If you’ve ever met Evan Warnock ‘14, chances are it’s been in a lucky free minute between all of his activities, classes, and rehearsals. As a Buffer, an America Reads Coordinator, an AA leader, and a volunteer for Friends Without Borders, Evan is very involved on campus and loves what he does. His passion for service in particular lead him to become involved in Friends Without Borders, a tutoring program for refugees in Utica. Here is what Evan has to say about the program and his advice for Hamilton students who wish to get more involved in service activities:
How did you first become involved in Friends Without Borders?
I became involved with Friends Without Borders through a member of the class of 2012, Emily Cranshaw, and also an Introduction to Photography class taught by Robert Knight. For this class, I started exploring Utica on my own and taking photographs along the way. I visited bars, mechanic shops, roadside convenience stores, and even a Latino hair salon. I asked the Uticans I met about their opinions of the city they call home. In my photography adventures in Utica, I was so amazed by the diversity of people and amazing subcultures that exist there. Inspired to learn more about this town, I decided to begin volunteering at the Newcomers Classroom at the Underground Cafe through the Hamilton program Friends Without Borders where I worked with refugee students helping them to develop their English skills.
What exactly does the program hope to accomplish and what do you do when you volunteer?
The program hopes to help recently arrived refugees better acclimate to American culture as new citizens of Utica. The students at the Newcomers Classroom range from 18-22 years old, and find themselves without any English skills, access to education, and job opportunities when they get to Utica. F.W.B. hopes to work with ESOL teachers to ensure an easier transition to Utica for these students.
What has been the most meaningful experience you’ve had through program so far? Is there one memory in particular that sticks out?
One of the more memorable moments from my time at Friends Without Borders was an afternoon where I tried to explain the game rock-paper-scissors shoot to a group of refugee students. Obviously with the language barrier, it was a hard to pull of, and it was probably half an hour before I really had them playing. This was such an unusual teaching moment for me, having to use whatever resources I had to try to explain to them this pretty strange, but fun America game. It is moments like this I really enjoy, and I know the refugees appreciate as well being exposed to another small piece of American culture.
What advice would you give to students at Hamilton looking to get involved in service projects?
The advice I would give to students at Hamilton interested in community service work in our surrounding communities is to be consistent. I think it is one thing to volunteer to feel like a do-gooder, and another to volunteer and really become engrossed in the reasons why you are giving help. Moreover, I would urge Hamilton students not just to volunteer, but think about how they can tie the things they learn through community service back into the things they are studying in the classroom. This is vitally important not solely as a further educational goal, but also so that the problems volunteers are exposed to in the community are not simply acknowledged, but significantly improved.
You recently spoke at the SUNYIT Collaborative Gallery opening about your experiences with the refugee population and your interest in photography. How did these two interests come together and what has been the result?
My involvement with the SUNYIT collaborative event called “Refugees Starting Over” came through an independent photography project I completed earlier this fall called The Place They Call Home. It is a collection of ten portraits of students at the Newcomers Classroom taken last spring, and it has been exhibited at the Days Massolo Center all this Fall. The body of works seeks to celebrate these students as individuals and significant contributors to the repopulation and revitalization of Utica through its growing refugee population. It is also a plea for Hamilton student to recognize the opportunities available to work with this unique group of people. For those interested in viewing my photographs, please visit my website at http://evanwarnock.virb.com/, and go to The Place They Call Home.