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 Jennifer Morazes , MSW -
Community Work in New Orleans
Summer 2007
- HI, I’m Jenn Morazes, and I am originally from the Boston-area of Massachusetts. Social Welfare, for me, is a call to service in community and a seeking for social justice. This impulse towards service and social justice exists deep within me. For the past ten years, I have dedicated myself to working with people who have experienced homelessness and trauma. My BA thesis in Sociology, investigated the life path of people who were homeless living with mental illness as they attempted to pursue their life goals. Through my graduate work in the MSW/PhD program in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley, I seek to continue work combining the four focus areas of homelessness, trauma, wealth distribution, and also the work of faith-based communities.
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| This summer, I traveled with a group of 22 people –families with parents and their pre-teen kids -- to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans to perform service and advocacy work. Although I was excited about this trip, I thought we may be “too late” to make an impact, as Hurricane Katrina had occurred two years prior. Unfortunately, I was very wrong. In the area where we volunteered, some places are still left as they were after the flood waters receded. I think it is important to honestly know that it was only three months ago that electricity and water was restored to parts of the Lower Ninth, and the local public school was scheduled to open in August 2007 – yes, two years after the levees broke! Many kids in the Lower Ninth have not been to school consistently, and their parents are actively seeking work, yet no work is available. Many people are not securely housed. I’ve experience anger and frustration seeing the area with my own eyes, yet also hope due the enormous amount of work occurring everyday by residents and volunteers. |
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I worked with an area summer camp run by a non-profit called Emergency Communities. In working with the kids there, the level of care and concern, as well as the investment of their parents and community was very apparent. Some of our group spent the week serving meals, others played games and ran learning activities for the kids, and some others helped gut houses to prepare them for rebuilding. Most importantly, we spoke with many local people who everyday perform heroic efforts for New Orleans. The kids in our group developed friendships with other kids which will endure. We have brought back their stories and performed advocacy on behalf of the region with the stories we heard – stories of struggle and hope.
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I have not completely digested my experience in the Lower Ninth, but the community-level work occurring inspired me. Looking forward, my hope for my work is to relate my findings on trauma in homeless and displaced populations in the United States to the work of others internationally. For example, through past experience working with friends in Southern Africa, I have been exposed to similar work on trauma and recovery occurring on a community level. My hope next summer is to begin further collaboration with these Southern Africa connections around my research interests. Overall, I hope this work makes a real impact in the lives of people. |
Photos by Barbara Cantora |
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