I have always viewed service as an extremely powerful thing. Since I was little, there has almost always been some part of my life that’s been connected to at least a simple act of service. I think one of the main aspect that I have taken away from this class so far in relation to my views on service is the idea of “helping” versus “serving” and what it actually means to really serve. This is a topic of interest that I have faced a lot while working with my organization here in Des Moines.

Jewels Academy is a non-profit organization that offers STEM and self-enrichment programs for underrepresented girls in grades 4-12, which is an area that has only recently been brought to the forefront of social awareness. Kim Wayne, who serves as the Executive Director and Chair, founded Jewels in 2005 with the goal of providing young women in the Des Moines area with the competitive edge that they need to succeed both academically and professionally in STEM-focused careers. Many young women experience little to no access to science and technology related educational opportunities, especially more advanced courses. There is also a lack of support, mainly in under-served communities, for girls to pursue careers in science and technology. Jewels Academy provides hands-on learning and introduces innovative concepts and technology in a variety of programs from non-traditional educational programs to a STEM day or boarding school. By offering these in depth programs, they are giving young women the encouraging and nurturing environment necessary to empower and prepare them for success in a national and global STEM workforce.

I have come across this helping versus serving debate a few times in the last two months that I have been working with Kim at Jewels. The goal of service writing as I understand it is to provide service through the work that you do, but so far I have yet to feel like I am truly serving this organization. I have written a few grants and put together two newsletters, and overall I have been thanked for doing those projects. However, I am almost always following a template given to me by the directors, and the majority of my work is edited and changed to more accurately fit their needs. I have always understood that this is what would be happening while working with an organization like this, but am I really serving them if I am not allowed the opportunity to do much of my own work that I feel would benefit them? Or am I only helping them? I have never thought that serving and helping were two separate concepts until recently. The discussion presented that serving is positive while helping is more negative in terms of the effect they have on those receiving the service. I disagree with this because I feel like any type of service can be construed as serving or helping, and can have both positive and negative effects. People should not shy away from doing service work just because they do not think it’s actually “serving”, but it is also important that they feel fulfilled themselves. Hopefully by the end of working with Jewels Academy, I will be able to feel like provided them with meaningful service, even if it is not me really “serving” in every sense of the word.

written by Etta Moline, working with Jewels Academy

What led me to choose my internship position at the Des Moines Music Coalition?

As part of being a member of the Engaged Citizen Corps program, we have the opportunity to complete a service internship at a local charity organization which we integrate into our classwork. Upon browsing the list of community partner service internship opportunities, there were affordable housing initiatives, a food pantry, and a public transportation organization, but there was a certain organization that really caught my eye: the Des Moines Music Coalition. They would be focusing on raising awareness and fighting the city ordinance that prohibits citizens under the age of 21 to be in music venues serving alcohol past 9pm.

I believe that the most effective service is about passion and fighting for social rights which are close to your heart. I truly believe in the power that live music has to transcend social norms and boundaries, as well as to create a community of people gathered in one place to admire the talents of an artist or group. The feeling that comes with being part of a live crowd is so vibrant and magical, it should not be restricted to the underage population because of a city ordinance. The major project for the Des Moines Music Coalition revolved around advocating for those under the age of 21 through marketing and communications skills. It was perfect to combine my personal passion for live music and practically apply and develop my marketing skills. If I was not passionate for the work my organization was doing, it would be much harder to be intrinsically motivated to apply my very best efforts. Because you know what they say, “you’ll never work a day in your life if you love what you’re doing.”

written by Kyli Selburg, ECC student working with the Des Moines Music Coalition

The following poem is a sample of writing a student has done for their organization.

 

Race. Origin. Indigenous or aboriginal.

Heritage and background. Ethnicity.

Ethnic Background.

Culture and a cultural understanding.

Or a lack there of. Or simply something to think of.

 

Or something (cultural understanding)

being the link to a worldwide demanding

of me as me connecting to you as you.

As we travel through our “imagined community”,

being the idea of us understanding all of the fuss

and understanding all of the struggle,

most don’t imagine the community

that places its people on the same level.

 

Most don’t imagine the ability

of an egalitarisitc society,

being the belief of equality in all peoples.

Most can’t imagine that we bleed the same blood

or that some of us

have been drug through the mud,

or that our people have been murdered

in cold-blood and then have an issue

when I say that we aren’t going

to stand for this shit anymore.

 

There are people who lack the capacity

to do right and then have the audacity

to project their bullshit and mendacity

upon peoples who, for centuries, have used their tenacity

to rise against the brutality that has been

pushing them down.

And so this is, as they say, a call to arms, for all peoples.

