Speakers

Image of LEAP 2024: Supporting Vulnerable Communities: Addressing Systemic Injustice, Natural Death, Economic Disparity, & Climate Disaster - Abstracts

LEAP 2024: Supporting Vulnerable Communities: Addressing Systemic Injustice, Natural Death, Economic Disparity, & Climate Disaster - Abstracts

Panel 39: Supporting Vulnerable Communities: Addressing Systemic Injustice, Natural Death, Economic Disparity, & Climate Disaster

In the shadows of this rapid, innovative world, the adversity faced by vulnerable communities is constant. Through our investigations into the systemic harm against Indigenous communities, the financial mobility of immigrant communities, the calamities of climate change endured by the geographically vulnerable, and the natural death that eventually claims us all, this panel poses the question: how can various methodologies of social work help alleviate suffering and empower affected communities? In our presentations, we explore political engagement with MHC Land acknowledgment, potential revisions, and further ethical actions the college can take towards better relations. We will then look at emotional and spiritual end-of-life care for individuals in Hospice. Then we will discuss the financial circumstances and entrepreneurship of immigrant women in Paris. Lastly, we will look at how business education, entrepreneurial support, and micro-loans for women in Kiribati can help alleviate financial suffering worsened by sea-level rise. In these ways, our panel will provide a glimpse into the types of change that Mount Holyoke students can make through social work.

Moderator: Ben Gebre-Medhin, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Moderator: Lynda Pickbourn, Associate Professor of Gender Studies Chair of Gender Studies

Climate Resilience in Kiribati: Increasing Financial Stability Among Women and Implementing Protective Infrastructure Solutions
Lei Hsin ’26, International Relations and Environmental Studies double major, Nexus in Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights

Exploring Female Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Paris
Sarah Bell ’25, International Relations major, Entrepreneurship, Organizations, and Society minor

Entering the Room of the Dying: Notes from a Hospice Chaplain Intern on Witnessing, Listening, & Co-Creating Space in American Nursing Facilities
Alicia McCarthy ’25, Religion major

Braiding a Just Future: Weaving the Past, Present, and Future
Citlalli Caratachea ’25, Psychology & Critical Race Political Economy double major & Cognitive Neuroscience Certificate

Speaker name: Lei Hsin
Title: Climate Resilience in Kiribati: Increasing Financial Stability Among Women and Implementing Protective Infrastructure Solutions
“Kiribati is an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean, known for being the first country projected to go underwater due to sea-level rise within the next 60 years. To support the most vulnerable population—women—business entrepreneurship skills and loan opportunities can enhance their financial stability, enabling them to rebuild infrastructure after disasters or migrate to areas with more land. My internship with Kindling Kiribati Small Business Development, a local NGO focused on empowering women in the climate crisis, involved grant writing and crowdfunding with organizations such as UNOPS, UNDP, and Irish Aid. With this funding, we conduct entrepreneurship classes and provide microloans to help women start small businesses in various villages in Tarawa. I also participated in a climate cost-benefit analysis for the Australian Government and UNEP to identify key sites in Tarawa for protection, aiming to implement nature-based and infrastructure solutions to mitigate flooding and reduce harm to humans.”

Speaker name: Alicia McCarthy
Title: Entering the Room of the Dying: Notes from a Hospice Chaplain Intern on Witnessing, Listening, & Co-Creating Space in American Nursing Facilities
In a concrete sense, the purpose of the hospice, hospital, or prison chaplain is to provide non-medical, “spiritual” care for the sick, dying, and troubled. This could mean organizing religious services for the sick, memorial services for the recently deceased, or praying audibly for someone that has requested audible prayer at their bedside. However, this more overtly religious work, though incredibly important for religious people, does not highlight the heart of chaplaincy and its value for those that are suffering and grieving, regardless of their religious affiliation. In this presentation I’ll share both my experience of the reality of chaplaincy in hospice care, and my reflection on the value of chaplaincy, as well as the emotional, spiritual, and embodied presence and awareness that must be well practiced in order to unearth that value in a real and impactful way.

Speaker name: Sarah Bell
Title: Exploring Female Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Paris
Paris, France is an exquisite melting pot of cultures: very similar to my native New York City. However, the diversity found in Paris is different from that of New York, as you’re encountering folks from more Francophone countries and territories. In my research, I provided a nuanced lens on the perspective of female immigrants (born somewhere else and raised in France, or moved to France at a later age) who decided to follow the entrepreneurial route in a country that may be foreign to their own. Rather than work in a corporate setting, these women decided to establish their own business. To be an entrepreneur can take a lot of sacrifices and effort to achieve a certain goal or business prospect. This project will demonstrate the following of immigrant background women in startups, owning a cultural agency, fashion brands, and freelance.

Speaker name: Citlalli F. Caratachea
Title: Braiding a Just Future: Weaving the Past, Present, and Future
“This research explores the ongoing changes in the practice of land acknowledgements specifically at educational institutions. While it’s explicit that Indigenous People should be centered in any approach and ongoing research, the end goal is to strengthen MHC’s current land acknowledgement approach. Through analysis of practices at other institutions as well as mission-aligned organizations, this research proposes revisions to MHC’s approach as well as concrete action steps.”

“The following are three key elements to revising the existing land acknowledgement: acknowledging the painful history of genocide, centering the present resistance, and working towards a just future.”

“Beyond revising the land acknowledgement itself, the research suggests two concrete steps that could be taken as part of MHCs commitment to centering the Indigenous experience in the unceded land we occupy.”

  • Contribute a yearly tax to the Nonotuck tribe as a form of financial restitution.
  • Creating a space for Indigenous peoples can come together.