[reposted from haiticompact.blogspot.com]

Since the Haiti Compact’s exploratory trip in June 2010, I have developed a post-Alternative Break practice: after every alternative break I go on, I compile a list of things I’ve learned. This way, when I get back and people say “How was your trip?,” I have something more substantial to respond than, “Um, it was great!” Summing up an AB experience can be difficult, and sharing what you learn is one way to do it while extending the knowledge to others.

1. Haiti is recovering, physically. There is much less rubble than a year ago, and very few signs that the earthquake has happened. (Frequently we discussed what was the effect of the earthquake and what was the effect of long-term poverty.)
2. Still, true recovery, or health in a holistic way, is a long way off. Tent camps still exist, and were being destroyed while we were there – but people living there had nowhere else to go. Poverty, unemployment are still very widespread. Much of this was the case before the earthquake, and has been heightened because of the earthquake. People have hopes for their new President, Martelly, but it’s unclear how long the honeymoon will last. The announcement of Martelly’s pick for the new Prime Minister – Daniel Rouzier (since rejected by Parliament) – led to widespread disappointment and upset.
3. People are going about their daily business, showing resilience. There is also recognition by health workers with whom we spoke that there is a great need for mental health care to address post-trauma issues.
4. Relationships are important above all, and returning to Haiti year after year not only builds relationships but builds credibility. We as US Americans must value relationships because we have something to learn from Haitians.
5. Basic infrastructure (electricity, water) is very hard to come by in areas even just outside cities. We saw this in Cap Haitien and in an area just outside Port-au-Prince. The expense, difficulty of access, and most of all the lack of political will to make it happen, are all prohibitive.
6. Education is deeply important, and accessible only to the luckiest/most wealthy. Lack of access = lack of opportunity.

A friend recently said that when Igor Stravinsky sat down to compose, he was struck by the blank page and its infinity of possibilities.  At once thrilling and terrifying, all these possibilities!  And even if we were to bisect the page with a large black line, as another friend pointed out, there would still be an infinity of possibilities to come.  And then, if we were to draw a big red chicken on top of the line, there would remain, again, an infinity of possibilities for what that page might hold.

This blank-page mindset – so many possibilities yet nothing yet concrete or filled-in – is very real for many of our graduating seniors right now.  How many times have you been asked what you’re going to do after graduation?  “Do you have a job?”  “Have you heard back from the Peace Corps yet?”  “Did you get your first-choice med school?”  If you don’t yet have an answer, it can be so painful to hear these questions, and to wrestle with them yourself.

So often, what we long for in the face of the unknown is not the best outcome, but really, just something.  Anything, really, as long as we can imagine it, and as long as we have a response when people ask us those questions.

I have a couple of things to say to our dear seniors out there, who are still waiting for their pages to fill in a bit.  First, remember Stravinsky, and try to focus on the thrill (rather than the terror!) of so much possibility.  It is a gift to have many ideas about what you like, and many options to pursue.  But when you feel overwhelmed by the multiplicity of possibilities, remember Stravinsky, and know that you’re in good company.

Secondly, imagine that you do dive in and take that job you’re not sure about.  Say that job is the big black line on your blank page.  As you learn more about your vocation, and yourself, you still get to draw on that paper over and over again.  The first black line is not where your art ends.  You can take other steps, continue to figure things out, maybe even end up doing something five years from now you never would have dreamed today.  Rather than worrying about what you’re going to do with your whole life, think about what you’re going to do next.  There’s always time to paint a big red chicken if need be!

Though even Google has not helped me find the origins of the Stravinsky quote or verify its accuracy, I think I will often return to this idea.  Even when we think we have it all figured out and our pages are filled with beauty and variety, the infinite remains.  In fact, it’s there all the time, and every choice you make only makes more infinity possible.

We at W&M celebrated our third annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend of Education and Social Justice in Petersburg, VA this month.  The weekend unfolds with a series of tours, dialogues, visits, service projects, reflections and is wrapped up by attending a moving performance of The Words of Dr. King at Petersburg’s performance theater, Sycamore Rouge.

