TREK 2018

Hi! My name is Allie Price, and I’m writing to offer some insight on what I learned and experienced by choosing to do Trek rather than a discussion section for SOCI 100. For the first two months that I lived in Vancouver, I was shocked by how little poverty I saw. Being from outside of Los Angeles, I was used to a steady stream of homeless people wherever I went, and after a couple weeks here, I thought that no poverty in Vancouver would compare. And for a while, I was convinced.

This changed on the day of my Trek orientation. I saw Trek as a way to get involved in volunteering again (which was transformative for my high school career) and get to know Vancouver a little better by breaking out of the “campus bubble”. My placement was Saint James Music Academy (SJMA), an after school music program for at-risk children and youth.

On my first trip there, I typed the location into google maps, and walked to get on the 4 bus and take it the 42 stops to Main Street. The 4 is interesting in that it runs all the way from the mansions of Point Grey to the Downtown Eastside, and you can feel the entire transformation between the parts of Vancouver. On this bus route, I saw my first (and second, third, fourth, etc.) homeless person in Vancouver, and saw hundreds of people living in poverty. I didn’t feel unsafe (and for the most part, the Downtown Eastside isn’t really that dangerous); rather I was struck with confusion about how and why poverty had become so concentrated and limited to one section of Vancouver.

With these thoughts in my mind, I walked into SJMA. The first thing I noticed was the use of space; every area possible was used for storage, check in, etc. or had a student and a teacher at it. During the orientation, I got to meet some of the kids, and watch how the teachers interacted with them. The juxtaposition between walking from East Hastings into such a loving and tight-knit environment left me even more conflicted. I wasn’t sure how to feel.

I returned a week later and started my position as assistant teacher in marimba (like a wooden xylophone) class, and immediately became best friends with a young girl who was super excited that we had matching white shoes on. She is fairly shy, and would get really frustrated when she couldn’t get her part down and would stop trying. With a little convincing, I would get her to let me teach her, and when she mastered a part she had the biggest smile on her face. When I switched from volunteering on Tuesday to Thursday second semester, I would always arrive 20 minutes early so that I would still get to see her before class.

Seeing the students relationships with the staff and other volunteers was very special as well, and I could tell that SJMA was a safe space for these kids despite their less-than ideal circumstances. From providing things like transportation to and from school, a healthy afternoon class, and music therapy to struggling students, I saw how SJMA was trying to make a difference in a community struck with poverty, and even more amazingly, that it was working. These are just normal kids, and SJMA recognizes that and uses what the community has available to make their lives a little better.

My heart is so full whenever I get to spend the afternoon with these kids, and getting involved in Trek completely changed my perception and experience as a Vancouver newcomer. I would highly recommend that anyone new to Vancouver that has an interest in volunteering in some capacity gets involved. It was a very positive and eye-opening experience for me, so much so that I even plan on volunteering with SJMA next year separate from Trek/SOCI.

To finish, I’d like to leave you with some answers to questions that are good to consider deciding between Trek and discussion.

  1. Which requires more work, discussion or trek?

I would consider the overall workload to be very similar, just at different times and in different forms. Trek can be more of a time commitment per week, especially if you commute to your placement by bus, but requires much less writing first term and the beginning of second term. At least for this year, we got to choose what we did for our final project, and although it was a lot of work, we got to choose our topic and had more creative freedom in the matter (plus it wasn’t a giant term paper).

  1. Is volunteering in the Downtown Eastside safe?

Yes, absolutely. There was not one time all year that I felt unsafe– maybe slightly uncomfortable, but not unsafe. In fact, I think that getting involved in the Downtown Eastside is extremely important, and the stigma that it’s unsafe is part of why poverty is so concentrated there and conditions aren’t improving. I would strongly discourage you from choosing against Trek because of safety concerns or worries about comfort; instead, be a part of the education of Vancouver on the Downtown Eastside and get involved with a program that is trying to change it.

  1. Will I miss out on anything in discussion?

The biggest concern I had was about not learning how to craft a research paper or getting feedback on exams. However, you will write and conduct more research than you want to for your ASTU class, so don’t worry about that, and our SOCI TA’s were extremely on top of providing office hours and meeting times to allow discussion and review after exams.

  1. Is Trek rewarding?

Yes absolutely. I know a lot more about Vancouver and went to an area that I likely never would have otherwise, and I absolutely loved working with all the kids at my placement. I’m going to miss them over the summer. It’s an extremely good way to get away from campus and school for a little and contribute to something that matters.

Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve found this somewhat helpful in your decision. I had a very positive experience in the Global Citizens stream, and learned a lot of lessons from Trek and Sociology that I know I’ll carry with me.

 

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