Community Engagement: Where Different Life Paths Meet

Members of our student group supported different ACTIYAM NGO initiatives, such as providing small lunches for homeless people.

During this trip to Spain I have gotten to work first hand with some of the homeless here. Working with the homeless here has been a life changing experience. I also really liked working with the men that volunteered with us at Actiyam. A couple of them had been homeless before and so they knew how important it was to give food to these people. Working together to feed the homeless was an amazing experience. It was also great to be able to work with such amazing men that help make a difference with the homeless in Valencia.

One man in particular knew first hand how rough the streets got and how hard it was to buy food. He would always bring us to run down houses and knock and called out peoples names. Everyday no one would come to the door. One day I asked why we came here if no one seemed to live here? He told me that he actually used to live here once and that there are three other people that live here but are too embarrassed to be seen so they wait until we leave to get the food that we set out for them. He then told a story about when he was living in an abandoned house the third floor came crashing down and the house was destroyed. He then told us that it was a miracle that no one died. He told us that there have been many times when homeless people have been killed by collapsing abandoned buildings. He also mentions another reason why he is at the NGO. He used to sell and do drugs when he was younger and that was one of the main reasons why he was homeless in the first place. He said by working at the NGO he has learned so much about himself and it has made him turn his life around.

I met another man that was Actiyam for community service. He was caught drinking and driving. He came from a different walk of life. He had a college degree and has two kids. He normally helps with construction at Actiyam but one of the days we were there he walked with us to handout sandwiches. He knew just by looking at people who really needed the food and who was just pretending to be homeless to get money.

Another man that helps out at Actiyam is homeless and doesn't have a job or a place to take a shower or to eat. He comes to Actiyam so he can take a shower and get something to eat. He helps around Actiyam by handing out sandwiches to the homeless people and building things for Actiyam. He was by far one of my favorite people to go feed the homeless with. He was so kind to every person we fed and he knew all the places to go. With him we wouldn’t feed the same person twice. We were able to find a new group of people that needed the food we made.

The homeless back in the United States are way different and the help they receive is also so different. You never see the same person twice and a lot of the people that beg on the street use the money for alternative reasons. There are people that do help the homeless in Minneapolis but I think that the work we did here in Valencia will leave a way larger impact on my life. In the beginning I thought that Actiyam could do more to help the homeless but after being her for a month I realized that they are doing more than enough. The take the time to truly create a relationship with these people.

Even though all these men come from different walks of life the one thing that all these men shared was compassion. They never looked at a homeless person as “dirty” or “disgusting”. They were always kind and would talk to the homeless like they were their friends. It was amazing to see the deep rooted connections that these men have made with the homeless people around Valencia. I liked being a part of helping the homeless because I felt that towards the end of the month I made a real connection with these people. It is an experience I’ll reflect on and cherish forever.