Moreau Center Social Justice Programs

IFJ 2019 Blogs

Interns for Justice – Zachary Sessa

By

My name is Zachary Sessa and I’m an incoming Junior at UP, majoring in Social Work and Spanish with a minor in Political Science. I did my Interns for Justice internship at an non-profit organization called Workers Defense Project in Austin, TX. WDP is a membership-based organization that empowers low-income workers to achieve fair employment through adult education, legal services, community organizing and strategic partnerships. The organization has a focus on transforming the construction industry in Texas as it is one of the most dangerous lines of work in the state and also an industry in which exploitation is rampant.

I first encountered WDP when I volunteered with their development team (fundraising, applying for grants, etc.) in the Summer of 2018. I was manually noting errors found within the donor database, super fun stuff! By chance, I ended up in the same office space as the executive director and lead attorney, so I was exposed to all of the behind-the-scenes action going on which gave me great insight into the work they do. I knew these were career paths I should explore more because I could see myself in their positions in the future, so the Interns for Justice program was the perfect way for me to learn as much as possible during my internship. 

I’m now finishing my last week of my 12 week long summer internship. It’s a very bittersweet feeling to be finishing my time at WDP because it has been everything I could’ve hoped for and more. My official title is the Workers Rights Advocate intern, but to describe my position in a nutshell I’m a paralegal/organizer within the legal department, fighting to win strategic wage-theft and workplace violation cases that occur within the construction industry. Because we predominantly work with Spanish speakers, my internship has been as close to an immersion experience as I can get without living in a Spanish-speaking country.  I have been able to apply so much of what I learn from my Social Work, Spanish, and Political Sciences classes to real life, practical situations. This has provided such meaningful and personal context that will continue to strengthen my future classroom experiences and allow me to better my practical skills to impact people’s lives in a positive way. 

2019 Summer Interns in front of a poster with one of WDP’s slogans, “Build bridges not walls. Construimos puentes, no muros.”

The best example I can give of applying my theoretical knowledge from the classroom into practical purposes is the theory of change WDP uses as their mission for social justice. In my Social Work classes I have learned that those who have experienced oppression know how to combat it best because it is their lived reality. WDP uses people power, developed through the membership-based model, to gain economic and political power in order to make change. This theory of change, that those who experience oppression are those best equipped to be leading the fight against the oppressors, aligns with what I’ve learned in my Social Work classes.  Every practice of the organization, whether it be the legal department, the research and policy department, or adult education revolves around the empowerment of our members, so that they can lead the fight against oppression/exploitation.

Working in the legal department means that my role supports relationship building with clients at our weekly legal clinic, what we call Junta, and developing the life of a case through mutual contributions from clients and the legal team. We pride ourselves on not operating like a traditional law firm does, so if a member has a case with us we let them know that there’s an expectation that they contribute their own granito de arena (grain of sand) by coming to Junta every week and working their case. This means that instead of a client presenting their case and the law team handling everything else after that, we take a more hands-on approach expecting weekly collaboration from our clients. This aligns with the mission of WDP as through the legal process we want to make sure we’re educating members on their workers rights in the U.S in order to prevent future exploitations, while also acknowledging the power the worker has in navigating intimidating systems, for example; filing a wage claim, properly organizing evidence, and negotiating with their employers via a civil route or through external agencies. 

As the legal department we heavily focus on supporting strategic cases which brings me to one of the most important things I’ve learned during my time as an intern; Quality>Quantity. At one of my first trainings I heard veteran colleagues of mine express how it’s important to remember that you can’t help everyone. If you stretch yourself too thin trying to help every single person, then no case is receiving the amount of attention it needs, and the quality of help you can provide drastically decreases. I was stunned because in my mind non-profit workers have huge hearts filled with compassion, so they will do everything in their power to help someone out. First, that’s not a sustainable practice and leads to burnout, which is prevalent in non-profit work. Second, it’s important to recognize that different cases require different skills, so we aren’t always the best equipped resource which could cause a disservice rather than being helpful. Third, it’s important to accept a certain amount of strategic cases in order to make long-term, structural change, instead of playing whack-a-mole and making short-term progress solving tons of individual cases, but not getting to the root of the problem.

