September+26

Fieldwork Notes -

Homelessness We served and shared breakfast at the Lincoln Park Community Shelter in the morning. We did a fine job of splitting up tasks and preparing the food. The sausages were a big hit, but our oatmeal left something to be desired. Students really embraced the opportunity to talk with shelter residents. They ate and chatted for more than an hour.

Before we left, the white haired gentleman on the right stopped me to let me know that this is a great group of kids -he was impressed by their demeanor and their respect.

In the afternoon, we visited the new Uptown offices of //StreetWise//, where we were mostly talked to. The highlight of this visit for me was the first half hour, during which we observed a training session for new vendors. Greg, the man who ran the session, has been working at //StreetWise// for fifteen years now, and he is just a master of energy and focus. He has been there, done that, but he's also a college-educated, well-spoken, richly expressive teacher who knows how to mix story and key points.