This year, for the first time, we were joined on Sunday afternoon by Rev. Grady Powell.  Rev. Powell has lived in Petersburg for decades going back to the civil rights era.  In the 1950’s and 60’s, Petersburg was a center of civil rights activity – a point of justifiable pride for its current residents – and Rev. Powell was participant in and witness to many of the courageous acts that ultimately led to desegregation there.

After we had toured the downtown era and learned about Petersburg’s history spanning from the Old Dominion days to the 60’s when Dr. King spoke at Virginia State University, we returned to Pathways – the nonprofit that hosted us – to hear Rev. Powell’s stories and toss questions his way.  As a long-time resident of Atlanta, I’ve been privileged to hear John Lewis, Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King and other paragons of the Movement speak, but I’d never had the chance to sit across a table from them and ask questions.  The afternoon with Rev. Powell was uniquely inspiring for that reason.

He told us about the day he took a younger friend to register to vote, and that friend was not registered because he couldn’t define “folio,” a word the registrar chose randomly from the dictionary.  He described the inner conflict he felt in retrospect, having chosen to enroll his African-American children in the previously all-white school, his six and eight year old testing the limits of the hatred and fear of his white neighbors.  With a chuckle, he recalled taking his wife and young child to The Rebel café, taking his wife’s photograph as she stood under the Confederate flag out front, defying the bold-faced if implicit message of unwelcome.

Like many of us who get that energizing charge from community service, I can’t even recall every project I’ve participated in: the leaf-raking, painting and cement-mixing all start to blur together after a while.  One of the things that I’ve found as I’ve grown up in the community engagement world, though, is that context (what we in alternative breaks call education, orientation and training) enlivens our engagement with new communities by making wall-painting more about pitching in as part of a social movement than simply spiffing up someone’s place.

As it happened, I was on the cooking crew for Monday’s service projects.  With a hearty team of four others, I chopped onions, opened cans and improvised seasoning for veggie chili for our hungry crowd of sixty volunteers.  Those rich moments with Dr. Powell, along with our discussions about the meaning of social justice and interactions with Youth Build students at Pathways, transformed our onion-chopping station into a salon of sorts, where the conversation allowed space for discussing how to authentically honor Dr. King’s legacy.

Mixing cement and raking leaves for and with others have their place, and certainly provide tangible benefit.  Inevitably, though, those things alone are not enough.  More leaves fall and more homes are needed.  But when we are tuned-in enough to hear the stories that often resonate through decades, stories of people taking bold steps to build community and justice among themselves, engaging with communities outside our respective bubbles allows us to tap into something greater than our amateur attempts at physical labor.  We are tuned into, and now a part of, something greater than ourselves.  We are dipping our toes into what Dr. King famously called the Beloved Community.  The question is: after the shovels are cleaned and the vans are parked back in the Hall Lot, can we take what we learn and what we love, and be an active and committed part of that Community’s continued creation?

It’s pretty unpopular to speak up against thoughtless and obligatory consumerism in the midst of the winter holiday shopping season, but popularity isn’t always what we’re after when working for good in the community.  So this year, I’ve been promoting responsible consumerism, beginning with a letter I sent to friends and family earlier this month, and a letter the Branch Out student directors and I sent to Branch Out participants.  (Both are excerpted below.)

Take a look.  Spread the word.  Give these or other social responsible gifts, as you look to celebrate this season of light, peace and goodwill!

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As Christmas approaches, and as I’m preparing to return to Haiti in January, I’ve been struck by an overwhelming urge to help do something in Haiti, and a mixed bag of emotions about how Christmas can often look here in the US, with our gift-gift-giftiness.

So I’ve come up with an idea that for me, offers some way to get at both of those feelings.  I want to do what I can with this season of giving, and I’d like to do that by benefiting people in Haiti that I know will do lots of good with anything we can give.

I’d like to ask that you consider skipping regular gifts for me (and even others on your list, if you can enlist them in this project), in lieu of donating in one of the ways I’m suggesting below.

