End of Semester Reflection

            If one was to ask the average college student today “What is freedom?”, the majority of responses would include something along the lines of “doing whatever I want” or “the ability to choose”. This is the primary question that stuck in my mind this semester as I contemplated the effects of my community service hours. What I discovered during this time is that many of the people that I was serving, if not all, were seeking a sense of freedom in some way. And while a few would probably agree with the sentiments of many youth today, most would probably describe freedom from a different perspective: liberation from their burdens.

            One of my service projects dealt with liberation from human trafficking. I served in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as the Urban Ministries Coordinator. In this position, I helped to organize and facilitate two events for our chapter, Loose Change to Loosen Chains (a fundraiser for the International Justice Mission) and Painting the NC STOP Human Trafficking Office. By collecting loose change outside the Student Union, we were able to raise over two hundred to go towards freeing and restoring human trafficking victims all across the globe through the legal and social services of the International Justice Mission. On the domestic side of the issue, The NC STOP Human Trafficking Office had just moved their office from Raleigh to Charlotte and was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. NC STOP is a non-profit organization that seeks to bring awareness about foreign and domestic human trafficking and also make connections between volunteers and organizations in their local area. With all our talk of “freedom” in America, it’s hard to imagine that there are many men, women, and children forced to work against their will in other countries. What’s even harder to swallow is the number of people trafficked right here in the United States! Although I couldn’t see the impact of my service right away, I know that my time has helped at least one person somewhere escape the bonds that enslave them.

            The second organization I worked with is a ministry called COTS. COTS stands for Church On The Streets. I volunteered several Sunday mornings under the N. Tryon/277 bridge serving breakfast to homeless people from all around Charlotte. I’ve been working with COTS since I was first introduced to the ministry three years ago as a freshman in InterVarsity. What amazes me most about COTS is the sheer dedication the volunteers have to serving these people. Every Sunday for the past fifteen years, rain or shine, hot or cold, COTS has been there to feed these people and free them from their hunger, at least temporarily. The warm atmosphere and smiling faces also helps to free them from their burdens. COTS volunteers have such a huge sense of compassion for those less fortunate than they are. Once, a man I was working with gave a homeless man the sweatshirt off his back because he needed one. Another amazing thing about COTS is how generous these people are. It costs about $250 for the food every Sunday and there has never been a lack of funds for the food. COTS is a ministry of Christlife Church in the Ballantyne area. Members gather together at the church on Saturday night to cook the food and prepare it for transport in the morning. Around 5am Sunday morning, the COTS team loads up the food and the van full of equipment and drives uptown. The entire scene only lasts about an hour and a half. Tables, chairs, and a serving line are assembled in about 10 minutes with the help of about ten to fifteen homeless men and volunteers. Each week, the line serves about two hundred people, although the weather determines exactly how many people show up. If you did not know where to look, you would never know what great service goes on under this mundane bridge and the kind of liberation COTS can provide those in need.

            The third organization I worked with was Habitat for Humanity. One Saturday, I spent the day cleaning up a man’s backyard and demolishing the two sheds in the back. The 63-year-old man was a Habitat employee who bought his home three years ago. He felt he had been ripped off in the transaction and as the day progressed and more junk was removed, I understood why. The house had fallen into disrepair long before he bought it. For three years, he had to boil his water in order to bathe since there was no running water in the house. The back yard was overgrown and contained two dilapidated sheds. For most of the day, my fellow volunteers and I alternated between knocking down shed walls and transferring the debris into the dumpster. Although I was never able to return to this worksite, I understood that Habitat had gutted his entire house and was installing a new kitchen and new flooring. There were also plans to build this gentleman a proper storage shed in his backyard and to do some landscaping. I wish I could witness the liberation the man must have felt after Habitat was able to lift this burden off his shoulders.

