2019 SPRING BREAKSERVICE & JUSTICE TRIPS

www.creighton.edu/scsj (402) 280-1290 Harper Center Suite 2067

www.creighton.edu/scsj (402) 280-1290 Harper Center Suite 2067

2019 Spring Break Service & Justice Trips

Doing Justice

SPRING BREAK TRIPS RECAP This past Spring Break, the Schlegel Center for Service and Justice sent 131 students on 16 trips. Each trip focused on a particular issue(s), from poverty to sustainability, immigration to education, that students engaged with as they served. Trips are either a half- or a full-week.

Service and justice are often linked together and called the two feet of social change. We’ve named our program to recognize that both are equally important for creating a more just world. Trips partner with community agencies to meet someone’s immediate needs by providing services like food, clothing, housing, education, or an ear to listen. At the same time, students engage in social analysis to better understand how they can begin to change unjust social structures that are causing the need for their service.2

HOST SITE LOCATIONS

Women’s Intercultural Center | Anthony, NM

Mosaic Bethphage Village | Axtell, NE

Catholic Worker House | Cleveland, OH

Hubbard House | East St. Louis, IL

Serve 901 | Memphis, TN

Casa Romero | Milwaukee, WI

St. Jane House | Minneapolis, MN

Resurrection Catholic Missions | Montgomery, AL

Excel | Okolona, MS

Siena/Francis House | Omaha

One World Community Health Center | Omaha

Abide Omaha | North Omaha

White Violet Center | St. Mary of the Woods, IN

Pictured below is a map of the United States highlighting the Spring Break Service & Justice Trip locations. The multitude of colors represent the issues covered in each state (See the key below).

Education

Civil Rights

Homelessness, Poverty

Housing

Immigration

Migration

Racial Justice

Sustainability

Homelessness, Refugee, Healthcare, and Ableism

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Habitat for Humanity | Stroud, OK

Appalachian Institute | Wheeling, WV

Individuals Who Form a CommunityEmily Lopez | Class of 2020

Anxious. Different. Uncomfortable Uncertain.

Thesewordsfloodedmymindaswe drove into the new and unfamiliar community of Cleveland, Ohio. I was excited for the opportunities for growth thattheweekwouldofferyetextremelynervous for the uncertainty that was ahead of me. If I’m being completely honest, I had never talked to a person experiencing homelessness prior to this trip. As a natural introvert, the idea of conversing with someone who I didn’t know and who I assumed I had nothing in common with terrifiedme.Ithoughttomyself:How was I going to be able to make meaningful connections throughout the week? I was immediately challenged with this question on our second day of the trip. Our host site, the Cleveland Catholic Worker, held something called “drop-in

hours,” where individuals experiencing homelessness could gather for a nice meal, take a shower and enjoy some hospitality at the Storefront where our group was staying for the week. Our role was to be in community with the people we met. I triedmybestduringthisfirstexperienceof the drop-in hours to push myself out of my comfort zone in hopes of deepening the connections I had with this community. I learned early in the week the power that vulnerability and openness hold in fostering these connections. As the week went on, I became comfortable talking to strangers, asking about their lives and getting to know them on a personal level. During the drop-in time on the Thursday night before we left, I talked to a man named Ricky. Ricky and I instantly clicked. He used to be a nursing assistant at the local hospital and he had dreams of being a registered nurse one day. As a nursing student myself, Ricky and I had a lot to talk about. We bonded

Cleveland, OH

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over the compassion and care that the nursing profession encompassed, and I was so inspired by his passion for nursing. Intheshorthourorsosincewefirstmet,Ricky and I connected so much. Inmanydifferentways,Icouldseeso much of myself in Ricky. He transformed my misconception that people experiencing homelessnessweresodifferentfromme.He taught me that we were actually very alike. My conversation with Ricky that night taught me more about what kinship means than a textbook ever could. The connection that I had with this man whom I had just met showed me that thefirststepofbeingincommunityalwaysstarts with kinship. By allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and open to people in acommunitydifferentfromours,we’rebetter able to see those individuals for who they really are. By doing so, we break downthebarriersfilledwithstereotypesand misconceptions that hold us back from entering into new communities. I often imagine what it would have been like to look in on the Catholic Worker Storefront that Thursday evening. In the midst of a dark and rainy night, there was some light pouring out of an old building on the near west side of Cleveland. It looked warm and friendly inside. There were people sitting around creaky wooden tablessharingahotmeal,holdingcoffeecups, and talking about their lives. On one side there was a group of

people gathered around an old-fashioned fireplace,andontheotheragameofcardswas going on. When I think of the word community, that is what I picture. Looking back on this image of the Storefront, I’m reminded of the words I thoughtofwhenIfirstarrivedinCleveland:Anxious. Different. Uncomfortable. Uncertain. Those words are now foreign misconceptions that I no longer relate to. Instead of an outsider looking in, I saw myself in those moments as a part of the Cleveland community. There are otherwordsthataremorefittingforthecommunity who had so readily welcomed usinwithopenarms:Connected. Alive. Kinship. Love. When I think of Cleveland now, I think of the light the Catholic Worker Storefront radiated, the faces of those experiencing homelessness, and the community so deeply rooted in the four words above.

