Oct 26, 20183 min read

Southwest Studies 2018

Updated: Dec 30, 2019

Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrates engagement with issues of global significance

Recognizes and considers ethics of choices and actions, and the role that privilege and power plays

Demonstrates meaningful engagement with and contribution to communities outside of UWC-USA.

On this trip we went to several different places that makes my mind more open to this world. First, we went to the Keshet Dance and Art Studio in the morning. We are helping them make a video about Keshet as an action of one of the learning outcomes in ExEd Demonstrates meaningful engagement with and contribution to communities outside UWC-USA. We only have 5 days to finish our video project. It was a little bit challenging for me because I already know how to make videos and do all the editing stuff. And I'm glad I could be a help for another team. Here's the final video that I made with my team (read: Chevvone)

Then we went to the Youth Detention Center in the afternoon

Youth Detention Center. The first thing that comes to my mind before coming to this Southwest Studies was a place where there are bad people that got in serious trouble as captured in a movie or just creepy people under-age that can't go to jail so they ended up in here... This whole perspective makes me realize how small-minded I am.

Then we went to the Youth Detention Center in the afternoon. It was a place for people under the age of majority, often termed juvenile delinquents, to which they are waiting pre-trial or have been sentenced to prison time or other facilities for long-term care and programs. Juveniles go through a separate court system, the juvenile court, which sentences or commits juveniles to a certain program or facility. It was the first time for me entering a detention center. The real one.

After I came here, the whole thought about it changed. I mean, of course, there are always some flaws in everything even in this place. But I have learned that even in the worst flaw there will always a flower inside it. There'll always something beautiful in it. And I see it here. They're not that scary. They're not monster where you always have a prejudice of it. They are also human.

The differences are only they do makes mistakes in their life which sometimes suck. But that's it. Same as us, they're still eating bread, mac n cheese, and PBNJ. Well I know it's not in all cases. There's some extreme case but mostly yeah their just as the same as us. This trips really opens my eye about all this kind of stuff.

Also, we went to an event organized by Wings for Life Organization. Wings for L.I.F.E are Life-skills Imparted to Families through Education, which is an empowerment program that provides life-skills, education, training, and support for family members/caregivers of prisoners (returning citizens) and at-risk youth. Some of the educational topics that are addressed include single parenting, finances – how to stretch a dollar, discipline, acceptance issues, prison visits, feeding a family, substance abuse and signs, reintegration and reunification issues, legal issues, public defenders, work/job issues, holidays, and anything else of interest to the group.

Here are some pictures about it