Homeless Service Learning
ETHICS with Service Learning: FINAL PAPER
Homelessness is a big problem not only in poor country but also everywhere in the world; even the richest countries in the world still have several poverty dilemma. Media portrayal and news reported have been molding and shape our perspective towards them. Charities program to help homeless and poor people varied greatly with different agenda, from religious reason to commercial company. Through this service learning I was able to see homelessness as first hand observer.
After explored the websites for the community partners, I’m interested in Episcopal Community Services in San Francisco. Episcopal Community Services help homeless people by providing food, house, learning service, medical care and other crucial services to help provide solutions for homeless so that the number of homeless people could be reduced. I’m planning to register as a volunteer to serve dinner at homeless center. I think by help them to serve dinner in homeless center I can experience that how is the feeling for being the other side. I always have been the customer, people who get served. I never been the other way around, but now I am …show more content…
the people who served, stand on the other side of counter. By volunteering in this area, I get to feel their experience, society judgment and pressure. I will learn the injustice system that happens to blue collar workers. I believe this experience will broaden my understanding of justice.
When I told my friends, I will work in homeless shelter as a dinner server. They all said I’m stupid and crazy for choosing work in the homeless shelter. They said homeless people are crazy, rude, ungrateful and they might harassing me. honestly, that kind of freaking me out. Hence, I keep thinking by volunteering I could develop the humbleness and respect towards other people.
First when I arrived in Episcopal, I went to the kitchen directly and they told me to prepare the buns and sausages for homeless peoples that already lining up. I worked really fast, prepared those hot dogs because I’m scared they will scold me. However, they were very passionate and nice, they were very grateful and always told me that I did a good job.
I just realize, not all homeless people is rude, crazy and ungrateful. They are basically same like us, they are normal, but what makes they are different is, they are unemployment and don’t have place to stay. Imagine if I’m unemployment and unable to pay my rent bill, I will also become homeless people. But, is that mean I will be rude, crazy and ungrateful? Of course not.
In the beginning of this semester I did not really care about the justice in the society. I only know that justice is an idea that taught society about fairness and equality among the human being that usually based on moral, culture, ethics, law and also religion. It is normal that every culture or nations have different understanding of justice depend on their culture, law and religion.
After working in Episcopal Community Services, it was completely changed my mind. Episcopal Community Service really did a great job for helping homeless people not only provide the essential help for homeless but they also help homeless people to get back to society. For instance, Episcopal Community Service provided adult classes for students who are coping with the inter-related challenges of homelessness, illiteracy and learning disabilities.
Episcopal Community Service also provided senior services whereas case managers are always ready to help elderly people with their access service and daily living. CHEFS program (Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Services) is a good 6 month training program that include hands on kitchen training in restaurant to help people achieved some skills and get a job.
Advocacy is another method Episcopal Community Service uses. Advocates of Episcopal Community Service work with the government in increasing and determining our budget every year, with private businesses in contributing and fundraising, and with schools and the public in bringing in volunteers.
In Episcopal Community Service the employees were really nice and caring, they never blame the homeless people even though the homeless people were complaining, scolding for no reason and always demanding towards them. As a volunteer, sometimes I witnessed that people were complaining for about food or their bed and sometimes even for no reason they were just complained about everything in the front desk but the staffs always answered them nice and politely without anger.
Last time, when some homeless people scolding me while I’m working in Episcopal Community Service, my supervisor said don’t take it too hard and don’t blame them, not all homeless people were rude, just think it as you have a bad day, because that can happen anywhere we can meet good and bad people everywhere even in the classroom. Hence, Episcopal Community Service always led me positively thinking about homeless people and always made me think depth before judging other people.
Nonetheless, after learned from this subject I generate greater understanding about social justice. I remember I read the chapter about the distributive paradigm. The theory that explain social justice can be achieved by fairly distributing society’s goods and burdens equally. However Iris Marion Young stated that “ While distribution issues are crucial in a satisfactory conception of justice, it is a mistake to reduce social justice to distribution.” Then she also stated that” Social justice means the elimination of institutionalized domination and oppression” (Young, p.15) After I read about Iris Marion Young’s argument about the distributive paradigm of justice, I’m totally agreed with her. Iris Marion Young doesn’t agree with the model because in her opinions only material goods such as income, food, clothing, and shelter can be distributed but other crucial things like processes such as employment, education, and opportunities; there is no way to distribute it. (Young, p.15-16) and it was truly correct, how can we distribute the employment and opportunities equally.
