Since you've all been on the edges of your seats waiting to hear what I do in the p.m...
Every afternoon, I'm at the St. Joseph Center administrative building where I fulfill the Culinary Training Program (CTP) part of my "program assistant" responsibilities. CTP aims to put unemployed and under-employed ($22,000/year) individuals, many of whom have barriers to employment, to work in entry-level positions in the food-service industry. The culinary part of the class is taught by the executive chef at Bread and Roses, but in keeping with St. Joe's emphasis on self-sufficiency throughout all its programs, the class also includes life skills workshops -- study skills, financial literacy, job interview strategies, etc.
I help the program manager of CTP, who is the sweetest lady I've met in L.A. (and also my second supervisor), with recruitment of new students, interviewing applicants, and searching for new culinary job leads. If time allows, I'll also be helping her with résumé and job search workshops. But probably my most important role in CTP is as a case manager. I case manage within the Family Source Center (enter supervisor number three), which is a case management contract for LA residents. So, the CTP students who live in Los Angeles proper become my case management clients.
In one-on-one meetings, I help clients identify their goals -- with respect to education, employment, finances, benefits and legal issues, to name a few -- as well as barriers keeping them from reaching those goals. My objective as a case manager ("CM," shorthand) is to help clients manage these goals and overcome barriers, all within the context of self-sufficiency. I really admire St. Joseph's emphasis on self-sufficiency and empowerment within all its case management contracts, rather than encouraging a case management culture of hand-outs. Since my clients are all CTP students, my case management load definitely has a bias toward employment (and employment in the culinary industry in particular), but the obstacles these struggling individuals face make for a challenging and diverse caseload. Right now I am case managing about 15 clients, and when the next class starts on Monday, I'll add four more!
The learning curve on the case management part of my job is definitely steeper than the café management. Beyond mastering all the social services available for referrals and gaining an intimate knowledge of the detailed forms we use, I have a ways to go in honing my case manager intuition. Being a case manager demands a lot of reading between the lines and listening with a critical ear that I'm not especially experienced with. The closest experience I can draw on is conducting medical histories with SHARE (Study to Help the AIDS Research Effort) in D.C., where I learned -- over time and with great failure at first -- to focus first on the person and second on the forms.
Bread and Roses and CTP are connected institutionally in a number of ways (not least by the fact that both share the executive chef and the JV), but the two aspects of my program assistant position are quite independent of one another. Each carries significant responsibility, and each is demanding in its own, distinct ways. Hopefully I will be able to find the balance that allows me to devote great energy to both endeavors without burning out by 1 p.m. every day.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
A weekend of peace
This weekend, a group of my casamates met up with Casa Dorothy Kazel and Casa Ita Ford (other L.A. JV houses) downtown for the Interfaith 9/11 Prayer Vigil. The event was spearheaded by the Episcopal Diocese of L.A., but leaders of all the Abrahamic faiths were represented, and the event was hosted at the religion-neutral L.A. city hall. The focus was definitely on the interfaith aspect of the event, and less on memorializing the victims of 9/11 and the war after. Still, it was interesting and inspirational, and very peaceful.
The more significant way we remembered 9/11 was at the Sunday 5:30 Mass at St. Monica's (in Santa Monica). We've been Church shopping for a while now, and St. Monica's is definitely my favorite. It reminds me a lot of the 7:30 Mass I went to at Georgetown for four years, but on a larger scale with an intense speaker system. The 5:30 Mass is the contemporary mass for young adults, so it suits us well. Everyone is incredibly welcoming, and we really like a lot of their traditions already -- like everyone receiving communion starting from the back, and everyone reciting the names aloud of each person we pray for during the intercessions. Our impression of St. Monica's became even better when they played Maya Angelou's "Amazing Peace" following the homily, in honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The girls of CMC really like Maya Angelou, and her poem was a perfect way to end a peaceful weekend.
"Amazing Peace" (abridged)
by Maya Angelou
Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
... ... ...
