One thousand dollars to go!

Dear Readers,

Thanks to a donation I received this afternoon, I have surpassed the $1,500 mark! That means I have surpassed the required amount for February 2nd, and that I have less than $1,000 to go! Thank you so much for your generosity, and I wish you all the best!

-Michael

Merry Christmas

Dear Readers,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a safe, joyful, and blessed Christmas.

-Michael

Half way there!

Dear Readers,

After an excellent day of fundraising, with cheques and money from carolling, I have now reached and surpassed half of my fundraising goal of $2,500, and I am only $105 away from my February 2nd goal of $1,500. Thank you so very much!

-Michael

A Different Kind of Intercordia Business

With all of this talk about fund raising and travelling and volunteering, it is easy to forget about the other part of Intercordia. That is, the academic portion. In the midst of the Christmas fund raising drive and exams, we had our first academic seminar this evening on the campus of the University of St. Michael's College.

I have had a somewhat difficult time explaining to myself and to other what exactly Intercordia is. So, this is what the syllabus says:

"This course, offered in conjunction with the seminars and service learning experience coordinated by Intercordia Canada, will raise critical questions of social justice and international development from diverse religious and disciplinary perspectives. The course will consist of seven academic seminars, six of which will be held before the international placement and one thereafter."

The course objectives are:

1. To demonstrate critical understanding of and engagement with diverse religious and disciplinary perspectives on social justice and international development;

2. To develop strong connections between theoretical understanding and practical application before, during and after the service learning experience;

3. To strengthen academic skills in careful reading, critical analysis, and clear written expression.

This is what the academic part of Intercordia is all about, and this is what we will earn a university credit for. As for the diverse religious and disciplinary perspectives, they are diverse. The required reading list, in the order we will read, is:

Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom
Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo rei socialis (On Social Concern)
Dorothy Day, Loaves and Fishes
Malcom X, The Autobiography of Malcom X
Jean Vanier, Becoming Human

We will read the whole of each of these texts, and we will be required to write a short reflection paper for each of them. Also, we all are required to give a 15 minute presentation on one of these documents. I will present the late Pope's encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis. Surprise surprise!

The course also includes two papers. The first is a research paper on some person, event, or organization which is important to the country to which we have been placed in terms of social, political, and economic development. This paper is due before we leave.

We will also write an integration paper once we return. I am not sure to the exact nature of this assignment but it will include reflecting on our experiences while at our placements in the light of what we studied in the academic portion of the course. It is due in September.

That is a brief overview of the academic portion of Intercordia. I am sure that without it our experiences in our placements will be less meaningful.

-Michael

Facebook

Dear Readers,

I have created a facebook page to supplement this blog. You can reach it at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=43526142171&ref=ts.

-Michael

Carolling tomorrow at Bay and Front

Hey everyone,

Tomorrow afternoon from 3:00-6:00 we will carol at the corner of Bay and Front near Union Station to raise money. Come out and watch us make fools out of ourselves and perhaps even drop a loonie or two in the bucket!

-Michael

Follow another Intercordian

Dear readers,

I invite you to take a look at Siobhan Sweeny's blog at http://www.siobhanintercordia.blogspot.com/. She is a second year student at the University of Toronto and is also participating in Intercordia this year. She will go to Nicaragua.

Cheers,
Michael

Carolling

Hey everyone,

Yesterday, a bunch of us from the University of Toronto went to the corner of Bay and Bloor to carol and raise money. It turned out to be a reasonable success. We all had a lot of fun, despite the fact that by the end none of us could feel our feet or hands. Combined, we made just over $190, which turned out to be just over $27 each. Here are a few pictures from our day:


Outside Siobhan's house just before we left for Bay and Bloor. Top: Me, Siobhan. Bottom: Isobel, Imelda, Tania, Inesa.


This is my favourite shot of the day. The Sopranos (pun intended) continue to sing while I take a step back to take this picture. Order: Isobel, Inesa, Catalina, Siobhan, Tania, Imelda.

The decision is in: I'm going to Ukraine!

Yes, that's right folks. My placement next summer will be in Lviv, Ukraine! I will work with Faith and Light, which, according to their UK website,

"...is an International community movement bringing together people with a learning disability, their families carers and friends, particularly young people. It recognises that everyone has gifts to offer – the ability to welcome others with love and affection and a gift of Celebration. The communities are non residential and meet together regularly to pray , to share and to celebrate together. Friendships are formed and groups link to share outings and pilgrimages. The most important thing is to meet and listen to the man woman or child who is often marginalized in today’s society . In this way we get to know each other and nobody is left out."- http://www.faithandlight.org.uk/

From what I hear, there is a great stigma attached to disabled persons in Ukraine. Often, they are shunned and neglected. This in spite of the reality they are often most in need of love and care and they have wonderful gifts of their own to share with the world.

You may remember from a previous post that my first choice was Ecuador, and Ukraine was my second. So, why did the Intercordia staff choose to put me in Ukraine? There were three reasons. First, most participants from the U of T made Ecuador their first choice. So, the staff need to place some people elsewhere. And since I have at times expressed my enthusiasm and appreciation for Eastern Christianity, Clara (Intercordia rep to USMC) thought that I wouldn't be completely weirded out by the endless chant and incense so typical of Eastern Christian worship. This is quite true. I love the endless chant and incense of Eastern Christian worship! So, placing me in Ukraine wouldn't be detrimental to my spiritual life as a practicing Catholic. But, what seemed to top it off was the placement itself. Although from the very beginning I would travel to Ukraine before I would any other of the countries, I put it as my second choice because I was not sure if I would be completely comfortable with the placement. But, Clara thought that since I was the more intellectual/analytical type, working with disabled persons would do me well. And, I think she is right.

