Summer Reading: Community

[  To read the what and why of the Summer Reading series, click here. ]

Community is a hot word in the non-profit sector, in political speeches, and sometimes in church pulpits. We find it in so many different jargons because community is essential maintaining and growing, well, the world.

You may think of community as a group of people who share a hobby, form a Facebook group, or go to your church. Technology and the world becoming a much smaller place has morphed community into a diverse and flexible idea, applicable in many settings.

Community can be a neighborhood,
people who live in the same area.

Community can take place online
where people have the same interests.

Community can form around people
who share a set of religious beliefs.

In the world of all things service, "community" generally means people who live/work near each other geographically. For example, "the Campbell community" means people who live in Harnett County, in Buies Creek, or those who work at Campbell. Either way, Campbell's existence affects them all and ties all those people together.


"Looking In, Reaching Out" spends a good bit on the idea of community in the second chapter because understanding a community is so key to serving the community. Or, more precisely, "Thinking about the varieties of communities and the nature of community ties can help you be more precise in understanding what you mean when you plan to work in, with, or for the community." (Page 23)


After all, you wouldn't pack a swim suit for an Alaskan adventure. You would want to understand your environment and prepare accordingly. 


The chapter offers a few great activities on community, and the best perhaps is called "Images of Community," a mental exercise designed to teach perspective with your imagination. It sounds abstract but it makes a good point. I would encourage this exercise for any lesson related to understanding another point of view:

So how does all this tie into service?  Really, community affects many more aspects of life than service. Understanding your community will help you appreciate its people, traditions, and goals. It will help you see the world differently. But when it comes to service, knowing your community will mean you know its strengths, weaknesses, and then how your talents can weave those together for good.

Extra, extra! Check out Relevant Magazine's article on community.

Source: "Looking In, Reaching Out." Campus Compact, 2010.

Summer Reading: Growth

[  To read the what and why of the Summer Reading series, click here. ]


The first chapter of "Soul of a Citizen" begins with a quote (as do all the chapters) from Trappist monk Thomas Merton:

"Souls are like athletes that need opponents worthy of them if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers."

The chapter revolves around the lives of three Americans who have affected or are currently affecting American and world history. Loeb also includes anecdotes from the Marian Wright Edelman and Martin Luther King, Jr. The three main characters are a middle-aged mother, a law professor, and a leader of the conservative evangelical community.


The three people all traveled the same journey from a place of content complacency to suddenly being rocketed into the spotlight after making a decision to believe something different and then speak up for it. The mother, living in a low-income minority neighborhood, questioned why one of her neighbors had to die from hypothermia because she didn't have heat. The professor refused to teach until the university hired a minority female professor and the evangelical brought the idea of climate control into the Religous Right, making it moral issue for Christians.

In each case the person's soul grew in the fashion of Thomas Merton's quote-- they faced challenges and opponents, but they persevered and learned more about themselves than they thought was possible. The mother ended up speaking before Congress and the evangelical leader today is changing the face of American politics by bringing "creation care" to the forefront of conservative politics. The law professor, however, didn't share such success.

"The school's resistance continued despite Bell's stand. After three years, the school forced him to resign. His conscience had cost him a tenured job at the most prestigious law school in America." 

The story continues with the professor's lesson from that experience and how it proves that "silence can be more costly than speaking out, because it requires the ultimate sacrifice-- the erosion of our spirit."

"Yet Bell didn't feel defeated. Quite the opposite. His public stance had preserved his core identity and integrity." (Page 29)

While the mother and evangelical were reacting to something that had taken place, an action, the professor was reacting to inaction, which can be just as harmful. 


The author covers several other related topics and then finished out the chapter with the personal benefits of serving the community and/or taking an active role in one's culture:

"... Like any true path of psychological or spiritual inquiry, social commitment invites us to confront issues and forces we'd just as soon leave undisturbed. It can bring us face to face with more cruelty and suffering than we ever thought possible... Yet here as elsewhere, the most challenging experiences may teach the most valuable lessons." (Page 40)

So what's the morale of the story? By becoming part of public life through speaking out or standing up for something, you can only grow yourself and your soul. You'll encounter personal development, but more importantly you'll find out why your soul is growing-- because you're doing what you were made to do. 

Source: "Soul of a Citizen." Paul Loeb, 2010.

Summer Reading: Reflection

[  To read the what and why of the Summer Reading series, click here. ]


Human story-telling is full of reflections of the literal sort. Narcissus admiring himself in his reflection on the lake, Snow White inquiring to the Mirror on the Wall, and Alice's adventures through the looking glass. While those are examples of myths and fairy tales, how does the idea and practice of reflection play out in real life? 


Answer: self-evaluation. 


Proper reflection is essential to appreciating any event in life, but especially so for service because the experience can vary so greatly and have a very different effect on each person. Knowing there's no assumed reaction to serving, reflecting helps each individual figure out what meaning they took away from serving and how those lessons will impact their future, whether that involves serving or not.

