IFJ 2018 blogs

Hi everybody!

My name is Ariana Giblin and I am a rising senior studying Biology and Spanish at UP. I have spent the summer volunteering with Virginia Garcia Memorial Health and Wellness Center in Cornelius, OR. Virginia Garcia is a federally qualified health center whose main population is Latin American migrant farm workers. I chose VG because I am a pre-med student passionate about access to healthcare. VG is awesome in that they provide affordable healthcare on a sliding scale system (basically, you only pay what you are able). Here is their website if you’d like to read more! http://virginiagarcia.org/

However, they are not only a medical clinic. They also have a Wellness Center where they host Zumba, yoga, and cooking classes as well as have speakers come in to talk about different topics from diabetes management to how to speak with immigration services. During the summer they also host a kids camp in the afternoons and that is what I have been doing for the past 6 weeks! Most of the kids are patients at the clinic and a majority of them are bilingual. Each day we had a pretty structured schedule.  We would usually start with either cooking or art, then we would have somebody from the community come in to talk about a variety of things–for example, we took some dance classes, built some birdhouses, learned about bees and other pollinators, and so many other fun activities! Then we would have snack and play time (my favorite part of the day) and end with another activity. The first four weeks we had a group of twenty 6-9 year olds, and for the past 2 weeks we’ve had a group of twenty 10-14 year olds. And oh man were the groups very different. I had a blast working with the younger kids as they were as eager to learn as they were to get a piggy back ride. They were super affectionate, energetic, and ready to listen. Working with these kids was so much fun and has sparked a desire to work with kids in the future. I don’t know how/where/when, but I hope to work with kids in this age range again. I had fun working with the older kids too, even though they were much less affectionate and a little harder to get through to. That age is just so cringe worthy–working with them brought back awkward middle schools memories that I had tried so hard to forget.  Each kid in either group has a very different background and getting to know them over the past couple of months has been very special. No matter their situation, they came to camp every day ready to play with a smile (which, admittedly, was hard for me to do some days).

Aside from the kids camp, I have recently been working with a Dietician who is working to implement a program at Virginia Garcia called What Can I Eat. What Can I Eat is a free (!!), four week program through the American Diabetes Association that helps people manage their Type-2 Diabetes. Each week the group will gather to talk about different topics such as shopping for food, eating a balanced meal, and how to manage the holidays or eating out. The program has not actually started, but I have been working on recruiting people for the program via telephone and email. Once it begins, I will help with the data collection (weight, blood pressure, and A1c). I am excited to start this mini research that will hopefully go into the school year!

Although I have had a GREAT summer, this is not at all what I thought I would be doing when I originally chose Virginia Garcia to be my host site. As a pre-med student, I expected to be more in the clinic or at least working somehow in the medical sphere. During the summer they also have mobile clinics that go out to farms in Oregon and Southern Washington, but they told me that they would rather I work at the kids camp than at the mobile clinics as they have plenty of hands there already. This was a bummer, but I am hoping that maybe once the camp ends next week, they will have other, more medical opportunities for me. I have learned a little on how VG and other federally qualified health centers work, but I would be really interested to see the behind the scenes parts of the clinic.

Although I was not able to work in the medical sphere, VG helped me maintain my passion and interest in healthcare access for all and sparked an interest in working with kids. I was really grateful that I was able to practice my Spanish with the kids and their parents as that was one thing I really wanted out of my host site.  All in all, I have had such an awesome summer and hope that I can stay in touch with the people at Virginia Garcia. Throughout the summer, I was grateful to learn a lot of Spanish, how a federally qualified health center operates, and most importantly, how to play hide and go seek tag.

Thanks for reading!!

Ariana Giblin

Hey everyone, my name is Hunter Jacobson and I am a senior finance major at the University of Portland and I am excited that I have been able to be a part of the Interns for Justice program during the Summer of 2018.

For the past month I have been interning at an organization called Innovative Changes.

Innovative Changes was created as a branch of Innovative Housing, which is an organization that aims to help underserved communities find affordable housing in the Portland area. Over time it became apparent that the clients at IH were using predatory financial products such as payday loans and overall had a lack of understanding of the financial system and their own financial situation. As a result IC$ was created to help bring financial knowledge to the same underserved communities.

