Project: We came, we volunteered, we loved it!

Soooo in case you weren't there this weekend (in which case you missed out), Project was a total success! I am grateful for the experience of being a Team Lead because I got to see all of the work that gets put into Project to make it happen. The day was long but worth it to help out a community who was welcoming. I had a little bit of a hectic Project days, but it was worth it! 
Also I should mention that my sister, who is in the 2nd grade, sent me her Flat Stanley to take on adventures throughout Austin and I took Flat Stanley to Project, so he is in a few of the pictures from the day!

Friday
Because I knew I had to be up before 5 to be at the SSB, I figured I would go to bed early so that I would be able to be as helpful as possible the next morning. But I still went to a baseball game with some friends, which was easy going and the Longhorns won! 

Watching some Longhorn Baseball!

Saturday

When we first all arrived at the SSB!

5:00 AM - I had woken up, gotten dressed and was ready to head to the SSB. When I arrived it was a great to see so many of the other Team Leads, Committee Members and Exec there ready to start the day! We all began to talk about what still needed to be done, and had some breakfast to get us going for the day. We continued to get things in order until it was time to get the volunteers on the bus. 

Had a burnt orange donut for breakfast #hookem

7:30 AM - The volunteers began to arrive and my job as a Team Lead was to make sure the volunteers were on the bus and be sure that the bus actually got to Dove Springs. This was a slightly crazy, hectic job in that there were a lot of volunteers to manage and be sure that they got on and were not left. At my Team Lead trainings they reminded me that I would be one of the first few faces that the volunteers saw so I did my best to remain positive through out the day. On my bus we had a great time, singing to the music on the radio and getting excited about helping out in the community! 

Some really excited volunteers with Flat Stanley!

9:00 - 11:30 AM - So during this time things got really crazy on the buses and we were doing our best to make sure the volunteers were going to the right buses that would take them to the right sites to volunteer. I honestly felt like I lost my brain for a second during this time because the buses were pretty chaotic. But as soon as the chaos happened it seemed to slow down and things were smoothly running again. We began to drop off students at their sites where they would help, and began to head back to the SSB to pick up the 2nd group of volunteers. 

12:00-2:30 PM - This was lunch time for both shifts of volunteers and the food was phenomenal! Longhorn Steakhouse provided food for everyone that was present at Project 2013 which was a ton of people! Every volunteer I spoke to said the food was great. 

2:30-4:30 PM - So during this time the bus crew had no volunteers to bus around, so we were able to stay at the Rec Center and help and see what was being done around this area. The crews around the Rec Center were painting the swimming pool pavilion. I asked them for a quick favor, if they would take a picture with Flat Stanley and they said yes! Shortly after taking this picture, the Bat Mobile showed up! Flat Stanley got a picture with the Bat Mobile too. 

Some awesome volunteers!

Bat Mobile! Woooo!

4:30-7:00 PM - This was the time period in which everything really began to slow down, and as all of the volunteers returned to campus we headed toward Mendez Middle School to finish packing up the tools and reflect on the day. By this time I felt really tired but relieved that the day was almost done and we had done so much for this awesome community. Any community members I saw were welcoming and kind, saying many thanks for us being there. 

Assembly Line at its Finest!

Overall feelings of the day: Although I did not actually get to paint, or clean an area I enjoyed helping on the buses, and getting to see the volunteers before and after they arrived at a site. Seeing this many Longhorns come together, showed me the passion that many people at our university have for helping others. I hope that I have the opportunity to help with Project 2014! 

University-Community Partnerships

This week's readings were focused mainly on the responsibility that universities who received land during the Land-Grant Act, and how there is a certain expectation of these universities to give back to the communities in which they are located. While reading the two articles I could not help but to begin to compare the private university in my hometown to these larger public universities. I thought back through my childhood and how I couldn't remember a specific time in which that university did something for the community. So whenever we began to talk and read about how larger universities have gone through phases of community engagement, I was taken aback. I had never before thought or expected large universities to be so engaged in the community. The history of university engagement really blew me away and I am feel proud now to know that I am attending a university that stays engaged with its community. I also saw how there was a change from the universities coming in as the all mighty fixers of all problems, and became collaborators with the community. This shift in roles I feel has strengthened the trust that the community has in the university and has also given the university a new view on how teaching and learning works. During my Team Lead meetings it has been said numerous times that we are there to help and collaborate, not dictate and overrun. This thought process is something that I continue really think about to ensure that I go into the community with an open mind and do not come in trying to solve only the problems that I see.