Members of the Haiti Compact partner with Haitian builders to construct a school

Give money to Jesuit Refugee Services. JRS was the host to the Haiti Compact’s exploratory visit to Port-au-Prince in June.  Among other projects, they are operating a vocational school for adults. Students learn construction skills while building school buildings for internally displaced children living in tent camps.  $5,000 buys the supplies for one school, and JRS is currently raising funds to build five more schools in the coming weeks.  As Haiti continues to face deep struggles after the earthquake – most recently, political upset and a rapidly spreading cholera outbreak – providing stability through education and jobs becomes more and more important.   Wouldn’t it be great if, together, we were able to raise enough for a whole school?  Feel free to send me your donation; I’ll collect it and get it to them – and announce how much we’re able to give.  http://www.jesuit.org/blog/index.php/tag/haiti/

Victoria and Melanie, leading Relief and Reconstruction for Grace Children's Hospital, show tent camps in their catchment area

Donate medical supplies for us to bring on our trip. Grace Children’s Hospital, where we’re spending a week in January working on public health issues, also serves surrounding tent camps. They have asked us to collect supplies for health kits, and each of us on the team can bring an extra 50 pound suitcase full of them (that’s a lot of stuff!).  See below for a list of their requests, and visit their Relief and Reconstruction blog for updates on their work.  http://reliefandreconstruction.org/wordpress/?p=2098

Coffee growers from Baraders with members of the Haiti Compact

Buy coffee from Just Haiti. Just Haiti is an organization that works with coffee farmers in Baraderes, Haiti – the southwest part of the country.  In June, we met with four of the coffee farmers (we each traveled about five hours and met in the middle) to learn about their projects.   They are hardworking, knowledgeable business people.  Their area of the country used to be a center of coffee farming, but prices dropped in the 80’s, making it no longer viable.  Through fair trade, they are able to support themselves and their families again.  Plus, the coffee is *delicious*.  You can get it online and give it to friends – and enjoy it yourself!  http://justhaiti.org/, click on “buy coffee” in the upper right corner of the page

If you’d like me to do any of these things in your honor for Christmas, please let me know – I’d be happy to do so!  And if this kind of thing floats your boat, please share it with others.  I really would love it if we could build a school together for Christmas.

Medical Supplies Wish List from Grace Children’s Hospital
Aquatabs; Oral rehydration serum/powder packets; Toothbrush; Toothpaste; Soap holder; Toothbrush holder; Shampoo; Conditioner; Comb; Brush; Hair Pomade; Towels; Sanitary Napkins; Towel; Soap; Underwear (children); Socks(children); Undershirt(children); Multivitamins; Q-tips

* * *

Hello, all of Branch Out!

In the midst of a busy last week of classes, your student directors and I wanted to wish you well and send some lil’ ideas for ways you can continue your growth as active citizens.

Hanukkah starts tonight, and other winter holidays are coming up quickly.  If you’re looking for a gift that promotes social justice, fair wages, environmental sustainability, and other things we love as active citizens, check out these opportunities.  This list isn’t comprehensive, but it does include some of our favorite sources for responsible consumerism.

• Today!  In Tidewater A, from 3 to 7 pm, check out the Alternative Gift Fair
• kiva.org allows you to make your very own micro-finance loan – or give one as a gift!
• justhaiti.org (click on coffee in the upper right corner) allows you to buy fair-trade coffee from Haitian farmers, four of whom Brian Focarino and I met this summer
• newdream.org lets you create your own conscientious consumer gift registry (that is, telling folks which fair trade gifts you’d like!)
• 10,000 Villages and SERRV offer on-line and storefront ways to buy fair trade gifts and crafts
• Tom’s Shoes – you’ve seen these comfy shoes everywhere, maybe you already know that when you buy a pair for you or a friend, you also buy a pair for someone around the world who needs them.
• Speaking of shoes - sseko strappy sandals make a fashion statement and support Ugandan women’s education
• Students Helping Honduras supports the sale of cutie-pie clutches and bags, made by community members in Honduras, out of fritos & cheetos bags
• And if you need a little pick-me-up in the midst of finals, Harbour Coffee in New Town has fairly-sourced coffee!

So to all international, regional and national members of Branch Out, thanks for the many ways you’re dedicated to the pursuit of social justice.  Big hugs and good luck on finals!