I think the most vital problem is how to eliminate institutionalized domination and oppression. According to Iris Marion Young, oppression refers to structural phenomena that immobilize or diminish a group.(Young, p.42) But what group? People associate with homelessness is often regarded as the lowest social group in society that was oppressed.
Firstly, according to Iris Marion Young there are five faces of oppression marginalization, culture imperialism, powerlessness, exploitation, and violence all of them explained and defined. (Young, p.48) In each of this faces, homeless people acted as one group that related to each face. Homeless people have been categorized by our society as an entire group that have been expelled from useful participation (marginalization). Cultural imperialism applied when a group of homeless is seen as impose on other people value and culture. It is not unusual for homeless people called as ‘human trash’ or ‘sore eye’ by our society.
Powerlessness where a group of people deemed as less worthy therefore not able to exercise their right in comparison with professional worker. With other faces like violence, defined where a person lives under threats that they must fear random unprovoked attacks such as harassment, intimidation, and humiliation. Last but not least is exploitation where definite class distinction gives right to certain social class to enjoy product labor of others, or in any mean defined as natural superiority and inferiority. (Young, p.45-61)
These criteria help me realize how homeless people are determining as groups that are oppressed. Actions that are inflicted daily by society towards homeless people belong to one of these criteria. And by understanding these faces, I could see more clearly in what way and implications that might come from society towards homeless people. Clear indications for me in my service learning that we, as a society have condemn homeless people to each of these faces of oppression.
Moreover, as Iris Marion Young articles have open my eyes and help me realize the core of problem in homeless people. Janet Poppendieck shows through her experience in soup kitchen and focusing her study solely on charities and food programs. She makes me grasp the point of charities and food program, and at the same time help me relate the theories to my service learning. By doing my work in Episcopal, I clearly comprehend that the syndrome of joy and demands of personal charity that will make people addicted. The need to feel I have done something good and useful will always make people wants to help charities; but that’s also what most people wants to do. (Poppendieck, p.17-19)
“The process by which the joys and demands of personal charity divert us from more fundamental solutions to the problems of deepening poverty and growing inequality, and the corresponding process by which the diversion of our efforts leaves the way wide open to those who want more inequality, not less.”(Poppendieck, p.19)
In the book, the “Wenceslas Syndrome” is a problem when someone or organization became too consume with the joy and delight in giving charity to the poor and needy. The joys and happiness of giving drowns the said person that make one blind to the most fundamental problem in ones life. Wenceslas syndrome as explained by Poppendieck this can means a person wants to give and just give to the charity without paying attention to other deeply rooted problems that requires attention immediately which requires more commitment and responsibility. (Poppendieck, p.19-20)
This theory has put food programs into my perspective to different point of view and asks critically about the root of problem. With increasing media coverage and charities organization everywhere, that leads people to believe that they are helping poverty and hunger. Poppendieck explains and define that the core of problem is left untouched with this system. With giving and more giving, we as a society might exacerbate the problem instead of slowly solving it. (Poppendieck, p.20)
Finally, with both point of view of different authors taken into consideration and applied to my service learning. This helps me, as an individual to first identify the oppression problems that rooting in our society. And then second point of view gives me comprehension that what I have been doing or most people have been doing to help the poor are the wrong response and by doing so, I’m not actually helping their problem.
This kind of relationship, as explained by Aristotle “Benefactors seem to love their beneficiaries more than the beneficiaries love them”.(Aristotle, p.145) He explained the relationship that the benefactors will love those they have benefited more than the people that receives the benefit.
Enlighten by how the debtors and creditors would feel for each other; Aristotle concludes that the person who gives will be the one who benefited more. This was directly related to how existence to all men is to choose a thing to be loved and cherish. Love defined as an activity while being loved is like passivity; thus loving are characteristic to be those one who is more active. Human will want to love and cherish their own work, like how poets will love his/her own poem with excessive love; like a parent love their
child.