Everything I learned through my internship was made possible through the Interns for Justice program and I can’t express how appreciative I am to have had this experience. I gained great insight for future career paths, exponentially improved my Spanish, and started new relationships with people who share similar values as me. I highly recommend the Interns for Justice program and am extremely grateful to have been a participant of it for Summer 2019.

Interns for Justice: July 29 – Aug 2 (by Sam Barrett)

By

Happy Friday everyone!


I’m a rising junior social work major and psychology minor. I picked the nonprofit Catholic Charities and have been interning in their transitional housing program, Kenton Women’s Village (KWV). The transitional housing is in the form of tiny houses called PODs (Partners on Dwelling). This pilot project works with people who self identify as female, are single, experiencing chronic houselessness (on average 5 years), and are on average 47 years old. This program touches on many social justice issues such as the Portland housing crisis, domestic/sexual abuse, race, ability, mental and overall health issues, and issues regarding employment. You can learn more about KWV here: https://www.catholiccharitiesoregon.org/services/housing-services/kenton-womens-village/


My position at KWV is well tailored to my educational goals. The staff I work with are happy to make the projects that I work on applicable and educational to my social work major. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to shadow the delightful case manager, Cherie, and now have my own caseload of women. I meet with the women in one on one meetings and assist with the pairing of resources as well as give additional support as needed. Case managing has been my favorite part about the internship because I’m able to truly sit down and get to know the women and hear their stories, each one moving me. I’m also able to put my social work and counseling skills to use while facilitating meetings and aiding in conflict resolution. In addition to case managing I manage the multicultural food pantry at Catholc Charities, I have also been given awesome opportunities to sit in on meetings and trainings which have been beneficial to my learning. On top of the hands on aspect of my internship I have also worked on the outcomes and waiting list for the KWV which has helped me strengthen my administration skills. I enjoy the support I’m able to give the women and cherish the one on one time I get with them. I look forward to more shared moments, laughter, and encouragement in helping to support these women to meet their goals.

  • Myself in front of the Kenton Women’s Village sign

Interns for Justice: July 15 – July 21 (By Sanuye Ford)

By

My name is Sanuye Ford and over the summer, I decided to intern with Brown Hope. Brown Hope is a very small, Portland-based non-profit that aims to combat racism by creating spaces for black, brown, and indigenous people in our city to come together, heal, and build community. Brown Hope does this with Reparations Power Hour, an event in which every other month the community can show up, get paid, and connect with each other at a rotating host of sites throughout Portland. They also combat the economic inequality that the community often faces with Blackstreet bakery, a vegan pop-up bakery that pays the black, brown, and indigenous people who bake and sell the treats a living wage.  You can find out more about Brown Hope here.

While I imagined serving the community more directly, I came to find myself doing more behind a desk than with the community Brown Hope served. This was because while Brown Hope has regular programs, what it really needed when I got there was someone to do business outreach so that we could plan out where Reparations Power Hour would be happening in advance, we needed someone to do donor appreciation to let the people who gave to us know that we did see and appreciate them and what they did for us. Not only that but Brown Hope wasn’t in a place where Blackstreet Bakery could happen often enough for our bakers to use it as a full-time position, which meant that the population we served were people with full-time jobs who had time to connect on weekends, but not as often as I initially imagined.

While it was definitely hard at first to accept that my internship wouldn’t pan out the way I originally thought it would, and it took a while to appreciate why my internship is what it is, I know now that just because I don’t get to serve my community in the way I originally thought I would doesn’t mean I’m not doing anything.

At my first Reparations Power Hour, I could see the effect my work had. I got to meet black, brown, and indigenous people from all walks of life. There were comic book writers, there were community organizers, there were people who had only been in Portland for a few months. I got to meet people who had been coming to Reparations Power Hour since the beginning and people for whom this event was the first they had been at in Portland. Seeing all the people who showed up, seeing how much healing happened in just one night by having space for people to connect and share their experiences and trauma, it really made the work I had been doing feel so much more worthwhile.

