Dear Friends,

I continue to be fascinated to by the lengths people go in order to follow what calls them. Almost always, these are ordinary people who exhibit the courage, strength and vision to take actions that contribute to the greater good.

This month I'm pleased to showcase a wonderful client, Deborah Muscella, whose work exemplifies "purpose in action".

My best to you!
Claudette

Client Showcase - Girls Get Connected

I often write about ways to uncover your purpose, connect with your calling or touch base with your true self.  This month, I'm going to showcase the efforts of Deborah Muscella, an amazing woman who is following her calling and making a big difference in the world of girls and young women. Deborah is the founder and executive director of the Girls Get Connected Collaborative at Simmons College (http://www.girlsgetconnected.org) here in the Boston area, the city I call home. Founded in 2000, Girls Get Connected's mission is to inspire and prepare girls for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

GGC takes an innovative, hands-on approach to immersing girls in real world problems and helping them design and carry out their own solutions, as well as participate in established ones such as the Grow Boston Greener initiative. Boston Urban Forest Coalition, a public-private partnership, is spearheading this initiative by raising money to plant 100,000 more trees in the city of Boston by the year 2020.

Why is planting 100,000 new trees important?

Trees are vital to the health of the planet -- they sequester carbon, cool the environment and prevent water run-off.  Because trees are an antidote to the pollution that develops in congested urban areas, many cities in the United States have started planting more trees to create a denser urban forest canopy.  A recent tree inventory tallied up approximately 35,000 street trees in Boston.  

GGC joined this initiative in 2005.  Middle and high school students who participated in GGC's EcoStem program assisted in the city tree inventory.  In fact, the tree inventory was the centerpiece of the GGC three-week summer program. The students inventoried the trees in Boston's South End neighborhood, documenting several tree species on just one city block --callery pears, lindens, Japanese zelkovas, red maples, gingkoes.  They identified the tree species, measured the tree's height, the crown width, the diameter at breast height, noted if the tree had wounds, if its bark was compromised, if there was hardware attached to the tree, or if there were tree grates, both of which adversely affect the tree's health.  They entered all of these data into handheld computers. Later in the week, the students analyzed their data in the computer lab.

These experiences sparked many questions for the student participants, including why some areas of Boston were home to fewer trees than other areas. Then, after learning that trees decrease air pollution, they wondered if areas with fewer trees had higher incidents of asthma.

One team of middle school girls set out on a year-long project to examine the correlation between the number of trees, the rate of asthma and overall air quality in different Boston neighborhoods. They found there was a correlation: Fewer trees equals more air pollution and higher asthma rates. 

Now enrolled in high school, these same students have continued to participate in the EcoStem program and are teaching other middle school students about the value of trees in the city. The students partnered with the Girls Get Connected EcoStem staff to raise money to plant trees in the city and to educate other youth on the importance of the urban forest.  The students will work with the Boston Parks Department and the Boston Urban Forest Coalition to identify city neighborhoods for the tree plantings in September. 

To learn more about the Girls Get Connected Collaborative – a fantastic organization that is making a difference in the lives of middle and high school girls -- and to contribute to the Grow Boston Greener tree campaign, go to www.girlsgetconnected.org or contact Deborah Muscella at 617 521 2599 or deborah.muscella@simmons.edu.

return to top

Products & Services

If you liked today's issue, you'll love these services!

• Coaching with Claudette. What calls you? Do you know the answer to this question? Do you know the answer, but don't know how to make it a reality? If these are the questions on your mind, let's talk! I've assisted hundreds of people to identify their true purpose in life and mobilize the resources and strategies to pursue it.
  
  Please contact me today for more information and to schedule your introductory coaching session. Reach me directly at 781.316.1923 or claudette@metavoice.org.
   
• Myers–Briggs Type Indicator. I'm a long time fan of the MBTI – this instrument is one of the reasons I became a coach. Here's how it works: I send you the MBTI, score it for you and spend an hour with you (via phone) helping you apply the results to your life – personally and professionally. For more information, please visit http://www.metavoice.org/mbriggs.
   

return to top

Useful Resources

• Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life by Gregg Levoy. This book is – hands down, by far – my all time favorite book on the process of identifying and following a calling. I've read it at least five times, and I encourage you to read it at least once.
  
  
• Quote by Martha Graham: Although this quote is long, I think it's worth every word.
  
  "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist in any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it.
  
  "It is not your business to determine how good it is; nor how valuable it is; nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
  
  "You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open …
  
  "No artist is pleased … There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."
   

return to top