Project Feelings: Being a social work pre-major, I feel as though many people in the social work building have a natural caring personality and I love to help others and empower them to make the best decisions for them. I had assumed that only social work students were so engaged in the community, since it shows us first hand how people are living and gives us a better understanding of their lives. But coming into Global Project Development and learning about Project 2013 I see now that it is not only the social work students who are engaged and volunteering with the community. Seeing students from so many backgrounds being engaged in Project really excites me and makes me want to continue being apart of it. I am also very thankful that they asked us to complete the trainings to better equip us on the day on Project because I have learned a lot about the community and have a much better understanding going into it.

Community Thoughts/Feelings: I am a member of the organization Longhorn LULAC and our chapter's president has been in Washington DC for a couple of days at a conference. He has been sharing his experience and posting pictures as much as he can on Facebook. Today while on Facebook I saw that he had posted the link to an article that was speaking about how large the hispanic community is in Texas and how within 20 years we will make up half the population in Texas. I feel as though the hispanic community's growth is an excellent thing, but I also worry about how we can better educate minority groups. Minorities generally live in low income areas, and even though the hispanic community is large, they do not understand or know their rights so they do not participate in voting elections. We as citizens have a right to vote and have our voice heard. I hope that in the coming years we can find ways to educate the minority communities and allow their voices to be heard as well.

I know this is lengthy so I applaud anyone who reads it. I was feeling and thinking about a lot while writing tonight.

By the way, Project is about to be here! Soo excited!

Community Readings and Thoughts

While reading the article over Articulated Learning it really got me thinking about how I will reflect on my experience with Dove Springs whenever I have left the area. I want to leave the area and have more to say than, "It was such a great experience." In the first few pages its explained how reflections and true articulated learning can be achieved through a model. I feel as though it is a good idea to allow students, volunteers the opportunity to reflect, but I also feel that for some the impact and cause may be felt differently. Before I became really educated about the Dove Springs community, I don't feel as though my passion and drive would be the same as a volunteer who knows very little about the community's situation and background. Also as a Pre-Social Work major, we are required to take introductory courses and are taught that for many people a situation is much more complex than we can imagine. Before taking these classes I myself never thought that situations were that complex: if you are being abused, you leave, it was that simple. As I have taken more Social Work classes, and been at the university longer I have learned that situations are never easily understood. But to get back on topic, I feel as though these lessons and classes have prepared me much more to approach people in the community with confidence and compassion. I am thankful that I am learning so much about the community so that I do not seem naive or ignorant whenever I arrive on the 26th. For my classmates and myself it will very important that we approach the community in a calm, but helpful manner. No one likes a tyrant who runs in controlling everyone and everything. There was also a word in the text that I really liked and hope that I can be this during the day of Project. The word is "stimulator" and is used in the context of, " Someone who rouses activity in other individuals, which later becomes self-sustaining." This example of a leader is a great one, because I hope that in all that we do in the Dove Springs community that we stimulate them into continuing to help themselves. I hope that whenever I reflect on this experience that I am able to fully appreciate and find a purposeful meaning to it.

In the beginning of the reading over Reciprocity in Service Learning, it talked about how if a university partners with a community, many times it seems as a situation of “tutoring the poor,” instead of an empowering situation. This is a situation example has been repeated throughout my Team Lead training, and the use of empowerment is something that is often preached and praised in my social work classes. I feel as a Pre-social work major all of these trainings are something that I may have to go through as a social worker. Another thing is that I really feel as though these trainings are so beneficial to the Team Leads in that it is reminding us that we will be meeting people with different backgrounds and perspectives as ours. These trainings have really shown me and reminded me how some people may be very welcoming and others may not be as happy about our presence. Critical consciousness is something that should be practiced on a regular basis to bridge the gap between the “oppressors” and the “oppressed”.  The thought process on bridging these two groups is about promoting honest dialogue. Being honest and truthful is something that my parents have always taught me to be with them and anyone else I meet. They would tell me if we didn’t have enough money to do things, or to remember that not everyone’s life situation is the same as mine. This type of honest dialogue in my household, allows me to better understand when others are being honest with me.

These readings have really highlighted and enlightened me on issues that may occur in the Dove Springs community whenever we attend Project 2013. I hope that these readings will help me to be the best volunteer I can be. 

Collective Me

The purpose of this assignment is to identify your “collective me” that has shaped your social identity. Choose 5 items that represent your social identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, social class, nationality, age, size) that have influenced your worldview or behavior. These items might include photographs, pieces of art, jewelry, piece of clothing, or anything you believe has significant influence on how you perceive and behave in the world.

