Name: Margaret MacGillivray
Social Justice Group: Refugees
Date of Fieldwork: January 29, 2018
Name of Organization: Catholic Charities
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Siddika Degia
Type of Fieldwork: Direct Action
What I did:
We went to Catholic Charities near Fulton Street. First, Ms. Degia presented to us about what they do, and then we helped package toiletries.
What I learned:
I learned a lot during our visit to Catholic Charities. In the slideshow shown to us by Siddika, we watched a video about a refugee who Catholic Charities helped out. The first person was a boy who was forced to leave Venezuela because of gangs. He went to the border, and was fortunately let into the United States. While watching the video, I knew that a lot of refugees can’t get into our country so easily or at all. Many of them are forced to wait years in their homes which are no longer safe. Through her presentation, we also learned about the many different programs Catholic Charities offers. After the presentation, we got to help make toiletry bags for newcomers to the United States. We even got to write notes and put them into the bag as well. It was amazing because this was our first volunteer opportunity, and it taught us so much. We learned about some of the people who our bags will be going to, and why they need them. My group and I were honored to be able to write to actual refugees and make a difference in their lives.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
During this fieldwork, I learned that little things can help. In order to volunteer, you never have to do something largely impactful such as donating a lot of money to a charity. Instead, you can do small things and it will make just as much of a difference. Before, I thought the only way to help someone out was by donating money. Now I know that there are endless ways to help out that will mean more to those who you are helping. Imagine being someone who was forced to flea their home, and is now in a new country. Think about the endless helpful actions you can do in order to help those people out. Giving them money isn’t the only way, and I will continue to think that when I do community service in the future.
