Not So Different

We have only known each other for 2 weeks, and we have become one big family. What I loved about this week is that we learned so much more about Chattanooga itself. Unlike any other city, Chattanooga has social problems. This week we have met social workers, teachers and members of Chattanoogans Connected: who all work hard to make this city a better place.

We got on a bus tour through different neighborhoods in Chattanooga, to see some of the issues ourselves. Afterwards we discussed the social problems in our own countries and surprisingly most of these problems were similar (for example racism, food deserts, bad transportation and lack of access to a good education system).

We got into groups in order to find suitable solutions for one of these problems. My group decided to make a video in which UTC students talked about racism and their personal experiences. It was really shocking to hear these stories, but it helped to create more awareness. One way to tackle this challenge is to implement courses in elementary and middle schools, teaching them about diversity and its positive effects on society. Our teacher Dr. Kathy Goodridge P. encouraged and motivated all of us to work on these social problems in our home countries.