Introduction Reflection-Laura Andrea Prieto

Part 1: Internship Reflection

The second semester of my internship will be very different than my first semester

because I will be in the department of Recreation and Leisure rather than the Fitness department

at Misericordia. With this shift to a new department I hope to further integrate myself into the

community by engaging with residents in new and intentional ways. In addition, after my first

semester at the fitness center, I realized that there were some areas that I could definitely be more

aware of the community around me and the skills and knowledge that the staff at the

organization already have. For example, I came into the internship with this concrete idea that I

was going to start an online system for the gym to use as a way to document the residents

improvement. However, I went in without talking to the staff or any of the volunteers on how I

was going to implement it. In addition, I created a goal that in hindsight was too large for one

person and that I could not achieve in one semester on a students schedule. Reflecting back on

this experience, I want to create plans with my staff and supervisors with the goal that the

residents will become more engaged and active in the tasks they are given. In addition, I want to

create tasks that I can commit to and achieve. I hope to continue to work on the online system

with the staff during this semester.

Some new responsibilities I would like to take on would be to gradually lead a rehearsal

or a class for the dance troupe, Showtimers, with the help of Gail and Jacob. Being that I am a

dancer, I have a standard idea of what a dance class should look like and how it should be taught.

This semester, I want to un-learn this and be open to new ways that dance classes can be taught

with the goals and the needs of the residents in mind. This is a goal for my social learning in that
I take the information from the environment to create a better plan and understanding in what my

role is as a teacher or teachers assistant. I also want to make sure that I am taking an active role

in talking with my supervisors to ask them questions and giving them my own ideas. I think this

will help me develop personally by expressing my own ideas and goals clearly and expressively.

I can do this by sending a weekly email to my supervisors checking in and following up with any

advice or tasks that may have come up the prior week.

I also want to have more responsibility in how I interact with the residents during gym

time and my efforts in connecting with them in their own way. This will require that I take the

time to listen to the resident and notice what they need at a certain moment and adapt my

interaction style accordingly. For example, the way I interact with a resident who is on the

Autism spectrum versus a resident with Down Syndrome may be slightly different. My challenge

intellectually and emotionally would be to take the time to listen to what they are saying or doing

and giving that value. This also includes me learning more sign language and becoming active in

interacting with residents who may be non-verbal. I will accomplish this through again paying

attention to how each resident communicates, but also in challenging myself to learn a new

phrase in sign language each week. I would also like to educate myself further about

developmental disabilities through watching documentaries and readings so that I can have many

perspectives to understand what is missing within this population. A feasible goal for this would

be to watch a documentary or read an article at least once every 3 weeks.

I hope that my actions pave the way for future interns to make the effort to work with

their supervisors and staff to use their talents in a way that will benefit the residents. I also hope

that I may serve the department in providing my own experience as a dancer and my knowledge

with exercise science to provide new ways to interact with the residents that they may have not
already used or heard of, for example, movement activities such as the brain dance that we use

in our dance pedagogy classes. Overall, I hope that by keeping my promises by completing the

tasks that I have outlined that I will be able to interact, further understand, and adapt to the needs

of the residents so that I can better serve them.

Part 2: Good Society and Social Justice

I agree with many of Loebs points in Pieces of a Vision especially in his idea of civic

responsibility and participation. For me a good society is one that takes into account the needs

of the people within communities in order to make a more just environment where the needs,

desires and ability to achieve of each person is attainable. I believe this begins with a value of

accountability that pervades economic, ecological and political aspects of society. Loeb (1999)

states that we should continue to nurture our sense of the sacred and honor the complex web of

life that supports us (p.260). This phrase demonstrates my idea of a good society by

highlighting the idea of accountability and connection among each one of us.

A good society acknowledges the economic effect of its actions on people indirectly and

directly. Loeb (1999) states that, we need to talk honestly about the human toll of such choices

asking specifically who benefits and who pays (p.263). I find this especially salient as Loeb

(1999) draws the distinction between the $800 million that Goldman Sachs partners won and the

$92 million that was slashed for the New York public university system (p.263). The fact that if

the partners at Goldman Sachs were able to give up just a fraction of their bonuses that they

would be able to cover the costs of the university costs demonstrates the civil responsibility that

we have to each other. I believe that we all should have the resources necessary to live and also

achieve our dreams. If this is taken away from somebody it is our responsibility to look at our
actions and examine how they are affecting the people around us. The structures in place should

ensure those at the top or the bottom of the economic ladder are either taxed enough or are given

enough aid to live a full life with a sense of care for others.

Ecologically, accountability can be applied to how we use our natural and manmade

resources and how we consider the ability of future generations to have a quality of life through

the resources they use. Politically, I believe that active dialogue and civic participation in

supporting local businesses and participating in active dialogue around current issues and

speaking with those that may disagree with you is vital to keeping each other accountable. For

example, the Evergreen co-op is a prime example for both of these spheres of a good society by

providing urban agriculture initiatives that plant lettuce for communities while also maintaining

worker representation where the workers have a stake in the company (Loeb, 1999). Co-ops like

these are able to affect their communities both politically with an ecological awareness while

also integrating the community into being accountable for their actions. Structures like these are

necessary for there to be a good society centered around accountability and care.

Social justice is the actions taken by citizens to ensure that a good society can be

achieved economically, ecologically, and politically. The center of social justice is engaging in

dialogue with fellow community members around differences in identities, beliefs, or values. Yet,

social justice is not fulfilled until action is taken. This is why listening and involving a

community into social justice is required for change to happen within a community. This change

would follow what Loeb cites from Gorz to decide whether our goals will increase human

dignity or diminish it, embolden peoples voices or stifle them, give ordinary citizen more or less

of a say (Loeb, 1999).

 My vision for the communities in which I live and work is that I take an active role and

enter the spaces acknowledging my privilege, being open to learn and being questioned, and

have an active dialogue between supervisors in my position and more than anything examining

how human dignity is preserved in the actions I take on a daily basis. Specifically, at

Misericordia I hope to support the organization by ensuring that I am treating the people at work

with dignity and also standing up when someone is not being treated with dignity. In addition,

where I live I would also like to be an active member of my community by supporting local

businesses and also informing myself of the laws and political issues that may be affecting the

area. I would also like to enter the community with the goal of connecting to others and being

open to how my identities whether that be as a student or otherwise may be perceived and what

knowledge I may have because of it. My role in those communities therefore, becomes an active

one where I strive to connect to others and build community through fighting for my own dignity

and those of my fellow community members to build a better society.