After all, if what I was doing lead to more events and connections like the ones I saw that night, I was making the kind of impact I hoped to have, and that’s the most important thing.

Interns for Justice: July 7th – July 12th 2019 (by Brady Corcoran)

By

Hello and Happy Summer!

My name is Brady Corcoran and I am serving as an Intern for Justice during Summer 2019 in the Portland area. I am a senior majoring in Accounting and minoring in Sociology. I wanted to pursue the Interns for Justice program as it presented me with the opportunity to dive deeper into my sociology minor and has allowed me to better understand the concepts and material that I have learned in my sociology classes thus far.

The organization I chose to intern with this summer is an organization that serves a population that is near and dear to my heart. Located on Mississippi Ave. and Mason St., Q Center serves as a resource center for those who identify as part of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community and allies of this community. Offering services ranging from peer support groups to simply providing a safe space for folks, Q Center has been and continues to be a resource center for those in need. More information about my organization can be found here: https://www.pdxqcenter.org/

Myself (left) and the Executive Director for Q Center, Cameron (right)

One individual whom I have had the privilege of getting to know by working at the Q Center is Melissa. Melissa identifies as female and is wheelchair bound. She is a frequent visitor to the Q Center and has much to say regarding politics, government and life in general. Melissa has been dealing with houselessness as well as mental health issues. She has been able to find sanctuary at Q Center and spends much of her time here during drop-in hours. At first, I was weary about getting to know Melissa. This was on behalf of the privileges that I have, which include being a white, able-bodied, cis-gender male. However, after recognizing that we both frequented Q Center often, Melissa began opening up to me and talking to me about her life.

One tragic story that Melissa shared with me has helped shape my understanding of how sexuality, gender identity, ableism, and race affect how one is perceived by the public. Melissa often must panhandle up and down Mississippi Ave. in order to afford a decent meal for the day. One day when she was asking folks for money, a white man with his family asked Melissa if she needed a push. She said yes, that would be nice. The man then pushed her nearly into oncoming traffic. He laughed and his family walked away. Melissa recounts that the worst part was that this man had a child with him and explained that children are being taught to hate those who are different, rather than embrace and welcome them.

My heart went out to Melissa as this is but one of the struggles she must face daily. I appreciated Melissa sharing this story with me as I can better understand the struggles that the LGBTQ2SIA+ community faces, specifically the trans community as well as people of color. There are other people out there who are treated poorly simply because they are “different”. This is a continuous battle that we must fight in order to ensure that these groups of people are no longer seen as “less than” by the public, but instead are valued and welcomed into our communities.

“Together, we rise!” – A saying painted on the outside of the Q Center Facility

By working with the Interns for Justice program, I have had the opportunity to dive in and see what issues currently are affecting the LGBTQ2SIA+ community in Portland, in other parts of Oregon and in other parts of the United States. By working to ensure that ALL members of this community are treated as part of the community, not just the G, not just the T, but ALL members who identify as part of this community, it is possible to demonstrate that these people who are often left out matter and are valued members of society. Thank you for the opportunity to dive deeper and explore the issues that are very real to many people living in the Portland-metro area. I look forward to sharing more as the program draws to a close in August.

 

Interns for Justice: July 1st – July 6th, 2019 (by Diana K. Salgado Huicochea)

By

Hello Dear Reader,

My name is Diana, I will be entering my Senior year this Fall 2019! I am a Biology and Theology, double major. This summer 2019, I am an Intern for Justice through the Moreau Center for Service and Justice serving at Rose Haven, a non-profit, day shelter and community center for women-identifying people and children experiencing trauma, abuse, poverty, physical and/or mental challenges.

This is part of the “living room” space at Rose Haven.

A reason I chose Rose Haven as my internship site is because as a Biology major I spend most of my days studying the human body or I spend many hours in a lab not interacting with people, especially when I do independent research. This summer, I wanted to work with people and remain in the Portland area to serve my home community. I wanted to work with inspiring and empowering individuals driven towards social justice, I found this at Rose Haven. The team that I work with are incredibly supportive and they are never afraid to be human – to show emotion, to do the work that is needed; to give people the dignity they deserve. To acknowledge that everyone is a child of God.

