CESP Blog

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer; it sings because it
has a song." Maya Angelou

In our RAP Session and hopefully after, we've explored telling our personal stories and why we may tell it, and why it's important to tell others our stories. Why do you think its important to tell your story? Is it because you have something to say? Something you need to let out? Or is there someone who needs to hear it? Why/When might it not be important to share our stories with one another and what could be the result of that?

Posted by reut0076 at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In our RAP Session we discussed what the ideal youthworker might look like and how to think critically about what we should expect from the role of a youthworker. We also reflected on our own experiences with community work, specifically moments where we felt powerful or powerless. We then discussed a critical essay on the politics of childhood and through that, brainstormed ways to give youth more power and create spaces of collaboration for adults and young people.

Thinking back to our discussion on working in collaboration with young people, since we ran out of time, what are some concrete ways you can work with and not for young people in your community work? If you don't work directly with young people, think about ways to give youth power in institutions, maybe specifically your organization. Please respond with about a paragraph in the comment section of this blog post. If you would rather it not be posted on the blog, please email us your reflection to cesp (at) umn.edu.

Resources used in the RAP Session for you to use:
Medicine Stories by Aurora Levins Morales. (almost the entire book is available on google books)
Classified: How to Stop Hiding Your Privilege and Use it for Social Change by Karen Pittelman and Resource Generation. (available to check out in the CCLC's Resource room).

If you are interested in leading a future RAP session on youthwork, get in touch with the Scholars program! The outline used for this RAP session will be available if wanted.

Posted by reut0076 at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In the Mapping Our Comfort Zones session we discussed how we want to expand our understanding of PLACE (specific, personal, geographic locations) to see SPACE (the abstract, the general). We thought about places in context of forces such as history, time of day, relative location, the 5 senses, etc in order to start to get at this larger idea of "space." We also looked as absolute, relative, and relational space.

With our discussions in mind, please respond to the following prompt with a paragraph of writing:

Show how the PLACE where you do your community work is actually SPACE. (think about any connections to your "comfort zone").

We would also like you to include a visual with your post (a picture, or drawing, etc). Please include the visual in an email to cesp (at) umn.edu since posting the picture in a comment can be difficult without knowledge of HTML code.

Posted by reut0076 at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Cedar Riverside tour took us from the U of M campus, around Cedar Ave, to the Riverside Plaza and ending at the River Bluffs. It is amazing to me, how in such a small geographical location you can have some of the states largest institutions (U of M and Fairview), a National Park, and one of the densest housing complexes west of Chicago home to thousands of new immigrants and refugees. Given the diversity of the neighborhood and the often competing interests, is it possible to create one unified identity of Cedar Riverside? Is that important for a neighborhood? What identity have you associated with Cedar Riverside in the past and did the tour and service work change your perspective? How can the diverse communities of Cedar Riverside work together to enhance the quality of life for all residents while simultaneously protecting a unique natural resource like the Mississippi?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us your response in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032 (at) umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Posted by reut0076 at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In our Reflective Writing Workshop, we tried out a variety of methods for getting started on a piece of reflective writing. These included: free writes, making lists, time lines, outlines, diagrams, maps, etc. We also explored two different approaches to the content of a reflection: 1) Starting with an experience you'd like to "unpack" and using the "what, so what, now what?" model, and 2) Starting with a meaningful "big question" and brainstorming what you know about that question, what you don't know, and how your community work might fit in to finding out more about the answer to that question. To wrap up this RAP session, do some kind of pre-writing that you might use to write a reflection in the future. This pre-write can take any of the forms that we tried out in the RAP session, or any other that has come to mind since then.

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us your response in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032 (at) umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Posted by reut0076 at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

October is GLBT history month as the video above explains. For this month's reflection idea we want you to think about the contributions GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) people have made to the community work you have done. Are GLBT issues discussed at your community organization? Is harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression challenged? If you are working with young people, is GLBT history discussed? If so, how are GLBT people portrayed? If not, what can be done to incorporate and make visible the contributions of GLBT people?

For more information, visit the GLBT History Month website for more videos and biographies on GLBT historical icons.

If you would like to turn in a reflection on this topic, you can submit it via email to cesp (at) umn.edu or drop it off in our 345 Fraser office.

Posted by reut0076 at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sometimes it feels like there is more than a road dividing the University of Minnesota from the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. My sense was confirmed as we went around the group of students to ask what brought them to this RAP session. Most of the students expressed an interest/curiosity in the neighborhood but just haven’t taken the time to explore. How is it possible that most students can identify the restaurants, stores and other assets of Dinkytown or Stadium Village but have very little sense of the community just across the street from the West Bank Arts Quarter, Carlson School of Management, and the Humphrey Institute? How have U of M students, staff and faculty been acculturated to understanding our bordering communities? Is there a difference in the imagery, language, and marketing that you see for Dinkytown, Stadium Village, and Prospect Park, versus Cedar Riverside?

