Impacts of Covid-19 on the Canal Alliance Community
What I learned from Melissa about the Canal Alliance UP! Program is that the students were given access to technology so that they could continue their education. They gave people who didn’t have an Internet a hotspot that allowed them to use technology to continue working. I thought this was really cool and not an intervention that I thought would be possible for them to take. The students are very sad about missing prom and graduation and all the fun things about school which is understandable. I would be too if it was my junior or senior year. I understand that my role is difficult right now as I am unable to tutor the high schoolers I had been working with. But when Canal Alliance does open up and starts programming again in person, things will probably be different. Maybe there will be less people at a time in a building. The people this impacts the most are the students. They have spent every day with their fellow classmates and now they must try and keep their distance. I think it is also difficult because at school this is how you make friends. By hanging out or joking around, many of these students also go to Canal Alliance together. They rely on each other for help on homework and just having a good time. By cutting this off due to social distancing, many of the students are bored and feel lonely. I had asked Melissa what differences could be a possibility when Canal Alliance opened back up for programming in regards to safety and although she did not have an answer, I had a feeling she wouldn’t, I feel like there will be some changes. Maybe there will be fewer people in a building or they will have shorter programs for the students or make them switch off every other day. I’m not sure exactly but for everyone’s future safety this might be something that has to be implemented.
A lot of families have lost their jobs is what Melissa informed our group and to me this was heartbreaking. A major service that Canal Alliance is providing is a food bank. She said that the line for the food bank was incredibly long. It opened at 10am but people were lined up at 6am. They got there early just to make sure that they would get enough food to feed their families for the week. It is a great service that Canal Alliance is providing but it is heartbreaking that some families have to rely solely on this service for their source of food. Canal Alliance is also addressing the power, privilege, and oppression theme. They are advocating for the Canal as families lose their jobs and their source of income.
Another issue Melissa discussed was that a lot of people were applying for unemployment so that they could receive benefits. This to me makes sense because they are out of options at this time since the majority of jobs have stopped. She said that for the requirements for unemployment, a few were changed due to the pandemic and so exceptions are being made. The time it takes for one application to be completed is roughly 2 hours from what Melissa had said. I can see how for the social workers this can be draining.
One class theme that this relates to is structural injustice. The reason for this is that those who need the most help are not always receiving it. Many of these families have lost their jobs and people are doing what they can to stay afloat and pay their bills. It is difficult to help others when people are scared but also hoarding food and supplies is not the answer either. People who are hoarding things all for themselves are greatly impacting those that need the supplies. There is no need to “stock up” on things when the individual does not need a mass amount of the product. What I have seen in generosity by some people has amazed me. They have gone to stores and purchased more than they needed but then given it to people who truly were in need. Or those that leave supplies out on their front porch for essential workers to come and take as a thank you.
In regards to the students, I think with online learning it is even easier to get lost in course material. I know for myself I find it difficult to study at times due to the many distractions and so I can see this as a possibility for them. I also do not have the best internet and so when I use Zoom at times it cuts out or kicks me out of the meeting. This is of course frustrating. To not understand the material and then to try and figure it out on your own through videos and other methods is not always easy for some. I think online learning may set people back in what they know for future classes.
Change to Canal Alliance means that many of these families will be with jobs again. From this difficult time, it has truly emphasized the gap between marginalized people and the middle class. This issue needs to be addressed and this is the change that Canal Alliance would like to see. They are advocating for their community by continuing to support those that are in need. Through awareness, they want to make sure that after this pandemic is over, that change is made in the way that these people are treated. That after, this will have brought us closer together as a community and nation, instead of just leaving things to go back to the way they were. If this happens, we haven’t learned much.
