Connect with us

The Sentinel

Students help citizens of Portland

Features

Students help citizens of Portland

One of the steps toward helping and understanding a group of people is walking a mile in their shoes. Students from the NIC recreational sports department did just that when they took a trip over spring break that changed their lives forever.
“It was an overwhelming and amazing experience,” Jessica Johanson, Rec. Sports Coordinator said.
The students had traveled to Portland, Ore., so that they could make a difference for the city’s poor and the students’ own lives. The students participated in soup kitchens and other gatherings that benefited many of the city’s poor and homeless.
At one point the students cleared ivy and graffiti from a sidewalk that would serve as a route for many poorer children to make it to school without having to cross through gang territory.
“The children that were walking through these areas were getting beat up on their way to school on a daily basis,” Johanson said.
Gang violence is one among many problems that the city of Portland faces along with a very large homeless population.
Over the course of the week, students not only learned about the city of Portland but also learned its people. Students spent a day exploring the city and all of its wonders. They spoke with homeless people and heard their testimonies.
The students helped at night to hand out food and clothing alongside an organization called Bridge Town.
The students assisted organizations that would feed the homeless quality food and would offer haircuts and other hygienal services.
“Simply speaking with the people and understanding their history, their story is when I gained the most understanding,” Zara Palmer, NIC, said.
On another day they experienced it from the perspective of the less fortunate, left with nothing and forced to search for food and shelter.
“Being homeless for the day and experiencing all that my subgroup saw was the most impactful experience, from getting to the food resources, meeting some of the homeless, from David, who is a mere 15 years old, to Maurice, who is 54. Their testimonies and brutal honesty allowed us to understand and perceive, even if the task itself was 30 percent of the homeless experience given we didn’t have to fight to survive throughout the night,” Kaitlin Kinsall, NIC, said.
The students look to take the experiences they had in Portland and bring what they learned back to Cd’A so they may help in their local city.
“I can take our experience from Portland to Cd’A by being intentional with how I communicate words with people.  If I ask how they are doing, I am going to really care about how it is going with them and show compassion on a daily basis with my conversations,” Duncan Menzies, NIC, said.
The students look to improve the Cd’A community by being compassionate like they were in Portland with intentions to create activities that would benefit the community. They also plan to help at local soup kitchens and shelters.

Continue Reading
You may also like...

The managing editor of the NIC Sentinel. Tyson is on his third year at the newspaper and is skilled in different journalism subjects. He is also skilled at underwater basket weaving and juggling chainsaws.

More in Features

To Top