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Showing posts from July 22, 2018

A Day of Volunteering at Caritas Refugee Center

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Author: Reese Moore Hello everyone! On Wednesday July 25th, my fellow students and I had the pleasure of volunteering at Caritas Refugee Center.  The center offers a plethora of services, such as, proving food and social support to refugees and immigrants in need.  Every day, the volunteers and workers distribute food and clothes, while offering education, counseling, and support services for the individuals who come to the center! You can read about the other amazing services provided and donate to the cause on the Caritas website .  During my time there, I was able to run the play room and work in the cafeteria cleaning trays after the refugees had finished their meals.  The play room was quite exciting! It was a small room filled with all sorts of toys and crafting supplies the children could entertain themselves with.  We painted, colored, played catch, and raced hot wheels all over the room! The walls were covered with drawings and artwork from the many children who hav

Is Your Education Affecting Your Social Life?

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Author: Emilia Triola             Equal access to education is a basic human right. Every human being on earth should be provided the same opportunity and access to education. However this is not the case as there is marked inequality in access to education worldwide. Lack of access to education can impact the life of an individual in several ways.             Globally there are education gaps in both developed and developing countries. In the United States of America, the education gap is growing larger with a disparity in education levels between the rich and the poor (Kelly, 2005). Less and less of the poor are represented as each stage of education furthers due to affordability being a barrier. In Africa gaps in education are continually reducing as more and more people are having access to education and the notion of only educating the boy child is dying away. However the disparity in those who are educated and have access to education is still wide. We can see

Are You Sick, or are You Just Poor? A Peer Into the Interconnectedness of Health and Poverty

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Author: Rachel Downey Upon arriving in Athens on July 6th, one of the program coordinators, Tom, took myself and my fellow classmates on a short tour of the immediate area of the city, called Plaka. On our way through town, a frantic, greasy-haired woman scurried past us on the street, with her breasts hanging free and a young child to her nipple. She was distressed, and even began speaking to passerby in Greek, but we couldn’t understand. I didn’t think too much of it, because the #FreeTheNipple movement has made it’s impact in the states, but I also realize that we are in a different culture on the other side of the world. Shortly after this encounter, Tom informs us of what is going on. These women panhandle, at these children’s expense, exploited for their innocence by their own mothers and handed off to beggars on the street. This experience got me thinking about the lengths people will go, simply in order to live a comfortable life. In 2014, 14.8% of the U.S. population wa

Ageism: Disrespect Your Elders

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Author: Reese Moore             In today’s society, inequality has made its home in those around us, whether we like it or not.   It can be noticed in almost every aspect of our daily lives: through race, gender, status, and resource.   However, there is another form of inequality growing in our society that has been overlooked, ageism.   Ageism describes prejudice against elderly persons based on their age.   People often stereotype older people as useless or a burden to ourselves and others around us. Due to the rising number of elderly individuals in our society, this issue is becoming more widespread.   Ageism can be found in many different aspects of our society, such as, institutional, social, and individual levels.               The institutional (mezzo) level, refers to professionals who work within small groups or institutions, such as, long-term health care facilities for elderly persons.   Often, residents within these facilities face poor treatment and neglect from