By Kellynn Brack, Weatherford UMC

Can you recall what you did for Spring Break during high school? Some hit the slopes; others hit the sand. We spent the break as students.

The one week during the spring semester that kids can break away from the books—we spent it learning! Initially I objected to the idea of an educational Spring Break. To me, break is time for putting the brain on pause and hitting up the couch for a week of movies and daytime talk shows. However, that was not the case this spring.

Our week was packed full of seminars, subway stations, and grouchy, urban working-class citizens who could probably use a trip to the Midwest.

The seminars we attended always led us to focus on poverty. They provided plenty of information and statistics for the group to realize there needs to be change in how money is spent and how we view poverty-stricken people. We learned the apparently homeless person standing alongside Interstate 40 most likely is not mentally ill.

This is one of many stereotypes we learned about on the UN/DC trip.

Some people may believe the primary cause of being homeless is substance abuse or not receiving a proper education. I learned the number-one cause of homelessness comes from unaffordable housing. Also, a staggering 40 percent of those who are homeless (people who live in a shelter, car, or on the streets) work steady jobs.

The next time you see an apparently homeless person, you might want to rethink your position. I certainly will.

This trip has opened my eyes to a lot of things.

On behalf of myself and the other youths who went, I thank you all for making this happen. We appreciate the love and support our church family has shown us in regard to the trip. This amazing learning experience has brought us one step closer to curing poverty not only in Oklahoma, but also on a global scale.

Goals for the tour were to put a face on homelessness and to look at poverty from international, national, and local perspectives. Workshops taught about the National Coalition for the Homeless, UNICEF, the Children’s Defense Fund, and more; and about topics such as "Poverty and hunger in the midst of a global economic crisis."

Adult sponsors on the trip were Randy McGuire, Roger Parker, Ann Browning, and Diana Northcutt.