Reflection involves critical thinking an analyzing,
not just writing down your favorite part of the day.

The very first chapter and page of "Looking In, Reaching Out" addresses reflection because it's so critical to service being meaningful, especially to students who may not have developed a complete context for their service. There are two highlights of the chapter: the definition of reflection and understanding one's motivation to serve.

"Reflection is a process of seeking clarity and truth... truth in experience, thought, beliefs, instincts, and relationships. Reflection can be accomplished independently or as a collective endeavor. Yet, however done, reflection demands consideration of one's internal state (beliefs, feelings, assumptions) and external circumstances (actions, relationships, power, dynamics, obstacles). Reflection also demands self-honesty and humility that will hold its own against affront from any quarter." (As cited on page 2.)

That's a big explanation for a little word. The short version is that reflection is evaluating how your internal state interacts with your external circumstances and what that answer has to do with the service project in which you just participated. 

-----

The middle of the chapter may sound familiar to anyone who's read "When Helping Hurts" by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The chapter's author, Kathleen Rice, asks the reader (most likely a service learning professional) to carefully consider why they want to get into the line of work, but the content also applies to volunteers involved in service learning. The wrong motivation to serve can lead to harm later in the game, so evaluating why you want to serve (in the case it's not required) is important to how you serve.

"Being aware of our own motivations is important for increasing our capacity to collaborate effectively with others who come to work with different priorities and motivations, but with whom you share a common vision." (Page 7)

A brief exercise for the reader to analyze his or her own cultural identity leads into another important point:

"Not only is it valuable to be grounded in what drives and motivates us in our work as [community service-learning professionals], but it is important to have some awareness of the source of these motivations. For each of us, the source might differ. Our motivations might be shaped by life experiences we have and have not had, our cultural histories and backgrounds, books we have read, what we have learned from mentors.... and the list goes on. Recognizing the roots of our own motivations can help us understand how others' motivations have their own roots as well." (Page 10)

You may be thinking, "Well, I want to help because it's the right thing to do, duh." Is it the right thing to do because you have some extra time and want to slap some experience on your resume? Or you may want to bestow your wealth on people lower than you. Both are poor reasons to serve and will end up harming and/or offending the people you think you're going to help.


Reflection is a tool for personal growth and community growth, both of which are key to a successful service learning environment.


Stay tuned to hear what "Looking In, Reaching Out" has to say about community.

Freedom Riders

Because we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service, it's fitting to also recognize other important components of his work throughout the year. 


Between May 4 and May 17, 1961, a group of 13 civil rights activists rode two buses from Washington, D.C. to various parts of the Southeast. They weren't looking for a road trip-- they were challenging Jim Crow laws and the comfort of racists by participating in integrated interstate bus travel, at the time recently allowed by a new law.

With an angry mob outside, Rev. Abernathy and Dr. King
strategize inside Abernathy's First Baptist Church of Montgomery.
Photo credit: LIFE/Getty Images

The Freedom Riders might not be so famous today if it weren't for the violence that met them at nearly every turn. Once the public caught wind of the project, citizens less than supportive of racial equality pelted rocks and fists at the activists, one time even fire bombing a bus. At one point Attorney General Robert Kennedy called on the National Guard to protect the activists on their journey.

Historical marker in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Characteristic of an MLK movement, the activists persevered to prove to the nation that integration can work, and that peace among different people may be as simple as offering the bus seat next to you.


It's easy to lose sight of the outside world when your own world is cluttered with obligations, worries, and to-do lists. Days like today, when we celebrate a triumphant piece of history, are an opportunity to step back and appreciate the people and events who changed the world without knowing it.


For more information on the Freedom Riders:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/rides
http://www.life.com/gallery/23102/image/50551214#index/0
Watch Oprah today at 4 p.m. EST

Summer Reading

When this blog became part of cyberspace in the summer of 2010 it was a venue to teach the Campbell community about service and service learning (two very different terms, as you can read here). When classes began the blog evolved into "hey, look what we're doing," and now that summer break is once again eagerly making its way into Buies Creek, there's nothing as nostalgic as summer reading and book reports, right?! Don't worry, we'll do the work for you.


Between now and August we'll continue to go through "Looking In, Reaching Out" and also "Soul of a Citizen." The first book, published by national service organization Campus Compact, is for service-learning professionals, but via the blog you'll learn some helpful and interesting information regarding service to help you get the most out of volunteering. "Soul of a Citizen" is fairly new and a sign of times. We'll find out what the author has to say about holding true to your convictions in an atmosphere of adversity.

     

Maybe you don't want to learn anything more about service. That's okay. I encourage you to keep up with what the rest of the Campbell community is learning. It's not enough just to serve, but to understand why you serve and the ripple effect of your service. Think of the summer posts as TMZ or following a news station on Twitter-- all this other stuff happens, but you get the most relevant and important information.