My intervention project is to help those affected by the Turkey-Syrian Earthquake by promoting verified donation links. This has been an ongoing project outside of this class. To make a long story short, I wanted to bring donation boxes to campus and give the items to the Turkish Embassy as they publicly posted the items they needed for the victims. The issue was the list kept changing, and they stopped accepting clothing and other things most people have readily available.
This issue hits so close to home because I lived in Istanbul, Turkey, from September 2021-June 2022. Istanbul, thankfully, wasn't affected by everyone but is still hurting. Turkey has a lot of Syrian refugees living there. If you don't know, Syria also just ended a civil war and already wasn't doing well before the earthquake. Turkey's economy isn't the best ($1 = 18 Turkish lira); thus, most people on the ground helping are volunteers.
In promoting the donation links, I often get asked questions about Istanbul and what it's like to live in a different country where I don't speak the language. Thus came the 2nd part of my intervention project, a panel discussion on living abroad. In doing this, I'd raise awareness of the earthquake, encourage others to donate, and hopefully show them that traveling is possible.
Most people who grow up in urban communities don't have a passport because they see traveling as a luxury that they can't have. While traveling is a privilege, it's not impossible. Most people also don't know you don't need a passport to travel within the USA; just a verified state ID like a driver's license, and you can go to Puerto Rico. At the event, there will be a table for people to fill out their first-time passport application. They'd need to take it to the post office or their county clerk's office and pay a fee, but I'd love for people to get the first step in seeing the world.
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