Where DO you go from here? How do you continue to apply your new understandings of community engagement as you strive towards active citizenship?
Exploring Community Engagement has affected me in more ways than just convincing me to get involved in the community. With Jessica's assistance, I have learned to take what we have learned in terms of community engagement, which is considered an "area of study that has been termed 'informal education'", "beyond the boundaries of the classroom" (Longo, 120, 2007). Two key events during this course which have led me to this conclusion were the field experience to Robert's Academy in Price Hill and WordPlay in Northside.
My experience at Robert's Academy in Price Hill had a huge impact on me. This impact affects my view of Price Hill before and after I visited Roberts Academy. Before traveling to Robert's Academy, I had the idea that it would be an old school would look dirty since it was located in the "West Side" of Cincinnati. Most of my family lives in the "West Side" so I thought I knew everything about the area, but I realized that I was wrong. When I arrived at Robert's Academy, I was shocked at how nice it looked. I immediately realized that my view of the "West Side" was wrong. This is just one of the examples of how Exploring Community Engagement has had an impact on the way I view things, and as a result, has affected how I engage myself in my environment. The building looked clean and brand new on the outside and felt warm and inviting on the inside. I have realized that looking at the world from a single viewpoint is the wrong way to go about living. I need to open up my mind to the idea that people and things change and that seeing one aspect of an area does not mean that other aspects of it are similar. Through this experience I am taking what I have learned in the classroom and applied it to my life as a University of Cincinnati Student.
My experience in Northside, specifically WordPlay, affected me just as much, if not more, than my experience at Roberts Academy. I knew nothing about Northside before the field experience other than what I had read about in the assigned class readings. Immediately upon my arrival to Northside, I realized that it was a place full of artistic beauty, diversity, and historic value. I also felt a sense of struggle in the community which I had not felt anywhere else during this course. This realization made me curious about Northside, which in turn lead me to want to learn about how I can engage in the community to alleviate the sense of struggle. When I walked into WordPlay, I saw an African American woman and a few of her children. I did not think much of it until Elissa, one of the individuals who is heavily involved in WordPlay, told the class about the woman. She had fled from her abusive husband to Cincinnati and desired to give her kids an education and a chance to become successful. The kids grew up in a horrific environment, yet they were able to get their work done in school and live normal lives as a result of the assistance of volunteers helping them at WordPlay. For some reason this story made me think of my cousin Brian, who was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. His cancer prevented him from attending school for nearly two years and affected his development. He visited Disney World in Florida with the help of the Make A Wish Foundation and stayed at the houses provided by Give Kids the World. The large impact which WordPlay had on me was the idea that a person can make a big difference in the lives of kids who have gone through hard times by giving them the same chances as others have who did not face extreme hardships. This realization and the resulting desire to make a difference is what is making me an active citizen. According to the Active Citizen Continuum, an individual becomes an active citizen when "community becomes a priority in values and life choices" (The Active Citizen Continuum). Based off this definition, I see the an active citizen as someone who focuses some of his or her life on ways to make a difference in others' lives through becoming actively involved in a community.
I plan on continuing to develop into an active citizen by applying what I have learned from this class through the Making Wishes Come True Service Experience this summer. I applied for this honors experience in response to my experience at WordPlay in Northside. 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 like a careless kid for a few days. I want to make them feel at home by volunteering at Give Kids the World so that they have one good memory of just being a kid and forgetting about what they are going through.
The Active Citizen Continuum. N.p.: Break Away: the Alternative Break Connection, Inc., n.d. PDF.
Longo, N.V. (2007). Why community matters: Connecting education with civic life. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Exploring Community Engagement has affected me in more ways than just convincing me to get involved in the community. With Jessica's assistance, I have learned to take what we have learned in terms of community engagement, which is considered an "area of study that has been termed 'informal education'", "beyond the boundaries of the classroom" (Longo, 120, 2007). Two key events during this course which have led me to this conclusion were the field experience to Robert's Academy in Price Hill and WordPlay in Northside.
My experience at Robert's Academy in Price Hill had a huge impact on me. This impact affects my view of Price Hill before and after I visited Roberts Academy. Before traveling to Robert's Academy, I had the idea that it would be an old school would look dirty since it was located in the "West Side" of Cincinnati. Most of my family lives in the "West Side" so I thought I knew everything about the area, but I realized that I was wrong. When I arrived at Robert's Academy, I was shocked at how nice it looked. I immediately realized that my view of the "West Side" was wrong. This is just one of the examples of how Exploring Community Engagement has had an impact on the way I view things, and as a result, has affected how I engage myself in my environment. The building looked clean and brand new on the outside and felt warm and inviting on the inside. I have realized that looking at the world from a single viewpoint is the wrong way to go about living. I need to open up my mind to the idea that people and things change and that seeing one aspect of an area does not mean that other aspects of it are similar. Through this experience I am taking what I have learned in the classroom and applied it to my life as a University of Cincinnati Student.
My experience in Northside, specifically WordPlay, affected me just as much, if not more, than my experience at Roberts Academy. I knew nothing about Northside before the field experience other than what I had read about in the assigned class readings. Immediately upon my arrival to Northside, I realized that it was a place full of artistic beauty, diversity, and historic value. I also felt a sense of struggle in the community which I had not felt anywhere else during this course. This realization made me curious about Northside, which in turn lead me to want to learn about how I can engage in the community to alleviate the sense of struggle. When I walked into WordPlay, I saw an African American woman and a few of her children. I did not think much of it until Elissa, one of the individuals who is heavily involved in WordPlay, told the class about the woman. She had fled from her abusive husband to Cincinnati and desired to give her kids an education and a chance to become successful. The kids grew up in a horrific environment, yet they were able to get their work done in school and live normal lives as a result of the assistance of volunteers helping them at WordPlay. For some reason this story made me think of my cousin Brian, who was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. His cancer prevented him from attending school for nearly two years and affected his development. He visited Disney World in Florida with the help of the Make A Wish Foundation and stayed at the houses provided by Give Kids the World. The large impact which WordPlay had on me was the idea that a person can make a big difference in the lives of kids who have gone through hard times by giving them the same chances as others have who did not face extreme hardships. This realization and the resulting desire to make a difference is what is making me an active citizen. According to the Active Citizen Continuum, an individual becomes an active citizen when "community becomes a priority in values and life choices" (The Active Citizen Continuum). Based off this definition, I see the an active citizen as someone who focuses some of his or her life on ways to make a difference in others' lives through becoming actively involved in a community.
I plan on continuing to develop into an active citizen by applying what I have learned from this class through the Making Wishes Come True Service Experience this summer. I applied for this honors experience in response to my experience at WordPlay in Northside. 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 like a careless kid for a few days. I want to make them feel at home by volunteering at Give Kids the World so that they have one good memory of just being a kid and forgetting about what they are going through.
The Active Citizen Continuum. N.p.: Break Away: the Alternative Break Connection, Inc., n.d. PDF.
Longo, N.V. (2007). Why community matters: Connecting education with civic life. Albany: State University of New York Press.