"Be the Change you wish to see in the World" - Ghandi

Last week I attended a Teenage Suicide Prevention Training at work that talked about teen suicide and how to help teens who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and ideals.  This was a pretty heavy topic to say the least but in the end after all the harsh statistics and horror stories, we (all the staff that were in the meeting including Doluas, supervisors, and other case managers) realized that we can make a difference to these people.  One of the things we learned about in the training was the signs and signals of suicidal people which include drastic change of behavior, trouble in school, isolation from friends, and many others.  There were also some obvious ones including suicide attempts, threats, and saying, "I am going to kill myself."  As we all listened and discussed as the training went on, I couldn't help but think to myself, am I capable of helping someone who is having these thoughts and actions? And the answer is Yes, we all are. Even if it is the smallest thing like talking about how they are feeling or telling them that you are not going to leave them until they get help, any little thing can help.  Now at Catholic Charities the procedure is to call a number that we have and ask them for immediate assistance but some people may not have this resource.  What if you were with a friend or someone else in your life came up to you acting really strange or told you that they were going to harm themselves? Would you have the power and strength to do something about it? Many of us probably think that we are uncapable of this because we don't have proper training or something but really just knowing how to help this person and staying there with them is something that is going to do a whole lot more for them in that moment then it is for you.

Now I know some people reading this may have completely different opinions about suicidal actions and thoughts/procedures which is fine because suicide is not really the point.  Don't get me wrong it is a pressing issue in our world today and I would love to talk about that at a different time but this post is about Change and what we can do to make the world a better place.

At the end of the two hour training, the trainer asked if we had any questions or comments about anything that was said.  For most of the training we all sat their and listened to what the trainer had to say and just tried to get through it but some of us had never had the training before and really paid attention.  So when we were all quiet for a while, we assumed it was over until one of my coworkers boldly said, "I have a question.  Honestly to me this training was pointless. I'm sorry but it was. How do you expect us to help these people when we don't have any training or resources to do so?"  Now this coworker started the day before I did, works part time at Catholic Charities and part time at another job counseling teens.  She is very smart, experienced, and honest.  But her concern was a valid one.  How are we supposed to help suicidal teens when we have no idea where to start? Now think about other things in our world that we may have very little information about/resources for like stopping world hunger, breaking the gender barrier, putting an end to poverty, stopping bullying in schools; the list goes on and on. Some people may look at this list as global problems that are never going to change because there too hard to fix while others like us at Catholic Charities, and I'm sure many of you, think of them as challenges and social justice issues that are calling our name.  This is exactly what one of the supervisors Ms. Wilson said to my coworker when she asked this.  She said, "We need to be the change in the world.  Every little bit counts and just by acknowledging the fact that this is a social justice problem and that we want to help, we are getting one step closer"  Be the Change! This is a hard concept for some people but it is very VERY important.  In our world today, we acknowledge that there are problems and social justice issues.  Great, the first step is done. But now we need to fight for a change and stand up for these inequalities to say that we want to change something that we think is wrong.  This can be as small as saving energy and gas by taking the bus, train or walking to work.  Maybe its you want to save money so you bring coffee from home instead of buying from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts every morning.  Or it can be as big as stopping teenage suicide or solving the world hunger issue.  Whatever your passion/cause is, fight for it.  Fight for the teens who have these thoughts, fight for the single moms who are receiving WIC so their babies can grow, fight for the homeless people on the street, fight for the kids who are being bullied, fight for the people around you and the people who are in your hearts.  Be the Change. Do a walk for breast cancer, give money to a homeless person, make friends with you coworkers, listen to the stories of the kids in your classroom.  Find something you are passionate about and strive to make that change in that persons life.  Because as soon as we all start to change the world, there will be more happiness in the world and more people will realize how much of an impact they can make by just steping out and being the change you wish, dream, and hope for in the world.

