2 minute read
Seniors Advocate for the Marginalized
from SLUH Magazine
by SLUH
BY BRIAN GILMORE ‘02 AND SIMONIE ANZALONE
With class-wide service placements in January once again unavailable because of the pandemic, the Class of ‘22 shifted its focus to the Grande Project, an advocacy project designed to provide an alternative to the traditional SLUH Senior Project. In a complex era where so many people are suffering, the project challenges seniors to grow as ambassadors for Christ and take a step toward building up the Body of Christ on earth.
Named after St. Rutilio Grande (one of the newest saints of the Catholic Church) the Grande Project asks seniors to do four things: demonstrate care for a marginalized population; listen to those living the experience, to those on the frontline, to Catholic Tradition, to their heart, conscience, and experience; exercise their Godgiven privilege (gifts, talents, and opportunities) to give voice to the voiceless by becoming an engaged advocate in today’s world; and, ultimately, to awaken seniors’ God-given ability to bring about a more loving and equitable world.
Seniors first chose from one of 10 faith-driven topics[1], each related to tenets of Catholic Social Teaching. Then, they selected a specific audience to direct their advocacy: either elected officials, peers, SLUH faculty or their faith community. Finally, they identified a format to deliver their message, a medium that best suited their individual gifts and talents. Possible formats included podcasts, art creations, letters to elected officials, rhetorical essays and websites.
Ultimately, the project contains a degree of hopefulness, one that says the voice of an individual matters. When joined with the voices of other advocates, change can be made. Such hopefulness is a precious commodity in our day and age. It was our hope that seniors come face-to-face with their own agency and power to be a force of good out in the world.
[1] abortion, death penalty, ecological justice, food insecurity, homelessness, human trafficking, mental health, migration, racial justice, restorative justice St. Rutilio Grande (pictured), the namesake of the SLUH Grande Project, was an advocate for the poor and marginalized, and a martyr.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
The most important thing I learned while making my Grande Project was that sometimes sharing a story is profoundly more impactful than compiling statistics. Working on an advocacy project was a very different experience than from much of what I’ve done in my standard academic courses. Advocacy allowed me to showcase the complexities and hardships of others’ lives in a way that was meaningful for both them and me, the interviewer.
I hope my Grande Project inspires others and moves them toward honesty, authenticity and even vulnerability when speaking to others about their mental health. Mental health has become this stigmatized phrase that people try to avoid. However, I implore others to acknowledge that their mental health is constantly affected by what they expose themselves to, especially on the internet. I hope my Grande Project helps facilitate some change, even if it’s just one person questioning how social media is affecting their life.
GAVIN LAWHORN ‘22
