A Fresh Start & Project Serve (Baltimore, MD)

A Fresh Start & Project Serve
Learn to Beat the Odds (Baltimore, MD)
Author: Ashley G.

Day Three 

Living Classroom was truly incredible. We started the day off with the students who were in the “Fresh Start” program, designed to provide an alternative route for high school to young men who have found themselves in some type of trouble. This program focuses on teaching students specific skills such as carpentry and wood working. At first I was slightly nervous as I really didn’t know what to expect. I quickly found, however, that the staff and students were all warm and welcoming and truly happy to have us there. We were separated into two groups, one organizing materials from a STEM lab and the other demolishing the STEM lab to be redone. As someone who doesn’t do much handy-work, participating in the demolition was a very fun and unique experience. The staff members were sweet and patiently taught us exactly what to do. Afterwards, we walked over to the Frederick Douglass- Isaac Myers Maritime Park museum where we got to read up on the history and foundation of Living Classroom as well as view some powerful art pieces. This entire experience was an amazing way to start our work with Living Classroom, as we were able to grasp the history of the organization we will volunteer with for the rest of the week. 

  

 
Working with the BUGS after school care program was something I will never forget. The children were so vibrant and excited to be there. We were divided into small groups and were able to sit in on cooking, gardening, art, and STEM activities. While there, we worked individually with the students, helping them with both homework and the lessons planned for that day. After that, we were able to go outside and play with them and eat dinner together. We had so much fun feeling like children again ourselves playing freeze tag and running around. We left feeling so impacted by the resilience and joy all of the children embodied. 

 

Day Four

We started our day by working with Project Serve: an organization run within Living Classroom. Project Serve is a job training service to aid those who cannot find work or need help reintegrating into society after being incarcerated. We split our time up and half of our group worked with the men and women cleaning up vacant lots. The other half the team stayed in the office working with the administrators and the case workers learning about how an organization like this is possible. This really provided a well rounded view of the logistics and the passion behind this program. Many of the staff members explained to us that they too went through the program while they were reintegrating into society after prison. This broke down the stereotypes one may hold about people who have been to prison or committed a crime. This whole experience gave us the opportunity to humanize incarcerated people, and allowed us to see the struggles they face when having to reintegrate in society afterwards. One staff member told us that after being released from prison, he did not know how to pay for the subway or the bus using the new transportation cards. The stories that were shared with us represent the harsh reality of the prison system in America and the emotional hardships that come with the reintegration process. After working at Project Serve for the majority of the day, we headed back to the BUGS after school care program and sent some more time with the kids—a nice way to end such an eye-opening day.

A Learning Start with Knights in the City (New York, NY)

 

A Learning Start with Knights in the City

Author: Camille C.

 

 

It's been three days since the beginning of our adventure in New York and we are having a blast! From the moment we stepped into GMHC's doors, we knew that this place was going to leave a great impact on us. So far, we learned about the history of GMHC, the world's first provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and advocacy, and about Larry Kramer, Eric Sawyer, and the influence of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in the release of drug therapies. We learned more about HIV, as well as intersectionality, gender identity, gender expression, and the differences between sexual and romantic attraction. We also had the amazing opportunity to interact with clients and hear their stories. These past few days have been a humbling experience. It really has shown us how, in some aspects of our lives, we are quite privileged to be here today with modern advances in medicine and technology. We're looking forward to see what the rest of our week has in store for us. 

Day 1 with Learn to Beat the Odds (Baltimore, MD)

Learn to Beat the Odds is traveling this week to Baltimore, MD to work with Living Classrooms, an educational organization dedicated to providing hands-on enrichment to its students, young adults, and families. We'll be following along through the perspective of one of their participants, Ashley.


Day 1 with Learn to Beat the Odds
Author: Ashley G.

The first two days of our journey have been off to a slow, yet impactful start. We headed to Baltimore on Sunday afternoon and arrived at Lovely Lane Methodist Church, where we are staying. The church manager gave us a tour of the breathtaking, historic church. We then headed to stores to get food for the week. We quickly learned that getting lost is part of the journey while navigating the city. As a group, we shared our diverse interests, and funny stories, along the way. 

During the second day, we worked with an organization called Audubon, which is an organization centered around the sustainability of birds and their migrational patterns. We met with our community partner, Philip, who led us in a project to restore a bird garden in the community park. We started to shovel mulch, lay fresh mulch in the bird garden, remove broken fencing, and clean up some litter within the area. While completing these tasks, our community partner was consistently engaged in our efforts and explained the significance of these seemingly small tasks, reminding us of the larger picture of our work and the long-term outcomes our work will elicit, such as maintaining a healthy ecosystem for the animals, while inspiring more community involvement and utilization of their parks. While cleaning up the park area some of our group members had a eye opening experience. Abha described her experience while cleaning up litter around the bird park, “I saw that there were some cardboard boxes set up under the trees, used as a sleeping area. It was pretty shocking to see that some people who do not have the basic needs such as shelter, have to risk living under a tree in such harsh conditions. We take it as a privilege of having heat and a warm bed to sleep in.” 

One thing Philip was very excited and motivated for was an upcoming project he will be holding in the spring with 3rd graders in the Baltimore community who will come out to the bird garden to plant beautiful flowers and food sources for birds and butterflies. To know we were a part of laying that groundwork (literally, with mulch), to continue a domino effect of others taking part to develop their community felt very rewarding to all of us.

