Monday Funday!

Monday Funday! Our group split up to tackle the morning in three groups. One group journeyed to Montrose Beach to pick up trash and recycling. The organiztion we worked with also asked us to take tally of the items we picked up, so that they could conduct research on the kinds of objects washing up. One student said that it seemed to her that "people don’t even realize the impact of one piece of trash. If you’re not kind to your world, it affects others."

A second group started at Fourth Presbyterian to sort donation and make sack lunches to hand out at a shelter nearby. A student reflected on the donation sorting process realized how complex of a process the giving/taking of these objects can be. "There was a lot to go through, so it felt good knowing that we were making a little bit of a contribution."

The third group went to Casa Central, a community center within a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. Senior citizens from the community come to Casa Central to interact with each other and maintain physical and mental activity. Students played dominoes and other games with the folks there, and while there was a bit of a language barrier, they appreciated how the clientele tried their best to include them in this new place. 

After lunch, we returned to Fourth for a chat with Pastor Joe and an activity with the summer staff. Pastor Joe enlightened us about the unique, diverse communities of Chicago. His personal experiences with the various people and their cultures helped to give us a mental picture of what we might be able to expect throughout the rest of the week. Our perspectives were further educated through an activity that the summer staff led students through: a homeless simulatuon. Students were given various backgrounds (family, origin, monetary, job training, etc.) and different documentation. The goal was to gain housing. Only one student was able to achieve that goal, and while many got close, everyone experienced the same frustrations. Here's some of the insightful things they said:

--That was the worst game I've ever played. It felt like everyone was against me.

--It seemed unfair because everyone had different circumstances and privileges.

--The hardest part was having kids. I had to take care of them while also trying to wait in line all day for these documents.

--Some of the government officials were difficult to work with. It felt like they didn't understand.

--It was like people weren't seeing me, cutting in front of me and only worrying about themselves. 

--There was a collective "no" when they were asked if they think it's easy to get out of experiencing homelessness. 

All of these Day 1 Experiences, followed by discussion and contemplation during small group and devotion, mixed together to give us a great picture of what Chicago does and can look like, from various perspectives. We're excited to continuing learning and giving of ourselves to help this magnificent city tell a brighter story.