SALD RAPP program – Out of Our Comfort Zones
UC campus offers various cultural consciousness raising events aimed to give students more skills and knowledge about issues. The program I attended is the Racial Awareness Program (RAPP). The paper delineates on various aspects concerning the program, what I did and what I learned.
The program focuses on three major areas, which include; intensive development programs, alumni engagement and outreach. I selected this program because I wanted to understand what it was all about. I had read about the program but did not understand it well and hoped that it would enable me to appreciate other people’s cultures without feeling bad. I also wanted to learn about RAPP leadership program to understand the responsibilities of a leader in a diverse community.
The most important thing I hoped to learn is about what RAPP program does on the campus and how they create awareness of the programs or things that they engage in. I therefore rank RAPP at 8 out of 10 on the scale for making me understand that I am an alumni. I can still contribute my ideas to the program.
I must admit that this program has pushed me out of my comfort zone to a great magnitude. I used to be confined and could not even relate and associate with others. I used to fear being judged by others and therefore, this made me to live an isolated life. However, this program enabled me to come out of this confinement and to socialize with my peers. I developed a positive attitude about how others view me and this helped in raising my self-esteem. I can now raise my voice and speak my mind without any fear. I also learned that there were many students just like me and had managed to come out of their situations.
My experience at first was difficult because I was not used to doing things out of my comfort zone. I felt far out of my comfort zone meeting people that were smarter and knowledgeable than me. My experience at RAPP was nevertheless enlightening for me especially when I met people that wanted to find where they belonged. I also was motivated to learn the commitment of people to find oppression and to promote collective action (Park, 2011). I was touched by this experience and I feel that all students should attend the meeting to learn how to appreciate others and to do things differently. The opportunity further gave me an opportunity to learn various things. I met different people at RAPP that were welcoming and from different cultural backgrounds. I therefore learned how to relate with people from diverse cultures and appreciated the importance of diversity for a social worker.
Before attending the meeting, I did not give the program much attention because I did not understand how it could help me as a social worker. I thought it was a waste of my time because I had a lot of things to do. However, when I attended the meeting, I was excited and filled with joy because of what I learned. I was anxious when I stepped at the door and before entering, I gave myself a pep talk. I then entered and walked around to familiarize myself and to meet with individuals to help me manage my anxiety.
I also observed many aspects. I learned that many workshops and trainings are offered at campus aimed at building cross cultural communication skills, social justice issues, self-awareness and programs aimed at fighting oppression. Other programs aimed at exploring our social issues such as sexuality, race, gender, classroom program and religion among others.
The program has enhanced my cultural awareness. I got to understand myself better. I also got to appreciate the need for people to get out of their comfort zone and explore on other aspects of life and even think out of box to ensure that they accomplish their lives and meet their objectives.
Reference
Park, J. (2011). Confronting racial prejudice: The ideological implications of racial conflict on ABC’s Wife Swap, Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 25(3): 317-331.