Reflection Questions
One of the most important aspects of CHANCE is that it is tied to a place. It is intentional that our partnerships and work are tied to the neighborhood where Humphrey is located. Thinking of your own community experience: What draws you to the place where you do your community work? Does it matter that the organization you work with is based in a particular neighborhood? Is it a conscious choice for you to work in that neighborhood? Is it a conscious choice that the organization works in that neighborhood? Do you participate in the neighborhood beyond that community work with an organization? If your relationship with the neighborhood goes beyond your community work, how does that impact your experience?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more next fall!

Posted by reut0076 at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Imagine working full-time for minimum wage with no benefits and not being able to afford to pay your rent. Imagine paying a damage deposit and first and last months rent on a home and two months later being evicted because the owner of the home had been foreclosed upon. In this RAP session we participated in a dialogue about some of the many complicated issues facing individuals and families in the Twin Cities homeless population.

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is A CHANCE Tour of the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood on Friday, April 24th from 10am-12pm at Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Helping people help themselves is the philosophy in which guides Project for Pride in Living (PPL). This nonprofit agency works with lower-income families and individuals in numerous ways such as housing assistance, employment training, education resources, and family support services. With these services PPL encourages people to become self-sufficient and achieve stability with their housing, finances, and family. PPL also coordinates the College House Program, a tutor and mentoring program which serves the needs of children directly from the community. All the individuals who live in these houses tutor two children and serve as healthy adult role models. For this RAP session we visited PPL’s various programs in the Seward Neighborhood, meet with students living in the College House, and discussed how the work of PPL addresses community issues present in all of our community work.

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, or respond to the following question in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

What are some things that you learned about "helping people help themselves" that are useful for you in your community work at other Twin Cities organizations?

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is Housing and Homelessness in the Twin Cities on Thursday, April 16th from 2-4pm at CSOM 1-122. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The word, "grant" tends to represent a big and scary document that any undergraduate student would feel nervous about approaching, but there are a variety of grants and key elements that can increase the success of a grant. This session was a hands-on approach to researching for grants, as well as writing them, so bring your past community work experiences to the table because you could find them very useful during the grant finding/writing process. There was also some discussion about other fund-raising methods which can be found if we "think outside the box."

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, or respond to the following questions in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

Questions to comment on from Samone!
If you plan on writing a grant in the future, what factors will affect your
grant writing/searching process the most?

After the session, what kind of grants (federal, state, mini-grants,
community) interested you the most and why?

helpful websites:
http://www.technologygrantnews.com
http://www.uncg.edu/soe/trc/docs/Grantwebsites.pdf

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Posted by reut0076 at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Integrative Community Engagement Project (ICEP) is the capstone experience for the Community Engagement Scholars Program, and a great chance to use your past community work and academic experiences to meet a need or build capacity within a community organization. In this workshop, we heard from alumni of the Scholars Program about how they developed and implemented their ICEPs. We also participated in activities meant to begin the brainstorming/planning process for your ICEP

From Laura:
Thanks for a great workshop last week. Here is a question for reflection:

What do you think it means to "meet a need" or "build capacity" at your community organization? How will you know that your ICEP plan does this?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you respond to this question in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Posted by reut0076 at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

From Mitch:

Thanks again for a great conversation and discussion. We put together some insightful and provocative ideas about how reflection works and how we accomplish reflective writing. I came away with several new ideas and a lot to think about. Monica's facebook status after the session was right on: "Monica is reflecting on reflection. It's all about the meta."

We did spend most of the time together talking about reflection for reflection's sake -- or as its own outcome, purpose, or assignment. We didn't have much chance to discuss how reflection and reflective writing can support and extend other kinds of thinking and writing -- how it can move other projects forward. So please respond to the following questions:

What are some specific larger projects or goals that you have before you (e.g. writing a capstone paper, writing a proposal, teaching or training on a certain topic, applying for a career-track job, etc.)?

How can you imagine reflective writing being a productive part of your process towards those larger projects?

How might you structure your reflective writing in these projects -- which might not require reflective writing at all, leaving your use of reflective writing entirely up to you? How will you design your reflective writing assignments for yourself?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is Grants and Other Fundraising Tools on Thursday, April 2nd from 3-5pm at Akerman Hall 225. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In our session we talked about space beyond physical geography and place as it relates to comfort zones. We used maps of the U of M campus and the Twin Cities as concrete examples of how we feel comfortable in some spaces and not others. Some of the things discussed were memory, familiarity, routine, people, etc.

