Summarize Bulaong's presentation and the activities you did. What did you learn? What cultural, personal or societal differences might you encounter on your trip? How will you navigate these differences successfully?
Blog posts must be 200-400 words, proofread, and void of common grammatical errors.
Your blog posts are due before the start of class next week.
Please email kualbreaks@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Overall, I enjoyed Bulaong’s presentation; I believe she effectively emphasized many things that Dr. Harding had previously spoken about. We circled which of our identities (gender, religion, sexuality, appearance, etc.) give us privileges. It was interesting to see which qualities of mine give me privileges and which do not. We completed this same activity with Dr. Blane Harding’s talk. I learned that it is okay to be proud of your privileges; however, it is something to always be very conscientious of. She gave the example of talking to a crowd about walking through the building; however, there was one individual who was in a wheelchair and, perhaps, has never walked before. I cannot be arrogant to the privileges that some people are lacking or I may come across extremely offensive to many different people. The main thing that stood out to me in Bulaong’s presentation is the importance in asking someone, “What can I do for you?”. Some communities and populations may neither need nor want my help or allyship and I must be okay with that. I recognized that at Misericordia we will be working with a population that is very diverse in age, gender, and the degree of disability. A major challenge will seemingly be communication with individuals who are non-verbal.
ReplyDeleteDuring Bulaong Ramiz’s presentation, she talked about achieving social justice through mutually shaped conversations, full and equal participation of all members in society, and creating a system where all people are “physically and psychologically safe and secure.” She talked about the difference between achieving equality and achieving equity. Through equality, people receive the same resources. Through equity, people receive resources that are tailored to their individual needs.
ReplyDeleteOne step towards social justice is recognizing privilege. Ramiz defined privilege as “Unearned, unasked for benefits (often invisible) and advantages not available to members of targeted groups.” In order to better understand privilege, we were given a list of categories, including age, sexual orientation, class, ability level, and education. We then had to identify our own traits within each category. Through this activity, I learned that I posses mostly privileged traits. I am a white, middle class, able-bodied, college-educated woman. However, I am also a young, single female, which are traditionally disadvantaged traits. I, and everyone else, often experience intersectionality, a state in which an individual simultaneously possesses advantaged and disadvantaged traits.
On my trip, I will probably interact with the elderly population, people living with chronic illness, and low-income households. Ramiz discussed navigating communities in her presentation. She told the group that we should not assume these communities need our help. We will not be living in these communities for a long time. Thus, building trust in a short amount of time will be difficult. My group and I can navigate a community successfully by simply asking members of the community what they need and respecting the community members.
Some of the main points included in Bulaong’s presentation are the difference between equality and equity, the role of privilege in our society, and also the idea that the communities that we are entering may or may not want the help we have come to provide. A few activities we went through include: characterizing the communities we’re entering, identifying our own privileges, and also identifying the privilege (or non-privileges) of the communities. I think the most important thing I learned from her presentation is this last point: that the communities we are going into may or may not want our help. Yes, we are going in with the best of intentions. But their communities are not necessarily our own culture because, as they are disabled, they have different ways of doing the same things that able-bodied people do. Because they’ve been living a certain way their entire life, they know better than we do about what it is they need; and we have to respect that. An idea that stems off of this is that, as able-bodied individuals, we may think our ways of doing everyday tasks are “better” than theirs. But it’s important to keep in mind that they know better than we do what works and what doesn’t because they’ve been living as a disabled person their entire life while we haven't been.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to navigate this cultural difference is to be as open to their way of life as possible. We each need to recognize that we are there to learn from this community. We don’t know their way of life, and as such we have no right to say that one way of accomplishing a task may be better than what they’re already doing. The best way for us to help is to learn about how they live. Because once we have a deep understanding of how they live, we’ll be better poised to discern what we can actually do to help them if there is even anything we can do.
Bulaong’s presentation tapped into diversity issues that are present in today’s society, and that we need to be cognizant of in our everyday lives. She encouraged us to analyze various parts of our own identities (and emphasized that her list was non-exhaustive) to gain some insight as to our own privileges. We then juxtaposed our list of our own privileges and identities with notes of how the people we will work with on the break might be different from us. From this activity, I learned how to better think of others’ lives more specifically in accordance with their identity. While before this activity, I might have really only been thinking of racial privilege or wealth privilege, Bulaong helped me to think about other aspects that might play a significant part of someone’s life. What may seem small to one person might mean the world to another. We need to be aware of how big of a role an identity could play in someone’s life, and not disregard it because it may seem small to us.
ReplyDeleteIn a low-income neighborhood in Chicago, they certainly do not have the same access to education or wealth as I do, and they have very different family relationships than I did growing up. My parents were able to easily afford necessities for our family growing up, while the realities of these children’s lives could be a bit harsher. While I went to a good high school and felt secure that I was receiving a decent education and could continue on to a college career, these students do not have the same security. And furthermore, while I grew up in a stable two-parent household, many of these students could be in single-parent homes.
