Before I left the states, I had the honor and privalege of doing an action seminar for Big Brothers, Big Sisters Detroit. It was actually supposed to be one of the first things I did when I got back in August, but life being as it is, things kept getting delayed and pushed back and we finally managed to make it happen just a few days before I had to leave for Tokyo.
At the time I was actually in the middle of filming for Letters To No One, and I had to be on set that day, but thankfully it was also in downtown Detroit (only about 15 min) and they only needed me in the late afternoon, so it worked out well. I'm glad I didn't have to be on set in the morning because if I did, I would have had to show up filthy and exhausted (and with equally filthy mats), and that wouldn't have made for the best first impressions.
Anyway, the seminar was an absolute blast and each and every one of the kids was a pleasure to work with. Let no one say that kids from from the hood are lazy or hard to work with. On a certain level the seminar just vindicated a belief that I already held: That if you care, and your students know it, they'll always do their best regardless of where you (or them) are from.
After having this experience, ( as well as the one at Everett High School and finally getting a chance to check out "Waiting for Superman" on the plane ride back to Tokyo) I'm bound and determined to get involved in a lot more projects such as these once I get back to the states next year. Particularly in the Detroit area.
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