For your comment, we ask you to consider the idea of "universal" space introduced by the excerpt from Freedom Dreams by Robin D. G. Kelley (Hannah says it's a great book, especially if you're interested in surrealism). We would like you to contemplate the proposals/ideas of Kelley and how they can be applied to your community work, or community work in general.

Would you consider the place you do community work a "universal" space? Explain. Consider the ideas of absolute, relative, relational, four dimensional, historical, imaginative space that we discussed. Also think about potential spatial acts - what would you do to make this space more comfortable for everyone?

Click "continue reading" to see pictures of the whiteboard to help you remember the terms discussed, the maps created, and everything else that ended up on the board!

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is a Reflective Writing Workshop on Tuesday, March 10th from 2-4pm at Physics (Tate) 236A. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Continue reading "Mapping Our Comfort Zones RAP Session Reflection" »

Posted by reut0076 at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This month we thought we'd try something completely different!

We got word that Lisa Arrastia, an instructor in the Social Justice Minor, was working on a collection of works to be published along with Bill Ayers (you probably know his name from the recent presidential elections and his slight ties to President Obama). It is titled White Before We Got Here? Youth and the Hidden Curriculum of Whiteness and right now they are looking for submissions from young people no older than 25.

Submissions can be essays, poetry, lyrics, and visual/performance/installation art.

Some questions to think about for submissions:
In what ways does whiteness keep you silent or make you holla back at the world!?!?
Who and what taught you whiteness and why do you think they/it did? Who continues to try and teach you whiteness’ practices?
Who and what benefit from whiteness and what do those benefits look like and feel like?
What do they mean in the larger picture of life?
What is the cost of whiteness? What are its limitations?
Why do you love about whiteness and what is difficult about it for you?
In what ways do you comply with the social norms and cultural values of whiteness and why?
What does whiteness sound like, feel like, look like, or smell like?
If you could change whiteness, how would you?
If whiteness could talk, what would it say?
In 100 years, what will whiteness be if anything?

Click on "download file" to get the PDF document that gives the full details along with submission forms!
Download file

If you decide to submit, please send us an email with the submission attached so we can give you credit for doing a reflection!

We hope you all take this amazing opportunity!

Posted by reut0076 at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In our RAP session, we talked about a lot of different issues related to higher education, including how we define it, what its role is in society, obstacles to accessing it, and how different perspectives on education and learning can inform the way we think about higher ed. How do any of the issues we talked about connect to your community work? This can be community work that you're engaged in now, that you've done in the past, or that you would like to be involved in in the future. (You're also welcome to share any other reflections or thoughts you have on the session!)

Resources:
Perspectives on higher education that we talked about in our session:
Paolo Freire: Pedagogy of the Oppressed
John Dewey: Experience and Education
Te Wananga-o-Raukawa, a Maori university in New Zealand: www.twor.ac.nz
Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve and three articles on higher education and intelligence: http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.25452/pub_detail.asp
The Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network and the Dream Act: http://immigrantfreedomnetwork.wordpress.com/

For those looking for other views on the meaning of higher education, access, and alternatives, a couple of other places to check out are the Experimental College of the Twin Cities (www.excotc.org), self-described as a place that "shares visions of a better world, offers free and open classes and is building a community around education for social change;" and La Universidad de La Tierra (The University of the Land) in Chiapas, a school for indigenous youth that is also associated with the Zapatista social movement. Read an interview with the coordinator of the school here: http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/rsb_int_eng.html. He has lots of cool things to say about the school, education in general, and its connection to social movements. Thank you to everyone who attended for sharing your thoughts and ideas--we really appreciated our time with you!

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is an ICEP (Integrative Community Engagement Project) Workshop on Thursday, February 26th from 5:30-7:30pm at Lind Hall 229. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

What does it feel like to be a foreigner? To not know the language of the community you’re “serving?� How does this affect the way the community views you? This session focused on the experiences of students who have or are planning to do community work in the “Global South,� or developing countries.

Some questions for you to think about from the facilitators:

Did the other experiences and stories shared during the rap session give you a different insignt into your own experiences? If so how?

Reflecting on the conversation during the RAP session, think about a situation in which you were in the dominant community, and someone else wasan outsider. How did you/others react to that person/people? Would you react differently now?

How do issues of identity and privelege play a role in your community work?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, respond to the facilitator questions, or what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is Rethinking Higher Education: Access, Alternatives, and Advocacy on Monday, February 16th from 5-7pm at Nicholson Hall 315. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

For this month, the focus of the January reflection is the poem recited at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Written by Elizabeth Alexander, she is a poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher born in New York City and raised in Washington, DC. Alexander has degrees from Yale University and Boston University and completed her Ph.D. in English at the University of Pennsylvania. She currently teaches in the Department of African American Studies at Yale University.

