Personal Reflection Paper Nikkita Switzer December 10, 2013

Dirty, creepy, crazy, addicted to drugs, con artists were only a few thoughts that I had about homeless people. Whenever I would come upon them while walking down the street I would turn and act like I didnt see them and hurry by. As I reflect back on my behavior I admit that I am embarrassed I acted that way and allowed myself not to see them as human beings. I have never had a negative encounter with a homeless person but rather based my actions and judgments upon the superficial. In retrospect who was I to judge? I had no idea what happened to them and what caused their situation and rather than assuming the best I assumed the worst. In our class the instructor required that we do volunteer work to, I believe, help expand our mind and overcome prejudices or judgments we may have. When all of the various categories were presented and it was time to choose where we wanted to volunteer I had a hard time decided where would be best for me. After much consideration and determining that I was not as open minded as I thought I decided I would join the classism group. Another category that would have been good for me as well was the gay, lesbian and bisexual group as I would have loved to have been an advocate for them but that group was quickly filled up. As I met with the other members of my group we decided that we would contact some of the lower income areas and hopefully help children, which in my mind would be easy as well as fun. Over the next few weeks as we tried to call different organizations and also try to line up our many schedules I was coming to realize that my volunteer time would be something I would have to do on my own. Once I called a few different places and received no response I decided to call the Salt Lake Rescue Mission, much to my surprise a human answered after only a few

rings! The man I talked to was gruff and in a hurry so I quickly set up some dates and times that would fulfill the minimum hours requirement we were given, if this was any indication of the attitudes of those at the shelter my volunteer time was going to be difficult and I was not looking forward to it. When the day came that I was to volunteer I found that I was nervous and was surprised by my reaction. I easily located the rescue mission and when I saw all of the homeless men hanging around the front of the building I immediately called a friend and demanded she leave the gym and come to the shelter, she needed to volunteer with me because I wasnt going to be able to do it by myself. She met me a few blocks away from the homeless shelter where we decided she would park her car because we were concerned it would get broken into or vandalized at the shelter. Looking back to that day I cant believe we were so ignorant, being homeless doesnt make you an automatic thief. As we arrived and made our way into the shelter I was on my guard and very apprehensive about the people I would be serving during my volunteer time. Surprise number one came as we walked into the shelter and one of the homeless men held the door open for us. Surprise number two happened when we were immediately greeted by a few more homeless men and they immediately put us as ease with their easy going and friendly personalities. From there my views and attitude, as well as my friends, changed completely, it would soon become an experience we wouldnt soon forget. Midway through the chapel service, which all of those who want dinner are required to attend, all of the volunteers were called upon to go and help get dinner ready to serve. As we trudged to the basement both my friend and I made snide remarks under our

breath about the smell and condition of the shelter. As we began to serve dinner I got a firsthand view of the people we were serving and they were not all what I had already decided homeless people were. In addition to those we were serving there were also men working in the kitchen with us whom I assumed were either employed or volunteers like us but in actuality they were homeless as well. As we started to interact with people I soon found that the shelter was not just a homeless shelter like I had initially thought which came as a huge surprise to me. All of those working the kitchen and other areas were part of the rehab program the shelter provided, in addition to being homeless. I found it a surprise that there were individuals who, in spite of being homeless, were looking for a way out of their situation and to get their lives back together. As I went back night after night to ensure I completed my hours, I began to find the Rescue Mission as a place of enjoyment. During one of our nights there my friend commented to one of the men, who was in the rehab program, that many of the people didnt look like homeless people. His response What does a homeless person look like? a simple question that shocked me, what DOES a homeless person look like? Who decided that if you were going to be homeless you had to look a certain way? The people we were serving dinner to came in all shapes, sizes, genders, etc and there were even some well dressed men in button down shirts with ties who, again in my mind, didnt fit the image of being homeless. Despite their dress and grooming the majority of them were very nice, respectful individuals who seemed very positive despite their unfortunate situation.

As I interacted more with the homeless individuals, found out additional information about them such as what brought them there, I also joked with them, served them dinner and cleaned up after them. I found the overall experience to be a great one, to the point I would look forward to going back each day and started to build friendships. In addition to volunteering at mission we were invited by a few of them to go to their church, K2, and see what it was about and since the K2 group does a lot with the homeless we decided to check it out. I am from a Christian based religion and K2 is a Christian religion as well, I have never really gone to a service that wasnt done by the church I attend. I quickly thought back to our Social Health and Diversity class and what it had been teaching and decided that it would be a good experience to see another Christian service other than the one I was a part of. I found this a new, eye opening experience and had I not really committed myself to broadening my horizons I know I never would have attended the church service. I thought my volunteer work was going to be just about being more open minded towards the lower class but it also enlightened me about religion, race and age. The volunteer work was meant to open my eyes and overcome prejudices that I had against this group and it definitely did that, among other things. The Rescue Mission quickly turned from an assignment, where I was looking to complete my hours and be done, to a place where I would gladly go to render my services. I have gone back multiple times, after completing my required hours, and both my friend and I decided it is a place we will continue volunteer at. Much like the ripple effect talked about in class we have also brought other people with us to volunteer and I even have coworkers who have expressed their interest in helping as well. As I reflect back on my volunteer time I find that my attitude towards homeless

people has gone from one of judgmental and harsh to sympathetic and understanding. I cannot fathom having no place to go each night, no family to turn to or no one to support you when you need help the most. Although classism was one big area where I needed to make changes in my thoughts and behaviors I soon came to realize that other areas I thou ght I didnt need to improve on I in fact did need to make some changes. I have never had a problem with the LGBT group but I realized that Lesbians were a group I didnt like to interact with because I w as afraid of how they would interact with me. A few weeks into our class I realized how ignorant I was being, just because you are a lesbian or gay does not mean you are attracted to everyone of your same sex, just as being a heterosexual does not mean you are attracted to everyone of the opposite gender. I had friends who were male and were gay but I never felt comfortable around lesbians and I realized that it was my own ignorance and assumptions that made me act that way. I also always felt that I was pretty neutral when it came to races or ethnicities; again there was some room for improvements since in my job I continually am making assumptions about insurance and ability to pay for treatment based on race. As I reflected back on situations where I made a snap judgments based on the superficial I found that I was making rash judgments in interviews, meetings, various interactions I had when grocery shopping and many other places. I never said or did things out of hatred or contempt but rather treated the individual in a different manner based on their race.

I had no idea when I took a Social Health and Diversity class how much of an impact it would have on my life. All I thought I would be doing was attending a class, doing homework and in the end fulfilling the school credit I needed. I remember in the first few classes that I felt like I was in therapy and when I explained that feeling to a friend her response was , maybe it does because you need it to feel that way in order to become a better person. The discussions and topics have made me really analyze the person that I am today, what my shortcomings are and the type of person I would like to be in the future. I also realized how important we are in shaping the minds of children, they are so quick to adapt our views and feelings on different areas and we need to use that to help shape well rounded, accepting adults. I would love to start taking my nieces and nephews to different places that need volunteers so that they can learn to appreciate the differences of other rather than always going to the movies or some other place that doesnt teach them to help others. I feel that the homeless shelter would be a great place to start with them and hopefully, again like the ripple effect, the experience would not only impact their lives but the lives of their peers and others in a positive manner.