I truly enjoyed this class because I never knew what to expect when walking into the classroom. While some parts of the class, such as the class assigned readings and blog entries, were structured, others, like the field experiences and class discussions, were not. Through assigned class readings I learned new vocabulary such as "gentrification", "urban renewal", and "social capital", and issues and concepts such as homelessness, poor education, and privilege, which are a problem in communities. The class discussions about these terms, concepts, and issues led to deep discussions and the formation of different opinions. The diversity of the class in the students' backgrounds, experiences, and opinions taught me to look at the world from different perspectives because nothing is entirely black and white when it comes to community. The field experiences, which followed most of the class discussions, gave me the opportunity to explore the environment of Cincinnati and develop my own ideas and definition of community. This aspect of the class made it most memorable to me because I was given the chance to form my own opinion about Over the Rhine, now called OTR. With Jessica's and my classmates' assistance, I explored the streets of OTR and discovered my own image of the area that was not crime-filled and dangerous like I was taught to believe growing up.
My newfound view of the beauty and community which exists in OTR led me to organize a canned food drive for a non-profit organization called Our Daily Bread. Our Daily Break is a ministry of hospitality located in OTR that is dedicated to serving neighborhood residents and individuals who frequently visit the area. They assist these people by providing warm meals, social services, and places for guests to socialize in a safe, respectful environment. I chose this organization because it gives back to people, especially those who are homeless or going through difficult financial times, and who are often "lost in the crowd" during the holidays. In order to facilitate this drive, I chose to create an elaborate flyer for both the Amberley community where I grew up and the Delhi community where my grandparents live. The artifacts I choose to show are the flyers I created for both communities that contain five things people needed to know in order to take part in my canned food drive: the purpose of the drive, information about Our Daily Bread, the person organizing the canned food drive, the reason for organizing it, and how to get involved. Along with these flyers I created an information sheet about OTR and 3CDC. The sheet contains information about notable architecture, attractions, restaurants, and shops in OTR to draw people to the area, as well as some basic facts about 3CDC, the work they have done so far in OTR, and how they are partly responsible for OTR's renewal. As well as teaching myself and others more about OTR and one of the many organizations which exist there, I found a way to effectively engage myself in the Cincinnati community.
The main goal I had for Exploring Community Engagement was to learn how to actually become an active member in the Cincinnati community. My progress in becoming an active member of the Cincinnati community can be explained using the Active Citizen Continuum. Before arriving at the first Exploring Community Engagement class, I would say that I was a "volunteer" who was eager to get involved but was not as informed about the ways to go about it or about the issues surrounding the Cincinnati community. Through our readings and discussions, I slowly developed awareness of the key social issues in Cincinnati and began the journey to becoming a conscientious citizen. The various trips and explorations to the Clifton area outside of the UC campus, OTR, Price Hill, and Northside have really given me the opportunity to understand some of the issues which exist in Cincinnati. From exploring the run-down environment of Clifton to discovering the urban renewal or gentrification of OTR, Jessica has allowed me to witness our environment from my own perspective, and as a result, given me the opportunity to grow in my own understanding of the Cincinnati community. I think that "community [has] become a priority in [the] values and life choices" (Active Citizen Continuum) which I have and continue to make as a result of Exploring Community Engagement. This aspect of the class has been instrumental in my development from a conscientious citizen to an active citizen.
As a result of this class, I want to continue engaging myself in not only the Cincinnati community, but also the global community as well. Realistically, with college and extracurricular activities, my ability to engage myself in communities will be limited. I will do my best to make community, its development, and its success a significant part of my life by helping those who truly need and want my assistance. I plan on making the canned food drive a yearly tradition with the help of my parents and sister. I will also continue to volunteer at Ronald McDonald House with my family every month as well as take part in various other service-oriented opportunities that are available at UC. I have recently filled out an application for the Honors Experience called Making Wishes Come True. I hope that I can make an impact in the lives of kids who are struggling with life-threatening illnesses by helping them to live as carefree kids for a few days. I want to make them feel at home by volunteering with Give Kids the World so that they have some great memories of just being a kid and forgetting about what they are going through medically.
community_outreach_project_presentation.pptx |
exploring_community_engagement_final_paper.docx |
final_project_our_daily_bread_delhi_flyer.pdf |
final_project_our_daily_bread_amberley_flyer.pdf |
final_project_otr_information.pdf |