ASK Specialist: Monkey Island

Today we have two local classes interviewing a panel of experts who work with the homeless in Berrien County. Students have read the book Monkey Island, a story about a homeless boy in New York. The students are interviewing people from various agencies in our county who assist the homeless.

Here is a sample of the questions the students ask:

  • Is the soup kitchen all volunteer work?
  • How many people usually come to the soup kitchen?
  • What challenges do people face when trying to overcome homelessness?
  • Why wouldn’t restaurants give their leftover food to the homeless? (Students learned about local restaurants and grocery stores who actually do!)
  • What type of illnesses do most homeless people have?
  • If a homeless person wants to get “back in the game” where do they go?
  • Where do homeless people stay if they are not in the shelters?
  • What are some of the ways that homeless can get money to pay bills or to buy medicine?
  • Was there any time in your life that you had an experience where you could relate to the homeless?
  • Why do some people not want to talk to or be involved with homeless people?
  • What city in Berrien County has the most homeless people?
  • Where do homeless people go to get medical care?
  • If we were interested in a job at social services, where would we go?
  • What is your daily work/job like? What do you do?

The learning in these sessions is incredibly powerful! If you like the ASK format, this is a really easy one to offer in your area. The people who work in various agencies serving the homeless will likely be delighted to have students learn about the issues and challenges in your area.

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