As we go through the program nicely prepared by the UD staff, we feel like they were kind of reading our mind in order to have the bigger picture where the entire UD Washington fellows will see their interests covered. Well, it was the case this Thursday, 27 June, when we all enjoyed the site visit at Easter Seals in Newark DE (http://www.easterseals.com/).
At Easter Seals, we had a warm welcome, followed by short and really interesting presentations. What I found particularly intersecting was the connection between the presenters and their lives, passions, and skills. All of these combined to serve this very challenging cause, which is creating a convenient support system available and accessible for people with disabilities. The different services and programs outlined in their presentation showed how disability advocates can propose a variety of packages for this particular group of Washington Fellows while staying focused on their goals, one of the things I’m struggling with back home. Because I find it hard to step away from people’s requests, in terms of support, I end up working for their project and always postponing my own. I hope I will have support from my other fellows or the staff, or I will have to find my own way to a solution. I was very impressed by the Easter Seal management team’s ability to organize themselves to provide mutual support, since their work was so demanding that it could easily cause stress and cut their motivation down.
In the afternoon, meeting with Dean Babatunde Ogunnaike, the William L. Friend Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware and the dean of the University’s College of Engineering, and Professor Kelebogile Setiloane, associate professor of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, was quite another sort of experience. It was one of those classes in which you are told to sit down, listen, and respond, not for the sake of responding alone, but because you have deeply reflected upon what you have to say. I personally was extremely surprised by the approach the Dean used to nail the African problem around governance, the participation of youth, and accountability issues before ending by challenging us during and after our time in Newark. Dean Ogunnaike challenged us all to reflect on how we see and live with issues related to our various causes, how they affect the ‘‘actual Africa’’ that needs to shift into a new Africa, and what role we have to play in it. It was an engaging and challenging debate, which I hope will play continually in our minds and be an inspiration. I believe that the hope he sees in us will not fade away this time once we all find the answers to his questions. For the first question, I believe it’s personal, but this link will be useful to reflect on the motive that should be tying us to our causes at home.