The rest of the day’s activities were postponed due to an ice storm that was hitting Baltimore, which resulted in school closures. We spent the rest of our day together discussing mindfulness, language and how to make a lasting impact when we arrive at the Living Classroom tomorrow to assist with the after school program. We are all super excited to head there tomorrow morning.

Day 1 with Knights in the City (New York, NY)

The Knights in the City Alternative Break trip is focused on serving those living with HIV/AIDS via their community partner, Gay Men's Health Crisis. Follow us along this week as we see the service trip through the eyes of one of our RUAB participants, Camille.

Day 1 with Knights in the City
Author: Camille C.

Greetings from the Big Apple! Today, our Scarlet Knights have begun their service adventure in New York City. First conquering the subway system, then navigating the streets of Manhattan, all while surviving 17°F weather, we have made a home at Hosteling International. Together we went grocery shopping, made dinner and bonded over a delicious meal, bringing the day to a close. 

Tomorrow marks Day 1 of our service trip at Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), where we will be spending our week volunteering. Throughout this week while interacting with those at GMHC, we hope to gain further insight on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS, challenge our perceptions, and leave a positive impression at GMHC. 

Understanding the Cherokee People (Maryville, TN)

By:  Cherylynn Finklin & Angela Yao

Trip:  Once Upon A Time: Exploring the Stories of the Cherokee People

Today we finally were able to work with the Cherokees. We met a man named Gilliam who was a Cherokee Indian himself. We split up into three teams, all to work on separate trails along the Smokie Mountains in Gillian's family territory. Each person was given either a maddock, a clopper, or a rake and we used those tools to clear out a path in the woods. This was really fun and we were able to really work together to cut through the forest and clear out a path in the woods. This was really fun and we were able to really work together to cut through the forest and clear the path. During our lunch, we sat around Gillian who told us a little about life as Cherokee. He talked about the general organization of Cherokee government  a structure and his role in advocating at Standing Rock. This was really interesting and exactly what a lot of us were waiting to learn about throughout the week. After lunch, we walked through the other two groups' work to see the process that they had made. It was really amazing to see just how much we finished in the short hour and a half that we worked. Throughout the day, Gillian kept emphasizing the importance of touching the earth in order to destress and relax from the everyday life. After working, it was easy to understand exactly what that meant and how we could move forward with that in mind.

Following our time at Gill's, we went to go see Shortie Kirkland, another Cherokee Native American. At our time at Shortie's property, we played a fun outdoor game of "The Fish game." The Fish game is a traditional game used by Native Americans to determine if a couple is able to get married. There are two teams, men versus women and the objective of the game is to hit a fish that is on the top of a tall pole with a ball. During our experience of playing this game, all the universities that attended the service trip joined us and it made for a fun and awesome time! Through these activities, we had to step outside of our comfort zone and not only learn to trust and communicate with the Rutgers students, but also students from other universities. 

Exploring Caves and Hiking Trails! (Maryville, TN)

By:  Cherylynn Finklin & Angela Yao

Trip:  Once Upon A Time: Exploring the Stories of the Cherokee People

On Wednesday, our Once Upon A Time, team took a much needed break after two days of cutting down trees and removing massive amounts of privet. Our first adventure led us to

The Lost Sea tour in Sweetwater, TN. On the tour we explored the rich history of a cave that traces all the way back to the 1800s! We learned how native Cherokee people used this space at point for living and secret meetings. After walking ¾ of a mile in the cave, we arrived to the The Lost Sea and took an exiting boat ride, with a glass bottom, on the 800 feet long by 220 feet wide lake, that’s 50 feet deep!

Following our tour in the depths of a historic cave, we made our way to Laurel Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On this trail we walked 1.6 miles to reach a beautiful scenic view of the Laurel Waterfall. Along this hike, some team members were able to share special moments with one another—learning new and personal facts to form deeper relationships. Although this hike was not easy for most and surly a challenge for some, the experience of pushing towards the Waterfall was a reminder that great things worth having or seeing takes hard work and dedication—in the end the sacrifice would be worth it! We were all delighted upon arriving to the Waterfall and basking in nature’s beauty. Of course we couldn’t leave without taking multiple selfies and a great group picture!

Dear Mom, From Sim (Washington D.C.)

By:  Simran Nanwani

Trip:  Stopping Traffic at the Corner of Humans & Justice

Dear Mom,

As you know, today is day 3 of my alternate break trip! We had a personal session with Laura Lederer who is the founder of Global Centurion which is an organization that works towards combating human trafficking. This session with her really helped us dip our feet in the water and get a better understanding of human trafficking. Post this session, we went to the mall for on the street surveys to get a brief sense of what the community in DC knows about human trafficking since it is a prevalent issue in the USA today.

However, I am writing to you today to thank you for giving me the opportunity to move out of India and study at Rutgers and be as involved on campus as I wish to be. Because, today, everyone in the group spoke about why human trafficking is important to them and it really is a fulfilling experience to work on a project with a group of people who feel just as strongly and passionately about social issues affecting us today.

Sometimes, I feel like my focus is geared towards the bigger picture of completely solving the issue at hand, but the girls around me constantly teach me that there’s a whole process that goes along with that and make me draw back my attention to the smaller things that make a big difference. When I first thought of human trafficking, the first thing that came to my mind is prostitution and sexual trafficking and this can be a very complicated issue to overcome. But, if you start out small, even as simple as getting people to take surveys on the street, you are slowly working your way up and building through the struggles to overcome a complicated social issue and I couldn’t be more excited to take on this journey with twelve other incredible women so thank you Mom for giving me this incredible opportunity!

-Sim