My volunteer trip
Donation protected
Alternative Spring Break
Urban Faces - Intersection of Poverty and Gentrification in the Margins of Detroit and Flint water contamination
My name is Ana Paula and I am currently an international student at the University of Wyoming from Brazil. I am going to participate in the alternative spring break in Michigan provided by the Service, Leadership & Community Engagement at the University of Wyoming.
The Alternative Breaks (AB) Program provides unique opportunities where students can address local and global issues through direct service and education. Furthermore, AB provides an outlet for students to develop leadership skills and a commitment to service, promoting future leaders. (http://www.uwyo.edu/union/slce/service/ab.html)
Why?
As an African American girl growing up in Rio de Janeiro, I witnessed the hardships of impoverished communities on a daily basis. The slums of Rio face many social problems, including poverty, crime, drugs, and lack of educational resources. The infrastructure of these neighborhoods are also lacking in areas such as plumbing and sanitation, clean water, electricity, and law enforcement. Sadly, an estimated 72% of the population in these communities is black. My childhood was like many others at the time and some still today; full of ups and downs, of uncertainty, of economic problems. Hearing gunshots while I was sleeping was something I was always used to. Since I was not aware of the complexity of those issues, I was happy. It was only when I started growing up that I realized all the problems around me. Both my parents worked very hard to pursue academic education and that was what gave me a different perception of life and goals.
Due to the lack of state intervention, people from poor communities hardly pursue a good education and acquire a cultural background. Without that and along with so many difficulties it becomes easy for them to follow wrong paths and follow the influences they have. Nonetheless, due to gentrification, cost of living continues to raise and people are being expelled from their communities, leaving them with few choices but to get involved in the sub-world of drugs, gangs, and crime. I witnessed this my whole life but I also saw many people, women and children, who just needed opportunities or a different perspective to change their lives.
By saying that, the reason I am participating in this alternative break program and asking for your help is because I want to be able to provide help to those who face problems like those on a daily basis. This program will explore the persisting social inequalities and intersections between poverty and gentrification within urban populations and communities of color through first hand-accounts and experiences in Detroit, Michigan. This service in Detroit will focus on partnerships with local non-profits and organizations who actively dismantle the oppression these communities face while also encouraging the restoration of Detroit.
There is more...
Also, as many of you know, there is a water crisis occurring in Flint, Michigan. For months, thousands of the residents there have been exposed to drinking water with two times the safe level of lead. The town has been declared to be in a state of emergency.
A summary of the origin of the crisis from CNN is “In charge of the city's budget amid a financial emergency, the state decided to temporarily switch Flint's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure until a new supply line to Lake Huron was ready. The river had a reputation for nastiness, and after the April 2014 switch, residents complained their water looked, smelled and tasted funny. Virginia Tech researchers found the water was highly corrosive. A class-action lawsuit alleges the state Department of Environmental Quality didn't treat the water for corrosion, in accordance with federal law, and because so many service lines to Flint are made of lead, the noxious element leached into the water of the city's homes.”
The consequences of the crisis are immense. Lead poisoning is dangerous-- the related woes include skin lesions, hair loss, vision loss, memory loss, depression and anxiety, according to a class-action lawsuit. The consequences are especially severe for children. According to the World Health Organization, even a low level of lead exposure “affects children’s brain development resulting in a reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as shortening of attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment.”
Since water is an essential material for human life, the most immediate concern is to get Flint residents clean drinking water. Therefore together with the United Multicultural Council at the University of Wyoming, we are collecting money in our university. The money raised at the school will be used to provide water to be to the community in need with the help of the Catholic Charities, which will be leading the distribution during a full day of service.
(https://www.facebook.com/UMCUWYO/photos/pb.128488183893920.-2207520000.1456599390./972619942814069/?type=3&theater)
I believe that helping others and experiencing a real life interaction can change your own life. The sensation of feeling good about yourself, making sure you are taking a noble attitude, regardless of the cause which is being defended, is simply indescribable. Helping others without expecting anything in return is one of the best compassion exercises you can do. By practicing volunteering, you're breaking a dualistic worldview of "me" versus "them" and acquiring awareness. Therefore, for me, the first step to full citizenship of the world community is a commitment to volunteering.
This money will be strictly used to afford the program fee. Which is shown in the alternative break wesbiste. Any additional money will be used to buy water for communities in Flint.
I have until March 8 to raise this money, as we will be leaving March 12th.
I would greatly appreciate your help!
