$2 Challenge at Point Loma Nazarene University

One of the cool things about working at a university is the opportunity to see students tackle the important issues of our world. A good liberal arts education helps a person put the joys and trials of life into perspective. There's no way we'll be able to have a perfect life here on earth, nor will we be able to have a perfectly horrible life. It's a balance. We get to laugh and cry.

Development or international aid or whatever-it's-called is kind of like that. There is no glory to be found in extreme poverty. But those who are impoverished are people, like you and me, and so even in the midst of poverty there can be mixed emotions. We have the ability to imagine what those less fortunate than us experience. And we also can imagine a better life for them (and by extension, ourselves). That's a little of what happened a couple weeks back when about forty students at Point Loma Nazarene University participated in the $2 Challenge. None of them felt like they were experiencing the "real thing." That wasn't the point. The point was to imagine a little bit what it might be like to live impoverished. Become aware enough to do something about it, some how, some way.

Here's a little video I put together of the event. (I wanna apologize for some of the technical deficiencies of the video, but will hold my tongue.) Hope you enjoy it, and feel a bit inspired to participate in solutions!

PLNU $2 Challenge from Point Loma Nazarene University on Vimeo.

[Note: I should probably say that, though I work for PLNU, the odd views sometimes expressed on this, my personal blog, are wholly my own and in no way are they endorsed by the university, I think.]

Comments

[Laura Lee]

This is so fascinating to me. What a great experiment for those students.

[Oops I Cr*@***** in my pants]

Forgot to add: Never saw a hand printed sign so clean and white that stated: SLUM TOWN.

Pathetic..

[Oops I Cr*in my pants]

Bunch on Nuevo kids.. acting in a play. Everywhere in the video are kids acting. Prentending what it may be like to experience life in a slum. Jeez.. they all look so sheltered as it is. San Diego, Students at a financially high end university... playing a small part in awareness. Plenty of condiments on the tables, plenty on places from them to sit on nice clean tables and slide down on fresh green grass. new sleeping bags, new cardboard, new clothes, hot meals, water fountains, and warm clothing and shelter. And in the end after they are done pretend acting, they still have all the food, water and shelter they need and want... plus more

40 reminds me of Moses...
Jeez.. a pathetic choice of awareness of slum town wannabees for a video..

[Leanne]

Wow, Oops, you sound like a really happy person.

[Oops I Cr*in my pants]

L- I consider myself a very happy person, most often. Aren't you? But Wow, you may be confused that my thoughts pertaining to the video are a result of my happiness rather than a expressed observation. Oops. Sorry if you disagree with what I think..