EPTI haven't watched but an hour or two of SC2 or any other game for the last ~4 months. Before this, I spent pretty much every waking moment playing or watching one game or the other and lots of my finite bank account on traveling to 2010-2012 MLGs. Eventually, I burned out and opportunity came knocking to join FEMA Corps. Belonging to this young adult gamer demographic, I thought it might be wise to share my experiences.
FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or "the people who respond to disasters." Some of you may be familiar with them through a lot of the controversy that's surrounded them- "asbestos-laden FEMA trailers," FEMA Corps being "Obama's youth army" among other silly, media-driven stories.
FEMA Corps is a partnership between AmeriCorps and FEMA, which essentially just gives them a younger, equally trained workforce. AmeriCorps is a 9-month long residential program where they pay your room, board and travel expenses, along with what they call a "modest living stipend." At the end of the program, you get a ~$5,500 "education award" to be spend on schooling.
I joined FEMA Corps on February 12th and all I can tell you is that FEMA's mission has nothing but good intentions. I have access enough to see spreadsheets of the millions of dollars or grants being given to survivors. I've seen volunteer organizations meet and discuss ways to outreach to as many people as need help. I've seen some devastation first hand and spoke to survivors who've lost everything.
Rest assured, the program has it's problems, too. The mostly-older FEMA workforce doesn't fully respect the young people coming in. Even with my fellow AmeriCorps team members, there's a lot of young people who are, quite simply, immature. The structure of FEMA itself leaves a lot to be desired if you're an idealist-- they get the job done, but every day leaves me pondering why their efforts aren't more optimized (and, being so low ranking among the veterans, unable to inspire change.)
Yet, for the last 127 days, I've expanded my horizons beyond the desire to watch and play video games. When the tornados hit Oklahoma, I didn't dismiss it as "something tragic on the news," I felt something. I felt sad for the people there. I felt inspired to maybe go there and make a difference. I felt scared for my friends (who were actually sent, whereas I was sent to Illinois for a presidentially-declared flooding disaster) when a second group of tornados hit.
I've lived and dealt with chronic depression for years, trapped in a mind that always wondered "how can I truly be happy?" Over my period of service thus far, I've discovered that the only solution to my problem was to help others and make a difference. It's no longer about waiting for a new game to come out, a new episode of my favorite TV shows or a vacation across the county-- those are all short term fixes. Service, however, changed my life. In my attempt to become selfless, I've filled my selfish desire to be happy.
Thus, I am in this program until mid-November, wherein I will hopefully find something equally satisfying to persue. Some from FEMA Corps who've already graduated by doing the work well and standing out have already gotten salary-level jobs. Maybe that's me in the future, who knows.
