Calgary D1 - breaking down the myth of difference

     Today was the first official day of ALSO 2012 in Calgary, and the vast majority of the day was spent in the van. We had a seven hour van ride from Saskatoon to Calgary which gave us a lot of time to think, or anticipate, or do nothing related to the trip at all. Personally, my thoughts were building in anticipation for the events that lie ahead of us. 

At Foothills waiting for supper.

     We had an official introduction from our group leader and RJC alumni, Megan Enns (so great to see RJC Alumni out in the world serving)  as well as a debriefing from a couple of social workers, one of whom had once "experienced homelessness." I put this in quotation marks because I picked up on their hint: that there is a distinct difference between saying "you are experiencing homelessness," and "you are homeless." The latter implies that being homeless is an eternal state, and that no hope can be found for your cause. Throughout the entire speech from the social workers, they never once used the term "homeless," but replaced it with "experiencing homelessness" on a number of occasions.

Debriefing with Calgary social workers after playing "The Game Of Life" (not the board game.)

     Another point they laid upon us heavily was related to the theme of ALSO this year; removing labels. They spoke about meeting people on the streets, taking the time to talk to them, and learning their own unique story to find out that the street people aren't any different than you and I. 

Journaling time!

     Before we embark on a journey that no one of us in this particular group have experienced, we are taking an evening to hang out and have a bit of fun, such as curling through the legs of chairs on the gym floor, and playing basketball with a volleyball. Tensions are running high in that game, as Nick yelled "My pants keep acting like PANTS!" followed by him kicking a ball at LP.

     We are being sent to bed early to prepare for our night on the street tomorrow, when we will spend an entire night out in the city, experiencing what it's like to have nowhere to go, (but you will read about this in a different blog post.) It has been relaxing for us so far, but things haven't even begun to warm up yet.

Travis Hebert

Calgary, Alberta

April 30, 2012