Peace,
Melody, with Tanji Ahmed, Katherine Eklund, Adam T.F. Harris, Wesley Ng, Meagan Taylor and Samanthe Tiver

Just over a week ago, Hurricane Tomas brushed the west coast of Haiti, exacerbating an already tragic and desperate situation after the cholera outbreak and January’s earthquake.  As it approached, I was following the news, tracking weather maps and journaling in my downtime.  Such an event has been anticipated – and dreaded – since the earthquake forced 1.3 million people into tent communities.  And still, having known that it was likely to happen sooner or later somehow did not make the arrival of the hurricane any less difficult.  Though seven people lost their lives from Tomas (and many more in other countries) and flooding has taken a heavy toll around Haiti, the hit was not as direct as it could have been.

My mind and heart are on Haiti a lot these days, having been there this past June and preparing to return this January. I’ll be traveling to Port-au-Prince with a group of seven students, working with Mennonite Central Committee and International Child Care – Grace Children’s Hospital, as part of our Branch Out International alternative breaks program.

On our trip, we’ll be exploring the root causes of poverty, the connections to colonialism and racism, and the effects of that poverty in communities around Port-au-Prince.  We’ll be working on issues of public health with Grace Children’s Hospital, side by side with community workers from tent camps and health professionals in the hospital.  We’ll be experiencing the many ways smart, creative and tireless folks in Haiti are working together to rebuild their country, and we’ll be figuring out ways we can advocate for and support them.

This trip is a big step for us as a College, but it’s also part of a bigger, national effort.  William and Mary is part of the Haiti Compact, a group of five universities and the national alternative breaks organization, Break Away.  Together, we are working to develop ways for US university students to become involved in Haiti’s empowerment in the midst of their rebuilding.  Our hope is that in the course of the next several years, campuses across North America will be deeply involved in work for Haitian empowerment and contributing to rebuilding that leads to long-term sustainability.

Political and social issues in Haiti are immensely complex, and it is clear that our little group of eight won’t be able to address them all during our two week visit.  Our alternative breaks aren’t about solving problems on that scale – that’s best done by locals in the countries we travel to.  Our trips are about working alongside people to help them reach their own goals, and to learn from them.  Then we can tell others what we learned and speak up for Haitian empowerment to those in power and those who can add their voices.  As part of a larger movement, we will be working for a shift in thinking and an increase in knowledge and action among campuses all over the US, to help chip away at the inequalities and policies that have kept Haiti from being able to fully live into its empowerment and beauty.

And in the meantime, we’ll be holding our breath until those 1.3 million people who have been displaced are in stable, weather-proof homes.

Over the past two weeks, the site leaders for Branch Out National and Branch Out International have been delving into the big picture of why we do alternative breaks, exploring the topics of privilege and social justice.

Alternative break leaders have a lot of responsibilities – managing money, communicating with host sites, coming up with icebreakers that will not earn the scorn of their team members.  But we took some time away from these nitty-gritty issues to step back and explore why we do alternative breaks, and how to make them more than just “trips” that last for a week or two.

We talk about the difference between diversity and privilege and how privilege always involves power, and someone always feels the negative effects of it.  We discussed the types of privilege and experiences of oppression that would be present within our groups, and within the communities we take up residence in during alternative breaks.  The site leaders reflected on how their own privilege would be an asset and a liability in these interactions, and how the ways they’ve experienced oppression may affect dynamics on the trip for them, too.

When it all comes down to it, Branch Out alternative breaks (between 30 and 35 trips each year) are about more than sending groups of students to “get their hands dirty” for a weekend, a week, or two, or three…  Our alternative breaks immerse students in a new community, complete with its history and social dynamics, focused in particular on one social issue.  Students begin to recognize how systems work in the communities they go to, and to see how people in those communities experience privilege or oppression.  They are able to address those issues hands-on with service projects, but also for much longer, sharing what they learned after their trips.

Our site leaders left these trainings, knowing more about each other and themselves, and ready to take others not just on a trip, but on a journey of reflection and action.

Last Friday, I was in Washington, DC, for a meeting to learn more about a fair-trade coffee growing cooperative in Haiti.  This meeting arose out of the Haiti Compact, a new collective of alternative breaks professionals from five universities around the US and the national alternative breaks nonprofit, Break Away.  We came together for an exploratory trip to Haiti in June, looking to discover if – and how – students and universities in the US can productively contribute to rebuilding in Haiti, post-earthquake.

