with Maria Ochoa
Reflect - Connect - Act
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Snapshots from Confronteras (2/17)
A few snapshots from today.
In Mexico with Infocultura.
In Mexico at the HEPAC dorms.
Nogales sign.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Preparing for our journey, Notes from Sara
In preparation for Confronteras, participants committed to five training sessions devoted to building the logistical, mental and emotional groundwork for our five-day trip in February. Our first meeting with the four youth staff was an overnight vision and dialogue held at Samantha’s apartment in Claremont. From there we were able to develop the curriculum that gave us background knowledge based on the interactions and learning experiences we hoped to have on our journey. This turned out to be a learning process for me as I fished through the paperwork and foundation built by our Send Us 2 India program Summer 2011, and researched topics I though pertinent to the framework we were creating. With help from Cheng and Sam, logistical paperwork was pulled together to line up applications, passports, waivers, and fundraising efforts. The partnerships formed with organizations and community members in Arizona and Mexico were established beforehand over the phone as I made phone calls and verbally connected with they many people that made our trip possible. A small parent orientation was held (in Spanish) in October, and trainings started in November. Over the next four months we would discuss various pieces of history and current events that related to what we saw in our own community and would see in Tucson and Nogales. Confronteras started as an approach to open up a conversation and learn about the very sensitive and real topics of immigration and detention that effect the community of Riverside and our families so deeply. Our preparation for the trip started to open up a space where we could reflect, make broader connections and then act on what we found to be true.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
January Training Session by Jessica
Our last training (on January 25th), felt to me like a training of our personal abilities to handle rude behavior and bad reactions from people who don't share our same points of view. When we watched the youtube video of two high school girls from Arizona who said many mean and horrible things about "immigrants," I was really surprised. I had never experienced any rude comments or racism that felt like it was directed at me, and seeing this gave me an idea of how it felt; and it felt really horrible. I realized that there are people in this country that maintain a lot of hate toward Mexicans. Our meeting on Wednesday gave me a negative impression of Arizona, and in this light I would even go so far as to say that they give our country a bad reputation. However, the training also made me want to strive to do something good in this world and make a difference, which makes me excited for our upcoming trip!
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