For some participants on the trip, they weren't sure what they were supposed to have gained from their day in Santa Monica. Others felt that the day gave them a better understanding of the homeless situation...
~ Ariel attends West Virginia University. She is a current Tel Yehudah staff member and comes from a long line of Judaeans. She attended AWB as a teen.
Gaining Some Perspective
Gabriel Korish
Teens Hear From Jacob Holloway - Police officer - Homeless Liaison Program Santa Monica
Santa Monica. To me, this place represented charm, intricacy, and a seemingly perfect little community. I conceived that paradise and a metropolis of dreams were synonymous with this little city...
~ Gabe is a 10th grader from Randolph, NJ. He is active in New Jersey Young Judaea
Three Questions
Rachel Powell
Rachel _3rd from r_ at the LA Regional Food Bank - AWB 2013
This is my fourth year participating in alternative winter break, my third year in Los Angeles. I have met many PEOPLE. I put an emphasis on the word people because if I have learned anything I have learned that the homeless community consist of people...
~ Rachel Powell is a senior from Springfield, NJ and is the National Social Action Programmer on Young Judaea's National Teen Board. She will be attending Young Judaea's Year Course in the fall of 2017 after spending the summer at camp.
A Local Perspective
Sophia Fisher
During lunch there was a homeless man on a bench playing guitar and singing. When lunch was he came over to our group and he began to play and sing for us. He went on to tell us how just a few months before he taught himself how to play guitar.
~ Sophia Fisher is an 11th grader from Los Angeles
Yearning to Make a Difference
Sylvia Atwood
Sylvia (far r) takes a break with friends
The first day of Alternative Winter Break, to me, served as an introduction into the major homeless problem that LA faces. We met with a police officer who was a liaison for the homeless community in Santa Monica to help them get off the streets...
~ Sylvia Atwood is an 11th grader from Wilmington, NC.
A Texans Point of View
Jennifer Greenspan
On the third day of Hannukah, we attended the Santa Monica Police Department. We traveled downstairs to a room that they described as the "squad room." Being from Texas, I felt uncomfortable talking about gun usage and weapons. In a state that does not normalize this type of behavior, I believe it made it easier for the Santa Monica police to talk about gun usage.
~ Jennifer Greenspan is a junior from Dallas, Texas.
Short VS. Long Term
Raviv Goofing at the Game
Raviv Cohen
Today's experience of meeting with police officers and learning about the homeless in Santa Monica was interesting to see. Specifically, how homelessness and mental illness is practically handled in a police force. We had discussed with two officers the department's policies and actions they perform during calls, I felt fascinated by the conversations we were having.
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