WP2 Rough Draft
“This is the first time I get to know and be able to talk with the homeless there. Everything is just so different than I used to imagine!” I talked to my mom on phone and shared with her this unique experience I had at Skid Row and City Hall via volunteering with WaterDrop LA. A silence ensued, and a sigh came, “I know this is the work assigned by your school and you have to do it, but please be cautious when you get close to them!” she speaked up to express her worry and literally ignored the fun fact I just told her. I felt a sudden disappointment, turning the topic immediately to another one, but my thought was still lingering with the people at Skid Row. Masses’ prejudice seems to be unchanged for dozens of years, and I used to be just anxious as my mom the night before the program. As a Chinese international student, what is happening nowadays in Skid Row is the scene I might never witness if I don’t pursue my college degree in LA. All my friends told me to keep a safe distance and avoid communicating with the homeless because in their mind homeless people at LA are all psycho and could attack citizens for no reason. Even for most LA citizens, Skid Row is a nuisance, a cautionary tale, or a shameful reminder of the city’s callous indifference to its least fortunate citizens (The Citizens of Skid Row: A View from Inside the Hub of L.A.’s Unhoused Community).
Back in my life at China as a student, the indulgence in the school and grade have already prevented students like me from contemplating about the prevailing social issues and the suffered communities and how to make practical improvement. After coming to USC, though courses poring over contemporary social problems are massive and usually mandatory in college, students often couldn’t get the gist without wedging themselves into the role (Donahue & Luber, 2015), and tragically, care more about their grade and finish the assignments without deep thinking about what just taught in the class. Besides, in some students’ view, the social issues concerning are also far away from what they are capable of accomplishing.
Being living in the ivory tower for such a long time, I’ve never grabbed the opportunity to excavate the life outside my family, friends, and school, which I believe would be the same for the majority of USC students who mostly come from middle- and upper-class family. Among the connections of our socio-economic background, the organization we get to partner with, and the community we strive to help with, in order to resonating with those in needs and coming up with viable solution for them, it is crucial for us to identify our personal goal for the service learning at first and to what extent we wish to get involved with the assistance and the partnership. (Parks 173)
The ideal form of service is often direct and in form of charity (Mitchell and Donahue 460). As an experienced NPO in LA for the welfare of homeless, WaterDrop LA perfectly aligns with this ideology. Volunteers usually deliver 2 pounds of water to each homeless person with a few greetings and get back when they finished delivering the assigned amount of water. Though it’s certainly conducive for student volunteer starter, what this mode could provide to students is limited in terms of empathy training and emotional realization. Simply handing water to people is not sufficient for students to develop sympathy. If students could ask the needs of homeless people proactively, it would be better for them to understand the situation and make possible change next time. When I was doing my volunteer last time, I got to know that people there actually needed more snacks and clothes over water supply which they could get from the water fountain in public sector by chatting with them, and I was able to report this to my team leader which certainly help WaterDrop update the supplies list for next time. It’s also important for student to observe the situation and make proper treating about whether they need help because they might reject it: their self-dignity is sometimes stronger than us. Accepting help, in their minds, could make them inferior in their social status compared to normal citizens, which they don’t wish others to point out. Therefore, as Parks has addressed, it’s of great significance to recognize these “rules” right at the beginning stage and adjust wisely when encounter different people with specific needs.
Moreover, for students wish to establish more connections and creating profound effect for people in Skid Row, taking part in the “charity” section is still not enough and devoting in the planning and managing process of the event could be a better idea. In “Ideal and Real in Service Learning”, Tania Mitchell addresses the problem that the number of hours and derived schedule expected for students in their service learning has impeded students’ desire to conduct meaningful and creative work for the volunteer organization. This expectation, in her viewpoint, limits the capability that students could commit to the service learning as the core work has to be conducted in places like offices or agencies which typically open in business hours (Mitchell 460). For instance, the planning meeting of the weekly WaterDrop events in weekends are often conducted in weekdays. Because of the normal schooling in weekdays, students are often not able to join the planning and end up only helping delivering water. In other words, Mitchell sees how the not well-planned time of service conducting in organizations alienates students from dedicating themselves in the environment of service learning and make them unable to learn the most from it. Thus, to make students participate more in the planning section, students could consider giving more time for volunteering in weekdays. If possible, students could collaborate with WaterDrop LA to establish a student sector in which student volunteers could gather to talk and share their experience during the volunteer and give advice to WaterDrop regarding the service learning.
