When reflecting back on this trip I think that two things stood out as my favorite service. I really liked volunteering at Courtney's House and teaching at Thurgood Marshall School.
What really struck me about Courtney's House was the dedication that all of the employees had. Looking around the house you could see the "rules of the house" that the kids had written up. I also appreciated that Courtney's House also provided services for boys and trans youth since many times I feel so that those exploited populations can get forgotten.
I also appreciated how serious Courtney's House took security and confidentiality. I talked to one of the employees in the investigation department about the cyber security they have in place. That is something I would be interested in, tracking pimps and victims though cyber investigation.
At Thurgood Marshall I got to talk with two students about if they liked our presentation and one girl said she thinks we should give the presentation to every high schooler in DC. Another girl said that the pen exercise during the consent lesson. I also talked to Ms.Lee and she was so grateful that we came in and that all the kids love it and learn so much every year.
One of the students was really interested in UMD and wanted to know about the Criminology and Criminal Justice major. I was so happy that our time at Thurgood Marshall was able to teach the students about human trafficking and represent UMD as well.
- Lucas
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Last Day of Teaching
Our trip culminated with a day of educating two high school classes at Thurgood Marshall Academy. We all felt more comfortable teaching today because of our experience from the previous day. Yet again, the students were very intelligent and open to discussing the issue. They were very inquisitive and asked questions about who a human trafficking victim is and how pimps manipulate them. It was cool to see the students connecting the issues that we talked about to their lives, people they know, and things they have seen in their community.
Some common misconceptions came up in our discussion with the students. Some of the kids get their ideas of human trafficking from shows and movies such as Taken. However, Taken is an inaccurate depiction of what human trafficking is. Most victims are not kidnapped, they are manipulated into "the life" through force, fraud, and coercion. It is really important for youth to understand this so that they are careful and aware when they are talking to people on the internet or on the street.
Another misconception we came across was the idea of prostitution. Sex trafficking means that the victim lacks choice but the term "prostitution" implies choice. When you consider that one girl is forced to have sex with 20 men a day you realize that no one chooses to do that.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing how the students at Thurgood Marshall understood human trafficking and now know the signs of human trafficking so that they can intervene in the lives of their peers when they notice something. It was also amazing to see how our group worked together as a team and answered questions that the students had. I'm excited that we, in our small way, could be a part of preventing the victimization of someone.
Some common misconceptions came up in our discussion with the students. Some of the kids get their ideas of human trafficking from shows and movies such as Taken. However, Taken is an inaccurate depiction of what human trafficking is. Most victims are not kidnapped, they are manipulated into "the life" through force, fraud, and coercion. It is really important for youth to understand this so that they are careful and aware when they are talking to people on the internet or on the street.
Another misconception we came across was the idea of prostitution. Sex trafficking means that the victim lacks choice but the term "prostitution" implies choice. When you consider that one girl is forced to have sex with 20 men a day you realize that no one chooses to do that.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing how the students at Thurgood Marshall understood human trafficking and now know the signs of human trafficking so that they can intervene in the lives of their peers when they notice something. It was also amazing to see how our group worked together as a team and answered questions that the students had. I'm excited that we, in our small way, could be a part of preventing the victimization of someone.
Last Day of Service
Today was our last day of service. Saturday, tomorrow, will be our day of fun in DC. Maddie will talk about the first part of our day/Thurgood Marshall, so I'll cover the second part, which was volunteering at Sasha Bruce Youthwork and having a "team dinner", if you will.
The weather today was cold and rainy and very unpleasant, but we all pulled through. Last night at reflection we agreed we would do our best to have the most energy possible for today, and I think for the most part we followed through. We got to Sasha Bruce and met Mrs. Brown, who taught math and science for their Youthbuild program, which essentially prepares the clients for the GED and other skills for entry into the "real world". Ms. Brown gave us a few tasks, mostly organizational things, and we did a lot of sorting and binding and got it done fairly quickly. It was not laborious activity but it was productive.