            I also worked with Habitat on another day, but this time I helped to sort bags of recyclables at the Union County Habitat for Humanity Recycling Center. I spent six hours that day sorting plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and bottle caps into different trashcans based on their respective recycling type and doing other chores around the site such as baling cardboard and plastic bottles. As monotonous of a task as this was, I think this day really helped me to understand the purpose of community service. This particular day was the only time I worked with people who were not volunteering their time. The people I worked with had court-ordered hours to fulfill. One girl’s name was Jillian. Jillian never explained to me why she needed service hours except that she messed up and this was her lawyer’s compromise. For most of the day, I worked alongside Jillian and kept her company. I could tell Jillian had a short temper and my job of sorting recycling became secondary to keeping Jillian calm. I could tell Jillian was a very nice girl at heart who had just been in some difficult circumstances in her life that made her bitter. The more I thought about Jillian’s situation, the more I wished I could help alleviate some of her burdens. Not wishing to pry into her personal life, I merely tried to be as nice and comforting as I could in order to best express my sympathy for her predicament and give her some hope.

            Overall, my service hours helped me to shed some light on the different kinds of difficulties people face here in Charlotte and across the globe. One idea that developed in my mind over the semester was that we all are burdened by something in our lives. For the people I served, it varied from hunger to forced labor to homelessness to a criminal record. But another thing that I learned is that we can all play a part in helping to free one another from our burdens. And that is the best kind of liberation I can comprehend. 

Silent Hero: Seth Land

Any given Sunday, you’ll find Seth restocking the serving line at COTS. COTS has been serving Charlotte’s homeless a hot breakfast under the N. Tryon/277 bridge every Sunday morning for 15 years.  Seth brings a smile to the faces of homeless and servers alike with his compassion and humor.

Midterm [Portfolio thus far]

Moodle Forum Discussion #1

Personally, I was very involved in my youth group back home and community service was a large part of our group activities. I went on summer mission trips and volunteered on weekends within our church family. I volunteered in the nursery and Children's Church programs at church several Sundays out of the year and participated in projects such as Operation Christmas Child. I think my dedication to service in high school came primarily from my involvement in my youth group; any service hours required for school organizations came from these activities.

I think that since my involvement in community service was so strongly tied to my faith in high school, it did not diminish when I came to UNCC. One of the reasons I chose to join the campus ministry I’m currently involved in is because of its focus on social activism within our community and abroad. 

Having seen so many struggling people over the years has motivated to continue my service. There is so much heartache and brokenness in our world today that I feel the need to do something about it. As Kathy said, “I think I have the means, the capability, and the intelligence to affect social change, so I have to do it; … there’s no way I can just sit and watch things happen.” 

I agree with the study that required service produces a negative outcome for those volunteering. I think volunteers really need to see the social problems in their communities face to face and the positive effects of their efforts before they can truly empathize with those benefiting from their work. If there is no emotional attachment to the work done, the work will not continue.

Moodle Discussion #1 Response (to Nicole Kim)

I feel like we enjoy the same kinds of community service activities. I think it's a great motivating tool to go out and volunteer with your friends as it generates greater benefits to those you are serving simply because there are more people involved and also because it makes your experience enjoyable and you are therefore more likely to participate again. 

Personally, I don’t agree with doing community service just to put it on your resume. I feel like this gives colleges a false sense of that person’s character. And since, as this study concludes, students who are required to do community service (in this case in order to receive an honor instead of a mandatory requirement for a organization or class), are less likely to continue their service in college than those who did it for internal reasons, this means that colleges are more often than not selecting students who appear to be very service oriented individuals but are more concerned with puffing up their resume than actually helping the needy. I feel like those who are involved in community service should be doing it for the right reasons. I feel like too many people in our world today are self-centered and don’t make much of an effort to speak up for the poor and marginalized people living right in their own communities. Too often people serve out of selfish reasons rather than out of compassion for those they are helping. Although I feel like genuine compassionate service is more effective than mandatory service, I think it’s a good thing that communities expect their youth to get involved because some service, despite the motivation, is better than no service.

Reflective Journal Entry #1

The organization I plan to work with is InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This is an organization I have been involved with since the beginning of my freshman year. I now serve on the Leadership Team in numerous ways, but the role that applies to this class is the position of Urban Ministry Coordinator.

            The main reason I was initially drawn to working with InterVarsity was their emphasis on service and combating social injustice, both here in our local community and overseas. Over the years, I have become very close with the people involved in InterVarsity and consider many of them to be my closest friends.