As we were learning about creative projects in Haiti that focus on empowering Haitians and their communities, I learned about Just Haiti.  Through phone conversations with their US contact, Kim Lamberty, we arranged to visit La Borde, a small town in the Southern department of Haiti.  There, we met with some farmers from the co-operative, learning about their work, their community and how they plan to move forward.

Baraderes, where they live, has long been a center for coffee growing but a price collapse in the 1980’s left the farms bankrupt.  Just Haiti works with the farmers to build power among them and develop outlets to sell their fair-trade coffee, paying a respectable wage to the farmers for the intensely difficult work that growing coffee is.  As a result, these farmers have access to fair markets as they had not before, and are empowered to make decisions and have agency in their economic lives – unlike most people in Haiti these days.

On Friday, two of my colleagues from the Compact and I met with Kim to learn more about their background, and how we can get other universities in the US connected to support their work.  Kim explained the importance of our work with Haiti – as inquisitive scholars and active citizens – with sharp clarity.  She said that if you understand what’s happened in Haiti, historically and economically, you have a window into understanding how the Western Hemisphere has developed into its current state.  Haiti offers insight into how racism, colonialism and economic oppression affect people and political dynamics, so as we learn more about Haiti’s history, we come to understand the broader dynamics of the past several centuries in the West.

Those are big ideas, and ones that our team will be researching and sharing information about as we develop an alternative break to Haiti this January.  But for now, we can all begin advocating for positive change in Haiti – by calling our congress people and advocating for continued US economic support in Haiti.  Just Haiti also offers a tangible – and delicious – way to advocate for Haitian economic empowerment: buy their coffee.  I’m anxiously awaiting my first shipment of 12 ounces of regular roast, and 12 ounces of Haitian roast.  I am excited to know that my little warm cup each morning can now not only be a great way to get centered, but a bold statement of support for people working hard in the fields of Baraderes, Haiti.

When we began dreaming about offering the 7 Generations pre-orientation program here in the OCES, we had pretty big expectations: that students would learn in-depth about critical social issues, find ways to address them productively through service and long-term advocacy, and create a community with other incoming students who are working for social justice.  Guess what?  Our expectations were met – and in many ways, exceeded!  The idea of “7 Generations,” inspired by an Iriquois proverb, is that incoming students would begin their time as members of the Tribe Family by looking back at those who have created social movements that brought us to where we are, and then looking forward to the effects of their actions far into the future – to the seventh generation beyond them.

Yesterday, 18 incoming students left campus after spending several days working with community organizations, sleeping on floors or in large loud rooms full of bunk beds, and engaging in three different social issues: Hunger in Our Communities, Sustainable Food Systems and People with Disabilities.  Those addressing hunger worked here in Williamsburg and Richmond with many different food insecurity agencies; those learning about sustainable food systems partnered with Lynchburg Grows in Lynchburg, VA; and the third group stayed at Camp Baker, a program of the ARC of Greater Richmond, volunteering in a summer camp for people with disabilities.

They started the week with training on two major themes of our work: active citizenship, and the many faces and kinds of poverty.  Then they piled their work gloves and sleeping bags into vans, and headed off for several days of sweat, laughter and deep thinking and critical reflection.

Each of the three groups came back to campus this past Saturday for what we called the “Now What?,” or reorientation, portion of 7 Generations.  We had a cookout and their site leaders and I told stories about our work for social justice in a Story Telling event at the Crim Dell Amphitheater.  (Then they cut loose and got a little spooked on a ghost tour led by W&M alumnus and grad student, Adam Stackhouse.)

Sunday morning, we gathered to hear what the 7G participants learned about hunger, food systems and people with disabilities.  The groups presented skits, lists of lessons learned, monologues and cheers – each of which shed light on a different aspect of their social issue for the week.  They pointed out how sustainable food systems are hard to access for people with low incomes, and how people with disabilities are often the first ones to be affected by state budget cuts.  They told stories that showed how the issues they addressed overlapped: a mom in Williamsburg who was affected by a disability had trouble getting a job to support her children, while people with disabilities have the opportunity to volunteer, maybe for the first time, at Lynchburg Grows.  We were moved by the stories we heard, and saw how the issues of food security, food systems and health are so interconnected for people living in poverty.

