This quarter I had two classes that had a community-based learning component; my ENGL 121 class and my EDUC 280 class. My ENGL 121 class was focused on mutual aid and radical care, so my learning felt very relevant to working with a local nonprofit organization. The EDUC 280 class is the intro class to my major, so I was able to look at how community work is viewed and approached from the ECO perspective.

 

The organization I partnered with, WELD, was interesting to learn about because the systemic issues it addresses are so prevalent in the USA and in Seattle. Discrimination based on criminal history is very real, and there is a lack of support for people who have any involvement with the justice system, addiction, or homelessness. It was a privilege to have been able to partner with WELD this past quarter. I learned a lot about running organizations that dignify and empower the communities that engage with them. 

My tasks and engagement mainly involved research and interviewing for a project that documents the stories of WELD alumni. My research project culminated in a six page research paper where I examined trauma informed care as an approach to mental health services for incarcerated individuals. WELD has the highest value for mental health and this reflects in the services they offer. Many people who are incarcerated or who were previously incarcerated have experienced elevated rates of childhood and adult trauma as compared to the general population. I learned that it is absolutely necessary to seek to understand the experiences of people when providing mental health services. 

WELD is opening a new center in Seattle called 1426, where they will specifically be providing trauma informed therapy services, along with many other program opportunities. This was an opportunity to dive deeper into a subject that I chose myself. WELD allowed us to explore any topic we wanted related to incarceration. 

I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next for WELD. They are a needed and relevant support, an organization that seeks to unite with the community. Their staff model is sustainable because people who participate in the program graduate and gain positions in the community and even in the WELD. 
The interview I did with a former WELD member Tammie was incredibly impactful for me to see the kind of transformation that people can bring about for themselves. 

Tammie (whose published interview transcribed and introduced by WELD can be read here) told me in the interview that she had been in and out of prison multiple times throughout their life. She had had little to no relationship with their family or kids for decades, and drugs only compounded mental health struggles she had to deal with. Tammie became emotional during the interview when describing how proud she was of her daughter, who is now working and will be entering college, after all she'd put her daughter through (paraphrasing from Tammie's words). It’s a testament to WELD and the community that supported this person as they created change for themself. After the interview there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. I was moved. It gives me hope that healing and restoration can happen with willing people and effective community organization, even through the hardest situations. Tammie is now a manager in an organization and constantly is sought for advice on how to deal with situations, because according to her, she's been through it all. 

I had a lot to process after that interview, and the same for my group members, for an interview that was only half an hour. We had worked together to prepare the questions for the interviews with as much honor and intentionality as we could, but credit goes to Elizabeth Pershing for coaching us through the preparation of sincerely and openly asking someone to tell their story. I feel very honored to have been the interviewer, and I recognize the power and trust given to me in that moment. A UW college freshman, asking a grown adult for their story, in the presence of cameras and family members and staff. I am very thankful to the person who shared their story and Chandler and Mark and Elisabeth for making the interviews possible. 

If I had this experience again (and I would definitely be open to it), I think I would seek out more in-person experience with WELD. I want to learn more about the American incarceration/justice system from this as well, and what solutions are best for coming alongside those in the community who are impacted by the system. There are some roadblocks to partnering with WELD, for example that they are an hour bus ride away from UW. I remember I missed the stop for WELD and I got confused making it to the location. That’s even with my phone and an ORCA card! Earlier in the quarter, Kareem and Chandler talked about how it’s good to experience the difficulty of finding a location, especially imagining it from the point of view of someone who doesn’t have a home or access to GPS and has to pay for each new bus ride. For me, I have more freedom to make mistakes because I have an orca card given by the university. I thought it was really good to take that perspective and have more understanding for people who are late. I know how unreliable the bus system can be with construction and detours, so that’s something very valuable that I learned and am still learning from this experience. 

Once I finally made it to the office, I was able to see the people who work and participate there. Being at their office is something I’ll never forget because of the stories that I witnessed there. After seeing how WELD runs, I feel more affirmed in wanting to go into a career that’s strongly relational. When WELD alumni came into the room, WELD staff knew them and greeted them like family, because they had real and deep relationships with them. No nonprofit is perfect but I am glad to see this kind of humility in large organizations. It relates to what I’ve been learning in my ENGL 121 class about mutual aid and making service effective and humanizing. I’m encouraged and inspired to see organizations like WELD, who are quick to clarify that they come alongside members of the community, knowing that the people themselves are the ones who do the life-changing work.