            My duties as the Urban Ministry Coordinator entail several different aspects of service. Primarily, my job is to organize service projects that the chapter can participate in that will benefit our greater Charlotte community. Most of these projects will take place on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the semester. The organizations we will work with are COTS (a ministry that serves a hot breakfast to homeless men and women on Sunday mornings on the streets), Crisis Assistance Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, as well as many others. Many of my service hours will come from scheduling these projects with different organizations, advertising the upcoming events with the chapter, and also the actual service hours where we will be working face-to-face with these organizations. Also, I will be in charge of organizing all the additional logistics of these events such as fundraising, organizing carpools, and follow-up communications.

Reflective Journal Entry #2

This article illustrates the problem of contemporary slavery and the challenge it poses for professional social workers. Some of the primary concerns of the article are providing a concise and generally accepted definition of slavery, outlining the types of slavery, emphasizing the scope of contemporary slavery, and detailing the possible policy options available to deal with slavery.

For the modern social worker, difficulty lies in defining exactly what kind of behavior characterizes slavery. The article defines slavery in several different ways, but all definitions are consistent in defining slavery as a form of oppression that uses violence force victims to involuntarily perform work or services as dictated by the “employer.” It also describes the different types of slavery that exist today and where they are most likely to be found across the globe.

Secondly, the article discusses the problem of providing accurate estimates of the number of slaves in the world today. This arises from the fact that advocacy groups tend to inflate their numbers to emphasize the importance of the problem whereas governments tend to deflate their numbers to distance themselves from the problem in their own country. According to these estimates, there are somewhere between 800,000 and 27 million slaves in our world today.

Lastly, this article lists possible policy solutions to this problem and why or why not each of these options would work. Particularly emphasized is the fact that the primary difference between the slave master and slave has shifted from race in the past to economic status and vulnerability today.

Since most of my community service hours will be tied to organizing a fundraiser for the International Justice Mission, a human rights agency concerned with rescuing slavery victims from their oppressors, this article has greatly enlightened me on the different types of slavery and the difficulties of freeing slaves. In addition to the simple enslavement problem, there is also the social aspect of slavery which makes liberating slaves difficult. Many victims are brainwashed by their oppressors into believing that this life is the only thing that they are good for or that they must repay their debt, even after their employer has been arrested. It opened my eyes to the economical aspect of the issue as well as the importance of defining slavery and how this impacts the methods that rescuers use when dealing with victims and oppressors. Also, I did not realize before reading this article exactly how many different kinds of slavery exist in our world. Most advocates emphasize only sex trafficking and child exploitation since they generate the most gut-wrenching and emotional reactions.

Midterm

This semester, I plan on working with three organizations. First, I plan to work with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where I serve as the Urban Ministries Coordinator and work with other chapter leaders to organize events for our chapter. One thing that I have learned from working on this team of leaders is that communication and dedication are key factors in accomplishing group goals.

The purpose of this project is to raise money for the International Justice Mission, a non-profit organization founded in 1997 that works with local authorities to help free victims of violent oppression and exploitation all over the world. Our goal is to set up tables in front of the Student Union to inform students and faculty about the number and plight of enslaved people around the globe and raise support for IJM’s work. We are participating in the “Loose Change to Loosen Chains” donation program of IJM where we engage students in conversation about the reality of modern-day slavery and encourage them to donate to the cause. In return, supporters may choose to receive a chain link bracelet to remind them of the bondage of men, women, and children all around the globe whenever they wear it.

I’ve also learned the importance of having initiative when working on a team. Within our chapter, it is very difficult to schedule meetings with other leaders since everyone has their own agendas concerning school, work, and relationships. For example, my fellow coordinator has been very busy with her own personal life, but has been the one making contact with the International Justice Mission staffer who we are working with. Since we have been so busy separately, we rarely get a chance to meet and discuss how the event is coming together. I feel like this is a typical problem with organizing service events. Unless the entire planning team is dedicated and communicative about the different aspects of planning the event, it will more than likely fall to the wayside and the event gets postponed or the vision for the event gets lost in the planning process.

With that said, I haven’t taken the initiative that I should have to begin planning the event. When working on a team with other people, it’s hard sometimes to effectively communicate important information about the event when the schedules of those involved do not make it easy to stay in touch. Also, it’s hard or one person to tackle such a large project on their own if they are reliant on other people to assist in organization. This is something I have struggled with while working on this project. So far, we have worked on making posters to put on the tables and around the Union to advocate our cause.

