Student Testimonials - #2
Bread of Life (BOL) is a weekly KCI-facilitated initiative at Alameda Park. Every Thursday evening, dozens of students from Westmont College spend time at the park simply to meet and converse with what we call “our friends without homes.”
Question: What have you learned from or about our neighbors without homes?
“I have learned that they are SO STRONG, they have complex and layered lives, and they have so much to say if you only listen.”
“I’ve learned that many of them had normal lives just like me. I’ve learned so much about patience in relationships. Before Bread of Life, I would typically gravitate towards people more like me. Now I realize that if people don’t initially seem like me, I should go get curious. There are so many wonderful things you can learn about people if you just choose to ask thoughtful questions.”
“I have learned more about the emotional and psychological struggle that people experience every day. I’ve noticed that very few people choose to talk about their physical circumstances but rather talk about various mental and emotional impacts. I think this just shows how isolating and lonely homelessness can be. Not only do they have to deal with the daily struggles of not having shelter or food or [a] place to call their own, but they have to deal with the emotional toll of being cut off from others and marginalized by their very own society. It really makes you reflect on how you have played a part in this and how we can play a part in changing it.”
“I have learned from their resilience. More than a broad lesson, I have learned the stories of individuals, which I guess has also made me eager to connect with the unhoused population in whatever city I end up in.”
“I have learned a lot of crazy stories and a lot of hard stories - but that’s really it, I have learned stories. I have learned that every single person experiencing homelessness has this wealth of experience, knowledge, wisdom, and compassion that we all have due to our unique stories. This doesn’t just stop happening when someone loses housing. This has challenged my own perception of people experiencing homelessness, especially HOW they became homeless, which is often so much more complex than we would like to make it out to be. I have seen firsthand the effects of systems that make it hard to get housing and what that does to people’s lives, and it makes me both frustrated and acutely aware of the need for more effort to be put into changing these systems.”
“I have learned the power of relationships. What I learned is that most people value the food and the resources at the park, but what they truly come for is the opportunity to have meaningful conversations. There is so much power in the conversations had at the park.”
“BOL has taught me how important human connection is. I had no idea how much a simple smile or an easy conversation can change someone’s whole day or week. I had never thought to put myself into their shoes, but without any type of real connection, I would feel so alone and so cast out from the world. BOL has made me more empathetic, more understanding, and I genuinely believe it has changed my life.”