Building on the theme of examining what
society finds valuable and drawing from my daily experience
living/going to school in Albuquerque, I'd really like my fourth
project to deal with the issue of homelessness. I've always thought
it was peculiar how insular and removed UNM as an institution seems
from Albuquerque as a city (and its problems at such). Additionally,
its interesting how well social divisions persist despite the fact
that students and the local homeless occupy very much the same
spaces, whether around central or even on campus. The goals of this
project would be: 1. To get UNM students involved in the welfare of
the larger Albuquerque community 2. Opening a dialogue about
homelessness, its ethical implications and its possible solutions.
I'd like to do something along the
lines of this project done in Chicago in 2009, where volunteers made
pinatas stuffed with emergency blankets and placed them in the
underpasses where the local homeless typically slept. I really like
the idea of anonymous care packages, although I think using
non-perishable food and water might be a good variation. I feel the
light-hearted shape of the pinatas makes the offer seem more genuine
as opposed to out of pity or obligation. I'd like to use a similar
light-hearted packaging of some sort, perhaps presents?
This is a good goal, and I could see this actually happening. But, like I said to David, it can be difficult to dive in and work with a community that you don't have previous ties to. It can take a long time to build trust and communication with underprivileged groups. Is there a group that you already have a connection to that could use a care package?
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