            Another project I plan on working on throughout the semester is Church On The Streets (COTS). COTS is a local ministry that provides homeless men and women of Charlotte with a hot breakfast on Sunday mornings. This ministry has been serving the homeless for thirteen years without missing a single Sunday. For many of these impoverished citizens, it is the only hot meal they will receive all week. COTS serves everyone who comes through the line, no questions asked. Many times, leftovers are given to those returning to their families and everyone is allowed seconds. I think one of the greatest things about serving with a church ministry is how much they care about the people that they are serving. When you begin to view the poor and marginalized as normal people struggling with what they’ve been dealt in life, it makes it easier to see their potential and therefore the sacrifice you make to serve seems like so little in comparison to the impact you can make in one person’s life. Sometimes, all it takes is a smile or a kind word to help them get through another day of their rough life. When I compare my life circumstances to theirs, I can’t help but feel compelled to give as much as I can to build up someone else. For me, the best part of serving others is giving hope to those in need. I firmly believe that no matter where you are in life or how bad your circumstances seem, there is always a better day ahead that you can achieve if only you keep pressing on.

            The final service project I intend to work on is Habitat for Humanity. I haven’t begun my volunteer hours with this organization, but I look forward to lending my time and energy to helping build homes for people who desperately need them. Just like with COTS, I believe that there is hope in everyone’s life. Things will get better, no matter how terrible your circumstances seem to be. At the end of this semester, I would like to be able to say that I have made an impact on someone else’s life for the better.

Personal Reflection #2

Lauren M. Williams

HONR 2750

R. Arnold

February 20, 2012

Modern Slavery

This article illustrates the problem of contemporary slavery and the challenge it poses for professional social workers. Some of the primary concerns of the article are providing a concise and generally accepted definition of slavery, outlining the types of slavery, emphasizing the scope of contemporary slavery, and detailing the possible policy options available to deal with slavery.

For the modern social worker, difficulty lies in defining exactly what kind of behavior characterizes slavery. The article defines slavery in several different ways, but all definitions are consistent in defining slavery as a form of oppression that uses violence force victims to involuntarily perform work or services as dictated by the “employer.” It also describes the different types of slavery that exist today and where they are most likely to be found across the globe.

Secondly, the article discusses the problem of providing accurate estimates of the number of slaves in the world today. This arises from the fact that advocacy groups tend to inflate their numbers to emphasize the importance of the problem whereas governments tend to deflate their numbers to distance themselves from the problem in their own country. According to these estimates, there are somewhere between 800,000 and 27 million slaves in our world today.

Lastly, this article lists possible policy solutions to this problem and why or why not each of these options would work. Particularly emphasized is the fact that the primary difference between the slave master and slave has shifted from race in the past to economic status and vulnerability today.

Since most of my community service hours will be tied to organizing a fundraiser for the International Justice Mission, a human rights agency concerned with rescuing slavery victims from their oppressors, this article has greatly enlightened me on the different types of slavery and the difficulties of freeing slaves. In addition to the simple enslavement problem, there is also the social aspect of slavery which makes liberating slaves difficult. Many victims are brainwashed by their oppressors into believing that this life is the only thing that they are good for or that they must repay their debt, even after their employer has been arrested. It opened my eyes to the economical aspect of the issue as well as the importance of defining slavery and how this impacts the methods that rescuers use when dealing with victims and oppressors. Also, I did not realize before reading this article exactly how many different kinds of slavery exist in our world. Most advocates emphasize only sex trafficking and child exploitation since they  generate the most gut-wrenching and emotional reactions.
 
Works Cited

Androff, David K. "The Problem of Contemporary Slavery: An International Human Rights Challenge for Social Work." International Social Work 54.2 (2011): 209-22. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.

This article was written by David K. Androff of the School of Social Work at Arizona State University for the academic journal International Social Work. This article addresses professional social workers concerning the problem of contemporary slavery; particularly in definition, policy, estimates, and responses to this problem. This corresponds with my community service project in the aspect that it details the problem of contemporary slavery and the issues agencies face when trying to address this problem. It highlights the importance of a concise definition of slavery for the purposes of better preparing professional social workers to discern what methods to use regarding each type of slavery and the reasons why victims are trafficked. Also addressed is the issue of the uncertainty of the number of human trafficking victims in the world and the importance of using correct terminology and methodology when communicating with slave masters and anti-slavery agencies.