Service Learning

         I've volunteered a few times since I've been in New Orleans.  The most frequent place where I've volunteered has been an animal shelter called ARNO.  I thought it would be an easy job since I love animals. Instead, it ended up being difficult to see so many dogs and cats that had been mistreated and were now emotionally or physically injured.  It was hard to see the effects of animal abuse, but at the same time it was rewarding to be able to help them.  Through my sorority, I’ve also volunteered with a program called Girls on the Run.  This program—which consists of after school groups and races—teaches young girls how to believe in themselves.  It’s inspirational to see these young girls grow, be healthy, and have fun while in a comfortable and safe atmosphere. 

            I haven’t gotten the chance to volunteer this semester because of my busy schedule so the service learning option encouraged me to carve out some time in my week to volunteer.  I chose to volunteer at APEX Youth Center.  I decided on this one because it reminded me of the Boys and Girls Club where I used to volunteer in high school.  It was always a great experience to help out young people.  Because of the “snow” days, I haven’t volunteered there yet, but I did have my orientation last week.  Admittedly, it was a little scary driving around looking for the APEX center despite the fact that I went during the day. It’s located in a not so great area of town that I’m not very familiar with.  However, I felt safe once inside the center.  I think that’s the main importance of the APEX center; it shields preteens and teens from the dangers of the surrounding neighborhoods. 

            During orientation, we went over a few safety rules.  These included the codes of emergency. One code showed what to do if we hear gunshots and the next, more serious, code showed what to do if there is a suspicious person in or close to the center.  It was kind of a wake up call to learn that even in this safe haven of a center the kids are not always safe.  The woman in charge explained that police officers have had to come in to pat down or question the kids when there is a suspicious activity going on near the center.  We also learned how to hold down a kid if he or she is hurting another kid.  One volunteer explained that the boys at the center sometimes get in physical fights.  Her main suggestion on the prevention of this was to keep things as peaceful as possible.  She told us how her goal to was to prevent the kids from getting violent whenever she could.

            I’m not sure exactly how working with this center will relate to Shakespeare, but I’m curious to find out.  From the last plays we’ve read, I started thinking that maybe the violence experienced in and around the center would connect to the violence that occurs in some of the plays.  A lot of Shakespeare seems to show the effects of not only physical violence, but also emotional violence.  From my experience at orientation, I’m thinking the two might connect. 

Service Learning Blog Post 1

For my service learning experience, I knew that I wanted to do something that would push me outside my comfort zone and put me face to face with issues that I am extremely passionate about, i.e. social justice and the plight of women and minorities. New Orleans, being a city with an extensive history, especially in regards to race relations, is a perfect city to see these issues come to life. Ever since moving here, three years ago,  I honestly can say that I've never been to a place quite like New Orleans. Being a Northern girl with a liberal approach on life, I've experience some things that have definitely shook my liberal senses. One of my most distinctive memories was from a year and a half ago when I was in Saint Francisville, Louisiana, evacuating New Orleans due to Hurricane Isaac. My roommates and I were there for a week and we started to experience cabin fever so we decided to get our kicks at a local bar. When we were there and we entered the bar, everyone started staring at me. I felt a little uncomfortable because I didn't understand why I was being stared down. The owner of the bar eventually came up to me and told me, and I quote, "You are so exotic looking. Is that your real hair?" Now, I am quite use to this question so it really doesn't phase me anymore at this point. I told her yes, my hair is real and she proceeded, without asking, to touch it. To her amazement, she shrieked to the others in the bar that my hair was real. I smiled and tried to politely walk away and that's when she asked if I was an "A-RAB," not Arab but "A-RAB." I told my roommates it was time to go after that.

That's just one of the countless race experiences I've faced as being a Middle Eastern woman in the state of Louisiana but I really don't feel like I've truly understood what it was to be a minority until I came to the South. I grew up all over the place. As a child I lived in Iran, where my mother is from, Kenya, Nigeria, Holland, and numerous states. As a kid I had blond hair, freckles, and hazel eyes. I looked very much like my father's family, who are predominantly White, and I never really thought about race. My mother, being 100% Middle Eastern, is brown. People often mistake her for being Indian (from India). She has long straight hair, dark brown eyes, and a honey complexion. People would question my mother all the time in whether or not I was adopted. They sometimes even thought she was my nanny. I remember when I was 14 my father told me, "Gabby, no matter how light your skin may be, or how White you may look, the world will never treat you like you are White. You have two strikes against you already, you are a person of color and you are a woman. In a White man's world you are considered a second class citizen and this, unfortunately, is a White man's world." This is something that has played in the back of my head every since he told me this and has become even more prevalent in my life today. It is one of the reasons why I strive to be the best I can be. Sadly, not everyone is given the same opportunities that I have been given.