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Lessons Learned from the Civil Rights Leaders of MemphisBhavan Chana | Class of 2021

Movement to Overcome Ourfirstbigexperienceofourweek in Memphis was visiting the Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The exhibits chronicled the history of the Civil Rights movement in America up to the focus on empowerment and representation today. It was overwhelming yet enlightening processing thepainfulhistorywewerepresented:thehistory of slavery, the Jim Crow era, red-lining, the Freedom Riders, desegregation, the Albany Movement, police brutality, the Birmingham Campaign, the March on Washington, the Mississippi Summer Project, the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, the Memphis Sanitation Strike, and, of course, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The journey to freedom continues today, and working towards justice through peaceful service and advocacy builds the

foundation of this ongoing movement. Taking the time to delve deep into the historical narrative provided a framework for understanding the week’s coming experiences and the issues of racism, poverty and education in Memphis.

Leading Exemplars of Justice Many people served as inspiration and role models for living out compassion, justice, faith, peace, and more. We could feel the hopeful spirit through each interaction with, and hearing from, members of the Memphis community as they shared their stories, advice, and passions with us. Educator Daniel Warner was one such leader we met who gave insight into theeducationsystemanditsflaws.Heshared the importance of expanding the education system and making educational resources more available to racially and economically diverse populations. This is

memphis, tn

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thefirststep,amongmany,incombatingunjust social systems that should serve rather than harm people. We began to unpack this complicated matter through our service at the Memphis Delta Preparatory Charter School, where leadinginstructorOliverMillerpersonifiedthe grace in teaching and uplifting children. We easily created a friendship and mentor relationship with each child, and it was a true blessing to be a part of their lives, if even just for one week. Educators such as Daniel and Oliver highlighted the need for education to empower the youth and provide them tools to not only survive but thrive in life.

A Worldview Changed Thereflectionportionofourtripwas crucial for thinking through each experience packed into our days’ busy

schedules. Our coordinators led with great consideration and intent so that we were all able to share and grow together. Our social analysis of the injustices Memphis faces connected all our experiences from the week. Thinking that youcanfigureouttheissueofeducationwithout looking at its connections to poverty and historically racist systems simply cannot lead to a just solution—that was one such lesson we learned. Another lesson:whateverpassionyoufindyourselfhaving,pursueitandfindawaytouseit to promote justice in your community of chemists, doctors, entrepreneurs, journalists, etc. This lesson inspired the action we wanted to take when we arrived back on campus. We felt called to continue to advocate about and remain aware of the injustices we witnessed in Memphis. It no longer feels acceptable to ignore the realities of today, to accept the violence and oppression against the marginalized, to support predatory consumers of power attheexpenseofthosesuffering.Myworldviewhaschanged:Inowstriveforward equipped with a hunger for change, conviction for justice, and the knowledge to help inspire those who follow after me.

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Being Unreservedly YourselfAnna Ferguson | Graduate School, Class of 2019

“Come up with me! Will you come up with me?!” A teenaged girl named Jaycie eagerly asked that question as she yanked on my arm, practically dragging me out of the church pew we were sharing. It was Sunday afternoon at Mosaic Bethphage Village in Axtell, NE–where my Spring Break Service & Justice Trip group was spending our week–and the eclectic, vibrant community of children and adults living with disabilities were gathered in the campus church for a worship service. Mosaicisfullofdifferently-abledresidents living in community together. The campus is several acres large, out in cornfield-country,Nebraska,threehourswest of Omaha and 20 minutes south of Kearney. The residents share houses and livefamily-stylewith24/7stafftheretohelp take care of them, provide activities and healthcare, and most of all be a source of love for them. Each house is

named after a Biblical location, as Mosaic was founded by a Lutheran pastor 106 years ago. It still holds true to its Christian heritage and provides an inclusive spirituality to any resident interested. What’s striking about Mosaic’s Sunday worship service is that it is entirely inclusive. Not just inclusivetowardspeopleofdifferentdenominations or faith traditions, but also inclusive towards people of all abilities. The pews are pushed back, starting mid-church, leaving the front area wide open for the many residents in wheelchairs. For thosewhoaremoremobile,theyfillinthepews, sitting together by house. What any visitor will notice, though, is that those who can get up and walk don’t usually stay in their pews for long. Pastor John, who’s served at Mosaic for over 30 years, often invites the residents to help lead worship songs at the front of the church, welcome others into