After a couple hours there we walked in the cold and rain to a bus stop several blocks away to get to dinner very early, and halfway down realized that we left poor Caroline behind at Sasha Bruce because we forgot to do a buddy check! Anyway, the timing with the bus worked out ok and we got to H Street Counry Club, which we had made a reservation for a few days prior, but when we tried to go in we learned it was restricted to 21 and older. Of course, Mandy is the only one that wasn't problematic for, but she somehow persuaded the manager/security guard to let us eat there. The Mexican dinner was delicious and we got an absurd amount of appetizers. Mostly everyone walked out with a takeout container. Afterwards we went to a next door pie place and ordered two pies, but realized about 10 minutes later that we ordered slices ($7 each) instead of whole pies (about $33 each). Thus, we ordered one more slice and had a bite of pie each, instead of having a slice each.
We got back to the house and our incredibly gracious hostess Slauka offered us two whole homemade pies.
Then we did reflection and explored the Active Citizen Continuum and played Touch Someone Who, both of which were enjoyable. Overall the day was satisfying, and most of us aren't quite ready for the trip to be over (or to clean the whole house tomorrow morning).
-Emily
Friday, March 20, 2015
Last Day Feelings...
So it's our last day of service on our Alternative Break in D.C. and everyone's a little exhausted, a little sore, and a bit smelly, but the group also has this awesome positive aura. The energy has entirely transformed since the first day we all arrived in D.C.. Instead of the anxious and rather awkward looks exchanged between our team on the first night of discussion, excitement and passion are evident when catching someones gaze from across the classroom during our final reflection.
One thing I noticed on this trip is the way a group of people interacts and grows. On Sunday we all could barely take a picture without feeling the uncomfortableness, but now at the end of the week, we can barely keep from hugging each other when something emotional is said. Not only that but our team successfully educated two classrooms full of high school students at Thurgood Marshall Academy on the issue of Human Trafficking. To me that not only shows group connectivity but immense growth in the knowledge about the issue. I've personally witnessed the growth 16 amazing individuals over the past 6 days.
The emotional connections we've all built on this trip isn't even half of the success though. Speaking a little about community activism, I can say we all contributed as best as we could to combat the issue of Human Trafficking. We not only grew as a team emotionally, but as educated community activists. The AB trip gave us an environment, in which anything seemed possible. It was a totally judgement free zone; we all felt as if we could share our opinions and feelings on the topic freely. Additionally, when becoming more aware on one social issue, like human trafficking, you consequently, become more aware and active in dealing with other social issues as well. The entire trip was a great opportunity to focus oneself on the social issues that surround us everyday and realization that if you aren't a part of the solution you're most likely a part of the problem.
On the last day of the AB trip in D.C. one additional thing really sticks out to me as quintessential to the trip's success: our trip leaders. The level to which our trip leaders performed their roles exceeded all expectations I had. From cracking jokes at metro stops, to channeling our groups emotions into a well led discussion, and putting up with all complaints well mannerly and unclogging toilets our group leaders ensured our trip's absolute success. Each one of the leaders offered something different and encouraged everyone at all times to keep their heads up and be positive in the face of such a cumbersome issue.
- Ben
One thing I noticed on this trip is the way a group of people interacts and grows. On Sunday we all could barely take a picture without feeling the uncomfortableness, but now at the end of the week, we can barely keep from hugging each other when something emotional is said. Not only that but our team successfully educated two classrooms full of high school students at Thurgood Marshall Academy on the issue of Human Trafficking. To me that not only shows group connectivity but immense growth in the knowledge about the issue. I've personally witnessed the growth 16 amazing individuals over the past 6 days.
The emotional connections we've all built on this trip isn't even half of the success though. Speaking a little about community activism, I can say we all contributed as best as we could to combat the issue of Human Trafficking. We not only grew as a team emotionally, but as educated community activists. The AB trip gave us an environment, in which anything seemed possible. It was a totally judgement free zone; we all felt as if we could share our opinions and feelings on the topic freely. Additionally, when becoming more aware on one social issue, like human trafficking, you consequently, become more aware and active in dealing with other social issues as well. The entire trip was a great opportunity to focus oneself on the social issues that surround us everyday and realization that if you aren't a part of the solution you're most likely a part of the problem.
On the last day of the AB trip in D.C. one additional thing really sticks out to me as quintessential to the trip's success: our trip leaders. The level to which our trip leaders performed their roles exceeded all expectations I had. From cracking jokes at metro stops, to channeling our groups emotions into a well led discussion, and putting up with all complaints well mannerly and unclogging toilets our group leaders ensured our trip's absolute success. Each one of the leaders offered something different and encouraged everyone at all times to keep their heads up and be positive in the face of such a cumbersome issue.
