From experiencing poverty at a local level to the simulation of debate of legalisation of marijuana at a national level, today has enhanced my personal understanding of the importance of ‘integration’ in a number of ways.
After collecting the right participants of the poverty workshop and four participants of other Social Issue Workshops in the pleasantly lively centre of the city, we set off with a lady from DIF (Desarrollo Integral de La Familia – a government-supported organisation that seeks to develop and help families in the poorer areas of Mexico) to visit a ‘colonia’ near San Miguel, an area that I feel comes closer to the reality of many Mexicans than the wealthy, highly condensed with American and other rich foreigners, centre does. Having visited one of the biggest slums in Africa (Kibera, part of Kenya’s capital Nairobi) I had the opportunity to compare the neighbourhood to my previous experience of severe poverty. What I noticed right away was the amount of space available for housing and that most houses were constructed of brick. The poverty I witnessed in Kenia was a lot worse at first sight, but that does not make the situation of the Mexicans living here any better. Little food, almost no employment and half constructed houses are the strict norms rather than the exception. However, to my surprise the lady told us the neighbourhood is very safe, partly due to the police station that is based right next to it. More importantly though, many of the people seem to have not lost hope in improving their situation and lives and do not resolve to violence, unlike many other neighbourhoods around. There seems to be a strong support for the importance of education and most of the children have access to schooling ( orat least frequently…). Considering the quality of public education in Mexico, I admire their persistancy and gratitude for their possibility. It made me question the number of times I have lacked attention and passion for learning in the class room, alongside many of my co-years in the Netherlands.
Perhaps the way we approached the visit wasn’t most respectful towards the community. We were a large group of 15, including two non-mexican visitors (me and Luke), with a big camera and lots of wealth (think about all the cameras, ipods, shoes etc. we had on us). Even the three bananas that were hiding in my bag made my stomach twist a little with guilt. We had questions prepared for the interviews and asked our students to focus on what we had been discussing the last week – how and whether they noticed the larger causes (such as history, bad governance and geographical causes), personal causes (such as a lack of inititative and passive acceptance); which governmental programs were active in the area and how they were working. One of the participants had a healthy feeling of unease, partly caused, as she explained me later, she felt that we did not want to get to know the people, but rather just hear the answers to our questions. We did not have enough time to truely engage with the people, but I agree that the interviews were not conversations. I think the majority of us felt quite intruding on their lives.
The visit did make a great impression on some of the participants, including me. It made me think and reflect on how I want to spend my life creating change. Because, although Integrando a Mexico is for the participants, it has inspired me to explore myself how I can change to become a true ‘agent of social change’ (as we say in the project’s terminology). This includes the question whether I want to help on a more local level, truely engaging and integration with a community or on a more distant, but larger scale in, for instance politics. Both are things I will have to explore during my time at university, which starts the coming month. What is, either way, really important is the concept of ‘integration’. With this integration comes the personal connection you have with what you are doing, wether it’s directly with the people or from a distance. It means diving into the topic and issue you are dealing with, eliminating a selfishness that could distract from truely helping the people.
The afternoon continued with hungry stomaches and a number of final speeches after three afternoons of the simulation of a society. A concept that might sound vague, but was a great success for the participants’ understanding of one current issue in Mexico and how the process around referendum in the government works. The question was whether the sale and consumption of marihuana in private establishments (in Holland these would less elegantly be labled as ‘coffee shops’) should be legalised in Mexico. Unexpectedly the issue was voted against with a one vote difference. The debate involved many intelligent and well developed arguments. Mexico seems to deal with the problem of Marihuana consumption as a criminal issue rather than a public health issue. Would this change, prevention and educational programs would be more accesible and easy to organise. Of course the War on Drugs was an important topic of discussion, with the question whether the legalisation would make the problem worse or would improve it. It was argued legalisation would lead to a greater consumption and an aggrevation of the violence. I was told later that more or less 50 % of all the drug trafficking in Mexico consists of Marihuana, a number that rather shocked me. More important than the participants gained knowledge, an ability to create arguments (that they might not personally agree with) and the ability to discuss such an issue, is I think the enforced important of Civic Engagement. Many who disliked politics thought of civic engagement and democracy as a politcal action, but did not realize that it can also be implemented on a local level. The activity has served as a great movitation (that of course yet has to be put into action) to raise more awareness and create discussion in home communities about these issues of public concern.
The afternoon continued with hungry stomaches and a number of final speeches after three afternoons of the simulation of a society. A concept that might sound vague, but was a great success for the participants’ understanding of one current issue in Mexico and how the process around referendum in the government works. The question was whether the sale and consumption of marihuana in private establishments (in Holland these would less elegantly be labled as ‘coffee shops’) should be legalised in Mexico. Unexpectedly the issue was voted against with a one vote difference. The debate involved many intelligent and well developed arguments. Mexico seems to deal with the problem of Marihuana consumption as a criminal issue rather than a public health issue. Would this change, prevention and educational programs would be more accesible and easy to organise. Of course the War on Drugs was an important topic of discussion, with the question whether the legalisation would make the problem worse or would improve it. It was argued legalisation would lead to a greater consumption and an aggrevation of the violence. I was told later that more or less 50 % of all the drug trafficking in Mexico consists of Marihuana, a number that rather shocked me. More important than the participants gained knowledge, an ability to create arguments (that they might not personally agree with) and the ability to discuss such an issue, is I think the enforced important of Civic Engagement. Many who disliked politics thought of civic engagement and democracy as a politcal action, but did not realize that it can also be implemented on a local level. The activity has served as a great movitation (that of course yet has to be put into action) to raise more awareness and create discussion in home communities about these issues of public concern.
Simultaneously, today’s events made me reflect upon my own civic engagement in the Netherlands. Though having voted in 2010 for the new government, I have not been up to date at all with the national news and events. I realize that if I am asked about the history of the Netherlands my knowledge barely scrapes the surface. And when was marihuana legalized (or decriminalized) in the Netherlands? How was that transition for our society? Neither do I feel up to date or knowledgeable about a lot of issues going on in the world community. I feel more than ever connected with the issues facing Mexico due to the intense interaction we have had with the participants and preparation we have gone through for the workshops. Nevertheless, I feel more than ever motivated to ‘integrate’ more in society, that of my home country and that of the world. And to talk. Because more important than anything, I feel conversation and sharing of thoughts is the most powerful device to meet opportunity and truely make a change.
While reflecting on the past day, I am enjoying sitting here in my room, with the buzz of conversation in the room next to me and Sonia writing post cards on the bed next to me, whilst listening to Juan Luis Guerra (a merengue artist) and feeling excited for a salsa night in San Miguel with my wonderful co-facilitators aka friends.
Laura Brouwer (The Netherlands, AC 09-11)
Laura Brouwer (The Netherlands, AC 09-11)
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