Embedded Files
By Alexia, Isabella, Liz, and Michael
We traveled to Denver, Colorado to join communities in service work during the Spring Break of 2018. Our Hawkeye Service Team focused on immigration and the ability to access assistance of both legal and illegal immigrants. Throughout our week in Denver, we were immersed in the culture of the community and were able to grow as individuals as well as academics by connecting class content with our trip while working with community members.
Week 1: Pre Service Citizenship
"I was excited to focus on the topic of immigration since it is something I want to work with in the future!"
-Alexia
"Prior to the trip I was intrigued by the complexity of social issues, but wasn't sure where to begin."
-Isabella
"Before the trip I believed that social issues were too big and complex for a single person to take on."
-Liz
"I had always heard about all of the issues that immigrants coming into the United States face, but I wanted to learn more about it and find out what can be done to help."
-Michael
Week 2: Historical Antecedents of Immigration and Common Read
The common read for our group was, "The Faraway Brothers" by Lauren Markham. She walks through the journey of a family as they struggle in their home of located in the department of San Salvador, El Salvador. Over the years the community deteriorates and they begin to fear for the safety of the family. The family sends multiple children to the United State, but only the twins are able to become legal by holding a green card. They face many challenges in finding legal representation, education, and health care.
The collection of information can scare both legal and illegal immigrants away from services or makes them inaccessible. Legal immigrants can be nervous about accepting help that they qualify for in fear of being stereotyped for a handout, and illegal immigrants are often fearful of ICE and being tracked by any information they give to organizations.
The Food Bank of the Rockies is only a distributer and does not keep records on the demographics of individuals who use the local locations, but these food banks are the most accessible to those in poverty including legal and illegal immigrants.
The Denver Rescue Mission is unavailable to illegal immigrants, however they do have a program for recent legal migrants in an attempt to help them land on their feet when faced with a new culture.
For Habitat of Humanity you must be legal citizen for the habitat home ownership program but not for repairs. This loophole helps to keep some of the most vulnerable individuals from living in extreme poverty or being victims of slum lords.
For more information on the common read.
-Isabella
Figueroa, S. (2017, September 20). ‘The Far Away Brothers’ Breathes Vivid Life Into Immigration Issues. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/books/review-far-away-brothers-lauren-markham.html (Originally photographed 2017, September 20)
T. (2012, October 12). El Salvador, administrative divisions - de - colored.svg[Photograph found in Wikimedia Commons]. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Salvador,_administrative_divisions_-_de_-_colored.svg (Originally photographed 2012, October 12)
Week 3: Volun-tourism
Before going on the trip we had a very in depth conversation about ethical photographs while doing service. Some people use photos that exploit how the lower classes live to gain likes, donations, empathy, and support. The whole purpose of volunteering is to help a community or a place in need without being asked and without the expectations of appreciation.
"Any type of media, be it written, photographed or filmed, which exploits the poor's condition in order to generate the necessary sympathy for selling newspapers or increasing charitable donations or support for a given cause."
Carla, et al. “Does Voluntourism Hurt or Help?” Carla Birnberg, 26 Feb. 2017, carlabirnberg.com/2017/02/27/poverty-porn-is-voluntourism-wrong/.
-Liz
Week 4: Capital and Asset Based Community Development
There are six types of capital that a community or organization can have. Capital helps a community grow and reach its goals through the use of its resources. Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) takes a positive approach to the challenges a community is facing that helps to empower a community through solutions rather than marginalizing a community. All of the organizations we volunteered with used the ABCD model which created an environment of positivity and empowerment for staff, volunteers, and those utilizing the organizations.