- Ben
Pictures from the trip!
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| Visiting the Lao Gai museum and hearing from laogai survivor, Harry Wu |
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| Eating lunch on the mall! |
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| Outside of Casa San Salvador, where we are staying this week! Thanks for hosting us! |
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| Serving dinner at Calvary Women's Services |
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| Eating lunch in between teaching classes at Thurgood Marshall |
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| Organizing binders for Sasha Bruce's GED program |
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| Visiting Sasha Bruce's Youthbuild center |
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| After our celebration dinner :) |
Day 5: Teaching about human trafficking
As we worked on our curriculum last night, you could notice that all of us were nervous and unsure of what to expect of teaching at Thurgood Marshall; however, we were all surprised at the results. Waking up early was definitely worth it because we were able to get to Anacostia early, take a tour of the high school, and interact with the teacher. I was personally very impressed by not only the structure of the school, but most importantly the educational program the school offered these kids. It was evident that the teachers and the rest of the school staff was very invested in giving students the best education possible to prepare them for college. We got to hear about some of the universities that students from Thurgood Marshall have attended or been accepted to, including Ivy Schools. After hearing about many of the school's resources and academic achievement of the students, we finally got to interact with them directly.
Once we walked into the classroom, we introduced ourselves and began our lesson about human trafficking with a brief introduction and a fun activity called "Pimps and Hoes". In this activity, the students were allowed to come up to the board and draw characteristics that they thought represented such. It was surprising to see how the students were so engaged in the topic and interested in learning more about it. Then, we divided the class into groups, which provided each of the AB participants the opportunity to directly interact with the students, have a teaching experience, and share their knowledge on human trafficking. Teaching at Thurgood Marshall was an unforgettable experience and even though tomorrow is our last day of service on the trip, we are all really excited to go back and hopefully have an impact on these kids.
- Desiree
Once we walked into the classroom, we introduced ourselves and began our lesson about human trafficking with a brief introduction and a fun activity called "Pimps and Hoes". In this activity, the students were allowed to come up to the board and draw characteristics that they thought represented such. It was surprising to see how the students were so engaged in the topic and interested in learning more about it. Then, we divided the class into groups, which provided each of the AB participants the opportunity to directly interact with the students, have a teaching experience, and share their knowledge on human trafficking. Teaching at Thurgood Marshall was an unforgettable experience and even though tomorrow is our last day of service on the trip, we are all really excited to go back and hopefully have an impact on these kids.
- Desiree
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Day 5: Teaching at Thurgood and Shared Hope International!
Today, we finally had the opportunity to teach at Thurgood Marshall Academy! We all were mostly excited to interact with the students and share with them our knowledge of human trafficking. I was surprised at how well the lesson plan went today: the class was receptive of what we had to say and actively participated and discussed. Some students even knew the facts before we said them! I lead an activity with Lucas, which went pretty well. We had students describe and draw on the whiteboard stereotypical depictions of "pimps" and "hoes" and explain why they made those choices. They also learned about the definition of human trafficking, the steps, and rape/consent. I would say that the students enjoyed the lesson, and I genuinely enjoyed working together with everyone to teach.
After Thurgood Marshall, we went to Shared Hope International to help write a grant proposal for new technology. We came up with a few ideas of where to get funding and watched a presentation on the general facts of human trafficking. This was also a good experience because I learned some figures about human trafficking (like how much money the industry actually makes).
We came back early and prepared dinner, then ate with AB alumni visiting. Today was an awesome day, and everyone is excited to go back to Thurgood to teach some more tomorrow!
- Nnenna
After Thurgood Marshall, we went to Shared Hope International to help write a grant proposal for new technology. We came up with a few ideas of where to get funding and watched a presentation on the general facts of human trafficking. This was also a good experience because I learned some figures about human trafficking (like how much money the industry actually makes).
We came back early and prepared dinner, then ate with AB alumni visiting. Today was an awesome day, and everyone is excited to go back to Thurgood to teach some more tomorrow!
- Nnenna
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