On 12/19, my social justice group went to help out at an organization called Dress For Success. They are a non-profit organization and located in the midtown area and they give clothes to women who need them for work. They are located in an office space so they are available by referral only. If women are going for an interview, they will give them clothes for an interview and help prep them, but if they have gotten the job, they are given a weeks worth of clothes, accessories, and shoes so that they don’t have to use their first week’s pay to buy clothes. The fieldwork was scheduled on the first day of winter break, so we met at school and took the B train from West 4th to 34th street Herald Square and walked a couple blocks to the location. When we got there, we met with Beverly, who is the volunteer coordinator. We then proceeded to organize the boutique by sorting by clothes (skirts, shirts, pants, etc.) then by size and then by color. During the time we volunteered (from 12:30-2:30) we just helped organize but didn’t really learn anything. I think this fieldwork was good in the sense that we were helping and contributing, knowing that in the future it would help women who need jobs. However, my group’s focus is on women in traditionally male jobs, and we didn’t really learn a lot that could help us. Although this visit didn’t help us, it was a good experience and seeing the process from afar.