I was interested in working for Hagar's House. Service Learning was a requirement in my Black Theatre class and a option in Early Shakespeare. I wanted to find an organization that fulfilled both and Hagar's House was it. It was as if the stars aligned because I could find time to volunteer there that didn't conflict with my hectic work schedule. My best friend Akeem and I work on Wednesday evenings with the children. Hagar's House is a place of refuge for women and their children who have been displaced due to many different circumstances. At Hagar's House, Akeem and I come up with different activities for the kids to participate in with us. I've already completed two days of service with this organization.

From my Service Learning experience I expect to learn more about the varying experiences of the people at Hagar's House. The important stories that are swept under the rug by mainstream society. I feel like sometimes children are dismissed and their stories are often left untold. We all have something important to contribute to the world and I believe that I can learn from the children at Hagar's House just as much as they can learn from me.

Hagar's House might expand my understanding of Shakespeare's works because the issues of Shakespeare's time are still relevant today, that's why we revere him as the playwright and social commentator he is. Issues of race and class are something that needs to be addressed by all audiences and I think my experience at Hagar's House will help me see the perspective of minorities from another minority's viewpoint. We all have different experiences and they all contribute to the whole. No one's story should be forgotten and no one should be forgotten. These children, who don't come from the best of circumstances, have a right to have the best life possible and hopefully the amount of time I spend with them will have a positive influence on them as it will on me.

1 Otto, APEX

The Other Side of St. Charles

In my twenty-one years of living I have not done much volunteering. Sure, the occasional after-school programs and standing at a booth advertising something for someone somewhere has taken up some of my time but it was mostly just one time occurrences that I chose to be part of at the last minute because a friend asked me for a  favor or because it fit into my schedule and my plans weren’t until later so I could squeeze something in. The only organization which I have been part of multiple times in called UpLift and is located in a warehouse in downtown Kansas City. People who volunteer there stuff trucks with clothes, toiletries, books, water, and food and head out to designated areas in the city and serve the homeless people. It is like a school bus dropping off essentials. We leave at around the same time, get to each stop around the same time, and get back to the warehouse at the same time. It is very orderly and only takes a few hours every time I participate. I’ve met the same people over and over again and it is so fascinating to hear their stories, how they got to this place, where they are going next and so on. I enjoy doing this.

Since arriving in New Orleans, I have done little volunteering. Joining the APEX community will be interesting, I’m sure. My roommate had a class last semester and was required to do service learning and she chose APEX. Every Saturday I would drop her off and come back two hours later to pick her up. The location is mere minutes from my house, but the neighborhood where I will be spending two hours a week is completely different from my own. Living between St. Charles and Prytania, I have grown accustomed to the large, beautifully decorated homes, but my neighborhood is not where the kids who attend the after school program tend to come from. Instead they are considered at risk youths and come from run-down houses and families. I’m hoping to gain a different perspective of New Orleans, because what I know of it so far after four short years seems only to be of the tourist-attraction-what-you-want-to-see-beautiful-side. 

I am hoping that by working with these kids, playing games, doing homework, I will get to see a side of the world that I have had little interaction with before. I am both nervous and excited to see what these kids and this program has to offer. I have heard that New Orleans is a very diverse city but I think this will really open my eyes to just how diverse it is, in many spectrums of social classification. 

Blog Post #1 (Anna's Arts for Kids)

Because I am in another course that requires Service Learning and immediately knew where I wanted to complete my hours, I fortunately did not have to go through the narrowing process. The agency I am serving at is Anna’s Arts for Kids. Anna’s Arts for Kids is an after school and weekend program for minority, underprivileged, and “at-risk” children between the ages of five and fourteen. Many of the children who are a part of St. Anna’s program float from home to home and come from families that are involved in the drug trade. This program provides these children with tutoring, various classes (e.g. nutrition, theatre, music, choir, etc.), help with literacy and manners/etiquette, meals, and overall enrichment. I am really happy to play a small part in this agency because what they do for these children is so important and vital to their lives. I find children to be absolutely fascinating because they often say exactly what is on their minds and often surprise me with their intelligence. Through tutoring and reading to/with these kids and volunteering during the weekly after-school program, I hope to appreciate their youthful spirits and truly learn from them. I also hope to become more comfortable with the idea that I will be, in a sense, a role model to these children and hope that I can fulfill this responsibility. 