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth's tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.
We, Angels and Mortal's, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud. Peace.
We look at our world and speak the word aloud. Peace.
We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother. Peace, My Sister. Peace, My Soul.
The more significant way we remembered 9/11 was at the Sunday 5:30 Mass at St. Monica's (in Santa Monica). We've been Church shopping for a while now, and St. Monica's is definitely my favorite. It reminds me a lot of the 7:30 Mass I went to at Georgetown for four years, but on a larger scale with an intense speaker system. The 5:30 Mass is the contemporary mass for young adults, so it suits us well. Everyone is incredibly welcoming, and we really like a lot of their traditions already -- like everyone receiving communion starting from the back, and everyone reciting the names aloud of each person we pray for during the intercessions. Our impression of St. Monica's became even better when they played Maya Angelou's "Amazing Peace" following the homily, in honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The girls of CMC really like Maya Angelou, and her poem was a perfect way to end a peaceful weekend.
"Amazing Peace" (abridged)
by Maya Angelou
Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
... ... ...
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth's tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.
We, Angels and Mortal's, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud. Peace.
We look at our world and speak the word aloud. Peace.
We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.
Peace, My Brother. Peace, My Sister. Peace, My Soul.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labor Day: 'Bread and roses! Bread and roses!'
In honor of Labor Day, here's a background on the phrase "bread and roses." It's associated with the fight for fair wages for women, and in particular with a textile strike in 1912 in Massachusetts. The slogan comes from James Oppenheim's poem, where "bread and roses" refers to the call for both fair wages and dignified working conditions. It's pertinent as we think about labor and living wages today, but also as a background story to the name of the café I'm working in this year!
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: "Bread and roses! Bread and roses!"
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for -- but we fight for roses, too!
As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days.
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler -- ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
So even though Bread and Roses Café is not just for women, the roots of the phrase make it clear that, just as the fight for fair wages was about more than the need for money, feeding the hungry is about more than the food itself -- it's about treating each person with dignity. "Hearts starve as well as bodies..."
In L.A., we celebrated the long weekend with the other JVs in the Southwest region with a party and a day at the beach. Casa Maura Clarke also visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, which houses J. Paul Getty's collection of Greek and Italian art.
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: "Bread and roses! Bread and roses!"
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for -- but we fight for roses, too!
As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days.
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler -- ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
So even though Bread and Roses Café is not just for women, the roots of the phrase make it clear that, just as the fight for fair wages was about more than the need for money, feeding the hungry is about more than the food itself -- it's about treating each person with dignity. "Hearts starve as well as bodies..."
In L.A., we celebrated the long weekend with the other JVs in the Southwest region with a party and a day at the beach. Casa Maura Clarke also visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, which houses J. Paul Getty's collection of Greek and Italian art.
Zuma Beach & the Getty Villa.
Gardens on the grounds of the villa.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
learning by doing
The only way to learn how to be Café Manager at Bread and Roses Café, it seems, is by doing it...and by making mistakes doing it. On day one, my supervisor/the executive chef picked me up, we did the day's grocery shopping, and I got a quick tour of the facilities before I started managing volunteers while he ran the kitchen. By the end of the first meal, he was gone and I was on my own. I knew generally what needed to be done from studying the binder that's been passed from JV to JV, and, thankfully, there was a handful of experienced regular volunteers (including the chair of the board of St. Joseph Center) to back me up. Remarkably, I didn't actually get stressed about the fact that I was supervisor-less for most of my first day...I'm learning to roll with the punches this year.
I've had a few minor hiccups along the way, but I'm starting to get into a groove with the café, so I'm finally able to articulate to people what it is that I am actually doing. My title is "Program Assistant at Bread and Roses Café and the Culinary Training Program," which translates to me being café manager by morning and case manager by afternoon.