Innovative Changes administers a four-part financial empowerment workshop that aims to give people the tools to take back control of their financial situation. IC$ also offers one-time classes such as student loan coaching and retirement focused workshops. Additionally, IC$ is one of many authorized organizations in Oregon that sets up Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). IDAs are a way for people who may not have real savings to save some of their money and have it matched by a partner organization such as IC$. IC$ will match each dollar 3 to 1 up to $3000. This means that once an individual has saved $3000 they will actually have $12000 in their account due to the matching. These accounts need pre approval for withdrawal and can only be used for certain things like education, home repair, home buying, car buying, etc. This is an awesome program that should be replicated nationwide as it provides a way for people to get back on their feet or pay for unexpected expenses like home repairs and medical bills.

Through all of the workshops mentioned above, clients can learn about our coaching program at IC$ in which we find volunteers who are willing to meet with clients one-on-one in order to be a financial support system and help find ways that clients can best manage their finances. This program is one of my favorite parts of IC$ because it shows a willingness from the clients to want to be better and a willingness of the coaches to create change in their community.

IC$ is a program of a larger organization called CASA of Oregon. This organization develops low income housing especially in rural farming communities around Oregon. Fortunately, I was able to attend an all staff meeting at the CASA office last week and I was really inspired by all of the people there. It was no secret after several different meetings throughout the day that working in the nonprofit world is not carefree and easy work. The money isn’t the best, you see and deal with difficult things everyday, and the stress can get to people at times, but as my boss Rachell Hall told me; “It’s hard work, but it’s heart work.” I could tell that saying was buried deep in the minds of all the 20 plus employees in the CASA office that day. Difficult things were discussed and one of the CASA employees was working her second to last day at the office, but everyone was still upbeat and excited about the future because of the opportunity that they have to create change every single day. That experience truly inspired me and made me realize the importance of finding a career that excites you and gives you a true sense of purpose.

One specific experience that I would like to share is my experience of attending one of the workshops last week. The room was filled with people of all ages that all came from different financial positions. I could tell from the atmosphere that no one quite knew what to expect and there was a clear sense of nervousness in the room. This theme quickly dissipated as the class went on. The facilitator created a welcoming environment and people quickly realized that no matter the extent of their financial knowledge or experience, they were able to bounce ideas off each other and give each other tips to be more successful. I know that everyone walked out of that classroom with at least one financial tool or piece of information that would allow them to better their financial situation and their lives.

This workshop was a powerful experience because a bunch of people walked into the classroom at the beginning with varying knowledge of finances and varying financial situations, good and bad. By the end, they all had a little more knowledge that came not only from the facilitator, but from each individual in the workshop. It showed me that having a room free of judgement and full of people willing to learn can make a huge difference in a short amount of time.

My experience so far at Innovative Changes has been great and I look forward to being with them for a few more weeks. I hope that with this internship I can take some knowledge that I gain and potentially try to facilitate some classes of my own at UP, specifically on student loan coaching. Bringing financial education to my peers here at UP would be a great way to take what I have learned during the course of my internship and turn it into something tangible in my own small way.

Thank you for reading,

Hunter Jacobson

Hello everyone! My name is Grant Sippel and I am going to be a junior at the University of Portland earning a degree in Organizational Communications with a Spanish minor. I was born and raised in Carlsbad, CA, a beach town right on the coast of California about 40 minutes north of downtown San Diego.

If you take a drive from one end of Carlsbad to the other, it will take you about 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes, you will rarely find any individuals on the streets affected by homelessness. As a child, my dad lived in Oceanside, which is about 10 minutes north of Carlsbad and has a higher population of homeless individuals. Here I would see many folks on the streets and asking for money at intersections, and out of my ignorance I associated Carlsbad as a place that was shielded from this issue. Basically, I grew up in a bubble. When I decided to select UP as my place of education, I knew the change in scenery was going to require a major adjustment on my part.

The reason why I included details about my upbringing and interaction with homelessness is because this summer I have been assisting and working with an organization that strives to end homelessness PERMANENTLY. Solutions For Change is a non-profit organization in Vista, CA that wants to eliminate the “band-aid” approach from our society. Shelters and services for these individuals have them wait in line to give them a meal for a night, a roof over their head for a night, and a bed for a night; it’s all temporary. The very next day they wait in line and may not get any of that. Then what?

The reason that Solutions for Change exists, our vision, is to deliver a permanent, sustainable and replicable community-driven solution to deep poverty. Then, we share it everywhere. We offer a 1,000 day transformation program where residents take part in 3 Initiatives of our organization.