Benefactors will delight in his/her object of action, where to the beneficiaries the action receiving the affection is less pleasant and loveable. The memory of a doing noble things is very pleasant, but for the beneficiary that need the help as a useful things, its not likely to be as pleasant. Me as benefactors who can give help will feel a sense of actively loving and ‘Helping someone’; while for the homeless people this was just an essential foods/help to continuing their life.
After reading those two explanations clearly comprehend that the syndrome of joy and demands of personal charity will make people attached and addicted. The need to feel you have done something good and love someone, will always make people wants to help charities; but that’s also what most people wants to do.
As Poppendieck and Aristotle said the act of that brings joy and demands of personal charity distract us from more deep-seated problem of increasing poverty rate and discrimination. Actually I have vaguely realized before that the benefactors will feel more joy and happiness by giving charity to the needy. That’s why Tom’s shoes and “Adopt a Child” is so popular. Aristotle and Poppendieck explain more and cleared the question that I always have in my head.
Not only homeless people become the victims of social justice but in my opinion, women also. As a woman, my parents treat me differently to my younger brother. They always guide and give advice to my brother how important the education is, how to be successful at work, responsible to family and teach my brother how to be a good leader, they even prepare a company for my brother. But my parents never teach those to me, instead they always told me I need to learn how to cook, take care of family and the house. I repeatedly told my parents I want to work and don’t want to be a housewife but they still insist that women do not need to work as hard as men and just take care of the house.In addition, in the work life men always been regarded to outperforming women. It is undeniable that it is easier for men to get a job and get promoted. Even there is a huge gap between men and women’s salary.
I honestly will see things with a different perspective and start analyzing the underlying problem in homeless kitchen. This could make me understand more why the homeless people is not as thankful as I imagine they would be; because after all, the free food given is just essential factor in their live. While for a college student like me this is a volunteering jobs that would make one feel more fulfilled and a better person than before. Overall, I’m really happy and don’t have any regret that I choose Episcopal Community Service it did really made changed my mind completely about social justice and homelessness issues.
REFERENCES:
Aristotle: Nichomachean Ethics 2nd Edition University of Oxford (p.145-146)
Episcopal Community Service http://www.ecs-sf.org
Iris Marion Young Justice and Politics of Difference Prinston Education Press (p.14-p.16, p.42-p.61)
Janet Poppendieck Sweet Charity (p.1-19)
Homelessness is a big problem not only in poor country but also everywhere in the world; even the richest countries in the world still have several poverty dilemma. Media portrayal and news reported have been molding and shape our perspective towards them. Charities program to help homeless and poor people varied greatly with different agenda, from religious reason to commercial company. Through this service learning I was able to see homelessness as first hand observer.
After explored the websites for the community partners, I’m interested in Episcopal Community Services in San Francisco. Episcopal Community Services help homeless people by providing food, house, learning service, medical care and other crucial services to help provide solutions for homeless so that the number of homeless people could be reduced. I’m planning to register as a volunteer to serve dinner at homeless center. I think by help them to serve dinner in homeless center I can experience that how is the feeling for being the other side. I always have been the customer, people who get served. I never been the other way around, but now I am …show more content…
the people who served, stand on the other side of counter. By volunteering in this area, I get to feel their experience, society judgment and pressure. I will learn the injustice system that happens to blue collar workers. I believe this experience will broaden my understanding of justice.
When I told my friends, I will work in homeless shelter as a dinner server. They all said I’m stupid and crazy for choosing work in the homeless shelter. They said homeless people are crazy, rude, ungrateful and they might harassing me. honestly, that kind of freaking me out. Hence, I keep thinking by volunteering I could develop the humbleness and respect towards other people.
First when I arrived in Episcopal, I went to the kitchen directly and they told me to prepare the buns and sausages for homeless peoples that already lining up. I worked really fast, prepared those hot dogs because I’m scared they will scold me. However, they were very passionate and nice, they were very grateful and always told me that I did a good job.
I just realize, not all homeless people is rude, crazy and ungrateful. They are basically same like us, they are normal, but what makes they are different is, they are unemployment and don’t have place to stay. Imagine if I’m unemployment and unable to pay my rent bill, I will also become homeless people. But, is that mean I will be rude, crazy and ungrateful? Of course not.
In the beginning of this semester I did not really care about the justice in the society. I only know that justice is an idea that taught society about fairness and equality among the human being that usually based on moral, culture, ethics, law and also religion. It is normal that every culture or nations have different understanding of justice depend on their culture, law and religion.
