[p4k] The Final Week
Well, this was it, the final week of P4K. It was bittersweet, of course. On one hand it meant we’d accomplished what we set out to do and I couldn’t be happier with how things went. On the other hand, there were some goodbyes that might be forever.
I didn’t plan too much for the workshop, just letting those who weren’t at G4C play the new beta and having everyone fill out the end of the year survey. For a moment I dared to be sentimental in front of everybody, but that mood was soundly squashed by constant giggling and video game sound effects. Silly me; our group can do many things, but reminisce isn’t one of them.
Still, it was a great afternoon and I was sorry to see everyone walk out of the computer lab one last time. This was my first time facilitating Playing 4 Keeps and my first time working with high school students since being one of them. The experience was humbling (as well as exhausting, frustrating, and confusing).
These students face more hardship than I ever have, but they remain positive and resilient. They’re growing up in a world more dangerous and precarious than the one I grew up in, but they remain confident in the potential for change in the future. They think and analyze¬–not always with the most coherent logic, but often with more wisdom than adults far older. I don’t want to idealize anyone here; they’re also goofy kids that would rather play games than analyze them and joke around than seriously debate, but that’s exactly how teenagers are supposed to be. They’re good kids, I respect them, and I just hope I get the opportunity to work with them next year.
