- Community conversations and action group began. This group meets approximately twice a month as a safe space for students to gather and discuss current immigration action in the United States. Sometimes it includes discussion only, other times it’s action-oriented, providing students a platform to plan their engagement in social action against ICE interventions in the community.
- Clay Street Bakers: This Winter, a student-led group of bakers began, calling themselves “Clay Street Bakers”. These students gather every rose day (approximately 2x/month) and support our neighbors at Clay Street Table by baking for their upcoming food service programs. Students gather in the main hall and walk together to Clay Street to bake for the afternoon. These baked goods are served by volunteers that week for meal service in the park blocks. This connective experience brings students together and extends hospitality through handmade food and community efforts to support our neighbors who live outside.
- The Kind Words Project: service initiative started by some of our incredible juniors. These four came to me early in the year with a desire to make an impact on their community and share some light in a difficult time. Every step of the way they were organized, intentional and careful in their planning. Their communication with me to ensure they met their commitment to Blanchet was so impressive. I spoke with Margot shortly after she dropped off the letters and she said not only did they really enjoy the project, but they intend to pick another organization to support this spring and hopefully bring similar energy into next year! https://blanchethouse.org/students-launch-kind-words-project-for-community-cafe-serving-homeless/
- Border Immersion Trip: This past Presidents’ day, Spanish teachers Dena Stock-Marquez and Shannon Sonn along with Campus Minister Maura Timoney-DeVille chaperoned thirteen junior/senior advanced Spanish students to the US/Mexico Border in Nogales, AZ for a weeklong immersion trip learning about immigration. Students stayed overnight in Tucson, visiting Nogales, and Auga Pietra in Sonora, MX. The group partnered with local nonprofit agencies to visit migrant shelters, local cultural centers, government agencies and restaurants. Throughout the week, students heard firsthand accounts of migration, learned about how nonprofits in the border towns in Mexico support migrants, and the dynamic culture of borderlands both in US and Mexico. Students reflected on their experience, sharing they walked away better understanding the complexities of immigration, the many different factors that influence migration rates, paths, and stories. Between their pre-trip preparations and the site-visits, students had a more comprehensive understanding of how migration and migration policies have evolved over time from a US perspective. A trip participant commented that “ahead of this trip, I thought so much of the wall itself was just one president. Knowing that this has been going on for so many generations and with so many different policies was eye-opening for me.” One junior was particularly struck with how much she saw in common across sides of la frontera: “we realized that people across the border just carry such similar lives as we do, yet their experiences and peoples’ perceptions are so different, too”. The girls recognized that the desires of migrants are the same as for ourselves: to live the lives we want with dignity and community. The adult leaders praised the students’ confidence in using their Spanish skills, bringing nuance and critical thinking into their reflections, and their desire to learn more about something so deeply important to our SNJM charism.
St. Mary’s (Portland) students on their Border Immersion Trip to Nogales, AZ
