Abby - Epworth - Blog 4

I was hoping for a better day today and luckily it happened. When I arrived, the students were working independently and there were no major disruptions during the morning because each adult was responsible for only one or two students. After workbook time I led art therapy, which consisted of designing an illustrated book to be shared with the other students about each other’s likes, fears and goals. I hoped this would build upon the idea of different perspectives from yesterday. When planning out the activity I had to make several modifications to accommodate students who could barely read and write. Even before I arrived at Epworth I understood my privilege of having a positive, stable and encouraging home, but I never thought in modern America I would say I have the privilege of knowing basic reading and handwriting. By this point in the week, any stereotypes I had heard about inner city kids were gone. I spent my week working with amazing kids who were in gangs, foster homes and mental facilities and had behavioral issues develop due to their situation. But when they moved to Epworth’s intensive care dormitory they made amazing improvements because they could worry about more than their safety. That evening we visited YES, the youth emergency homeless shelter, which was the highlight of the break so far. I really enjoyed being around the other members of this Alternative Break while interacting with the guests at the shelter. I heard some inspirational stories about guests trying to complete a college degree while struggling with homelessness. The guests were positive and friendly despite their circumstance. This was a definite reminder of my own privileges, such as how getting a college degree is an expectation, not just a dream.  After such a great day, I really wish we had been able to visit more of the services that Epworth manages, but I’m glad we spent a majority of our time at the schools because I’ve had an incredible experience. The more I learn about Epworth, the more I support their model of many different services under an umbrella mission, because its made it a lot simpler for their clients to receive what they need and transition to independent living.