The classoom comes to the students

When we recruit students for OSY classes, they often ask where they will attend school. They are always surprised when we point to the yard or field around them and say "Your school is right here." This particular classroom is in the front yard of a small house we call Casa Blanca on Storyteller Road.



Not in the job description.

Each year I get to interview individuals who are interested in working for the Migrant Education Program. More specifically. The OSY Team. When they ask me for a job description, I am always at a loss. So much of what we do for migrant workers and their families goes beyond the job description on the written page.

The following photos are evidence of just one of the many creative ways in which the OSY team comes up to provide services. I can honestly say that I did not come up with the creative idea of doing manicures at the Migrant Festival on Saturday, June 23, 2012.

Hands and farm work are in constant struggle all summer in the fields and camps. The woman and young girls thoroughly enjoyed some special pampering provided by  Violeta, Melissale, and Rachel.

 

Here's Looking At You Kid!

One of the best parts of working in the Migrant Education Program is interacting with the children of the camps. They are unaware of the economic and political powers that directly affect the lives of the adults around them. They seem to find the joy within the moment, like any other children.

Faces of a new day

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”


― Maya Angelou

A tragic story

This is a tragic story on so many levels. A migrant worker from Guatemala dies in a firey crash on Coffin Point Road.

And the speculation continues to swirl like the sparks from the powerlines that came crashing down in the conflagration: no license, no papers, no regard for himself, no concern for others, more drunk driving, speed in excess of 100 mph  . . . .

Let me tell you what I do know.

The man who died in this crash had a brother who loved him. I could see it in his eyes. The man who died has loved ones in Guatemala who miss their father, their brother, their grandson, their novio. They will have to learn to live without the income he provided them each week in the form of a Money Gram purchase at the Mexican Tienda. Eighty percent of his income for his family, the rest to pay the women in the camps who prepare his food everyday and who clean the room he shares with five other men. The meager amount of money left. . . who knows. A 12 pack of Bud Light?  Some extra change for a game of cards in the late evening before seeking refuge from the Lowcountry mosquitos?

And now his brother here and his family there attempt to raise the money to transport his remains back to the land of his birth. The amount they need is $8500--a lifetime of income for many Guatemalans.

I do not know if they will be able to raise such an exorbitant amount of money. I do know that this story happens entirely too often. I do know that it is a tragic story.

A day in the life of a migrant recruiter

Migrant recruiter Aaron Hirsch is always on the lookout for new OSY to enroll for services in the Beaufort County Migrant Education Program. The faces of the young men in the photo illustrate the positive report that he has established with many of the migrant workers who have just recently arrived from Plant City, Florida.

Having at ball at Paragon Camp

Thanks to the good folks at Water's Edge Methodist Church in Beaufort, SC, there were some very happy kids at Paragon Migrant Camp. I think it's important for people to see that their efforts and donations really do make a difference in the lives of those who receive them.

The little boy in the back was eager to finish his supper so he could play with his new soccer bal. Thanks to the generous donations of people and organizations throughout Beaufort County, the lives of others are made a little easier.