AXTELL, NE

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the service, and, for those who are more verbal, share their own take on the Gospel message for the week. Most amazing is that if people feel like getting up and dancing at the front of the church during a worship song, they just get up and go, and Pastor John and his co-minister, Micah, are overjoyed to let them. So when I found myself being pulled up the center aisle to the front of the church by Jaycie so that I could join her in dancing and singing the worship songs, I knew that no matter how goofy I felt, I was welcome exactly as I was. That sense of welcome quickly overpowered any embarrassment I felt for participating in aworshipservicemuchdifferentlythanI ever had before. And I was included in everything the “choir” and dancers did–from being splashed with Holy Water to being “booped” on the head by Micah during one of the more childish worship songs. It was a profound gift to be so welcomed and included. This radical welcoming and inclusion brought home for me the fact that at Mosaic, everyone is accepted exactly as they are. I remember sharing this realization with my Service & JusticeTripgroupduringreflectiononenight. Because the people of Mosaic are differently-abled,theysomehowdon’thave the same kinds of reservations, hesitations and pressure to be someone

they aren’t. For this group of people, being anyone other than themselves isn’t an option. The residents’ complete reliance onandradicalvulnerabilitywiththestaffwho empower them to live the fullest lives they can, are what I think enable them to be heroically authenthic. As the week unfolded, I found myself coming back to this gift of being able to be unapologetically myself there. At Mosaic, it doesn’t matter if someone needs a lot of support just to stay alive, just to do the simplest things. It doesn’t matterifsomeoneisdifferently-abled.Thoseunique,differentabilitiesarecelebrated. They aren’t a burden or a nuisance or weird. Instead, everyone is accepted and loved exactly as they are, welcomed and included in a tight-knit community. That I can be loved exactly as I am, with all of my strengths and weaknesses, successes and struggles, abilities and needs is a lesson that’s taken me my whole life to learn–a lesson I’m still learning every day. That kind of love, inclusion and welcome is a powerful gift, and it was especially tangible during my time at Mosaic. That it was extended to my group bythestaff,andmostofall,theresidentswe connected with in such unique ways, is an experience beyond words.

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Acts of SustainabilityJacob Benne | Class of 2021

Over Spring Break, I had the opportunity to coordinate a Spring Break Service & Justice Trip to the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN. Being a Coordinator and not only having an impactful experience myself, but also facilitating an impactful experience for the participants in my group, was gratifying. On our trip, we helped with differentchoresaroundtheCenterandfarm. We moved compost to prepare for planting season, helped take care of alpacas--a favorite chore--and collected eggs from the chickens. I particularly enjoyed assisting with the alpacas and learning what care and time an alpaca farm requires. It was also great to immerse ourselves in the community we entered as we also served at a thrift store and food pantry. The food pantry was an impactful

experience for several members on our trip. We didn’t just hand out bags of food; instead, the pantry allowed the people they serve to choose what foods they wanted to take. It was great to see how this pantry uplifted the dignity of those we served and interacted with that week. Thistripofferedmanylessons,about sustainability and why it is such an important issue. It really showed me that even though there are many systemic issues related to sustainability, there are also concrete steps that I can take in my daily life to be more sustainable in response. I am going to, after experiencing the trip, try to plant a garden at home, as well as pay more attention to where my food comes from and try to eat more local options. I think this trip really put into perspective for me how important it is to be aware of how my actions impact the Earth and to be more intentional in all that I do.

St. mary of the Woods, IN

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“In all of my interactions, it is the ability to connect comfortably with each individual and give them a sense of self-worth that made this trip especially valuable.” Axtell, NE

What StudentsBring Back

“This trip chipped away at my heart, piece by piece. It opened my eyes as I served people expereincing homelessness and learned about and served within the Memphis educational system.” Memphis, TN

“My passion lies in communicating, being in relation with and supporting others, and this trip confirmedthat.”Okolona, MS

“I have had a desire to work with underserved populations, and being at the center I found solace seeing the amazing work and hospitality happening every day.”Anthony, NM

“What challenged me the most was catching glimpses of discrimination towards people experiencing homelessness, and in response,reflectingonhowImight interact with them in a more dignifying way.”Milwaukee, WI

Ableism Civil Rights

EducationImmigrationPoverty

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