Tag: ECC

Citizen Engagement at CFUM

My passion for service led me to join the Engaged Citizen Corps at Drake University, an academic and service year experience for first-year students. The Engaged Citizen Corps program requires students to volunteer at an organization, and I was assigned Children and Family Urban Movement (CFUM). Being part of the Engaged Citizen Corps program, I have to be more mindful of my actions while volunteering, because “even the most innocent and well-meaning attempts to help, inflict pain” (Lupton 147). With this possibility in mind, I wonder whether or not I am making a positive impact on CFUM, what have I learned about myself so far, and how have my views changed during this entire experience?

I work with the different programs that CFUM has to offer, such as their K-5 programs, Gender-Specific programs, and community engagement programs. While working with the K-5 programs and Gender Specific programs I help clean the classrooms, prepare snack for the children, plan enrichment activities, help with homework, and monitor the children’s whereabouts. I understand that when working with children one needs a lot of patience and truthfulness, especially when there are continuous conflicts: the children fighting with one another, children misplacing items, not listening to me or the other adults, and not wanting to participate in academic studies. Truthfulness allows me to render genuine answers to the recipients about school and life. They understand that they can trust me as an ally and someone to look to for advice, particularly towards college. However, I do run into questions about the possibility of hard work and personal struggles inhibiting them from wanting to go to school, which is why I also work in the community program section of CFUM for their Grit Program. But, before I attempted to manage the Grit program, I had to apply the concepts I was taught in the ECC program.

In being a ECC member, I took a First Year Seminar Class called The Common Good. In this class we read Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton. Lupton admonishes forms of volunteerism that will cause more harm than help, in particular, precluding the chances of dependency and disempowerment. Most of the causes of toxic charity is from volunteers that lack recognition in their actions, and expressing a superior deposition. To preclude the chance of any expression of arrogance or superiority, I have to “enter the neighborhood as a learner than an initiator” (Lupton 161). I am an observer with the students, with the intention of trying to find what they most needed most from the grit program: support, endurance, recognition and other essential characteristics. The overall goal is to empower the youth, in which Lupton expresses that “when we do for those in need what they have the capacity to do for themselves, we disempower them” which then creates dependency, and dependency is a form of toxic charity (Lupton 3). We want to empower the youth to make a social change, and give them the tools to surpass potential obstacles. Hopefully, our new project can do that.

CFUM and I are starting a new project that entails integrating more grit – self-discipline wedded to a dedicated pursuit of a goal through perseverance – into the recipients. The purpose of this project is to augment the children’s chances of success after they graduate from CFUM’s programs through activities promoting grit. CFUM and I want the children to be successful in their academics, social and emotional lives. I am collaborating with the program coordinator – Hannah Olson – to ensure that the activities I am creating can be feasibly implemented. Before creating the activities for the children, I read two books by Paul Tough, How Children Succeed and Helping Children Succeed. Both books take on the challenge of elaborating on methods of augmenting the chances of a child’s success, and record other organizations trying to do so. In addition to this, I had to procure inspiration concerning grit activities from other professionals through online research. With information from Tough’s books and online sources, I realized that grit has many counterparts to it. Therefore, I divided the curriculum of grit into subunits: growth mindset, discipline, environment, intrinsic motivation, and failure. My activities are modeled after each of the subunits of grit, which would overall teach the children how to apply grit into their lives. Some of the names of the activities that I have created are Grit Pie (inspired by Kristen Goulet), Finding Your Grit, Board of Support and Guidance, and Perseverance Walk.

Most of these activities were made from essential skills. I had to use my literacy, organizing, creativity, and recognizing skills. When reading the books and online resources, I analyzed the importance and effective approaches each one were depicting. Also, I organized my notes in a presentable manner to the directors of CFUM to ensure they could understand my findings. In addition to this, the most prominent skill is creativity. With working with children, I have to make activities that appeal to their interest. Through volunteering for CFUM, I recognized I am more than just a volunteer, I am a role model for the recipients that go to CFUM. I came to this conclusion once I saw that I identify with many of the values of CFUM. CFUM appreciates how I value development, discipline, knowledge, and grit, because these are values that they want to implement in their recipients, so the children can have long-term success. From having these similar values, CFUM wants me to work for their organization past my 2 semesters of volunteering, in order for me to be around the children/recipients more.

Individual analysis forces one to approach whether or not their service is effective. I feel as though my work is effective because of how I am building strong bonds with the recipients, and making it known to them that I am an advocate for their success through the projects that I am on. In addition to effectiveness, individual analysis allowed me to learn about myself. I learned that I am more than just a volunteer; I am a role model for others. Even if I don’t see it, I have people looking up to me, and it shapes how I conduct myself. I conduct myself humbly as a positive role model. Besides learning about myself, I learned that service can be toxic, in which volunteers can do more harm than help. With that being said, I cannot wait to continue my service with CFUM and other organizations in an effort to find more opportunities for impact and growth.

Written by: Jamie Rusan

ECC: Anawim Groundbreaking

On October 6, I got the opportunity to attend a Groundbreaking event for one of Anawim Housing’s new projects: The Brickstones at Riverbend. This new project will be a 30-unit senior living apartment complex and is expected to be completed by fall of 2017. The Brickstones is a really important project, because it will provide affordable housing to people in the community above the age of 55, as well as help to revitalize the 6th Avenue corridor.

