Estrella

Teaching versus Charity As the saying goes, “ Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” (Maimonides). Anyone who takes a poverty 101 class will realize the two different types of poverty: circumstantial/crisis-related poverty and chronic poverty. The former poverty is the condition caused by a sudden change in living either due to a natural disaster, job loss, medical health problems or something of the like. The latter is usually of the condition that one is born into or acquires throughout the generations because that family never either had the opportunity or capacity to gain upward mobility in class economics. It’s a shock to live in a country where 25% of American children skip one meal of the day. However, the immediate needs as well as the chronic needs are just as important to be fixed in this day. Sometimes giving a meal for several times is all that it takes. But when that reception turns int...

In this time in this country, we have seen an uptick in loneliness, depression and youth delinquency that have been unprecedented. What can be done to battle such upheavals in Ferguson, Boston during the Boston Marathon, school shootings in Connecticut and other shootings elsewhere? Is America to only decay into a violent society where it picks itself apart to the soundtrack and script of a Chris Nolan film? I believe that we have the power as Americans and residents in this country to resolve these issues and reclaim the former power, unity and peace of this spirited nation. With God as our guide, we have the power to reclaim the village. The Village versus Community Some may ask why I use the term “village” rather than “community”. They are both similar terms, but one has a deeper responsibility to a brother’s keeper than the other while the former term “village” carries with it some of the connotations of shunning, exile, social exclusion and moral puni...

--> On May 18 th , I will have reached the half-way point of my AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) term with Connections to Success, a non-profit that seeks to break the cycle of poverty through training, mentorship, support and hope. I have really enjoyed what I have learned so far, but there are a few things I wish I had known when I had started. 1. Don’t be afraid to take initiative. Yes, it’s always important to run things by your supervisor when working on a project. But your department’s team may be looking to someone with fresh new ideas who’s willing to make new connections with new individuals. And if you sometimes overstep your bounds and mess up, learn from your mistakes and head back on the right track. 2. You don’t have to like everyone that you work with, but you should respect them and perceive them as your ally. So you may be an extrovert, and your colleague may be an introvert. You may not see eye to eye on everything or may...