Resource: For everyone who works with 7th through 12 grade.  Look up information about mandatory suicide education and awareness for your state.  The Jason Foundation is one offers training for students and school teachers in our area but look around for ones that are your state.

Fun Fact: There are a lot of squirrels in our neighborhood and I swear some of them are psychotic!!! We saw one do a backflip in our yard the other day! Watch out for the crazy squirrels they might be in your town too!!!

Fun facts about chicago: back by popular demand (aka Kevin)

So when I was talking to Kevin the other week about how bad I am at updating my blog he also told me that I should bring back the fun facts at the end of each post.  Now this was easier in Cape Town because I was learning new things about the culture and people every day, here its a little harder but ill do my best to keep it going.  This information came from both me and some websites that I researched.  So here is a whole post dedicated to them just for you Kevin :) 

Fun Facts about Chicago:

1) Chicago’s nicknames include: The Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders, the Second City, and The City That Works.

2) Chicago’s downtown area is known as “The Loop.” The nickname refers to the area encircled by the elevated (‘L’) train tracks.

 

3)The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 110 stories high.

4)Four states are visible from the Skydeck Chicago (formerly the Sears Tower Skydeck). Indiana, Illinois, Michigan & Wisconsin.

5)The first drive-in bank opened in 1946 in Chicago!

6)The remote control was invented in 1950 in Chicago!

7)The late Mayor Richard J. Daley and current Mayor Richard M. Daley became the first father-son team to head the United States Conference of Mayors in 1996.

8) This one is ridiculous but really funny: Apparently its an actual law in Chicago that you can not eat in a place that is on fire!! well DUH!!

9)The name "Chicago" is a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, meaning "wild onion" or "wild garlic," from the Miami-Illinois Language.

10)In the late 1920s, sociologists at the University of Chicago subdivided the city into 77 distinct community areas, which can further be subdivided into over 200 neighborhoods, one of which is Beverly.

Fun Facts about my neighborhood/our service/our home:

1)  Apparently Halloween is a huge deal around here because all of the houses in our neighborhoods are decorated and they have been that way since the beginning of the month.  This includes a huge inflatable and moving blow up cat that is in one of our neighbors yard!! According to J-Bird, halloween decorating is bigger than christmas!!

2) Beverly is located on the highest elevation and is among the three safest and wealthiest neighborhoods in the City of Chicago. So yes Mom were safe here!

3) Beverly is the only area in the City of Chicago with a terrain containing hills. Molly and I love the small hills that we have!!

4) Beverly has five Catholic parishes: St. Barnabas, Christ the King, St. Walter, St. Cajetan, and St. John Fisher. We have been to both St. Barnabas and St. John Fisher.

5)   For all of you who are coming to visit, you will notice that the ride from Midway Airport to our house is only about 10 minutes but it is very diverse.  Driving down Cicero you will see Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian neighborhoods, all on one street.

6) Known for its spacious homes, tree-lined streets, and racially integrated population (I wouldn't say that it was very racially diverse), Beverly has retained its reputation as one of Chicago's most stable middle-class residential districts.

7) Beverly's real name is Beverly Hills. HA!

Thats all I can think of for now but I will post more when I think of them!

Embrace the Differences

To start off I just want to apologize for taking forever to update you all on my life but for some reason my days and nights and weekends go by so fast I forget to write down my thoughts.  So finally, here are my thoughts from the past few weeks and I hope you all enjoy them.  

"Embrace the Differences"

This is a phrase I thought of randomly one day and it really stood out in my mind.  Everywhere we look there are differences around us, both around me and around you.  There are different people with different skin colors, heights, weights, eye color, hair color.  There are people living different lifestyles, working different jobs, driving different cars.  There are different scenes and things happening all around us: people are walking, people are driving, the leaves are blowing, kids are laughing, planes are flying, lights are changing.  Everything around us is different and I have found that embracing these differences make your life and your journey that much more important.  I don't remember which day it was that I came up with this phrase but it was sometime in the past few weeks and it has stuck with me ever since.  

