By: Ioanna Mantzouridou ’20

Guest Writer

Attending the IMPACT Conference 2018 in the University of Dayton, Ohio was a very rewarding and eye opening experience for me. I had the chance to attend with Ella Charlesworth ’21, who is a student worker in the Volunteer Services office, Brenda Papineau, Director of the Community Based Learning Office, and Ashlee Downing, Associate Director of Student Activities and Leadership, as well as Coordinator of Volunteer Services & Community Partnerships.

One highlight of the conference was Downing’s presentation of St. Lawrence University Public Interest Corps (SLU PIC) and how other institutions can adapt the same program to their campuses.

The IMPACT Conference is focused on three things: advocacy, service, and action. Passionate volunteers including students, professors, faculty, and community partners, participated from all around the country.

I met students from many places including Miami, Boston, and North Carolina, who made the conference diverse in ideas and opinions. That diversity was actually the best part! Being able to share my volunteer experience in Canton, NY and learning about Dayton, Ohio was interesting and inspiring.

I got the chance to see how many more things we can do to improve, but I also realized how much we have already achieved as an institution. During Downing’s presentation, we had group discussions in which other students mentioned that SLU PIC seems to be a very organized program that they could never pull off at their schools because of a limited budget or interest.

The range of topics covered was overwhelming, but in a good way. I attended a workshop on the importance of philosophy for the world today. The presenter mentioned how inaccessible the field of philosophy is but also its importance, since it helps people reflect and understand the thought processes of their actions and their values.

We talked about the prison system, and how it hinders people from finding a job afterwards. We also talked about Plato, as well as Socrates, and how they have influenced modern philosophy.

Moreover, I attended a workshop on racism and the perception of black females as “angry.” The discussion was targeted on culture appropriation and embracing females’ natural looks. Also, I enjoyed the workshop on self-care and the panel on immigration.

My favorite presentation came from the keynote speaker Rob Chasteen-Scheer, who has started the organization Comfort Cases and has adopted four kids in foster care with his partner. He used to be in foster care himself and was also homeless when he was eighteen, but decided to join the military because he was cold and hungry. Later on, he found a job at an office, and he decided to make something out of his life.

He and his partner went on the Ellen Degeneres Show and were given a huge check to help foster kids and continue their organization’s mission of giving school bags with necessities to kids in foster care.

They couldn’t stand the fact that they had to carry their things in trash bags. Rob’s story resonated with me as he is a great example of someone who manages to overcome any obstacles found on his way and fights for human rights, making this world more tolerable for underprivileged kids.

To conclude, the best part of the IMPACT Conference was the opportunity to network with other people and understand that there is a huge community of volunteers and people who care throughout the country. There are so many people fighting against social injustices and making the world a better place to live in. Never stop believing because, if you do, you stop dreaming, and without dreams there is no tomorrow!