In today’s society, the United States receives a steady flow of immigrants from all
over the globe. Consequently, we have developed diverse societies within our own nation and healthy diplomatic relations with other countries. Unfortunately, President Trump refuses to see all of the positive outcomes of giving immigrants and refugees a chance for a better life, and thus, has eliminated the prospects of DACA as a whole and is planning to remove the visa lottery program. In doing so, Trump is disregarding the existence of the American Dream, an ideological necessity which the United States is built upon.
To help prevent further eradication of acts that help the underprivileged, our group decided to focus on raising awareness for the Immigration and Refugee Services of the Catholic Charities of the United States of America. We initially created posters and flyers to hang around our residence halls to notify our community of the importance of supporting the IRS of the Catholic Charities USA. People have approached me after reading the contents of the flyer to ask further questions about how they could volunteer for the organization to raise awareness. Others messaged me, asking what other organizations were out there, and I directed them to Charity Navigator to show what other groups need support. Another way we chose to inform more students on a grander scale was through our YouTube video. We chose to create a short video because cinematic products tend to attract a great number of people, as they are far more engaging and informative than a simple flyer. I posted a link of the video on my Facebook, which is how my friends, who do not attend Santa Clara University, were able to learn about our motive.
Here at Santa Clara University, many students have respectable moral standards, and as a result, those who approached me for more information about the IRS of the Catholic Charities USA were all very supportive. These students were eager to find methods of helping those underprivileged, as they only saw it fair to lend a hand
as individuals who were born with existing rights. Through my interactions with my hall mates and community around my residence, I was able to establish new connections and friendships through mutual feelings towards helping the needy. Instead of watching someone (the immigrants and refugees) get bullied (deprived of benefits) as bystanders, I was surprised by the number of students that were passionate to volunteer for the IRS of the Catholic Charities USA.
The individuals who were interested shared a vision similar to my own: taking advantage of our privileges to help the immigrants and refugees, rather than taking advantage of the underprivileged to set them further back in their ambitions. Before helping, it is important to recognize that they too, despite being born in a less fortunate circumstance, are humans. Humans should not deprive others due to variance in gender, race, or socioeconomic status, as we are not wholly characterized by such aspects. Rather, we are distinguished by our ethical stance and personalities, which is why it is imperative to help the immigrants and refugees escape the abyss of hopelessness.
poster: https://drive.google.com/a/scu.edu/file/d/0B01OpP79cmfhQkQ2aU9YRmRSUXc/view?usp=sharing
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MoY2ez77O4&feature=youtu.be