Friday, July 4, 2014

Teen Reflection!

Teen Reflections from a great TEEN SERVICE WEEK!!

 

1. “It is summer in Chicago. School is out. Vacation is here. Children and teens of all sorts are delighted to get a break from studying and enjoy the nice weather. Despite this sense of glee, many students of Chicago’s South side are worried that they may go hungry for the summer. This is due to the fact that very often, the closest thing to a meal these children receive was from the free [and] reduced lunch program. Provided by the school.

During this time, there are also many teens who recognize problems like these and feel like they have not only the desire, but also the ability to do something about the many problems in Chicago. Teen Service Week is composed of many teens who feel this way as well as several dedicated adult leaders who guide them. They are broken into small groups that work together every day. Younger teens commonly stay at one or two work sites throughout the duration of the week, while the older teens go to a new site every day. This great program not only provides service to Chicago, but it also provides a service to the teens. A service that educates teens on the social injustices that are put upon much of the less wealthy population of Chicago.

One of the many places or “work-sites” visited by the participants of TSW was the Port Ministries Center. This wonderful place is located on the South Side of Chicago, right where its help is needed the most. They prepare lunch meals that contain a sandwich and a snack sack. This food is provided year round but is most helpful during the summer for teens not in school.

TSW participants spread a day of the week helping peer ministry prepare and distribute sandwiches. Led by Anthony who is an amazing service man to Port Ministries, TSW learns about the culture, poverty rates and people of the South Side of Chicago. --No name listed

 

2. I went to Tree House Animal Shelter during my TSW. Tree House is not only an extremely nurturing and cat-orientated environment, but the people who who work there are amazing as well.  Mike the director of the shelter, is very compassionate and honest with his work. As a TSW volunteer, it was interesting and fun to wkr even when we were in the dusty basement, going through storage bins. My group and I were listening to music and dancing which made the work go by so much faster. Afterward, we got to socialize with the cats by playing and petting them. When the time came to 3:00 and we had to leave, I felt sad but also fulfilled because we did help the shelter and the cats and that’s what matters the most.

--Corienne Gammariello

 

3. Food Justice

This site was actually a collection of many. We spent the day traveling to a variety of different grocery stores in the area and discussion what made each of them unique, both negatively and positively. We each wrote out a list of typical foods we might eat each day, then priced the same list at every store to see which ones were cheaper, more expensive, produce specialized or package specialized. Eventually, as we were driving, the stores stopped appearing multiple times per block and started becoming more scarce, until they only food available for more than a mile were processed snacks at liquor stores. We learned that these are called food deserts, and they present huge disruptions of healthy living, as people can neither access or afford nutrient rich food.  --no name given

 

4. A Safe Haven is a not-for-profit halfway house situated on Roosevelt Ave. in the depths of the Southside of Chicago. The exterior of the building does not quite reflect its intent. The brushed steel modernist exterior to modern interior are not indicative of this being the home of 100s of homeless, veterans, and criminals who are awaiting trial and are incapable of supporting themselves.  

Like Chicago’s own Hull House, A Safe Haven strives to provide not only immediate corporeal needs of their bodies (food, water, shelter, etc) but a Safe Haven works to address the root causes of this misfortune by offering all kinds of programs from the education to betterment of the disadvantaged. TSW worked at A Safe Haven for 2 days with two different groups. Those groups learned about  Safe Haven’s mission as well as providing the overworked staff with support in the kitchen, dining room, and community food pantry. A Safe Haven is a wonderful teacher of the value of every person regardless of previous decisions. --Nick Del Guidice

 

 

5FF5A515-3640-4067-921C-A32B4AD7F4C9

No comments:

Post a Comment