Paola Loya Professor Farnsworth HLTH 1110 April 24, 2014

My Service

The Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City is a welcoming place. It is a place where anybody can go relax, receive help, study, or make new friends. I did some community service hours for this great organization and I couldnt feel happier about it. I learned a lot about the Pride Center as an organization and I learned a lot about myself in helping clean, translate and volunteering for their annual Queer Prom. When I first arrived at the Utah Pride Center, I must admit I was very nervous. I had feelings of uneasiness and doubtfulness. I arrived a few minutes earlier than my scheduled meeting time with the Volunteer Coordinator, Jimmy. A few minutes after I arrived, Jimmy walks up to me and says, Hey girl! I felt as though I had known him for years. He gave me a tour and introduced me to the super friendly staff. After the tour he had me sign a waiver and I read through all of the rules carefully. One of the rules really caught my att ention. It read, Do not disclose publicly the identities of anybody that comes into the center. In my Social Diversity class, my instructor had simple rules to abide by and one of them was to keep things that were said in the classroom confidential and to not pinpoint somebody or discuss them

outside of class. I can see how this would be an important rule to follow due to the fact that it could prevent a person from getting assaulted. The Utah Pride Center is not only welcoming in nature but also provides many resources for people who need them especially people who identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, or transgender (LGBQT). Free tobacco quitting class, Alcoholics Anonymous, mental health specialists, and even psychologists are all resources available to the LGBQT community here. Honestly this organization is way bigger than I anticipated. From the outside the building may look small but they have a two level building with many rooms and this was the first place I noticed had gender-neutral bathrooms. I learned that the Pride Center does this to be inclusive to all genders so that people do not feel any sort of pressure and are free to use the restrooms as people not sexes. I learned a lot in doing my service hours. I started doing my service hours on Sunday March 23rd. I went in and helped clean the building, which I thought was really useful for me to get to see the different rooms and the services that they provided. Even though I only cleaned I felt as though I did a lot. Since the Pride Center is a non-profit organization, it depends heavily on its volunteers. There were more of us cleaning and I felt happy at the idea that the people who work there would arrive early Monday morning to find the place clean and tidy! I spent well over an hour and a half translating a paper Jimmy handed to me. It had terminology and definitions of words commonly associated with the LGBQT community. I had my mom help me and it was one of the most difficult things that I have ever translated. It was very challenging because I had to look things up on Google and ask friends but it was worth the trouble if I know that somebody who only speaks Spanish will get a better understanding of the

terms used in the LGBQT community. I can see how even the smallest of acts can be so beneficial for the community. All of my hours were then completed at the Queer Prom hosted by the Utah Pride Center. It was held at the Main Library in downtown Salt Lake; anybody aged 14-20 could attend. Setting up for the event was hard work. I helped carry in big pieces of plywood that were used as drawing boards for the youth. I passed out food, floated around to make sure to make sure no inappropriate behavior was occurring, watched the art project to make sure everything on there was respectful and helped the DJ clean up at the very end of the night. I have to say that the Queer Prom was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have been to. Young kids that were aware of their sexual identity and were comfortable wearing transgender clothing attended. It is sad for me think that they cannot show their true selves at regular school prom. This event helped me see how the U.S. society has shamed people that do not belong to the dominant heterosexual culture and not let them express their true feelings even if it is for a person of the same sex. I loved chaperoning the Art project, the prom attendees could write down almost anything. Words of encouragement and love were swarming the walls. I absolutely loved it and all of the hard work was soon forgotten once I saw two people looking each other in the eye in love and everything about it was ok. I am very fortunate to have helped the Utah Pride Center and I plan on helping them in the future as well. The organization is a great place for the LGBQT community to get help and find comfort so that they know they are not alone. My service has helped me see that everything I do, counts. Even the smallest of help like cleaning and translating can go a long way for the people who need it.