The Class
The Worst and Better Practices in Humanitarian Aid Studio at The New School is a practical class focused on understanding both the positive and negative aspects of humanitarian aid. This Studio examines interventions that are often viewed as helpful, but in fact can be very harmful. This includes voluntourism, donation drives, and more all with the aim to help those disadvantaged and disaster victims. By examining interventions, we can understand and acknowledge many of the detrimental practices that both organizations and volunteers are participating in.
My project focuses on the disaster relief efforts made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the island of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. While many stories were told about how FEMA handled the recovery process, this project aims to put into perspective what actually happened after Hurricane Maria and address some areas of improvement, so that the mistakes made in Puerto Rico don’t happen again elsewhere.
You can expect to view:​
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Interviews with Those Involved
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Fact vs. Fiction: A Quiz to Test Your Knowledge!
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Worst Practices Involved in the Recovery Process
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Best Practices: My Recommendation on Future Work
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Additional Resources
About Me
My name is Jenna Ortiz, and I am a second year Masters student at The New School. I'm currently working towards my Master of Arts in International Affairs, with a concentration in Governance & Rights and Development. I work in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion for an international, educational non-profit based out of New York. I received my Bachelor of Arts in History, with a concentration in International Social Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016. I am passionate about social justice and human rights, and many of my interests focus on women and children in marginalized communities throughout the world.
This project means a lot to me for many reasons. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, I was worried about my family, the communities, and how they would survive such catastrophic damage. But Puerto Ricans are RESILIENT! And our communities came out and began rebuilding their lives as soon as the storm passed. Throughout this project, I learned a lot about what took place on the island during those crucial first months. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that much of what I thought was happening was not as black and white as I was imagining. I hope while exploring this site, you will challenge yourselves to be open to new ideas and understandings, and learn something new in the process. I am happy to answer any questions about my work, and you can find my contact information on the contact page.
Enjoy!