“Projects for Diana” as an intern I have begun to work on a shelter resource sheet along with the services the shelters provide.

My days at Rose Haven are never dull! Each day I am assigned to work at a different “department,” which is different from my morning and my afternoon shifts. Rose Haven offers many services to our guests and to the volunteers to serve in. Such as advocacy, “the shop” (a boutique for our guests to freely shop in) and you serve as personal shopper, the shower program, the food table, sorting the donation center, cooking food in the kitchen, being “the runner” (giving people the emergency needs they have that day) and/or administrative support. I have been lucky to serve in almost all of them since I have been interning at Rose Haven since the month of May!

All the departments are fun, yet my favorite role is working as the Shower Program Assistant. We allow each guest to have a twenty-minute shower, which is a significant time compared to other places. After their shower, the guest is welcome to spend as much time as they’d like in our vanity space which has a big mirror, blow dryer, hair tools, make-up among other things for the guests to use. I enjoy this role because from the moment the person walks in we aim to give them the best experience. First, the shower space has a clean smell, we offer the guests additional products they can use in the shower since we have shampoo and conditioner dispensers already inside the shower rooms. After each guest is done we disinfect the shower room, for a new guest to use.

It is fascinating to see what a shower can do for the guests –it’s a beautiful transformation! Guests come out of the shower as a new person. Their faces are brightened through the refreshment a simple shower can have. As we, too, know what a shower can do for us, especially when we are not having the best day. The shower rooms also provide that confined space that promotes security and a space for healing and cleansing which is what our guests seek at Rose Haven.

Community Agreement applies to guests, staff, and volunteers.

As guests spend time in the vanity space I have the opportunity to listen to their stories and have good conversations. I enjoy seeing how supportive and kind they are towards each other by encouraging and empowering one another. They help each other do their hair, compliment their make-up and/or the outfit they chose from the shop. The conversations they have among each other are always fun to be part of.

 

The Vanity Space, guests can sit to wait for their shower as it gets closer to their slot time. Behind the screens, we have the mirror and products for them to use.

 

One of the continual challenges I experience is listening to the hardships that these women experience. Our guests share the trauma they have gone through whether it was years ago to a few hours ago. It is difficult to not think about it once my day at Rose Haven is done, but it is something I continue to work on. And of course, the Rose Haven team, the Moreau Center staff, my friends, and journey partners (people also doing the Interns for Justice Program at different sites all over the country) are people I can debrief with.

There have been and continue to be many powerful moments I am been privileged to experience at Rose Haven. The guests I work with bring me every type of joy! As I end this blog post I encourage you to provide the space for a friend, a family member, or a stranger to share a piece of who they are, you will be amazed at the extraordinary experiences people possess!

In great gratitude,

Diana Keyla Salgado Huicochea

Interns for Justice: June 17 – 21, by Claire Matanguihan

By

Hi! I’m Claire, an incoming senior studying social work. I’m from the little island of Guam and I enjoy being outdoors, reading, and singing!

A mini-village called “Moonlight Night” created by one of the participants of the “It Takes a Village” program!

As a social work major, one of my biggest career goals is to work with a multitude of underserved populations. And because I have worked with youth before, I thought it would be amazing to volunteer my time at local non-profits to better understand the group I hope to assist in the future.

Like most undergraduate social work students, I spent most of my spring semester searching for an enriching opportunity during the summer that would help solidify my dream to work with underprivileged youth. And out of nowhere, I stumbled upon the Interns for Justice program.

Although I had never really worked directly under the Moreau Center, many of my peers have volunteered and/or spent a huge chunk of their time at UP working with them. So, I decided to apply for the Interns for Justice program and it was honestly the best thing that has happened to me this year. With this program, my only hope was to be able to learn more about my community, engage in much-needed self-reflection, and grow through personal experiences.

