Hello from Chicago, IL! We have done so much already throughout the week; it feels like a lifetime! Every day, we learn and grow more and more through our service and reflection. Not only is our reflection a time for expanding our minds and perspectives but also for bonding as a group.
We’ll share a little bit about what we’ve done through the week. We started the week with an interfaith prayer service at St. Viator Church, where people shared their methods of prayer and worship to pray for the immigrant community. Afterwards, we were introduced to most of our community partners at a reception where we had great snacks and conversation.
The next day, we went to watch court cases in the morning. Although we had some trouble with Chicago methods of transportation, we found the cases moving and informative. All of the people whose cases we watched were in detainment centers not only because they were undocumented, but because they had committed other criminal offenses in the United States that threatened their immigration status. While there, we learned about the intersection of immigration court with regular court proceedings. Our group split up between two court rooms, which was interesting because the judges handled their cases very differently. We also were lucky enough to meet one of the judges while he was walking into work. He looked very different in street clothes!
Tuesday, we made our way to the Viator House of Hospitality in the morning, which houses young adult immigrant men who arrived here with expectations other than what they were faced with. We joined them in a public course they are attending at one of the local universities so that they have enough knowledge of the English language to enter a GED program. We really enjoyed meeting the students and were able to try our best at helping them learn. This was one of our favorite activities because we were able to interact with the young men and women firsthand. After class, we helped out with organizing donations at the Viator house for a while before heading back for dinner and reflection. Overall, we have had a great experience thus far.
sncservicetrips.wordpress.com 