Looking back at the first day of class, one of my biggest concerns in being successful in this course was the community engagement partner portion. This is just my second semester here at Notre Dame de Namur, as I transferred in Fall. Because I had never done anything even remotely close to this C.E., I was hesitant. I was used to a regular course, where we would just read the textbook, answer questions, and take tests. Adding to my burden was the amount of hours we needed to fulfill. At first, it seemed like it would be a near impossible task. However, looking back at it, I am glad I had this opportunity. This is because I would have never otherwise gone out of my way to become involved with such an organization.
To say the least, the experiences that my group had at first were demoralizing. Our initial partner never got back to us. We learned that their numbers had changed, as well as their staff. We were ultimately unable to work with them. This got us off to a bad start since we had lost over two weeks, therefore we lost on hours as well. however, I was able to get in contact with an organization that I had heard of years earlier: the Day Workers Center of Mountain View. When I got in contact with Maria, the director of the organization, she was able to accommodate our group and provide us with a task. She told us how recently, there was a surplus of work, but there were not enough workers. So, out task was to recruit members to the organization. Together, our group generated flyers in both Spanish and English, and we distributed them to various locations. Such locations included college campuses, churches, small businesses, among others. As we went to the center multiple times, and as we generated and distributed the flyers, my hours quickly added up.
While at the center, I did notice that the workers were not as talkative to one another. i noticed how the white members kept more to themselves than the Latino members. I attributed this to the fact that the vast majority of the people at the center were Spanish speakers. Because of this observation, I was able to come up with my question for my research paper. I hypothesized that language was the reason that there was a lack of community within the center. So, I generated a questionnaire to test my hypothesis and had the workers fill them out. Additionally, I also had impromptu conversations with some of the workers. This proved to be one of the most eye opening parts, and I must say memorable, of my experience with my C.E.
As I spoke with the members, most had a common attitude: they were reluctant and fearful. Many members expressed their worry that they should not talk because they were afraid about their legal status (most were undocumented). Additionally, seeing how they were even fearful with me made me realize the lifestyle that they have to endure. For example, they live in constant fear of being separated from their families due to being deported. Having to live your life with this constant worry, having to always be on guard, was something that most of us would never have to imagine. However, for the vast majority of the members at my C.E., this is their reality. They live their lives knowing that any day might be the day that they are separated from their families and sent far away. Although this was definitely a depressing realization, it helped to remind me of things that I take for granted.
Ultimately, I enjoyed my time working with my community partner. I learned new things as well and saw how some people have to live their lives. Looking back at it, it is something that I will constantly keep in mind. Being there makes you want to contribute and help those that are in need as much as you can.
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