Local Homelessness Reflection

My topic for the one to the world project was local homelessness, which was a topic I was really interested about. Where we live, there are homeless people all around us. From Loudoun County to D.C., it surrounds us. From this project, I not only learned things about my community, I learned things about myself. This project has impacted my personal development in more ways than one. For example, I was impacted through my citizenship. This project has caused me to volunteer in a homeless shelter, which is a civic responsibility. A person who is civically responsible is when they are a caring and productive member of society. Another skill I learned was leadership. I worked with three other people, and I had to pull their weight throughout the entire project. This taught me that if I encourage my teammates enough, we will get a lot done. I chose my topic because I already knew how I could get involved. This

To volunteer, I had to communicate through email. I had to email the head of administration, Terri Lightle, at the Good Shepherd Alliance. Terri was very welcoming when she responded to my email, and informed me of all the volunteer opportunities at the Good Shepherd Alliance, which included volunteering at their thrift store, event planning, and various other events already planned by other caring volunteers. With all of these options, I decided that I would help in the thrift store. This was an easy way to get involved, and use some of my already developed skills. I had to communicate with many other people as well. Upon reaching the thrift store, I had to speak with the store manager to see what I could do to volunteer. Most of the people I spoke to were sweet and kind, but not all of them were. Learning how to handle people like that is really important. Talking with these people taught me that communication is a key role in community