I am very excited and I look forward to going to Ukraine.

-Michael

I find out my placement today!

Dear Readers,

It turns out that I find out my placement today, and not tomorrow.

I will let you know.

-Michael

One Week

Dear Readers,

I will find out what my placement is in ONE WEEK! That is, on Wednesday, December 3rd.

The tension builds, and the excitement grows.

-Michael

Preparation Seminar II

Yesterday I attended the second of four day long preparation seminars. I think it was successful. Despite the lousy weather, everyone was in good spirits. We also had a guest from the University of Waterloo. She missed her seminar last week so she came to ours to make it up. Furthermore, we were in a much more suitable room than last time. Last time we were stuck in a small board room around a board table. This time we were in the Senior Common Room at St. Michael's College, which is much larger. And we didn't have a table separating us from each other.

We watched a powerful documentary which discussed Jean Vanier's vision of belonging and humanity. Everyone is dependent on others, everyone needs to belong. The idea that someone can live completely independent of others is completely false. We need family, friends, neighbours, parishioners, etc... in order to fluorish. When people separate themselves from their loved ones, regardless of reason, they lose a lot. For example, when Bay Street CEOs forget their family and friends to pursue six or seven digit salaries, or when African families are forced to flee their homeland due to political unrest, they leave everything behind, and find it very difficult to cope in their new life. The documentary included the story of a family which moved from Canada to northern Oklahoma so the father could have a better career and make more money for his family. This strong family which was rooted in the life of their parish and neighbourhood had to leave after only nine months and come back to Canada. They left behind their family and friends for what was supposed something better, but, they couldn't do it.

The documentary touched on other important themes. But this idea this idea of belonging will extend especially to our experience next summer. We will be completely uprooted. We will be sent from our comfortable Western home where all of our family and friends live to a place in a third world country where living conditions are often very simple and where there can be political and social unrest. We could be sent to Ghana, Honduras, Bosnia, or a whole host of other places. We will be away from our family and we will be in a place with customs and etiquette completely different than those of southern Ontario. The family in the video found it difficult to live in Oklahoma! That's nothing compared to the places we will be going to. This is something to think about and to reflect on as our departure date looms nearer.

This took up most of the morning session. After lunch, we got down to some serious business (as if the morning session wasn't serious!). Clara (the Intercordia rep to the University of Toronto) went through all of the placements. After this, we had the opportunity to choose our top three countries. These are my top three:

1. Ecuador
- There are many placements in Ecuador. There are medical clinics, schools, community centres, and numerous others. If I am awarded this placement, I will fill out a subsequent placement form to determine what specific thing I will do. This is run through Fundacion Reto Internacional: http://www.fundacionretointernacional.org.ec/.

2. Ukraine
- The placement here is in Lviv. I will work with Faith and Light (Віра і Світло). Part of this placement is to be at a centre where mentally and physically disabled people can come attend workshops and learn to do some basic carpentry, reading, writing, and other important skills. In Ukraine, there is still a stigma attached to the disabled so these kinds of centres are often neglected and underfunded. The website for Faith and Light is http://www.foietlumiere.org/site/english/

3. Ghana
- If I go to Ghana, I will teach at a rural public school which serves numerous surrounding villages. I could end up teaching anything. Some one last year ended up teaching native African religion! The schools are run the Ada Region Ministry of Education, Ghana. No website is available.

This was probably the most important part of the day. After it we discussed fundraising ideas. We will probably carol during the Christmas season in front of high end stores on Bay Street and Bloor Street and maybe the Eaton Centre. Apparently this has been very successful in the past. Remember, you can donate to me specifically at http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=2529.

During the very last part of the day the first round of people told their 'life story.' Part of the group building process is for each one of us to give a brief 5-10 minute story of their life. This will help us get to know each other better, it will help us understand where each one of us is coming from, and it encourages us to trust each other. Three of the eight of us went yesterday, myself being the first.

So, that's a brief overview of our seminar which went from 10:30-5:30. I think it was very successful. To be honest, I am much more confident about the goals of Intercordia now, especially after the video we watched on our founder's vision.

So, that's it for now. I will keep you updated as the weeks go by. Our next seminar will take place in early January.

God bless,
Michael

All Day Seminar

Hey everyone,

On Saturday, November 15th, I will participate in the second of four all-day preparation seminars. I will be sure to report on it.

Stay tuned.

-Michael

First Fundraising Drive

Dear Readers,

The goal of my first fundraising drive is to raise $1,000 by December 3rd. I need all the help I can get. Small donations, large donations, ALL donations will be received with gratitude. If you can, please donate something.

Money raised so far:
$695 (updated November 12th, 2008)

Remember, you can donate here: http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=2529

Thank you and God bless,
Michael

Welcome

Welcome to the blog which I will use to keep you updated during the time leading up to, during, and after my Intercordia experience. I will update it more frequently as the time of my departure grows nearer.

Intercordia is an experiential learning program which includes one semester of academic work followed by a three month placement in a third world country. The goal of the program is to promote cross cultural understanding and moral responsiveness of students by placing them in foreign communities. I have not been assigned a placement yet, but possibilities include Honduras, Ghana, Ukraine, and Bosnia. While I am there, I will live with a host family.

I need to raise approximately $2,500 in order to cover my expenses. If you can donate, click on the link 'Donations' on the right hand side of the page. You can also explore the program by clicking on the 'Intercordia Canada' link.