabetes in youth and young adults (as a results of high rates of childhood obesity). Each SPC student will be required to attend introduction to baking and nutrition once a week. Our goal is to expose students to healthy eating habits and choices, and to increase their confidence, knowledge and enjoyment of preparing food. We will utilize fresh organic herbs, vegetables and fruit from our youth-run garden, when available, for recipes. Each student will have opportunities to work in the garden and take produce home to their families. We will compost all of our biodegradable scraps and teach about conservation and recycling. Youth will make the connection between where their food comes from, how to prepare it, and that healthy food tastes great. With instruction, children will prepare a different dish each week and have the opportunity to take a sample home to their families. We will host two guests including a Kenyan baker and a native Mississippi culinary chef. By the end of eight weeks students will show their knowledge by creating an ingredient list, following a recipe, and creating a dish of their choice together as a group.

Painting and Sketching

Self-expression through painting and drawing is another wonderful venue for youth. Many times young people have the desire and talent to do art, but are unable to develop their skills due to a lack of formal training. With an impassioned team of interns and community volunteers, students will learn the basics of sketching, shading and dimension, as well as painting with acrylics. By the end of eight weeks of class each student will have completed an acrylic painting on canvas to take home, as well as a sketchbook of all their summer work.

All materials that we are requesting including computers, printers, cameras, baking equipment, paint supplies and musical instruments, will be used weekly at our after school program which runs Monday through Friday from August to May. We will also continue to offer courses and utilize equipment in our future summer art camps.
JMPF believes that poverty is affected by cultural influences, oppressive societal structures, and personal responsibility. We feel responsible to expose at-risk youth to experiences beyond their “four walls.” Cycles of generational poverty often occur because those involved cannot see that another world is possible, or that there are tangible ways to achieve and develop aspirations. By offering Jackson’s youth opportunities to take part in an array of arts enrichment (along with providing academic instruction and committed counselors), we believe they will gain enlightenment, discipline, and vision for their lives as future participating members of society.

Happy New Year

Johnny and Emily here wishing you and yours a happy new year. We returned to Mississippi this week after spending the holidays in Hawaii, Oregon, and Idaho with family. Our month long vacation provided us with some much needed relaxation and time with loved ones. We are dealing with the post vacation blues right now as we return to our work here in the south. We were very happy to be reunited with our after school program students yesterday. Here is a breaf photo journal of our holiday.

Hawaii
Johnny in old Hanapepe on the island of Kawaii

We sailed 1000 miles south west of Hawaii for 2 days to visit Fanning Isand. This is Johnny in front of the only store. We rented bikes and rode into the islands interior where we met some local children at a swimming hole. Though they couldnt speak English Emily was able to show them how to plant the vegetable seeds we brought to give them.
Julian being attacked on Fanning island
Emily's Mom ( Becki), Aunt Carole, and brother Julian shopping on Fanning Island

Emily on the deck as we left Kona.


Hawaii is beautiful. We fell in love with the islands.

We tried to spend as much time as we could in the water. Heres Johnny splashing around on Maui.

Emily does some yoga on a Kawaii beach park.

Portland
On December 27th Johnny played an acoustic concert at Mississippi Pizza Pub in Portland. It was a great night! Thank you to all who came out. Thanks for the great photos Ruth!




My favorite brother Luke drove up from Boise with friends Chris and Jeanie for the concert. We had breakfast the next morning at the Laurelthirst.

Our friend Ruth drove down with a friend from Seattle for the show.
Boise
We spent christmas in Idaho with Johnny's family and had a wonderful time.


Johnny and Luke feeling the Christmas cheer

Luke still has all his tramp skillz
A tale of 2 johns
Katie
Allie and Em



Thanks for reading!

Johnny and Emily