W.doc mode activity 1 open arms

This past summer I had the wonderful experience of being the public relations/ marketing intern at a company located in Austin called Open Arms. I will describe my experience through the expository mode, using photos and descriptive writing to explain both what I observed of others and my personal experience while working with this wonderfully diverse group of people. To begin with some background history Leslie, CEO of Open Arms, describes the company as a “social enterprise using the power of business to inspire social change. It is a humanitarian manufacturing company that creates its own brand of fashionable apparel as well as offering U.S.A-based manufacturing for other brands. Open Arms offers living wage employment to women war survivors, demonstrating the power of the human spirit and breaking the cycle of poverty this group so often experiences.” The products, including bags, skirts, and scarves, are all repurposed out of recycled t-shirt remnants. Combining ESL and enrichment classes with family-friendly hours, this meaningful work and living wage employment creates self-sufficiency and dignity for the women they employ.

When I walk into the office each morning I am greeted by a room full of happy, hardworking women from many different cultures. The Open Arms team is an amazing group of women and the general mood of the atmosphere in which we work is reflected through the beautiful clothing that the ladies create together, from recycled t-shirt material and discarded remnants. Each woman has a diverse background and a unique story to tell.

In the above picture is Odile. She is responsible for spontaneous dancing and singing and dancing that often breaks out in the workspace. Odile was born and raised in the Congo, she fled oppression on foot, walking every day for a year to reach neighboring Gabon. She arrived in Austin with her three daughters in 2010, leaving behind three sons. One of the things I enjoyed most about working at Open Arms is that the team is all in one room together everyday, like busy bee’s, each person working on a specific task. All of the unique noises in the room of conversations, sounds of the machines, music playing in the background, and sounds of the ESL students next door reading out loud, all seem to make up one rhythm to describe this powerful community. Often times, throughout the day, people in the building will just stop by to observe what goes on inside the space. Everyone who works around this group of inspiring people, can not help but fall into the enthusiastic and welcoming rhythm that is created when working together. The Open Arms team shares everything from knowledge, smiles, stories, and even lunches with one another. It is a very giving community and we all have a lot to be thankful for.

There are seven refugee women employed by Open Arms as of right now. Each women has a compelling story to tell. Michelle, Open Arms’ design intern has come up with some exciting new ideas for products. Raya, the production supervisor, works hard to teach the rest of the ladies how to create the new products. Though every task here differs, each team member has astonishing skill in what they do to contribute to Open Arms. Every day I learn more and more from the people I work with at Open Arms. Not only am I learning more about myself and the work I do, but I am also learning more about others and experiencing diverse cultural outlooks. It is interesting and so powerful to have all of these different aspects happening in one place at the same time.

This description of Open Arms reminds me a little of the expository documentary Nanook of the North. Flaherty observed the people in their natural habitat, while they worked, joked and even when conflict arose. Observing people in their work environment while contributing with the culture is an element associated with the expository mode. Most of the refugee women came from the deepest parts of Africa. Each and every one of these women have an amazing story to tell of how they survived their life before coming to America. After watching the expository documentary Stranger with a Camera, allowed me to realize the importance of reviewing and explaining the history of Open Arms. I have interviewed many of the Open Arms team members and though I can not reveal a lot of their stories for personal reasons, I will describe this group of women as a whole as very strong and I look up to each and every one of them.

In this photo essay, I strive to use pathos to persuade my audience about the atmosphere of Open Arms and how wonderful the organization is. As a writer, I also strive to use ethos in proving to my audience that I am credible and that I am being truthful in what I state. Most all of the photos I have taken are candid, action shots from when I was observing at work. The purpose of this documentation was to explain the cultural atmosphere of this organization and to describe the compelling stories of the refugee women. In explaining such, hopefully the reader gains a sense of appreciativeness as it is so easy to take each day for granite.  Every day was a new experience for me at Open Arms. Today, I keep in mind that no matter how culturally diverse people are from one another, we all smile in the same language.