Every morning on my way to Bread and Roses (leaving between 6:30 and 7:15 daily), I make a different stop to pick up food donations. I roll into the café between 7:30 and 8:00, and I start prepping for the volunteers to arrive at 8:30. My most challenging task throughout the morning is definitely managing the volunteers. There are four to seven of them daily, and it's my job to make sure they work efficiently and happily. Things I have learned: volunteers do not like feeling bored, and they also do not like changes (e.g. The fact that I made a chart of how to set the table is actually going to cause a volunteer uprising.). Another tricky aspect is to try to appease the experienced volunteers while still sufficiently orienting brand new volunteers. I've started holding a daily volunteer orientation to get everyone on the same page, which has worked well when people are on time.
I'm responsible for overseeing most of the front-of-the-house activity of the restaurant, while the chef runs the kitchen. Beyond managing the volunteers, this also means I'm responsible for letting guests in off our reservation list, keeping a count of how many meals we're serving, and generally keeping our clients happy and orderly. The most difficult aspect of this is definitely the gatekeeper role I play...it's not easy to tell a hungry, homeless person that he/she cannot come in because we're full and he's/she's not on the list. Alas, that is sometimes what I have to do. Clients sign up for Bread and Roses meals at the Homeless Services Center, where they also have case managers (my casamate Jackie is one of these case managers). Luckily, I have the help of our security guard when things go wrong on the list/gatekeeping front.
We serve meals three times a day -- at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30. I see many of the same clients on a daily basis, but we're always seeing new faces, too. Our dining room seats 40, so a "full house" puts us at 120 meals a day; however, we can serve up to 150 meals in a day by seating overflow in shifts within each seating. After cleaning up the last meal with my volunteers, I take stock of the kitchen and make the next day's shopping list before heading to the St. Joseph Center administrative building a few blocks away to work with the Culinary Training Program (CTP)! More to come on CTP in a later post since I've probably lost most people by this point anyways...
The job of café manager isn't terribly intellectually challenging, but it's been fun and exciting to interact with so many volunteers and clients. So far, I've been most tested in patience and multi-tasking, and the constant demand of interpersonal interactions is exhausting in itself. I feel as though I've been working at Bread and Roses for much longer than three weeks, but the time has flown by!
I should also mention that the food is GREAT.
I've had a few minor hiccups along the way, but I'm starting to get into a groove with the café, so I'm finally able to articulate to people what it is that I am actually doing. My title is "Program Assistant at Bread and Roses Café and the Culinary Training Program," which translates to me being café manager by morning and case manager by afternoon.
Every morning on my way to Bread and Roses (leaving between 6:30 and 7:15 daily), I make a different stop to pick up food donations. I roll into the café between 7:30 and 8:00, and I start prepping for the volunteers to arrive at 8:30. My most challenging task throughout the morning is definitely managing the volunteers. There are four to seven of them daily, and it's my job to make sure they work efficiently and happily. Things I have learned: volunteers do not like feeling bored, and they also do not like changes (e.g. The fact that I made a chart of how to set the table is actually going to cause a volunteer uprising.). Another tricky aspect is to try to appease the experienced volunteers while still sufficiently orienting brand new volunteers. I've started holding a daily volunteer orientation to get everyone on the same page, which has worked well when people are on time.
I'm responsible for overseeing most of the front-of-the-house activity of the restaurant, while the chef runs the kitchen. Beyond managing the volunteers, this also means I'm responsible for letting guests in off our reservation list, keeping a count of how many meals we're serving, and generally keeping our clients happy and orderly. The most difficult aspect of this is definitely the gatekeeper role I play...it's not easy to tell a hungry, homeless person that he/she cannot come in because we're full and he's/she's not on the list. Alas, that is sometimes what I have to do. Clients sign up for Bread and Roses meals at the Homeless Services Center, where they also have case managers (my casamate Jackie is one of these case managers). Luckily, I have the help of our security guard when things go wrong on the list/gatekeeping front.
