What I gained from the experience included conversations and emotional experiences I could have never anticipated all from the power of human connection. I developed a humanization to homelessness that I was not quite able to apply before that experience and have applied to every interaction since. I engage actively with every homeless person that is willing and able to and remind them of their rights as people before all else. What this internship taught me is the significance of human dignity, and just how significant a basic act can be on someone’s life. I built strong friendships and connections with the people at the Hope Exchange, exchanged so many laughs and cries, but most of all had significant realizations and inspiring moments about my life purpose from the clients I served. I developed deeper patience, empathy, and kindness but also instilled hope in the future fates of our clients, despite their HIV positive status. Ultimately, my experience at the Hope Exchange brought me greater interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, growth in my planning and event coordinating skills, insight into the legal system in South Africa, and a greater self-awareness towards my career path in community-based policy advocacy and social work. I learned that any substantial institutional change is difficult, and direct community change is challenging but equally rewarding, as I was able to directly see the impact of my work. I was revived by a community that lived amidst so much struggle and I was inspired to advocate and create platforms for communities that lack opportunities to represent themselves through my internship in Cape Town.
This internship taught me the power of human connection and the significance of human dignity. I built strong friendships and connections with the people at the Hope Exchange, but most of all, had realizations and inspiring moments about my life purpose. I developed deeper patience, empathy, and kindness. Ultimately, my experience brought me greater interpersonal and cross-cultural communications skills, growth in my event coordinating skills, insight into the legal system in South Africa, and a greater awareness about my career path in community-based policy advocacy and social work. I learned that any substantial institutional change is difficult and direct community change is challenging, but equally rewarding as I was able to directly see the impact of my work.