- Description
- Updates
- FAQ
- Comments
- Backers
The 2018 South Church Senior Youth Trip to the San Diego area is an opportunity to learn and grow in relation to the topic of immigration justice.
This year, in preparation for our trip, the 14 participating youth have attended local discussions about immigration concerns in our local community. In particular, we have learned about how new deportation policies are impacting the Indonesian people who live in our community.
Our group has read a book called Enrique’s Journey and then engaged in a discussion about the book. It tells the story of a young child on the path of hardship and trauma that immigrants face as they attempt to get to the United States from central America. This book helped us understand the intensity of the challenges facing families who are separated from one another due to extreme economic hardship and the hope for better opportunities in the United States.
We are hoping this trip will open our eyes to the real facts of immigration in the United States. Politics lie and stray from the truth to keep people in favor of controlling immigration. What we see on our trip will show us how much of those lies are said, allow us to ask questions in connection with things we’ve heard, and allow us to have deeper knowledge to engage politically on this issue.
As participants in this trip, we are aware that this journey is mostly for our own benefit. We are not doing a whole lot to help by traveling to San Diego and Tijuana beyond serving as witnesses to the trauma through which the people we meet are navigating. The real point of this trip is to learn together, to reflect, and to build a connection between this experience and our Unitarian Universalist faith. Every time our youth group gets to be with each-other for extended periods of time, the most valuable friendships and memories are made. We are all closer then most kids our age and so, in addition to learning more about immigration, this trip is also another opportunity for our group to deepen our connection with one another.
Updates
Hello to everyone who helped to make this fundraiser such a huge success!! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. We will be leaving for our trip on June 26th, and will be sharing what we learn with all of you by email. We have designated $1,000 of this fundraiser to be donated directly to immigration justice work, and we will decide as a group who that recipient will be. Stay tuned!
It is an incredibly heartbreaking moment in our country right now, particular in regard to how we are treating the people who are coming to our borders out of desperation and hope. Learning about this issue is one small step, to be sure, but it is a step. May we all continue to make them, one foot after the next, until we arrive at a better way-- a better world.
Project FAQ
We are Unitarian Universalists and no matter where we are we strive to act on our faith. This trip ties directly into our principles and especially the worth and dignity of each person. We hope to all realize that people navigating immigration issues are just like us if we don’t know that already, we are all a part of the same fabric of this issue. We hope this journey helps us better understand this interconnectedness and inspire us to work to affect change when we get back home.
In preparing for this journey we have been fundraising within our congregation all year. Through holiday wreath sales, new years eve chili sale, fair trade coffee sales, and lots of child care, we are well on our way to meeting our fundraising needs. This campaign is our last piece of the puzzle. The funds we have raised, along with family contributions, will cover our travel costs and will help us to support the advocacy groups and justice workers with whom we share our days during our trip.
We will begin our trip in San Diego learning about Southern California, one exciting plan during this first portion of our trip will be joining up with the UU Youth group at the San Diego UU church to tour Chicano Park in Barrio Logan, which is a outdoor mural park with a deep history that is reflective of experiences facing chicano communities throughout our country. Following the tour with one of the founders of Chicano Park, our two youth groups will then make lunch together, process the tour experience and talk about the similarities and differences between our youth groups growing up on two different sides of the country.
After we spend a few days exploring San Diego, we will begin an organized program with the group UUborders, you can view our tentative itinerary here: https://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51510/c/292/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=10289
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Anonymous06/14/2018Great project$25.00
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06/13/2018Thanks Maren Sophia for your work on this project!$40.00
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Anonymous06/12/2018$250.00
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06/12/2018Have a great trip.$25.00
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06/11/2018The Katzman Kids are going!$100.00
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06/11/2018$50.00
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06/11/2018Keep up the hard work Sophia! Enjoy the trip and looking forward to hearing all about it! )$50.00
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06/11/2018$100.00
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06/10/2018Tikkun olam heal the world$36.00
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06/10/2018For Riley Sceases trip ... from PapaJean and Mems$100.00