Project H

First and foremost, I want to make a HUGE shout out to my Project H members =D It was a blast working with you all and I am glad we were a team. We've learned, we've bonded and each and every one of learned took away something from this experience =) AND now we have classes together next semester! lol

Now on to my reflection on this amazing project that I honestly didn't expect much out of at the very beginning. We went from only wanting to break the stigma that the homeless population carried and making a video and calling it quits to these concise action steps and visions! I believe the ideas we came up with were great and could possibly lead to a better future for the homeless population... I can definitely see why UT prides itself in a place were changing the world starts here <3 But I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we mostly grew from our experiences "taking on the streets."

I personally did not write down an interview like the other 3 members did but I did have the privilege of meeting and interacting with Larry the man that Veronica interviewed. This man was full of "street knowledge" and that my people is crucial when you are part of this population. Knowing about theories and solving equations is not going to get you anywhere if you are sleeping outside an abandoned building.

 One of my first notions was "how are we going to go up to these people and just ask them questions?" Well there's the problem, I should have gone into this project with the mentality that I was going to go up to a person and just have conversation with them. No need to treat them like subjects, no need to feel pitty for them and definitely no need to be scared. Yes mind you that they're people that sometimes you cannot trust but trust your instinct. Now i remind myself to think "remember Irene, they are also people with a story..."

Overall this was a GREAT experience and took so much more than what I put into it (I believe, even though we put A LOT). I am extremely thankful that I picked this population and that I stuck it through. Many life lessons learned and more to ponder...

I leave you with your thoughts...