Urban Faces - Intersection of Poverty and Gentrification in the Margins of Detroit and Flint water contamination
My name is Ana Paula and I am currently an international student at the University of Wyoming from Brazil. I am going to participate in the alternative spring break in Michigan provided by the Service, Leadership & Community Engagement at the University of Wyoming.
The Alternative Breaks (AB) Program provides unique opportunities where students can address local and global issues through direct service and education. Furthermore, AB provides an outlet for students to develop leadership skills and a commitment to service, promoting future leaders. (http://www.uwyo.edu/union/slce/service/ab.html)
Why?
As an African American girl growing up in Rio de Janeiro, I witnessed the hardships of impoverished communities on a daily basis. The slums of Rio face many social problems, including poverty, crime, drugs, and lack of educational resources. The infrastructure of these neighborhoods are also lacking in areas such as plumbing and sanitation, clean water, electricity, and law enforcement. Sadly, an estimated 72% of the population in these communities is black. My childhood was like many others at the time and some still today; full of ups and downs, of uncertainty, of economic problems. Hearing gunshots while I was sleeping was something I was always used to. Since I was not aware of the complexity of those issues, I was happy. It was only when I started growing up that I realized all the problems around me. Both my parents worked very hard to pursue academic education and that was what gave me a different perception of life and goals.
Due to the lack of state intervention, people from poor communities hardly pursue a good education and acquire a cultural background. Without that and along with so many difficulties it becomes easy for them to follow wrong paths and follow the influences they have. Nonetheless, due to gentrification, cost of living continues to raise and people are being expelled from their communities, leaving them with few choices but to get involved in the sub-world of drugs, gangs, and crime. I witnessed this my whole life but I also saw many people, women and children, who just needed opportunities or a different perspective to change their lives.
By saying that, the reason I am participating in this alternative break program and asking for your help is because I want to be able to provide help to those who face problems like those on a daily basis. This program will explore the persisting social inequalities and intersections between poverty and gentrification within urban populations and communities of color through first hand-accounts and experiences in Detroit, Michigan. This service in Detroit will focus on partnerships with local non-profits and organizations who actively dismantle the oppression these communities face while also encouraging the restoration of Detroit.
There is more...
Also, as many of you know, there is a water crisis occurring in Flint, Michigan. For months, thousands of the residents there have been exposed to drinking water with two times the safe level of lead. The town has been declared to be in a state of emergency.
A summary of the origin of the crisis from CNN is “In charge of the city's budget amid a financial emergency, the state decided to temporarily switch Flint's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure until a new supply line to Lake Huron was ready. The river had a reputation for nastiness, and after the April 2014 switch, residents complained their water looked, smelled and tasted funny. Virginia Tech researchers found the water was highly corrosive. A class-action lawsuit alleges the state Department of Environmental Quality didn't treat the water for corrosion, in accordance with federal law, and because so many service lines to Flint are made of lead, the noxious element leached into the water of the city's homes.”
The consequences of the crisis are immense. Lead poisoning is dangerous-- the related woes include skin lesions, hair loss, vision loss, memory loss, depression and anxiety, according to a class-action lawsuit. The consequences are especially severe for children. According to the World Health Organization, even a low level of lead exposure “affects children’s brain development resulting in a reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioral changes such as shortening of attention span and increased antisocial behavior, and reduced educational attainment.”
Since water is an essential material for human life, the most immediate concern is to get Flint residents clean drinking water. Therefore together with the United Multicultural Council at the University of Wyoming, we are collecting money in our university. The money raised at the school will be used to provide water to be to the community in need with the help of the Catholic Charities, which will be leading the distribution during a full day of service.
(https://www.facebook.com/UMCUWYO/photos/pb.128488183893920.-2207520000.1456599390./972619942814069/?type=3&theater)
I believe that helping others and experiencing a real life interaction can change your own life. The sensation of feeling good about yourself, making sure you are taking a noble attitude, regardless of the cause which is being defended, is simply indescribable. Helping others without expecting anything in return is one of the best compassion exercises you can do. By practicing volunteering, you're breaking a dualistic worldview of "me" versus "them" and acquiring awareness. Therefore, for me, the first step to full citizenship of the world community is a commitment to volunteering.
This money will be strictly used to afford the program fee. Which is shown in the alternative break wesbiste. Any additional money will be used to buy water for communities in Flint.
I have until March 8 to raise this money, as we will be leaving March 12th.
I would greatly appreciate your help!
Organizer
Ana Paula Martins
Organizer
Laramie, WY