Reflection by Campbell Preston
Regardless of a person’s political beliefs or party affiliation, it is powerful to be in the place where decisions are being made every day that affect people’s lives. This summer, I spent two weeks working in DC to learn more about the issues of poverty, homelessness, and hunger while Supreme Court decisions came out, presidential debates occurred, and the NATO summit was held. All around us, in real time and archived in dozens of museums, political changes were happening, meanwhile we spent our days with the least cared for and the least represented members of our society.
With middle and high school students from around the country, we spent our days primarily at food banks in different parts of the city, each with the mission to serve their community as best as they could. Each site had a unique approach, like utilizing a rooftop garden for urban produce or devising a culinary training program that allowed for career development and access to affordable food at the same time. The interns and youth alike loved having face-to-face interactions with our neighbors receiving services . I loved watching them build connections with the community and with each other through service time and discussions.
We also had the wonderful experience of having speakers from the National Coalition for the Homeless come both weeks and share their experiences as people that were currently or formerly homeless. This allowed all of us to get a broader understanding of what it means to be homeless and how people came to experience homelessness. One of the most important things that we did in DC was breaking down the stigma around homelessness and poverty and inviting in genuine curiosity, empathy, and kindness. It was incredible to see the change in perspective of the participants as they understood more about the deep rooted and entangled issues of our society. Hearing about the intersections of generational poverty, mental health, addiction, incarceration, and unemployment showed me how complicated the issue of homelessness is. However, talking about the loneliness, the heartbreak, and the frustration that our speakers expressed also made it such a personal and human issue in a way that statistics often hide.
Throughout the two weeks we relied primarily on transportation to get to and from our service sites which was also a very important experience. Demonstrating and experiencing the frustration of relying on public transport was, while often irritating in the moment, an irreplaceable learning experience of how most people in DC get around on a daily basis. We took the wrong metro, observed train delays, and waited on buses that never came, all of which showed the participants and the adults how inconsistent public transport can be, and encouraged us all to think about the effects this might have on people trying to get to a job interview or doctor’s appointment.
My two weeks in DC were enlightening, as I learned more about the complicated issue of homelessness, what people and communities were doing to alleviate these pressures, and how the government plays a role in perpetuating or dismantling these systems. Thank you so much to Be The Neighbor for making this trip happen, and for all of the participants and adult leaders that gave their time, energy, and perspectives to make this such a unique and rewarding experience!
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