Our reflection for the week comes from Alejandra LaPoint, a junior majoring in Psychology, Mental Health, and Data Science!
L'Arche Cleveland
Which community partner will you be writing about? Briefly describe their mission and the population they serve.
This semester I am doing service with L'Arche. They are a non-profit organization that aims to advocate for people with intellectual disabilities by raising awareness about human rights and policy issues. The core members in this program live together and share the desire of learning from each other in prayer, culture, and lifestyle.
What did you have to unlearn to be fully present to those you are working with?
So far during my experience at L'Arche, I have had to unlearn my preference of always being prepared. As a sibling of someone who has Autism, staying prepared is essential, especially when going into an unknown environment or meeting new people. But always staying on your toes takes away from new experiences. The women whom I have met at L'Arche are supportive and are interested in my life. They are some of the kindest people I have met thus far and have helped me learn new things about myself and what I find important.
What new questions do you have that might help you keep learning and growing this semester?
In my service, I ask myself what can I bring to L'Arche to make our time together even better? What activities can I prepare to learn more about them? And how can I show them what I find meaningful or a glimpse into who I am, outside of being a student at JCU?
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