We should realize that our experiences and culture growing up shape who we are, and everyone has a unique life. We have to realize that other people are going to react differently than we are, or are going to have triggers that we do not, and vice versa. By keeping this in mind and not making assumptions, I can stop myself from making insensitive remarks that might offend someone. I can remember that while something may seem insignificant to me, other people might have a entirely different experience with it in their lives and so it would matter greatly to them.
Bulaong gave an excellent presentation highlighting the differences between equality and equity and the privileges that make up our identities. I think she did an awesome job of reiterating the points Dr. Harding brought up in one of our earlier classes, and I also enjoyed how she tied in the current events with Ferguson to our discussion. I also liked the handout she had for us where we circled our privileges because the list included some privilege areas I had never considered before.
ReplyDeleteFrom her presentation, I gained a new perspective on my volunteer site and the ways I will be considered privileged over those I will be helping. I will be traveling to Project Open Hand in Atlanta, Georgia, and some of the differences that my group and I will be facing are an education gap and an age gap between the patrons and us. We anticipate that most of the patrons will be from minimal education backgrounds, but that they will be significantly older than us, so this could create an interesting dynamic where they are privileged in some aspects, and we are privileged in others. In order for us to navigate these differences successfully, the key is to be aware of them, but to not let these differences affect us treating and serving these people with respect.
My group and I will be working with patients in a mental health facility. The patients in this facility have been diagnosed with some type of mental health disorder so this will be the biggest difference I will encounter on my trip. I have never been diagnosed with a mental health disorder so I have no idea what life is like for any of the patients in the facility I will be visiting. These patients most likely see the world in a completely different perspective and I have to be able to handle and respect any opinions and views they have. Additionally, mental health will not be the only difference encountered on this trip. Many patients will be from different cultures and will have unique experiences different from my own.
ReplyDeleteTo make sure these differences are navigated successfully I have to realize that I am not better than anyone I am working with. The unique differences of all the patients do not make them any less of a human being than I am. Respecting these differences is key and I am not going on the trip to gain self-gratification, but rather to help a mental health facility with anything they need to run the perfect environment for these patients.
Through a discussion format, Bulaong’s presentation allowed everybody in the class to explore the different ways privilege affects how people interact with one another. We were each given a list of different groups that have privilege in the United States next to the groups that are considered at a disadvantage (lack of privilege). This was quite similar to activities we have done in previous classes, but this activity allowed us to actually stop and think about how we are privileged. The act of thinking about one’s privilege is necessary because the definition of privilege suggests that it is a trait often invisible to those who possess it. If someone is unaware to their own privilege, they will be more susceptible to offending those who do not possess that same privilege. However, ignorance is never an excuse for offending someone and it is certainly never a defense. On my trip, we will be working with children and are likely to encounter various differences. The obvious difference will be age. In order to navigate the age difference, we need to treat the children with respect and allow them to have some say in the activities they participate in to keep them from feeling controlled. We are also likely to encounter racial and economic differences. To navigate these differences we need to avoid making conclusions about people (stereotyping) while also taking into account any of the possible situations a given individual may be facing.
ReplyDeleteFor my alternative break, I will be travelling to Boyd, Texas, a small town with a population under 1,500 people. Cultural differences could result both from its location and size; the class with the Interactive Theater Troupe mentioned about how different southern culture can be from our own. Other difficulties could arise during my break because I will be volunteering at an exotic animal sanctuary. Because I am going to be working around animals, I will have to be extra conscious of my body language and how I present myself. The animals will not being able to understand words of comfort, they must see it. They must be able to trust me based on how I behave. While this is especially true because I will be around animals, it would be important to be aware of how I present myself regardless of the group with I was working with. Acknowledging our privileges can help us better understand how our actions may be interpreted.
ReplyDeleteBulaong described privilege as “unasked for” or “unearned” advantages. She related privilege to the idea of walking in the wind. Having privilege is like standing with your back to wind, it propels you along faster, whereas lacking privilege is like walking against the wind; when walking against wind, one has to fight harder in order reach the same place. Because privileges are often things we did not have to work for, we often forget they are there and how they affect others around us. Bulaong gave us a list of categories, including race, education, and gender, that were divided into privileged groups and oppressed groups. On that sheet, she had us circle the things with which we identify. The goal was to become aware of both our advantages and disadvantages in respect to our privileges, or lack thereof. Some privileges are easily seen or heard, while others are “invisible.”Gaining insight into our privileges allows us to increase our awareness about how we come across to other people. We have to be aware that not everyone comes from a background similar to our and we must take that into account when dealing with others.
Bulaong also addressed that some people may not want our help and that we have to be willing to accept that. Assuming our help is needed and wanted can offensive. She said the most important question is “What can I do for you?” This question is important because it lets the people know that you are there for them, not for yourself. It also gives the people the opportunity to say no to your help instead of having their space intruded upon.
Through Bulaong’s presentation my understanding of the importance of our identities in our everyday activities was augmented. The discussion from that class added well to the information we had learned from Dr. Harding. Harding’s presentation gave a well-rounded introduction to the topic which enabled the discussion during Bulaong’s presentation to be more interactive (thanks to the fact that we already had some knowledge on the topic). As a result of the engaging format of Bulaong’s presentation, I was forced to think more about how my identities and lifestyle might compare to the identities of those I will be working with during our Alternative break trip.