1. Solutions University (SU) – Our residents spend 500 days “on-campus” at our Solutions University housing where they attend coaching and servant leadership classes, gain knowledge and resources making significant life changes, and work at our main office and social enterprise. Children are in provided childcare during the day while the parents attend classes and work. After the day is completed, they live together along with other families in a dorm-like set-up with supervision by Case Managers.
2. Solutions Farms/Enterprise (SF) – Solutions Farms is SFC’s Social Enterprise where residents of the program work during the day for the first part of the program. Solutions Farms is the largest Aquaponics farm in the western United States, growing lettuce and fish together (side note: growing fish and plants separately creates a lot of waste, and combining these two products actually benefits one another their growth and resources).  The plants and fish grown are then sold to local markets which bring in revenue for our program – it’s killing two birds with one stone. This work experience teaches responsibility, teamwork, and diligence to stay motivated in the program.
3. Solutions in the Community (SC) – Once our residents commence to the second 500-day period, they are now “off-campus”. Solutions For Change owns and runs off-campus housing developments where our residents live with their families. They are still part of the program even at a distance, and must pass drug tests and maintain work and provide income for their families.

This approach we have as a society, by giving out a dollar or 50 cents to someone on the side of the road, makes us feel good. But it doesn’t help those receiving our tiny donation ESCAPE their homelessness. It may get them a half-decent meal for a night, but the true issue is the “churn”. As described by our CEO Chris Megison, the “churn” is the the costly and futile cycle that occurs when the root causes of family homelessness are not addressed, causing homelessness to REPEAT. They may get resources and services for a month at a shelter upon acceptance, but after that their time is up and they need to find a new solution and a new place to stay. Many children and families never escape the churn, and these children grow up in a lifestyle of hardship, and equally the parents are hurting because of the hardships their families are facing. Other shelters help with the immediate issues of homelessness, such as offering beds or meals, but they don’t rescue these individuals.

If homelessness is like a bullet wound, the temporary services only stop the bleeding. After a while, you need to replace those bandages and treat them for the pain. However, there won’t be any healing until you get that bullet out. So, surgery is required. Our program is like surgery for these individuals – getting deep down into the roots of their suffering and diagnosing, treating, and curing it. Since we are a 1,000 day program, it’s daunting for someone facing addiction, abuse, or homelessness to put the time and effort in making the change. However, with the perseverance and support our case managers and staff provide to our residents taking that first step, they make it out of those 1,000 days with a complete transformation. Solutions does not only require our residents to show up and pass attendance; we require our residents to show up and WANT to change. I’ve learned that those suffering from homelessness, abuse, addiction, incarceration, whatever it may be, can make a significant change in their lives with only so much help from others. Ultimately, they need to be the ones to want to make that change happen for themselves and their families and see it through.

As an member of this organization, I’ve had the opportunity to attend servant leadership classes with our residents where we examine the difference between servant leadership and co-dependency.  To outline it briefly, it’s the difference in assistance in either a healthy or an unhealthy way. Co-dependency is the act of serving others in an unhealthy manner. The root causes of co-dependency include fear, guilt, shame, lack of self esteem, etc. For example, a loved one may experience a strong fear that their significant other may leave them, so they act to ensure they stay with them. Servant leadership is the act of serving others in a healthy way – if we look at the previous example, it could be communicating that fear, sitting down and discussing what you need and want to see in the relationship, etc. With these points, many of our residents struggle with co-dependency issues which contributed to their unhealthy lifestyles. Many residents were in unhealthy relationships involving money or abuse. Some had family members unintentionally contributing to their addiction by housing them and enabling it to continue, which could have been initiated out of guilt that they fell into their addiction because of the parents’ actions. No matter the contribution, servant leadership can be the antidote for co-dependency. It can redefine how you need to serve others, how to approach it, how to set boundaries, and how to allow yourself to stay involved in a healthy, appropriate, and useful way.

With another half of the summer left, there will be much more to learn about this issue across the world. Solutions For Change believes they have the key to curing the nation’s homelessness issue one step at a time, one family at a time. I’m proud to be working with them and learning about their system and their mission. With their motives and goals, we can all #solutionizers!

Hey beautiful humans. I am Amanda Hernandez Michalski. I was born in Colusa, CA but grew up in Salinas, CA. I am a rising junior math major with a minor in Catholic Studies. Despite the lack of authentic taquerias, warm beaches and endless fields, the evergreen scenery, no sales tax and the family I’ve found in campus ministry and the women’s rowing team make up for the other things. It’s home away from home.