While reading Shakespeare, I notice the attention to detail when it comes to language and verse. One major thing that I’m learning in this course so far is the importance of paying attention to language and the way it’s being used. This attention  can also alter how we read the play (e.g. the rhyming couplets in The Taming of the Shrew.) During the training session at St. Anna’s, volunteers were told that a major task we are responsible for implicating is the use of standard english from the kids. Two directors at St. Anna’s told us that these children often speak in slang and improperly, therefore we are asked to listen carefully to the language being used and demand the use of standard english from the children at all times. We are also asked to pay close attention to what the children say because sometimes they can hint at larger, serious problems such as sexual abuse and neglect. Though this close attention to language at St. Anna’s and the way it is being used by these kids versus in Shakespeare are completely different and seem hard to compare, it is still interesting to see different ways language works and the power it has over influencing our interpretations. 

I think this placement will expand my thinking about Shakespeare in a way that makes me pay closer attention to themes of race, authority, class, and power differences which are themes we have already encountered in the class while discussing the plays and sonnets. However, to be honest, connections between my placement and Shakespeare seem difficult to reconcile while actually doing hands-on service at St. Anna’s. Studying Shakespeare seems like such a privilege; especially when surrounded by kids who are, as the program directors call it, "just trying to survive."

Post #1, Taylor Hebert

After much careful deliberation, I have decided to complete my Service Learning for Early Shakespeare at Bridge House/ Grace House in Mid-City. I weighed my options carefully, and there were many things to take into account. I have service learning for two classes this semester, so I needed something that offered a chance to work large chunks of hours. Also, my rehearsal schedule was demanding, and I had to find somewhere that’d be open on the weekends. I needed to volunteer for an agency that filled requirements for both classes, and that was easy to get to because of transportation restraints. Above all, the work of the agency had to be something that I was passionate about. This all sounds quite selfish for a service learning placement, but unfortunately as a busy college student, I had to take these things into account. My two other choices were Hagar’s House, and Project Lazarus, but for some reason or another, they fell short on one of the “criteria” above.

            Alcoholism and substance abuse issues run rampant in my family, so I take the work of Bridge House very seriously. My biggest hope for my service-learning placement though is that I will connect with people from New Orleans. I will meet them as people, and not drug addicts/alcoholics. And I want to learn about people and their stories. I will be working in the Grace House Thrift Store, and will be working alongside both the staff of Bridge House, and alumni of the program. In this way, I will be supporting a great organization, and meeting all sorts of new people.

            I am not quite sure yet how this placement will help me in reading Shakespeare’s literary texts and understanding Shakespeare in general. Because I know I’m not just going out there to find a Dromio, Kate, or alcoholic Falstaff. But I know that Shakespeare wrote about humans in all different stages of personal development. And Bridge House is all about bettering oneself and one’s life. And I think that this will connect to Shakespeare’s work well. I also take this opportunity for me to grow as a person. I remember reading Midsummer Night’s Dream in 8^th grade and just thinking how quaint it was, and it stimulated my imagination. This was a good starting point for my love of Shakespeare, but I know that then I was an immature reader. The more we learn, and the more we live, the better one can tackle any text and draw connections. I specifically will use this experience as insight to Shakespeare’s social inquiry and commentary. As for relating it to the art, I’m not quite sure. But all I know is that I’m very excited to get started on this project and to watch and see where this service learning placement will take me.

How will the Service Learning Experience help me

              When I heard about the Wage Claim Clinic I knew I wanted to volunteer there so I really did not have to narrow down much. At the fair I spoke to the representative and she explained that I would be working one-on-one with all the clients. I was excited because it enables a much more personal and direct insight to the situation. One of the reasons why I chose the clinic was because of the clinic's commitment to justice and fairness. Especially in respects to immigrants, most of them whom I presume are undocumented, cannot speak English and are often powerless to fight for their rights. Because of their lack of understanding, their inability to speak up for themselves and fear of being deported, they are often mistreated, under payed and sometimes not paid at all. The employers often take advantage of the fact that they are voiceless and use to their own gain without realizing that such actions are inhumane and absolutely cruel and they disregard all the humanistic progress we have made so far. These are people. They deserve respect whether or not they have a legal piece of paper that proves that they are in fact human beings.  With this experience I hope to learn more about the " low wage, poor working conditions" epidemic that seems to be going around. How are people being treated, what is being done to help them and in general be more acquainted with the topic.
By familiarizing myself with the topic and the different situations I intend to find some common ground where perhaps an agreement could be made.