ReplyDeleteFrom this consideration, I found that there are many possible cultural differences. I believe the most notable possible cultural, societal and personal differences might lie in our education levels, economic standing, and regional values, among others. While, as Bulaong stated, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of my privileges in these aspects of my identity, it is important to be conscientious of the fact that the privilege exists and to not assume that things come as easily for those with which I’m working, as they might have to "walk against the wind" in some of these cases. I know to not inappropriately flaunt my advantage, and I should probably work on avoiding using my privileges to compensate in a defensive manner for my disadvantageous identities. If I keep these methods in mind during my alternative break, I believe I may have an experience all the more beneficial to personal growth.
During the last class, Bulaong gave an informational presentation about the different types of privileges and oppressions that create the identities we possess. She spoke about the concept that having various privileges is something that is unasked for and unearned. We learned that if you have a privilege another person doesn’t share; it is necessary to try not to use that privilege as an advantage over someone else. Bulaong specifically used the example of her education privilege to recognize that she should not intensify her natural wording and messaging to come across as a more educated person when conversing with people who have not received a college education.
ReplyDeleteI think that the most important aspect to speaking about privileges, oppressions, and identities is that it is necessary to let other self-identify. By learning this I think I realized that this can relieve pressures on both sides of the conversation and generally creates a more relaxed and open atmosphere for each person to learn.
On my trip, my group will be working with low or middle-income families in need of affordable housing. I think here we will find class, race, and education privileges. More specifically, after studying the demographic of the Fort Worth area I think we will find a broader demographic of races than what we see in the Lawrence area. To successfully navigate these differences I think that we will need to be very aware of how we present ourselves. This includes not taking advantage of our privilege and using it to make anyone else feel uncomfortable with our presence. We will also need to make sure that we let others self-identify as to create an open and comfortable atmosphere. Ultimately we need to remember that we are there to do anything we can for the organization. By keeping this in mind, we will need to stress the importance of asking someone if they would like our help before over stepping boundaries.
Honestly, I didn’t leave this class empty handed but I also didn’t learn a ton of new information. She did a great job speaking on the topics themselves but from what I gathered, I learned a lot of this already in previous classes. I did enjoy talking about them, but again I knew most of the information already.
ReplyDeleteSt. Louis has a lot of low income families, which is the exact thing I will encounter the most at Epworth. Their experiences are going to be a lot different because of how I grew up and the privileges that I have. Also, because of this, my family relationships will be different as well as how I interact with new people. This shouldn’t discourage me too much as I am studying to be a teacher anyways, but I know there will be some hardships that I encounter that I will have to overcome, whether that be inside the classroom or outside the classroom. Along with this, because I went to such a great high school and college, I haven’t had much experience with what I will be encountering in St. Louis. There is a wide range of how educated people are as well as what their income and household status is. A lot of these factors will come into play while I’m at Epworth.
While I did mention this above that our experience shapes who we are, I do need to say that we also have to realize how we grew up and the privileges we have. Understanding this important thing will be the key to our success. I can use this knowledge to regulate what I say, to not make any insensitive comments, and to ultimately build a relationship with the people I am with to further their and my own success.
Bulaong’s presentation was very intriguing. Many people don’t realize the privilege they have in their everyday life because often privilege isn’t totally visible. Privilege can come in many forms that people don’t often realize. Simply being able to walk up a set of stairs is being privileged. I like the activity Bulaong had us do when we filled out the sheet that had categories with the privileged and disadvantaged characteristics of those categories. Most of my characteristics fell under the disadvantaged side. It’s interesting to see on paper where you fall in being privileged because it’s not something you think about on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to the Everglades so thinking of the cultural, societal, or personal differences we have with our site is tough. Our privilege simply comes with being human. Human’s affects on the environment are one of the greatest privileges we have. We get to live our lives and not think of how it affects anything but us. In going to our site to volunteer we will have to put that aside, really think about how we can turn our privilege around and help the environment. Everything we do has an effect on something around us and we will have the chance to make that a positive effect during our break.
Bualong Ramiz’s presentation discussed more in depth on topics such as diversity, social justice, privilege, and intersectionality. We filled out another personalized social group “membership” form that included race, assigned sex, and newer categories such as martial status, parental status, and geographic region. This opened up my eyes to how certain categories give me privilege and how others do not. I never thought that being a single women living in a certain geographic region would give me disadvantages in the social world. Realizing what our advantages and disadvantages are can help make us more empathetic to people without certain privileges. Like the children we will be working with in Playworks, we do not have privilege when it comes to age (30-50). Children do not have many privileges because they do not have access to make independent choices yet in their lives. Therefore, we can encourage the children to speak up and express themselves by listening and asking them questions so being young to them does not feel like a disadvantage when it comes to leadership and independence in the community. I thought it was interesting that Bualong encouraged us to ask what is right for the community, instead of assuming what to do, before we act in the community. Practicing this on our alternative break by listening and avoiding overstepping by respecting the children’s own established independence will create likewise respect and communication with the people we will be working with and make our efforts more productive.
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