By Rebecca As I am beginning my own journey as a Compañer@ at Taller de Jose, I am amazed at how clients who come here from all paths of life have this resilient sense to overcome their struggles. This can be said whether they came here from a referral from a partner agency or through…
DetailsBy Angles A few weeks into beginning my internship at Taller de José, a client came in for a walk-in appointment. I had recently begun seeing clients on my own two weeks before. My client came in after being referred from a partnering agency. He was tired, stressed and unsure of what to do. His…
DetailsBy Tim On my second day at Taller de José I was presented with the opportunity to shadow a Compañero as he accompanied a client to Stroger hospital. Our plan was to meet in the main reception at 8:30 as that is where our client, would be dropped off by paratransit because she is visually…
DetailsBy: Christina It is neither a mystery nor a tale, it is reality. Life stories composed of oppressive systems that are supposed to “alivianar” (or help) society, but are created as unsolvable labyrinths with obstacles at every corner. It is impossible to narrow down my experience at Taller de Jose to one simple story, when…
DetailsBy Morgan When I first began as a compañer@ at Taller de José as a social work student I found myself wrestling a bit with the concept and practice of accompaniment. My academic coursework had instilled in me the importance of building up a client’s self-efficacy and self-determination. Accompaniment is a unique and important service…
DetailsSomething I have asked myself recently is, “What is left after a client’s appointment with a compañer@ at Taller de José?” We hope clients leave with their questions answered, knowledge of pertinent resources, and perhaps a follow up appointment or accompaniment scheduled. We also aspire to develop our clients’ confidence that they can address an…
DetailsThis past year Taller de José partnered with the Loyola University Center for Experiential Learning to conduct community research in collaboration with a group of student Community Research Fellows and community members with whom we work. This research sought to answer the question that is so central to the lives of so many people in…
DetailsWith only a couple of months remaining in my JVC year, I have noticed myself becoming more and more nostalgic as I look back and realize just how quickly time has passed! I am confronted with the closing of my year with Taller de José as some of my regular clients begin to schedule follow-up…
DetailsBy Sarah Johnson One of my favorite aspects of accompaniment is the opportunity to see the impact that walking with someone can have on the way in which they view themselves. At Taller de José, we hope that one of our outcomes includes increased confidence in the clients and communities with which we work. Although…
DetailsBy Bianca “Citizenship is both a system of privilege and a source of social identity” (Gee, Morey, Ro, & Takeuchi, 2016). Throughout my work at Taller de Jose, citizenship has been a constant theme. We have found several different times that citizenship and documentation status plays a gigantic role in obtaining legal, health, and social…
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