We serve meals three times a day -- at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30. I see many of the same clients on a daily basis, but we're always seeing new faces, too. Our dining room seats 40, so a "full house" puts us at 120 meals a day; however, we can serve up to 150 meals in a day by seating overflow in shifts within each seating. After cleaning up the last meal with my volunteers, I take stock of the kitchen and make the next day's shopping list before heading to the St. Joseph Center administrative building a few blocks away to work with the Culinary Training Program (CTP)! More to come on CTP in a later post since I've probably lost most people by this point anyways...
The job of café manager isn't terribly intellectually challenging, but it's been fun and exciting to interact with so many volunteers and clients. So far, I've been most tested in patience and multi-tasking, and the constant demand of interpersonal interactions is exhausting in itself. I feel as though I've been working at Bread and Roses for much longer than three weeks, but the time has flown by!
I should also mention that the food is GREAT.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The First Weeks
In the past three weeks, I have flown to San José with only one suitcase, attended a five-day JVC orientation in Aptos, driven down the coast with six strangers to Los Angeles, moved into a clutter- and trash-filled house with said strangers, been thrown into the fire in the first two weeks of my new job, and begun exploring L.A. with the 19 other JVs here...it's been a whirlwind of excitement, anxiety and fun, and overall, it's been great.
Orientation was a necessary transition for me. After traveling for an entire day, the first thought that crossed my mind when I landed was something along the lines of, "what am I doing here?!" I remembered what one JV told me to keep in mind: "People are always worth it." So, I was greeted by JVC staff and some fellow JVs at the airport (including a few Georgetown alumni and a weird amount of Milwaukeeans), and we were off to a retreat center on the ocean in Aptos, CA. All the JVs from the Southwest region of JVC were there, which includes California and Arizona (about 80 people total). I met my six casamates (those living with me in Casa Maura Clarke) and we spent the week thinking and talking about social justice, spirituality, community and simple living -- all in the context of our upcoming year. It was good to have some more concrete details of what our year would look like.
After waking up at 5 a.m. on the last day of orientation to retrieve rental cars from the airport, we drove down the coast for about 7 hours to make our way to Los Angeles, making a pit stop at In 'N Out for an "animal style" burger. I think everyone was glad we chose the slightly longer route, because it afforded us these views:
We were welcomed at Casa Maura Clarke (aka CMC) by a few former JVs (FJVs) from last year's group as well as our two support people, who are FJVs that meet with us on a regular basis to help guide us through the year and help us sort through any problems we come across within the community. The next morning we toured everyone's job placements with our supervisors, which was really great. I'm really glad I got to see where all my casamates are working throughout the year; everyone is at awesome non-profit agencies, and two are actually at St. Joseph's Center with me (working in different programs than Bread and Roses).
We ventured to the beach a few times in our first weekend. We're only about six miles from Santa Monica and Venice Beaches, and our workplaces are all only a few blocks from the beach. I have to say, I could get used to relaxing on the beach at the end of a long workday.
The last photos I have to share right now are from our hike to the Hollywood sign near Griffith Park. We met up with all the Los Angeles JVs for a hike and picnic at the top! The panoramic views of the city from the sign were great, but notice the thick visible layer of smog...yum.
I've had two full weeks of work at St. Joseph Center, but describing that right now would make for a very long blog post. Suffice to say that it was baptism by fire from day one. It's been fun, albeit overwhelming at times, and I can tell that it's going to be a great year! More on the casamates of CMC, L.A., and Bread and Roses to come...
Orientation was a necessary transition for me. After traveling for an entire day, the first thought that crossed my mind when I landed was something along the lines of, "what am I doing here?!" I remembered what one JV told me to keep in mind: "People are always worth it." So, I was greeted by JVC staff and some fellow JVs at the airport (including a few Georgetown alumni and a weird amount of Milwaukeeans), and we were off to a retreat center on the ocean in Aptos, CA. All the JVs from the Southwest region of JVC were there, which includes California and Arizona (about 80 people total). I met my six casamates (those living with me in Casa Maura Clarke) and we spent the week thinking and talking about social justice, spirituality, community and simple living -- all in the context of our upcoming year. It was good to have some more concrete details of what our year would look like.