- Physical
- Environmental
- Human
- Political
- Social
- Cultural
-Isabella
Week 5: Capital and Assets of Denver
- Physical
- The city is at 5,332 ft elevation or "a mile high"
- Behind the city is the Rocky Mountains
- South Platte River bisects the city
- Environmental
- One of the most environmental cities in the US
- 51% of Denver adults use cloth or reusable shopping bags
- 36% of Denver adults drive less or use alternative transportation
- Human
- The city has one of the lowest obesity rates in the US
- Demographics: 11% African American, 31% Hispanic, 3% Asian
- The city has a population of 554,636 (from 2000)
- Political
- The city is overall Democratic
- In 2005, Denver was the first place to legalize marijuana
- Major epicenter of the Chicano Movement
- Social
- The number one activity that adults in Denver partake in is hiking the trails that surround the city
- In Denver marijuana usage is another widely participated social act
- Currently Denver is very progressive environmentally and more than half of the citizens are currently involved with some environmental group
- Cultural
- Art is a pivotal part of Denvers culture
- There is a strong LGBTQ community in metro Denver
- Denver is overall an excepting and open community to any race, religion, sexuality, etc
-Liz
Week 6: Ethical Volunteering
Ethical Volunteering was a topic we learned about in our Alternative Spring Break course and it was something we took into consideration during our stay in Denver, Colorado. There are many factors that can play a role when volunteering in a different place. Two that are important are the learning experiences we had and also the value of a new perspective. I think these two components played a big role in our trip. Through the different volunteer sights, we were able to volunteer our efforts, gain first hand experience, and learn many things. We learned what the organization is, how it works, and how it benefits the members of their community. Through the process of learning all of this, we were also able to gain a new perspective on our trip.
We learned what the situation was like in Denver with the different organizations. My personal favorite part of the trip was being able to talk to some of the employees that trained us, specifically in the Habitat for Humanity Restore. I learned a little about them and how they got here. They would talk about their history and their continued passion towards being a servant leader. Our team did a great job in making the most out of the trip and making everything work. We learned from our mistakes and from new experiences. Overall we did a lot of growing as a team and also as individuals while maintaining ethical components in our time.
-Alexia
Week 7: Using Ethics on our Trip
It was important to our group that remained ethical while on our trip. We made sure to treat the church we stayed at with respect, and we made sure it was cleaner than before we got there. We also tried to be respectful of the citizens of Denver while we were out exploring. We talked about what it means to be an active and ethical citizen extensively during lecture and discussion. So we tried to apply what we discussed throughout our trip.
While volunteering, we made sure to work our tails off and do the best job possible. We made sure to follow all the rules and guidelines and did not cut corners. There were some long days, but they were well worth it.
We used the social change model to help ensure that we remained ethical while on our trip. Each one of us had our own consciousness of self, as in we knew what our own personal beliefs, attitudes, and values were. I would like to think that each member of our squad was congruent. We tried to act with consistency, genuineness, and authenticity while upholding our own values. We were all committed to the cause. We were all passionate and willing to work hard because we truly cared about the issue at hand. Our commitment fueled us when times got difficult.
We collaborated our efforts to ensure that we were as effective and efficient as possible. We had a lot of dominant personalities so it was not always easy but in the end we understood the importance of personal sacrifice and working together in order to accomplish our goals. We all made sure to do our fair share. Teamwork makes the dream work. We all had a common purpose. We had talked extensively about immigration during our discussion. We understood and were passionate about the topic. We all made sure to be active participants during the trip in order to work for our common purpose. There was controversy with civility at times. Like I mentioned, we had some big personalities and everyone was eager to do their own thing. So sometimes tensions were high. But at the end of the day we treated each other with respect and understood the fact that we all had the same goal. It was all love in the end. We made an effort to be good citizens as well. We worked hard and made sure we were active members of the Denver community while we were there.
-Michael
Itinerary and Our Experience
- Saturday
- Traveling to Denver, Colorado
- Sunday
- Hiking in Red Rocks
- Denver Nuggets Game
- Exploring Downtown
- Monday
- Food Bank of the Rockies
- Denver Rescue Mission
- Dinner with Alumni
- Tuesday
- Denver Zoo
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore
- Wednesday
- Habitat for Humanity "Demolition Day"
- Dinner at Avanti
- Thursday
- Traveled back to Iowa City, Iowa
Transformation of Citizenship After our Service Trip
"I had a great time in all of the different volunteer sites during our trip. We were able to work with a variety of organizations that tackle different issues in the community."
-Alexia
"The trip gave me confidence to pursue information on service work and how to use my skills to work with community members."
-Isabella
"The trip gave me the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take on the complex social issues society faces today along with issues that face individual communities."
-Liz
"The trip was amazing, and it has inspired me to do more in my own community!"
-Michael
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