街头一夜：公司高管亲历流浪生活

    他们对我们也抱着怀疑——周四晚上，45名高管亲身体验他们的生活。但这些年轻人与圣约家园工作人员的关系却令人非常诧异。我所在小组的专案经理劳瑞，可以非常自如地与家园的居民们开玩笑。同时，她始终坚持对他们的期望，不断为他们加油鼓劲，帮助他们实现自己力所能及的事情。

    圣约家园的58位居民都有各自的“个案工作”，针对自己对于成功的定义制定计划：一份工作、一间公寓或者实现自立等。劳瑞说：“对于这些年轻人来说，完成自己的个案工作非常关键。提交和执行他们的计划能够带来更加成功的效果。”大多数居民都有工作。他们会将80%的收入交给圣约家园保管。等到他们搬出这里时，他们可以要回这笔钱，同时带着从这里得到的激励，走出收容所，去解决生活中的问题。

    They suspected us--the 45 executives who showed up Thursday night to learn first-hand what their lives are like. But it was amazing to see the bonds between the young residents and the Covenant House staff. Lorie, a case manager in my small group, joked effortlessly with the residents. Meanwhile, she was firm about her expectations of them, constantly reinforcing their strengths and what they're capable of achieving.

    Each of the 58 Covenant House residents has "case work," a plan toward his or her own definition of success: a job, an apartment, or maybe independence. "For our youth, completing their case work is critical. Submitting their plans, working their plans leads to more successful outcomes," Lorie said. Most of the residents have outside jobs. Covenant House holds 80% of their income until they move out. Then they get all of their money back -- along with lots of encouragement to tackle life outside the shelter.

    这一夜让我认识到，通常情况下，我们认为一个人的环境决定了他的才能。但在参观圣约家园色彩斑斓的美术室时，我看到了令人惊奇的才能——非常具有独创性和表现力，都是真诚的艺术作品。我也亲眼见证了非常积极的态度。小组讨论时，一位男性居民说：“决定一个人的并不是他过去做过什么，而是他将来想做什么。”

    午夜时分，本和我并排躺在铺在纸板箱上的睡袋里，我凝视着晴朗夜空中的那轮明月。露宿活动小组一片寂静。这种寂静并不是因为寒冷，而是因为沉思，因为理解和对可能性的信念。

    周五早上回归正常生活的时候，许多人问我夜里冷不冷。坦白地说，我不知道。因为我的注意力都放在了对其他事情的思考上，而不是我自己的体温。（财富中文网）

    克拉克的圣约家园露宿募捐活动主页请点击：http://bit.ly/1aETd0U

    译者：刘进龙/汪浩     

    My overnight reminded me that too often we assume that a person's circumstance indicates talent. Touring Covenant House's colorful Art Room, I saw amazing talent – clever, interpretative, honest, really good art. I also witnessed plenty of positive attitudes. "It's not where you've been, it's where you're going," one male resident said during a small group session.

    At midnight, as Ben and I lay side by side in our sleeping bags on our cardboard boxes, I gazed up at an unobstructed moon. There was a hush across our Sleep-Out group. It wasn't a cold silence, but rather, a silence of contemplation – and understanding and belief in possibility.

    Since I returned on Friday morning, so many people have asked me if I was cold that night. Honestly, I have no idea. My mind was focused on anything but the temperature of my body.

    Clark's Covenant House Sleep-Out fundraising page remains live at http://bit.ly/1aETd0U.