After waking up at 5 a.m. on the last day of orientation to retrieve rental cars from the airport, we drove down the coast for about 7 hours to make our way to Los Angeles, making a pit stop at In 'N Out for an "animal style" burger. I think everyone was glad we chose the slightly longer route, because it afforded us these views:
We were welcomed at Casa Maura Clarke (aka CMC) by a few former JVs (FJVs) from last year's group as well as our two support people, who are FJVs that meet with us on a regular basis to help guide us through the year and help us sort through any problems we come across within the community. The next morning we toured everyone's job placements with our supervisors, which was really great. I'm really glad I got to see where all my casamates are working throughout the year; everyone is at awesome non-profit agencies, and two are actually at St. Joseph's Center with me (working in different programs than Bread and Roses).
We ventured to the beach a few times in our first weekend. We're only about six miles from Santa Monica and Venice Beaches, and our workplaces are all only a few blocks from the beach. I have to say, I could get used to relaxing on the beach at the end of a long workday.
Santa Monica Beach and Pier at night
Here I was just experimenting with camera settings, and I thought this girl was adorable...
The last photos I have to share right now are from our hike to the Hollywood sign near Griffith Park. We met up with all the Los Angeles JVs for a hike and picnic at the top! The panoramic views of the city from the sign were great, but notice the thick visible layer of smog...yum.
I've had two full weeks of work at St. Joseph Center, but describing that right now would make for a very long blog post. Suffice to say that it was baptism by fire from day one. It's been fun, albeit overwhelming at times, and I can tell that it's going to be a great year! More on the casamates of CMC, L.A., and Bread and Roses to come...
Friday, August 26, 2011
A Blog Introduction
I had great, ambitious plans for this blog, but if the past three weeks are any indication of how busy I am going to be this year, it's clear to me that I might fall short of my intention to blog regularly. Regardless, I'm going to do my best to use the blog as a place for the following:
- updates on the happenings of Casa Maura Clarke, of Bread and Roses Café, and of my adventures living in Los Angeles
- reflections on the tenets of JVC (social justice, spirituality, community and simple living), particularly how they're weaving into my daily life in L.A.
- posts of quotes, songs, photos and facts that inspire me along the way
If I tried to explain the title, it probably wouldn't make sense to most, but I'll leave it by saying that it's an allusion to Arrested Development, a hilarious show that no one realized was on TV during its short three-season run. When people outside of JVC learn about the "simple living" part of this year (i.e. the monthly $100 personal stipend and $90 food stipend), they freak out a little...to which I say, "there's always money in the banana stand."
Thursday, August 25, 2011
¡muchas gracias!
A practice I've learned through Ignation spirituality is to start and end the day with gratitude...so with a nod to the guy behind the Jesuits (St. Ignatius), I will start my blog with gratitude, too.
I want to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the donations I received just from writing letters. The money I raised ($2656.66!) will help JVC support us throughout the year and help organizations like St. Joseph Center be able to afford supporting Jesuit Volunteers like myself.
And thanks, too, to everyone who supported me in other ways getting to where I am in JVC in Los Angeles. I couldn't have made the decision to spend this year in service (to "step off the boat," as several said at JVC O.) without the encouragement of my friends, family and mentors, who, I am convinced, often know me better than I know myself.
I want to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the donations I received just from writing letters. The money I raised ($2656.66!) will help JVC support us throughout the year and help organizations like St. Joseph Center be able to afford supporting Jesuit Volunteers like myself.
And thanks, too, to everyone who supported me in other ways getting to where I am in JVC in Los Angeles. I couldn't have made the decision to spend this year in service (to "step off the boat," as several said at JVC O.) without the encouragement of my friends, family and mentors, who, I am convinced, often know me better than I know myself.
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