by Heather Vickery | Aug 28, 2013 | Internship, Young Adult
The following post was written by Joe Gayeski, a participant in the Global Justice Summer Internships. A student at University of Edinburgh studying International Relations, Gayeski served as an intern at UUCSJ’s headquarters.
We do a lot of preaching in the United States. If you’re like me and were raised Unitarian Universalist and attended American schools, you’ve heard the sanctity of democracy sermonized in more than one place. From the seven principles of our covenant to the Constitution of our United States, the democratic process is taught as a fundamental virtue. Democracy brings each person’s vote into account, understanding the inherent worth and dignity of every person to include hearing every person’s voice.
We’ve all heard the preaching. But we’re having a lot of trouble practicing.
As an intern at the UUCSJ, I researched the widespread issue of voter suppression. My research identified the measures employed to suppress the vote of minorities, the many states considering such policies, and potential partner organizations addressing the democratic crisis. My research will be the foundation of a future UUCSJ program designed to equip participants with the education and skills to address election justice in their communities. As a Unitarian Universalist, I understood this issue as a dehumanizing attack on the inherent dignity of fellow Americans wishing to participate in our democracy. It was my effort to drive our democracy towards practicing what we preach.
The UUCSJ gave me the opportunity to explore a justice issue and contribute to program development. Furthermore, I assisted with the National Youth Justice Training, explored online advertisement, and gained an understanding of cross-cultural competency. UUCSJ is an organization dedicated to bringing social justice education and skills to UU’s and beyond of any age. If you’ve been looking for a chance to learn first-hand about a social justice issue and how to equip yourself to bring the work home, look no further. Learn with us. Let’s practice what we preach.
by Heather Vickery | Aug 22, 2013 | Internship, Young Adult
The following post was written by Michael Hassin, a participant in the Global Justice Summer Internships. A student at the College of New Jersey studying economics, Hassin interned this summer with SimpleGifts Unitarian Centre for Social Action in London, England.
Working at SimpleGifts has been an intense, high-speed ride that’s as fun as it is eye-opening. Even just the location is incredible — I got to witness historic London, Bethnal Green, and Bricklane (in a guided tour led by Program Director Rob’s friend Paul, no less), discover London’s museums, wander its parks, explore its streets and pubs and music and comedy. The rich history that the city’s steeped in lends it a sort of gravity that’s tangible. London was an experience in and of itself, and the city left such an impression on me that I think I’ll be applying to work here when I graduate from university.
Work itself showed me what the inside of a charity actually looks like — and a very small, newly started-up one at that. I learned that the world is saved not in one fell swoop, but one e-mail at a time, whether it’s asking universities in the area for volunteers or asking the table tennis coach at a nearby school for help in setting up a league in for our weekly after-school club. Working (well, playing) with the kids during the club is a blast, and their parents are a source of fascinating immigration stories. One week I got the chance to act as translator and speak in Spanish with a woman from Barcelona who had recently moved to London with her Bangladeshi husband. I enjoyed the chance to practice my Spanish, and she was very glad to be able to speak her native language with someone else in London.
As a non-Unitarian, I also found myself in the midst of a community of unconditionally compassionate and accepting people. A forum on the topic of class in a Unitarian church one Saturday showed me how diverse and full of perspectives the Unitarian community is and allowed me to share my own thoughts. And through SimpleGifts, I also met, talked, and worked with some pretty extraordinary folks, including a project leaders from Quaker Social Action and from Praxis, a charity aimed at providing legal advice and other assistance to low-income immigrants — not to mention the members of the SimpleGifts steering committee. Everyone I met was committed to their cause with an inspiring amount of energy.
The experience that left me with the strongest impression was, I think, the day I spent volunteering at the Hackney Migrant Centre, which once a week provides free meals, English lessons, and advice about immigration, housing, employment, and benefits to migrants in need, and where Nic and I helped prepare and serve food. It was heartwarming to see so many people put so much effort into assisting the extraordinarily unfortunate, and it was also daunting to get a glimpse of just how much work there is to be done — not just getting people out of trouble, but fixing the system that lets them get into trouble in the first place. This is, of course, no simple task and requires lifelong patience and persistence that my time here has helped me continue to cultivate.
by Heather Vickery | Aug 15, 2013 | Youth
The following post was written by Sierra Rother, age 16. A student from Northampton, Mass., attending St. Mark’s School, Rother was a participant in this summer’s Youth Justice Training in Boston.
I honestly did not know what I was getting myself into when I hit the “submit” button on my application to the Boston Youth Justice Training (YJT). I barely knew what I was applying for. The only thing that mattered to me was that I would be spending my summer working for a cause. Working with other kids my age to fight against the systems of oppression and fight for youth leadership.