Finally, our 7Generations participants came up with plans for what they’ll do next to stay engaged with their issue and their new community of Williamsburg.  What those plans look like:  they’ll be shopping at the Williamsburg Farmers Market and cooking together, volunteering at Campus Kitchens at William and Mary to provide healthy meals for residents of public housing, and signing up to do a day of service together in October.

And of course, they’ll continue building up their own generation of the Tribe Family.  Since we said our goodbyes twelve hours ago, Facebook has been lighting up with photos, wall posts and shared contact info for the two weeks until we all see each other again.

All around us, we hear news of the economic downturn.  Jobs are lost, businesses close, governments struggle with whether to cut programs for children, people with disabilities, or senior adults.  The news is grim and pervasive.

Although I hear these stories daily in my habitual wake-up with NPR’s Morning Edition, the testimonies became more real to me when we began to receive requests for financial aid to attend Branch Out alternative break trips.  Students told of layoffs that affected their parents, medical situations that have resulted in debt and lost work, and a lagging economy that has affected sales-based income.  Each story was unique, but each was heartfelt – many students spoke of their determination to continue with their education, and not put additional burdens on their families.  Some students are working two jobs, taking out loans, and finding every creative way they can to finance their own education.

What’s remarkable is that even under this stress, students are still looking to face the world with generosity.  They want to spend their winter, spring and summer breaks in communities around the country and the world to fight poverty, hunger, advocate for better jobs, build affordable housing, and administer needed medication.  I suspect that they know one of the greatest lessons we learn in giving to others: when you offer what you have to others, they offer what they have right back to you.  And you end up being richer for the exchange.

I believe that every student who wants to spend their time engaging with the community should be able to do so, regardless of financial need.  Because of the generosity of donors, we have been doing this for a long time for students working in community engagement over the summer.  By reprioritizing our spending, we are happy to be extending these opportunities to students participating in alternative breaks, too.  We as a campus and global community are richer for it.

Seven days: two continents, five cities, one international trip, two weekend trips.  This sums up my mid-January, which was spent in a delightful whirlwind bouncing from El Progreso Honduras (with Students Helping Honduras), home in Richmond, MLK Weekend in Petersburg, work on campus, and a weekend retreat at Camp Baker in Chesterfield, VA with the Greater Richmond Arc.

The retreat at Camp Baker – a final step in training for Branch Out National Site Leaders – was a delightful end to the whirlwind.  Our 22 Site Leaders, led by their fearless Student Directors and accompanied by a few staff folks, participated in a respite weekend at Camp Baker, working with people with disabilities.  It was a way for us to explore more fully how to lead alternative breaks – complete with issue education, orientation, training, reflection and reorientation – but also to learn from our new friends at Camp Baker and to contribute to the good work they do.

It was Disney Weekend at Camp Baker, and we were split into groups to prepare the retreat guests for a fabulous Disney-themed parade.  Some of us worked with music, teaching Disney songs to the guests. Some made arts and crafts, and Bisquick creations shaped like Mickey Mouse.  My group and I developed original prototypes for Peter Pan, Lion King and Donald Duck costumes, and along with our new friends, crafted them carefully out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners.  When the time came, we all grabbed the hand or took the arm of a new friend, singing our hearts out and being as silly as possible along the parade route.

After the weekend came to a close, the Site Leaders gathered for reflection and final thoughts.  I asked them to create a kind of poem together by naming one word, popcorn-style, that touched on a meaningful part of the weekend for them.  I share it with you here as a way of sharing the weekend with you.  It was an entry into a new world for many of us, and taught us all more about how to share our common humanity (and love of goofy icebreakers).

individual – brave – new – energizing – gift – bold – rejuvenated – understanding – taking initiative – sacrifice – dedication – learn – patience – passion – love – gentleness – intrigue – connect – community – flexibility – curiosity – honesty – flexibility (again!) – skydiving!!