This summer, instead of teaching swim lessons like I usually do, I get to be an intern for justice. I am living with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in the Medaille house named after their founder, John Peter Medaille in South Central LA. It is the province’s discernment house for those discerning vowed religious life. Aside from this discernment, I am also working at Alexandria House in their childcare center. Alexandria house is a women’s shelter located in Koreatown in LA that was founded by one of the sisters. It offers more than just shelter; it is a home. We empower women and people of color to foster community among one another in the fight for equality across race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Living in community with the sisters has allowed me to enter a reflective state. Unfortunately I am not able to write as often as I’d like: I get up at 4 a.m. for rowing practice, manage to make it back for 7 am prayer then work from 9-5:30, soon to be 6, every weekday. This all sounds like a lot on paper but for the first time I feel the closest to title of “adult” as I ever have because I feel balanced.

Going into college, I told myself that I would never choose to work with kids.*queue ironic laughter* Starting at Alexandria house, I had a hard time bonding with the kids. They have very specific guidelines as to how we handle conflict. We also don’t call them kids or children, we call them friends. When a friend wants a toy that another is already playing with, instead of just saying no, we facilitate negotiations between them. We tell the friend that toy is unavailable right now, but in 5 or less minutes (depending on what the friend in possession decides) it will be available. We also teach them how to vocalize their feelings and their boundaries by having open conversations about our need for personal space. These children are so emotionally advanced. I feel like I’m learning more about how to handle emotions than they are.

At times I will find my mind wandering and become too curious about the children’s backstories. The chismosa part of me really wants to ask and almost feels entitled to their background. My excuse for asking would be so that I could better serve them. Though it sounds reasonable, I’ve come to realize that it shouldn’t matter as much as people make it seem. Yes, it is important to avoid triggers, but we are called to serve our brothers and sisters with authentic love as well as enter into communion with them. We don’t need to know that her family was evicted and that’s why she doesn’t want to share the dollhouse set. We don’t need to know that his dad beat the family and that’s why he doesn’t like loud noises and participating in music time. Instead we need to meet the dear neighbor where they are and foster an environment that helps them find their preexisting greatness.

I had a great day at work the other day and had to write about it immediately. Here are my reflections from that day:

I feel like I have a deeper bond with the kids at Alexandria House. One of them even requested me by name to play with him today! His name is Zion and he is the only one I am sure knows my name. Though he is rotten, he has the biggest heart I have ever seen in a child and he’s only 3. He struggles to express his emotions, resulting in displays of anger and self-isolation.

He’s like a two-year-old dog: not really a puppy, but not really an adult. He hates being called baby and always wants to play the role of a grown up. In fact, the other day he asked for my hand in marriage! I of course had to say no, but I gave him some peanut butter and his heart was restored. But, the second you sit down on the carpet with a book, he is in your lap and cuddles up for a nap.

My first day of work, he was not there, and the staff was describing him to me so that I could brace myself. All the behavioral tendencies they told me about are true, and I have now experienced all of them, including the swear words and name calling. I still have this great love for him when I walk through that door and see him already in the “feel better area” at 9 a.m. That love is genuine. That love is a gift that only God can provide. As the Sisters of St. Joseph would say, he is “the dear neighbor.” The connection between us can only be described as pure. The emotions are raw, the gestures are honest and the time we spend together is precious.

He isn’t the smartest. He isn’t the strongest. But he sure as heck has a lot of potential. At least once a day he puts on the doctor outfit and sets out on a mission to cure all the dolls of some new ailment. Everyday I think to myself, “He’s going to go far.” Then, reality sets in and all these future conditions pop into my mind. “What if he doesn’t go to a good school?” “What if someone calls him names?” “What if people tell him he can’t…and he actually believes them?” “What if he loses all of the joy he once was filled with?”

I’m not even his mother and I’m scared to let him into the real world. All these worries don’t come from nowhere though. They come from the continuous failures of the education system and misguidance from people in leadership positions. When these kids call me teacher, I am honored to bear the weight of helping these children develop. It is not just a job anymore. It is a commitment to enter into relationship with God’s gifts and help them realize how perfect they already are. Perfection is not being without flaw, it is being one with the trinity.

It is our duty as capable humans to stand up for the little people. This world is a gift. We need to prepare it for the esteemed guests to come. Even though this world is temporary, it is the platform in which we find our connection with the divine and show that through doing God’s work.

Challenge: Do one act of love for a child(ie offer them a prayer, donate old books to a school)