When I arrived in Newton, Mass., at the Andover Newton Theological School campus, I was nervous and unsure of everything. I managed to settle into my room then ventured to meet the group of people I would be living with. I didn’t know then, but these were the people that would become my new family. They were going to support me and help me grow throughout the next three weeks.
The following day we packed up everything we had unpacked the day before, and headed off to the City School’s Summer Leadership Program (SLP) retreat. Once we arrived there we had embarked on a new adventure. During the three days at the retreat, I had some of the most eye-opening and empowering experiences of my life. I heard stories that made me cry and laugh at the same time. I was introduced to ideas that never occurred to me. I met people that gave me new perspective. And so I acquired another family.
After the retreat ended, the YJT headed back to Newton. We were all touched by everything that had taken place over the past three days. When we all came together again, I could see how hard everyone was trying to look unaffected. Their expressions were somber. I can’t speak for everyone, but I was emotionally drained. As I looked around the circle, I realized that all of these people were here for me. We were here for each other. We were 20 youth holding each other up while being challenged by one another and the adults leading the program.
Before we knew it, it was Monday morning and we were off to SLP. We were all ecstatic to rejoin the friends that we made at the retreat. For two weeks, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, YJT was a part of SLP. We gained unforgettable knowledge from such a diverse group of participants and staff. For the remaining two days of the week, we were all placed at internships. I was fortunate enough to get the experience of working at both UUCSJ, with YJT youth, and another program called Sub/Urban Justice alongside SLP participants. The reason I was at two different internships was because I had made arrangements with the City School to continue with SLP for the entire program. YJT only participated in the first three weeks of SLP. I was so lucky to have a place to stay for the last four weeks, because I did not want to leave.
When the first three weeks were over, I said goodbye to my YJT family. To tell the truth, I was excited to no longer have to ride the train with 19 other teenagers every day. But when I walked into SLP the following Monday, something was missing. It was that core group of people that I had been living with for the preceding weeks. It was the friends I had made that knew me better than anyone else. I was missing my family. It felt unfamiliar to navigate this place that I knew very well without the 20 people who had been there for me the past three weeks. Even though I had made lifelong friendships at SLP already, it wasn’t the same.
Now, as the final days of SLP are upon me and the rest of the participants, I am as comfortable as ever and enjoying every last bit if time I have with all of these incredible people. Sadly, I am the only SLP participant that does not live in Boston which makes good-bye even harder for me. All I can do now is reflect on the time I had being a part of YJT and SLP, and remember what I was taught. Fighting for justice is hard to do, even harder when you’re only 16 years old. But youth are the future, and the future starts now.
by Heather Vickery | Aug 7, 2013 | Internship, Young Adult
The following post and video were provided by Abie Troen, a participant in the Global Justice Summer Internships. A student at Brandeis University majoring in Film Studies, Troen is serving as multimedia intern with the Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders (KENASVIT).
This internship is the most challenging, difficult, and wonderful project I have ever taken part in. This video is a personal collage of 12 moments from my experience here. From the president of Kenya to the filth in Muthurwa Market, a rally in Nakuru, and a hip hop band. It’s an honest portrayal of this plunge into figuring out a small piece of this diverse world.
The Kenya National Alliance of Street Vendors and Informal Traders (KENASVIT) is a unique organization that deals with a number of issues: organizing and monitoring members of the informal economy, educating informal traders and providing small-scale loans so as to allow them to eventually “graduate” to the formal economy, and supporting grassroots community-based organizations of vendors and advocating for the rights of the informal economy through work with the government and legislation. It’s in this last part of their work that I come in.
You can find me in Kenya doing one of three things — the three stages of my work:
- Talking, listening, and learning about the work, passions, hopes, and significant problems street vendors deal with. This could be meeting “Abush” in the marketplace in Nakuru, on the street corner near the garbage bin with Grace in Nairobi, or during a lunch break eating goat meat (Nyama Choma) at a small working class bar with Wilson. At this stage I only take photos and write. A lot.
- Filming. This could be either following “live scenes,” for instance the Manyani Youth Group Football Club, teenage hawkers who pick through garbage so they can sell it and support their football team. Or conducting interviews, sitting in offices of government officials or in the marketplace, and trying to learn firsthand, on camera, what is, can, and should be done to promote the rights of street vendors.
- Editing. Sitting first by myself, and then later on consulting with members of the NGO who watch themselves — and help tell their story through their eyes.
By the time I’m done, I hope to leave behind me a website, a few short promotional documentaries, and lots of stills to be used in flyers, posters, newsletters, and official documents.