I hope that the experience will help me understand more about Shakespeare's infatuation with the unfair and unjust world, why he chooses to talk about the unfortunate and why people do the things they do. I guess it will give me some extra insight when thinking about human behavior. His stories often deal with different social classes and how they interact ( positively or negatively) , and I think it is very similar to the immigrants' situation. Much like back then, we now have a country with an ever growing social economic gap, where the richer are getting richer and the poorer are getting poorer.

When I chose to volunteer at the Uptown Shepherd’s Center it was not my first choice. I initially wanted to volunteer with an organization that would involve cooking vegan and vegetarian foods, something I have experience and interest doing. This group was not on the list of approved organizations and I had some difficulty choosing where I wanted to volunteer. I had a difficult time choosing an organization because I wanted to be able to contribute in a significant way to the organization. When I was in high school I did volunteer work that was non-obligatory every weekend and eventually realized that a lot of the volunteer work was not directly benefiting anyone but myself. I often didn’t have real skills to offer and it was more about me being exposed to a diversity of work and people. The volunteer work was valuable to my personal development but I slowly realized that in order to actually contribute in a lasting and sustainable way as a volunteer it is important to bring unique skills to the table. So, choosing the Uptown Shepherd’s Center for me was more about choosing an organization based upon the location and convenience, rather than me feeling like a I had skills to offer them. However, I am now trying to think about what I can offer to groups of senior citizens and what ways Shakespeare will inform my experience them and vice versa. I think that a listening ear is often a really valuable resource to senior citizens who are perhaps bored or unable to leave the house very often. When I was in grade school we visited a nursing home and paired up with a senior named Agnes. I have really fond memories of listening to her stories and learning about her experiences. I hope to have a similar experience at the Uptown Shepherd’s Center. At the Uptown Shepherd’s Center I’ll be volunteering during their drama class and I think it will help me to break out of my comfort zone as well as being supportive of performers who do not have experience on the stage.

            In regard to Shakespeare I think that volunteering with the Uptown Shepherd’s Center will help me to feel the unity of the human experience, regardless of place or time. Shakespeare’s work often feels distant to me and it helps for me to think about characters as actual humans. This is not to say that I have difficulty understanding senior citizens as humans, but the experiences of older generations can often feel distant. I think that hearing the stories of people from older generations will help me to connect more with Shakespeare’s characters and to see the unity inherent in the human experience. Additionally, since I will be volunteering during their drama class I think will make me feel more connected to performance and theater. I am not usually excited about performing, but I am excited to see what plays they will be reading because I do like reading plays. I also think if I am exposed to performance and reading plays aloud that I might be more inclined to try to read Shakespeare aloud.

Ambition, Then and Now

It’s hard for me to separate modern notions of ambition from what people would have described as ambition in the 17th century. The way I perceive this trait is from the context of a western capitalist society. But even that is hard to define. A person is not deemed ambitious by their status in society. For example, a person might build a company from the ground up and become incredibly successful, and we would call this person ambitious. But when he dies, he passes the business on to his son (who may or may not be qualified to run a company), and we would likely attribute the son’s success not to ambition, but instead to nepotism. In another instance, a young woman from a low-income household might get an entry level job in the mail-room of some company, and by hard work she eventually gets promoted to department manager. Ambition is not distinctly defined in our society, but tends to be correlated with upward mobility. But it varies in degree and kind, and the desired reward is not always financial.

According to Oxford folk ambition is “the ardent (in early usage, inordinate) desire to rise to high position, or to attain rank, influence, distinction or other preferment.” And to me this is interesting, since the trait is defined by the desire for rank or prestige, etc. Whereas I would prefer to define the word by those who attempt to raise their status, whether they fail or succeed. Still, etymologically, the earliest uses (starting in 1340) group ambition with pride, vein glory and other negative traits. Even Shakespeare writes in King Henry VIII, “Cromwel, I charge thee, fling away Ambition, By that sinne fell the Angels.” Ambition, like hubris, is the downfall of heroes and the death of kings. Of course, we can see this in Macbeth and Hamlet, but is it always negative? 

In the United States we laud ambitious young people and encourage them to attain the heights of whatever it is they are reaching for. Was there not some equivalent in the Elizabethan era? Isn’t that what makes gallant knights go off to war? Was Shakespeare infected with unholy ambition? Perhaps ambition is only a valiant trait in a capitalist republic/democracy. 

Ambition can also be the object of desire, like a lover or a crown. I suspect that in Shakespeare’s works we will discover the troubling nature of ambition. We will see it destabilize society, and we will see characters compromise their beliefs (or society’s beliefs) over the objects of their ambitions. But I think that looking at these plays and poems through this prism will also reveal that Shakespeare’s era is a more fluid time than it at first seems. Shakespeare himself represents at least some degree of upward mobility.