After working in Episcopal Community Services, it was completely changed my mind. Episcopal Community Service really did a great job for helping homeless people not only provide the essential help for homeless but they also help homeless people to get back to society. For instance, Episcopal Community Service provided adult classes for students who are coping with the inter-related challenges of homelessness, illiteracy and learning disabilities.
Episcopal Community Service also provided senior services whereas case managers are always ready to help elderly people with their access service and daily living. CHEFS program (Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Services) is a good 6 month training program that include hands on kitchen training in restaurant to help people achieved some skills and get a job.
Advocacy is another method Episcopal Community Service uses. Advocates of Episcopal Community Service work with the government in increasing and determining our budget every year, with private businesses in contributing and fundraising, and with schools and the public in bringing in volunteers.
In Episcopal Community Service the employees were really nice and caring, they never blame the homeless people even though the homeless people were complaining, scolding for no reason and always demanding towards them. As a volunteer, sometimes I witnessed that people were complaining for about food or their bed and sometimes even for no reason they were just complained about everything in the front desk but the staffs always answered them nice and politely without anger.
Last time, when some homeless people scolding me while I’m working in Episcopal Community Service, my supervisor said don’t take it too hard and don’t blame them, not all homeless people were rude, just think it as you have a bad day, because that can happen anywhere we can meet good and bad people everywhere even in the classroom. Hence, Episcopal Community Service always led me positively thinking about homeless people and always made me think depth before judging other people.
Nonetheless, after learned from this subject I generate greater understanding about social justice. I remember I read the chapter about the distributive paradigm. The theory that explain social justice can be achieved by fairly distributing society’s goods and burdens equally. However Iris Marion Young stated that “ While distribution issues are crucial in a satisfactory conception of justice, it is a mistake to reduce social justice to distribution.” Then she also stated that” Social justice means the elimination of institutionalized domination and oppression” (Young, p.15) After I read about Iris Marion Young’s argument about the distributive paradigm of justice, I’m totally agreed with her. Iris Marion Young doesn’t agree with the model because in her opinions only material goods such as income, food, clothing, and shelter can be distributed but other crucial things like processes such as employment, education, and opportunities; there is no way to distribute it. (Young, p.15-16) and it was truly correct, how can we distribute the employment and opportunities equally.
I think the most vital problem is how to eliminate institutionalized domination and oppression. According to Iris Marion Young, oppression refers to structural phenomena that immobilize or diminish a group.(Young, p.42) But what group? People associate with homelessness is often regarded as the lowest social group in society that was oppressed.
Firstly, according to Iris Marion Young there are five faces of oppression marginalization, culture imperialism, powerlessness, exploitation, and violence all of them explained and defined. (Young, p.48) In each of this faces, homeless people acted as one group that related to each face. Homeless people have been categorized by our society as an entire group that have been expelled from useful participation (marginalization). Cultural imperialism applied when a group of homeless is seen as impose on other people value and culture. It is not unusual for homeless people called as ‘human trash’ or ‘sore eye’ by our society.
Powerlessness where a group of people deemed as less worthy therefore not able to exercise their right in comparison with professional worker. With other faces like violence, defined where a person lives under threats that they must fear random unprovoked attacks such as harassment, intimidation, and humiliation. Last but not least is exploitation where definite class distinction gives right to certain social class to enjoy product labor of others, or in any mean defined as natural superiority and inferiority. (Young, p.45-61)
These criteria help me realize how homeless people are determining as groups that are oppressed. Actions that are inflicted daily by society towards homeless people belong to one of these criteria. And by understanding these faces, I could see more clearly in what way and implications that might come from society towards homeless people. Clear indications for me in my service learning that we, as a society have condemn homeless people to each of these faces of oppression.