I’m glad I was able to attend the event. Several different people spoke, including the mayor of Des Moines and some of Anawim’s board members. Their speeches were inspiring and gave insight as to why the Brickstones project, as well as low income housing in general, is important and necessary. After the speeches, the actual “groundbreaking” took place. Several people, mostly Anawim’s board members, got to put on construction helmets and ceremoniously dig into the ground. I also got a free Anawim Housing mug, could eat free cookies, and got to shake hands with the mayor as well as several of Anawim’s board members.

written by Marina Birely, ECC student working with Anawim Housing

ECC: Serving or helping?

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

ECC: The power of passion

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

ECC: A Statement on Race

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

ECC: The power of a single organization

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

ECC: How true service happens

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

ECC: The Benefits to the Drake Community

Drake University has struggled with and continued to work toward breaking the “Drake bubble”. This concept is that there is mythical separation between the campus and the rest of the ‘real’ world. As part of its mission, Drake has made a claim to develop global citizens. In doing so, the community outside of Drake is drawn upon as part of the classroom. The Engaged Citizen Corps and Office of Service Learning have been created to help live out this mission.

ECC serves to foster positive relations between students and the greater Des Moines community. The students are supposed to get more out of the experience than logging just a couple of hours. Rather, the students learn from their experiences.

The two main demographics being represented through this project are Drake students, particularly those in the ECC, and the Drake nonprofit community. By extension, those who benefit from the community partners are also served as the work of the ECC students is supposed to benefit that organization’s audience.

From my understanding of the ECC program so far, many of the challenges that they are trying to work on come from being a new program. In keeping with that, much of the marketing is being adjusted to accurately and attractively portray what is being done. For instance, I have worked on the ECC web page. In looking it over, there are some choices that could benefit the website from a marketing standpoint. One such change I have worked on is using the opening paragraph as a way of drawing in those who are reading. This project was really about trying to be informative and engaging the readers.

Through working with the ECC and developing an accurate and appealing website, I have been able to see the active work that is being done to break the negative “Drake bubble”. These young individuals and those running the program are really dedicated to making changes within the community.

written by Maddie Miller, English student

ECC: A New Point of View

Hunger is such a large, social issue. Through my research I have found that there are more articles/editorials talking about hunger and its “fixes” rather than its causes. This fact troubles me as I am having difficulty with the very issue that my agency does not address the cause, but rather provides an immediate fix. I have mentioned this issue a lot because it continues to bother me and inhibit my passion for the work I am doing.

Honestly, right now I am a little disappointed with my service opportunity. I feel selfish for feeling this way. Is it that I am too lazy to help and its getting old? Maybe but I think there is more to it. I continue to think about how different my experience could be if only I had been paired with the agency that I wanted. Selfish. Why do I keep thinking about this when there is no chance of that becoming reality? I am irritated with my work because it feels shallow right now. I am irritated that I am irritated because I had been so looking forward to this program and all it could offer me, and I, it.

Maybe things will change after I have been at the agency longer. Maybe I will all of a sudden be passionate about putting cans from a shelf into a cart. Who knows?

This is how I was feeling on Thursday, September 29.

Today, I am more optimistic. After speaking with my supervisor, I feel like the work I will be starting has more depth. I am encouraged by the project I will be doing for next week’s writing: a ride along with the mobile food pantry narrative (including photos) for the organization’s blog. I am intrigued by the opportunity for creative choices rather than the monotonous work of a volunteer, which had composed my first two weeks. Although it was not inspiring for me, it did provide me with some insight into the whole volunteerism vs. service learning conversation. I realize that I actually disliked the work of a volunteer. Acknowledging this lead me to give back a small amount of credit to being a “charitable volunteer.” So maybe my temporary work as a volunteer did serve a purpose, even if it was just for me to realize that I am grateful for the work I will be doing for the rest of the year.

writting by Bri Dressel, ECC student working with DMARC

Engaged Citizen Corps: A New Adventure with Community Service

I have personally never focused on community service or service learning as an important part of my life. I have always had “bigger” (and in my mind “better”) things to do with my time. I have, like most high school students in Missouri, volunteered with tutoring programs and other similar services. To me, however, it wasn’t about the service itself: it was about the scholarship I would get at the end. I have not volunteered since. Recently, through the experiences of several close friends, I have come to see the value service learning can add to an education. That is why I am so excited to volunteer with the Engaged Citizen Corps.

The ECC is a new program for first-year students at Drake that incorporates academic courses with service experiences. It is an opportunity for students who value service to work in the Des Moines community while also earning college credit. These students are partnered with an organization in Des Moines, who they work with for an entire academic year. This year, there are nine ECC students and eight community partners. The ECC students take four class together throughout the year, which are used to inform their service experiences. One of these classes is a Writing Seminar, which they take alongside other Drake students. The writing seminar challenges students to use their writing abilities in service of a community organization.

As a student in that writing seminar, I have volunteered my time to running a series of blog posts written by the students in the course about their service experiences throughout the semester. Each student in the class will be responsible for two posts throughout the semester, and there will be a total of three posts a week: one each on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. These posts will explore the situations that the students  find themselves in throughout the week. They will share the accomplishments each student achieves with their respective community partners. Most importantly, they will serve as proof that participating in community service is not only beneficial to the community, but also to the individual.

I have never before focused on community service as an important part of my life. I am looking forward rectifying that situation throughout the course of the semester, and I hope my experiences and those of my peers adequately show how important service learning is.

written by Hannah Thomas, Sophomore, English Major