This summer I had been given the opportunity to intern at HomePlate Youth Services, a non-profit organization that serves houseless youth in the Portland, Beaverton, and Hillsboro areas. (If you want to learn more about the organization, visit this link: https://www.homeplateyouth.org)

HomePlate has offered me a bunch of opportunities to work directly with youth in the area. Through the “It Takes a Village” program, houseless youth are able to sign-up for three-hour shifts, paint houses to be sold as home decorations or souvenirs, and get paid right away! This employment opportunity provides youth a stable, safe, and guaranteed access to a job and a community.

As an intern at HomePlate, I had been given the task to spear-head the “It Takes a Village” project and make the space my own. Working with different groups of youth almost everyday has definitely impacted me in ways you can’t even imagine. Hearing their stories, interacting with them, and guiding them through creative projects has not only deepened my love for service, but it has also brought me so much joy and confidence for my future endeavors.

Every participant has a story, and not all of the stories were easy to hear. Some of the youth battle addiction, have undergone violence of some kind, or have isolated themselves from family and friends. As hard as it is to hear their struggles, I admire the positivity that each of them have – for HomePlate and their futures. Many of them have dreams, aspirations, and determination to make changes to systems that have been unforgiving to them. I have grown really close to many of the youth that participate in the program and get to give them advice on continuing their education and help them search for jobs. Although sometimes I feel like I cannot do anything more than guide them through their circumstances or provide resources, it is still so fulfilling to know that they can confide in me and other HomePlate staff. HomePlate’s work is truly inspiring – it is a home to so many youth and the relationships that come out of it are so beautiful. And I am proud to be a part of that.

Thank you for reading! – Claire

Interns for Justice: June 10-15, by Georgia Paulk

By

Here’s a candid photo of instructing a student how and where to plant some seeds on the farm

Hello! I’m Georgia, a rising junior studying biology, education, and environmental science. I’ve lived my whole life in Portland, and when I’m not working I do improv comedy. But let me tell you about what you have come here for, my wonderful job at the Serendipity Center!

They’re a therapeutic school that provides an alternative education plan to at risk students. Serendipity’s four cornerstone goals to establish for the students in the school setting are: mental health, transition, education, and wellness. More information about this can be found on their website:   http://www.serendipitycenter.org .  Within the curriculum is what’s called the Growing Minds Garden Program, which takes place in a spacious garden and farm area for students to explore ecology, see seeds they planted grow and eventually be harvested, or even just use the space to take a break in instead of turning to electronics. This outdoor classroom is where I have been spending the vast majority of my time.

On what we call the happenstance “disregulated” days, there is higher energy among the students and a reluctance among them to remain on task in class. Of course, these classes also take place in the messy and distracting outdoors, so it is to be expected that there will be hiccups along the way. On one of these days, some elementary students were planting eggplants, so the instructor set the students at stations and started a demonstration of how to best dig a hole and plant in it. Very quickly, many of the students stopped paying attention, and some began doing destructive things. Among the bustle, one student seemed to be fidgeting with his trowel and flinging some dirt around him. A staff member saw this and asked the student to be careful, but he continued to stab at the dirt. Then the student accidentally snapped his plant in half through the stem, and proceeded to panic. I didn’t hesitate for another staff to come settle the situation. I remember being very calm in answering his anxious questions of whether it was dead, whether I was “mad at him”, or if he was in trouble. I said to him, “I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but I am going to teach you how to fix it”. In my head I doubted that it would survive, but I had the student try again at planting it and using the tool properly. He agreed to be more careful next time, and the other students had already begun to settle down. I felt empowered to be able to be proactive with negativity all around me and to use that moment for teaching. In addition, that eggplant is currently doing just fine.

Out of this program I have hoped to achieve a few specific things among many broad things (such as do acts of service for social justice or undergo professional development) that I have already seen growth in. One example has been my goal to manage at least one project of my own idea and effect. The idea of cleaning and organizing the shipping container used as the garden shed came up during the first week, if not day one. With help, I have since turned the dusty box of various garden supplies into an efficient trove that rivals the garden section of an Ace hardware. In my time at Serendipity, I hope that I will have many more positive impacts as I continue to put much care into how I help.

That’s all for now from the garden! -Georgia