"Embracing all differences no matter how big or how small."  This was something I wrote in my journal when I was thinking about things that I have noticed or learned lately that are different from what I am used to (aka the "norm" but I hate that word so I'm not going to use it).  One example of this is the following: remember that crossing guard I wrote about that I see everyday? Well a couple of weeks ago I stopped seeing her and I was wondering where she was.  Hoping she wasn't sick or gone for some reason.  Then the next day I was talking with my supervisor after a home visit (which I will talk about in a minute) and she told me that the city of Chicago had recently been hit with a huge budget cut which has affected a lot of businesses and people including the public schools.  So the public schools were forced to take two weeks off because they couldn't afford to keep the schools open.  Therefore, that is why the crossing guard hasn't been outside.  So the kids will be back in the public schools as of October 12th.  Now budget cuts are understandable unfortunately, especially with things today but to let kids out of school for two weeks during the first month of school is a little ridiculous.  Public schools of Chicago especially already have trouble with giving the kids proper education and keeping them in school so this 2 week break is moving everyone backwards before they can go forward with the school year.  Thoughts? For me and I'm sure my mom and all other teachers would say that this is absurd but at the same time desperate times call for desperate measures, which means taking the break and making it up at the end of the year. 

Second difference I found is pretty obvious but hasn't caused many challenges until recently.  As most of you know, the south side of Chicago is pretty rough in places and has a large majority of African American and Hispanic people.  Now Beverly, where I live, is all White middle class people but my office is in the complete opposite area.  I am the only White person (and girl) in the neighborhood, on the streets, and especially in my office but this does not phase many people.  My coworkers are extremely nice, helpful, and curious about who I am as a person and not the color of my skin.  It might be because all of the past AVs have been White females too but I see it as I'm there to help them and our clients just as much as anyone else is.  My coworkers may look differently, talk differently, and live differently then I do but when we're at work helping clients, we're all on the same level.  I may not understand the ways of some of my coworkers or the language they use but they know I am A. new, B. white, and C. from NH haha.  I am different and I am embracing that but sometimes its easier said then done.  For example, one of the first home visits I went on with my supervisor was to an area with a bunch of people outside including kids from the public schools who were out on the streets because school was out of session.  As we were walking up to our client's house, I see these two little Black boys playing near the house and staring me down.  As we walked closer to the house one of them said "Get that white girl out of our neighborhood.  We don't want that white bitch here!" Now at first I heard it, acknowledged it and wanted to move on but the kids were following behind us and were still talking.  Finally my supervisor turned around and told them to go read a book or something and to not say those types of things because they were not nice to say.  Eventually they went away and we continued on into our clients house.  This honestly didn't bother me because I was with my supervisor and because I knew I would be judged by someone eventually so this didn't upset me too much but it did reiterate the fact that I'm different, much different.  Being different is not a bad thing at all but somethings I think we all may feel uncomfortable when we are that different.  Whether it be look wise, job wise, gender, personality, or beliefs.  Everyone is different and that is something we all need to embrace, not ignore.

I would now like to share with you more about

• C--a 17 year old pregnant teen who has an anger problem and was a habitual runaway
• T--a recovered crack addict who is a mother of 5 children none of which she has custody of and she is pregnant with another
• K--a 24 year old mother of a 2 year old, who has major behavioral issues, and a 2 month old.  She is stressed and suffers from postpartum depression
• S--a 22 year old pregnant mother of a 4 year old who is going to college full-time and has a grandmother who is very conservative and protective
• Finally, J--a 25 year old mother who has an 8 year old son, a 6 month old son, and is currently pregnant with triplets.

These may be considered my "high risk" or extreme cases but they are my clients and they are people just like me and you.  They are different and they need my help and our services to make their lives that much better.

Embrace the Differences.  Embrace who you are, embrace who others are.  Embrace the differences and you will continue to grow each day.