Ethnicity: Mexican 
So most of my life I have identified with Mexican-Americans because growing up whenever I was asked "what" I was I said Mexican. Both sets of my grandparents are from Mexico originally and my parents were both born in the US. Growing up we went to Mexico 2 to 3 times a year and for me that was normal. I love my Mexican heritage because it has shown me how important family and tradition are. My family is pretty close knit and that has affected me a lot. We do a lot together and I really love the time I have with them. Both of my grandmothers have always been excellent cooks, so family time always has the best food. My Wela Cortez, which is my mother's mom, got cancer in July of 2009 and whenever we found out it was as if our rock had been broken. While we took care of her, we got closer than we ever were and for me this showed me how important our culture and tradition was. We do a lot of stuff together and I am so thankful. I also had a quinceanera, which is a huge tradition in Mexico. It marks the transition from childhood to womanhood, there is a church ceremony and a dance after the church. 

Nationality: American 
Growing up in America is very different than other countries. There are many advantages to living in the United States, and many of which I would not have ever known if my family wouldn't have made regular trips to Mexico like we did. Normal things like TV, American football, gummy candies and so many other things are really expensive or nonexistence. I saw things that were shocking and not "normal" in Mexico. I saw people living in shacks, and sometimes had to use bathrooms that weren't in the best shape. I would come home after most trips so thankful for the country that I grew up in. We have many things that are so normal here that are taken for granted. Things that were popular in the US in the 90s, would show up in Mexico five years later. We are progressive as a nation, and I am so used to this that I forget that we as a country are ahead in technology and many other areas.

Ability: Able bodied 
I feel as though sometimes I forget that I am young and healthy until I get sick or injured. During 2011 I was in a car accident that left me disabled for about 4 months. Before my accident I had not realized how accustomed I was to be able to use my legs and arms so easily. I grew up playing sports and being so active I never got injured or anything too drastic. So whenever I was in my car accident I was not used to being disabled. My shoulder was in a sling for 4 months and I was only allowed to do minimal movement. This was the hardest thing ever for me because I still wanted to do everything I was doing before and did not like to ask for help. But after a while I learned it was really hard to wash my dishes with one hand, or fix my hair. This experience with being disabled for a short period of time, showed me how blessed I am to not have been permanently injured.

Social class: middle 
Growing up in the middle class I never had to worry about financial situations or being worried I wouldn't have food to eat for meals.  Of course I didn't get every single toy I wanted or drive a luxury car, but my life was never really difficult. But I also have been around family members who are considered to be in the lower class and this has helped to shape me as well. My grandmother never had a lot of money and was receiving help from the government. I never knew this or noticed whenever I was younger. Growing up I realized it but I never thought to much on it because I knew that she loved me and really that was all I needed. We never got many gifts from her, and honestly didn't mind it because we knew that gifts were not the same as quality time. In many ways I am thankful in having grown up in the middle class and being shown by my parents that working hard can pay off and provide for your family. I am also thankful that I got to see how some in the lower class lived to appreciate what I had in my life.

Age: 20 
Right now I am 20, and well I feel like 20 year olds everywhere are doing different things. I have friends having babies, another battling cancer and many like myself in college right now. Twenty is kind of an awkward age where you are still trying to figure out how to be an adult but a lot has changed since 18 and high school. Friends change, you move away, and your parents start to get older. I still talk to the few really close friends I have but things and topics have changed. Its more about politics and bills than just football and music. Being at the University of Texas has taught and shown me a lot about myself that I feel I would have never learned if I would have stayed in my hometown and gone to university there. I recently started paying bills that I have and I've learned that things aren't as simple as I thought whenever I was younger. Looking back I never expected to be where I am at age 20. Dreams and life goals change but I'm glad that my life is where it is right now, 20 has been good so far.

Bonus: Smalltown Community
So I really wanted to write about my hometown and I'm not exactly sure where it fits in the identities but it has shaped me as well so I figured I would just include it as a bonus! 
I grew up in a small central Texas town where everyone knows everyone and football is a HUGE deal. Brownwood was good to me growing up and I loved being in such a tight knit community. My brother and I played a lot of sports growing up and we have made lifelong friends there. There were two boys in particular growing up that I have become so close to that now I consider them apart of my family. They have always been there for me and my brother and i love them to pieces. My dad has also coached most of my life, and he is pretty well known in our town. He and my mother showed me how to treat all people with kindness, no matter their status. I am glad that I lived in a place like Brownwood before I came to Austin because it showed me that little towns have a lot to offer as well as big cities like Austin.