 

 

This is, as they say, to show that in war,

there are no unwounded soldiers.

 

This is, as we are calling them say,

to combat the mental breakdown,

or better yet, the physical beat down,

or even further, the emotional drag down

that is experienced when people feel shut down,

rundown, and struck down because,

maybe, they’re just a little bit too brown.

 

What I’m speaking of is the disapproval that society

has placed upon its people who have

been worked into their graves,

worked until their hands, minds, bodies are incapable.

I am speaking of the society that forces its people

to remain stuck in time, never to evolve

into the beautiful species that we are.

 

What I am speaking of is the “culture”

that attempts to strip others of their own through

rebuking of indigenous language, dress, music and faith.

I am making reference to the precious

black and brown babies who, for years,

have been articulating the

immoral, inexcusable, unjustifiable

method and management of a system that was

never set up for their prosperity and yet

has the nerve to claim: “that all men are created equal”.

What I mean to say is that the time is long overdue

for a conversation that we are being forced to have now,

when this truly should have been had

a few hundred years ago.

 

 

Some may not agree with me.

Some continue to make the claim that we are all “free”.

I believe that we, collectively,

should agree NOT to disagree.

We should see those that continue to plea,

as they’re down on one knee,

so they don’t feel as if they have to flee from this life

in which P.O.C feel uncomfortable

even trying to feel comfortable.

The definitional line attempting to be solidified

revolves around how we, as the American “we”,

define “Equality” and “Equity” because, news flash,

we do not have root in being a homogenous society.

 

Race. Origin. Indigenous or aboriginal.

Heritage and background. Ethnicity.

Ethnic Background.

Culture and a cultural understanding.

Or a lack there of. Or simply something to think of.

 

written by Bakari Caldwell, a sophomore English student working with the Herb and Karen Baum Chair of Ethics in the Professions

On Thursday October 6th, Rebuilding Together and the Des Moines Area Meredith Corporation put forth a work day in which 200 volunteers repaired 5 homes, as well as replaced one park. Meredith Corporation’s volunteers teamed up with Rebuilding Together to  complete these tasks. Home repairs included anything from gardening, repainting homes, installing new fans, or fixing electrical problems throughout each home.

My favorite project of the day was the restoration of the park. Each year on Meredith Work Day, the volunteers completely redo a park. I think having safe and inviting parks is important when building a sense of community. I also didn’t know that Rebuilding Together participated in projects such as park revitalizing. The park that was redone was Redhead Park of Des Moines. Not only did the volunteers completely replace all of the playground equipment, they also brought in outside painters that painted a mural on the concrete of the basketball court. The theme of this park is circus because the Barnum and Bailey’s Circus used to park their crew on that property back in the day. The court was painted with bright red, blue, green, and yellow creating a friendly environment for the kids who will be playing here.

Each year, Rebuilding Together participates in National Rebuilding Day that takes place on the first Saturday of May. On this day, there are over 30 participating homes being repaired by over 700 volunteers. Therefore, the Meredith Work Day, although the outcome was still impactful, was small on the scale compared to other events by Rebuilding Together. This put the work that Rebuilding Together does into perspective for me. It’s obvious that Rebuilding Together makes a difference in the lives of many homeowners, but witnessing the results of the Meredith Work Day, I was able to try understand the power this small nonprofit has on each community it works with.

written by Jamie Lamb, ECC student working with Rebuilding Together

Today I repaired a house.

Only five words. To put it out in letters and spaces is to oversimplify the power of the words so that it hurts.

Today I worked to build hope. I got to see the faces of three generations of individuals who all live under a roof that did not make them proud. I got to see how my labor was able to meld and join with the work of dozens of other volunteers, staff, and businesses to alleviate at least one tiny fragment of the stress that existed in this family’s life.

Today I worked to build a community. As the neighbors came out to complement, appreciate, and wonder at the color of the paint and the beauty of the windows, I got to see how this labor brought up not only the family living in the house, but the whole environment around it.

Today I worked to build a home. In the back of my mind, the only thought that could ever truly matter was that a family would get to come home each day to this place that they would find beautiful. The knowledge that at the end of the day another human being will get to live better than they did before,—that knowledge is what defines service.

Through my service internship I have gotten to briefly peak at the struggles of those in need, those who were put at a disadvantage; not through any action they ever took, but through a broken system that our society unintentionally created. In my short time of serving, I have come to recognize that true assistance to an individual must come not from a desire to simply help, but rather from a desire to become that person for a moment. To step into their shoes and imagine life from their eyes. Only then, once an individual works to empathize and exist as another, can true service happen.

written by Adam Resnick, ECC student working with Habitat for Humanity