Moreover, as Iris Marion Young articles have open my eyes and help me realize the core of problem in homeless people. Janet Poppendieck shows through her experience in soup kitchen and focusing her study solely on charities and food programs. She makes me grasp the point of charities and food program, and at the same time help me relate the theories to my service learning. By doing my work in Episcopal, I clearly comprehend that the syndrome of joy and demands of personal charity that will make people addicted. The need to feel I have done something good and useful will always make people wants to help charities; but that’s also what most people wants to do. (Poppendieck, p.17-19)
“The process by which the joys and demands of personal charity divert us from more fundamental solutions to the problems of deepening poverty and growing inequality, and the corresponding process by which the diversion of our efforts leaves the way wide open to those who want more inequality, not less.”(Poppendieck, p.19)
In the book, the “Wenceslas Syndrome” is a problem when someone or organization became too consume with the joy and delight in giving charity to the poor and needy. The joys and happiness of giving drowns the said person that make one blind to the most fundamental problem in ones life. Wenceslas syndrome as explained by Poppendieck this can means a person wants to give and just give to the charity without paying attention to other deeply rooted problems that requires attention immediately which requires more commitment and responsibility. (Poppendieck, p.19-20)
This theory has put food programs into my perspective to different point of view and asks critically about the root of problem. With increasing media coverage and charities organization everywhere, that leads people to believe that they are helping poverty and hunger. Poppendieck explains and define that the core of problem is left untouched with this system. With giving and more giving, we as a society might exacerbate the problem instead of slowly solving it. (Poppendieck, p.20)
Finally, with both point of view of different authors taken into consideration and applied to my service learning. This helps me, as an individual to first identify the oppression problems that rooting in our society. And then second point of view gives me comprehension that what I have been doing or most people have been doing to help the poor are the wrong response and by doing so, I’m not actually helping their problem.
This kind of relationship, as explained by Aristotle “Benefactors seem to love their beneficiaries more than the beneficiaries love them”.(Aristotle, p.145) He explained the relationship that the benefactors will love those they have benefited more than the people that receives the benefit.
Enlighten by how the debtors and creditors would feel for each other; Aristotle concludes that the person who gives will be the one who benefited more. This was directly related to how existence to all men is to choose a thing to be loved and cherish. Love defined as an activity while being loved is like passivity; thus loving are characteristic to be those one who is more active. Human will want to love and cherish their own work, like how poets will love his/her own poem with excessive love; like a parent love their
child.
Benefactors will delight in his/her object of action, where to the beneficiaries the action receiving the affection is less pleasant and loveable. The memory of a doing noble things is very pleasant, but for the beneficiary that need the help as a useful things, its not likely to be as pleasant. Me as benefactors who can give help will feel a sense of actively loving and ‘Helping someone’; while for the homeless people this was just an essential foods/help to continuing their life.
After reading those two explanations clearly comprehend that the syndrome of joy and demands of personal charity will make people attached and addicted. The need to feel you have done something good and love someone, will always make people wants to help charities; but that’s also what most people wants to do.
As Poppendieck and Aristotle said the act of that brings joy and demands of personal charity distract us from more deep-seated problem of increasing poverty rate and discrimination. Actually I have vaguely realized before that the benefactors will feel more joy and happiness by giving charity to the needy. That’s why Tom’s shoes and “Adopt a Child” is so popular. Aristotle and Poppendieck explain more and cleared the question that I always have in my head.
Not only homeless people become the victims of social justice but in my opinion, women also. As a woman, my parents treat me differently to my younger brother. They always guide and give advice to my brother how important the education is, how to be successful at work, responsible to family and teach my brother how to be a good leader, they even prepare a company for my brother. But my parents never teach those to me, instead they always told me I need to learn how to cook, take care of family and the house. I repeatedly told my parents I want to work and don’t want to be a housewife but they still insist that women do not need to work as hard as men and just take care of the house.In addition, in the work life men always been regarded to outperforming women. It is undeniable that it is easier for men to get a job and get promoted. Even there is a huge gap between men and women’s salary.
I honestly will see things with a different perspective and start analyzing the underlying problem in homeless kitchen. This could make me understand more why the homeless people is not as thankful as I imagine they would be; because after all, the free food given is just essential factor in their live. While for a college student like me this is a volunteering jobs that would make one feel more fulfilled and a better person than before. Overall, I’m really happy and don’t have any regret that I choose Episcopal Community Service it did really made changed my mind completely about social justice and homelessness issues.
REFERENCES:
Aristotle: Nichomachean Ethics 2nd Edition University of Oxford (p.145-146)
Episcopal Community Service http://www.ecs-sf.org
Iris Marion Young Justice and Politics of Difference Prinston Education Press (p.14-p.16, p.42-p.61)
Janet Poppendieck Sweet Charity (p.1-19)