Learn about some fun events happening in Milledgeville that you can get involved with! It’s no secret that the majority of Georgia College students are from the Atlanta/ Metro-Atlanta area. While there’s obviously nothing wrong with that, moving to Milledgeville, a rural, small town can sometimes create a sense of culture shock among these students. Getting engaged in the local community can not only alleviate homesickness but also help out the surrounding community. Being an engaged citizen is important wherever you live, even if you are only a temporary resident like most GC students are in Milledgeville. We all have a responsibility to care for and cultivate our community. Our next event will discuss the cultural differences between rural and urban towns and dive deeper into how to be an engaged citizen in Milledgeville, but here are a few organizations and events to get started! Join us for “A Good Community is Hard to Build” On Wednesday, Oct. 2 and 5:30 in Donahoo Lounge. 1. Twin Lakes Library System- Library Fair The Twin Lakes Library is located in downtown Milledgeville near GMC with the new annex located right across from the post office. They also have a branch near Lake Sinclair. Their vision is to improve and enhance the educational, the cultural, and the recreational life of the communities they serve! This Saturday, Sept. 28th they are hosting a Library Fair from 9AM-2PM at the Hancock Branch (downtown across from the post office). There will be a book sale, plant sale, flea market, bake sale, and more! Support your local library and pick up some unique finds while listening to live music and engaging with the community! 2. Harrisburg Community and Collins P. Lee Community Center The Harrisburg Community Garden is located at the Collins P. Lee Community Center. Residents of Milledgeville have access to squares to plant whatever they would like and have the responsibility to cultivate and care for the garden. The Collins P. Lee Center hosts events throughout the year including movie showings and garden workdays. On Oct. 5th at 7:30 AM they are hosting the first annual 5k Run at the Collins P. Lee Community Center. The donations proceeds will benefit the Lucille Harris Community Garden Club! From 12 noon- 7 pm the same day the Collins P. Lee Community Center is hosting the first annual Harrisburg Festival which will include food, games, music, and arts and crafts. They are asking for donations to support the event! 3. Comfort Farms Comfort Farms is a livestock and produce farm whose goal is to help veterans who may suffer from PTSD through farm work and animal therapy. Their mission is extremely important, but they have had some unfortunate setbacks in the previous months. You can contact them to see how you can get involved or make a donation to allow them to continue their important work! Once again, supporting your local community is vital to creating a health and thriving atmosphere for all. While we as students may just be temporary residents, we still have a responsible to help cultivate our community while we are here.
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With the rising tension over border patrol and homeland security, terms like immigrants, aliens, asylum seekers, and refugees are being thrown in amongst debates. When you hear all the jargon between politicians and every day conversations about immigration those words seem to stick out the most. But do you really know the differences and implications of these and similar words? Not to worry because the DPE’s are here to help! The first thing you should know is that no human given refugee or asylee status is illegal. Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their home country because of violence, war, or persecution and often without warning. These people have been through the burner from rape and kidnappings to social discrimmination and yet they have the strength to leave all they know because they have no other choice. Upon fleeing they must be able to prove that they are in fact refugees and to be given refugee status. For those that do not receive refugee status they are termed asylum seekers. These are people who face the same dangers at home that refugees do, but they have yet to be given legal refugee status. It’s important to note that asylees must apply for protection at or across the border of the country they are seeking asylum from. These people are not “illegals” and according to US law all asylee cases must be heard. Next thing you should know is that a refugee or an asylee is not an immigrant. An immigrant is someone who makes a conscious decision to leave their home country with the intention of settling somewhere else. This group of individuals are free to return home and, after a lengthy vetting process, eventually go on to become citizens. A subsection of immigrants are migrants, people who move from place to place (in their home country or abroad) for economic reasons. Their goal is to seek opportunities, think seasonal farmers. They go where the work is. About ⅔ of immigrants and migrants come into the country with valid visas and they only become illegals when they’ve overstayed their visas, much like the rapper British born rapper 21 Savage. The last thing you should know is that the jargon about these groups can easily be targeted to make you fear them or make you support them. Common themes are calling lumping all immigrants and refugees under the term “illegal” or calling travelling groups “drug cartels”. MOst illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin are carried into the US through legal port of entries on semi-trucks and they go undetected by border patrol. The chances are non-existent that every asylum seeker or immigrant is smuggling an illegal drug. As an add on you should know that not every refugee or asylee is coming from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Information from MigrationPolicy.org state that most refugees are coming to the US are from East/South Asia and although a lot of asylees are coming from Central American countries, most are from China. Before the foundation of the US this land was claimed property of Europe and was filled with people from all over the world throughout time. Maybe you’re lucky enough to be able to trace your family roots but no one’s blood line is just “American”. Unless you’re a Native of course! We are truly a country foreigners and we should find better ways to accommodate and assist those who are migrants, asylees, immigrants, and refugees. The best thing you can do is research and find answers yourself! Words are so easily twisted, and beginning here is a great start, even so, the DPEs encourage you to find the truth yourself!
We thank you for stopping by and remember to check-in next week for information about our next event! Photo taken from: https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/word-refugee.html Graphs taken from: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/refugees-and-asylees-united-states Missed our first event of the semester? Don’t worry, here are some important highlights! To start, you might be surprised to learn that 1 in 5 Americans has a disability. This means that you have already met, you know, or you are a person with a disability. People with disabilities are the largest minority in the United States. It’s also the only marginalized group you can enter unexpectedly at any time. That being said, it’s important to learn about disability, accessibility, and ableism. Test yourself… Below are a few misconceptions about various disabilities. Decide for yourself if you think they are true or false then test your knowledge by reading the correct answer. The correct term for a parking space for a person with a disability is ‘handicapped space’ False: The term ‘handicap’ comes from a pejorative term used derogatively towards persons with a disability. While many signs still have this outdated terminology, the correct word to use is ‘accessible parking space.’ Deaf people can’t enjoy music False: There are many ways to enjoy music beyond listening to it! There are varying levels of deafness as well. Some people feel the vibration of the sound’s others use other methods, but deaf people can absolutely enjoy music! All people with disabilities want to inspire others False: Some people with disabilities want to inspire others, but others do not. This choice completely depends on the persons’ desires. Don’t assume that all people with disabilities want to inspire us, simply because they have a disability! Some wheelchair users can walk True: There are a myriad of reasons why people use wheelchairs. Some use them for long distances, others on days of particularly bad pain, others use them every day, and there’s plenty more reasons as well! We shouldn’t assume negativity about a person who doesn’t “seem like they need a wheelchair” because we have no idea what’s going on in their life! Who are we to judge? It’s okay to say the word ‘disabled’ sometimes True: ‘Disabled’ is not a bad word, it is a descriptive word that is completely fine to use in some cases. It is always up to the person, though. If someone asks you not to refer to them using that word, then it’s your responsibility to respect their wishes! While the United States has made strides in making sure people with disabilities have equal access to opportunities, we still have a long way to go. Everyday life can be challenging to people with disabilities when the inclusion of their needs is often an after-thought, or even forgotten entirely. For more resources for students with disabilities at GC, go to the Disability Resource Center or call them at 478-445-5931. Our next event of the semester will be on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stay tuned for more information!! |
Diondra FranklinThis DPE will be keeping it 100 every time she takes pen to page, or really fingers to keyboard. Be on the look out every other Saturday for the tea of the week! Archives
February 2020
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