Praise song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander

Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other, catching each other’s
eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise. All about us is
noise and bramble, thorn and din, each
one of our ancestors on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem, darning
a hole in a uniform, patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere,
with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum,
with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky.
A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin.

We encounter each other in words, words
spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,
words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark
the will of some one and then others, who said
I need to see what’s on the other side.

I know there’s something better down the road.
We need to find a place where we are safe.
We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain: that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,

picked the cotton and the lettuce, built
brick by brick the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.

Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more
than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?

Love beyond marital, filial, national,
love that casts a widening pool of light,
love with no need to pre-empt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,
any thing can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,

praise song for walking forward in that light.

What do you think this poem says about community? About the importance of a diversity of life experiences? The importance of struggle?

Can you connect this inaugural poem to your community work?

(As with all monthly reflection ideas, if you would like to respond to these topics/questions write up your reflection like usual and send it as a word document to Laura Dammer-Hess, the program coordinator at damm0032@umn.edu).

Happy New Year!

Posted by reut0076 at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Biology without Borders is a student group at the University that is concerned with public health both locally and globally. During this RAP session, leaders from Biology without Borders talked about their work with diabetes education in Tanzania, and led a discussion around issues of public health and community work here and abroad.

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more next semester! Be on the look out for an email about them in the Spring!

Posted by reut0076 at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

What are the strengths of working for community change within the structure of a non-profit organization? What are the limitations? In this RAP session, we talked a bit about the history of social organizing in the United States in order to contextualize the organizational structures we are working within today. We then discussed the ways in which the structure of an organization directly impacts how community work is done and who it ultimately benefits. We ended the session by discussing alternatives for “non-traditional� organizational models.

Some questions for you to think about from the facilitators:
Do organizational structures shape social movements? How does the structure of your organization help/hinder its goals? What other organizational structures did you learn about in this RAP session and do you think they are useful/harmful for organizing and how?

Links to check out for more information:
http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free/consens
http://www.starhawk.org/activism/consensus.html

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is Community Work Local to Global: Biology without Borders on Friday November 21st from 2-4pm in Kolthoff Hall 133. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The election is over, so time for a slightly different focus in this month's reflection idea.

Watch this awesome video from Good Magazine and think a bit about the questions we pose below it! You can find other great videos from Good on their website, all chances to learn exciting new things about a variety of topics.

So, after watching that very well designed video, what are your thoughts?

Some things to think about:
All of the examples of volunteer work given in the video are organizations working on fairly concrete issues with set goals in mind. These are all tangible issues that we can blatantly see in front of us. At the same time, the video works to create a sense of a "volunteerism" community (or "do-nation" as they called it), how important is this sense of community when doing your volunteer work? Do you feel connected to a larger movement, idea, community?

But, what is missing from this video? What isn't being addressed? Are your issues being discussed? If so, to what extent?

To turn in a reflection about this reflection idea/topic, write it up and email it to Laura Dammer Hess at damm0032@umn.edu. If you think it's an awesome reflection and want it posted on the blog, let us know and we'll get it up here!

Posted by reut0076 at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Citizenship is at the forefront of many conversations this fall as we prepare for local and national elections. Many types of people and organizations are a part of these conversations. The Weisman Art Museum currently has three exhibitions connected to themes of citizenship and democracy. In this RAP session we visited the exhibitions entitled, “What do YOU say AMERICA?,� “Hindsight is Always 20/20,� and “Who is a Citizen? What is Citizenship,� and discussed how they illustrate or conflict with our ideas of citizenship and democracy.

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is The Revolution Will not be Funded: Reflections on Models of Organizing on Friday, November 14th from 2-4pm at TBA. Sign up at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Reflection Questions to think about:
In several of the pieces we saw in the exhibit we discussed the artist as an advocate, and the difficulties of representing or advocating for a people that is not your own. How does this connect to what you do in your community work or the work of your community organization?

Posted by reut0076 at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The focus of this session is the increasing lack of public space and spaces for public opinion. In the session we discussed mottoes and slogans (their meaning and function) and how this affects us in an election year. We analyzed the meaning and purpose of these mottoes and slogans and questioned their “public� and “private� influence. We also spent time in this RAP session on a creative project creating mottoes and slogans and exploring creative methods of reclaiming space for public discourse.

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is Art and Citizenship in an Election Year on Thursday November 6th from 4 to 6pm at the Weisman Art Museum. Sign up for it at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Note from the facilitator:

Thanks to everyone that came out and participated in this RAP session. I hope you all found the topic interesting, even if it was a little chaotic. I really enjoyed talking and working on our stencils!

Ideas for reflection: How does public space work (or not work) at your community organization? You can talk about just about anything relating to the community organization you volunteer at and public space. Do they advocate public space? Do they "use" public space? If you think to yourself "I don't think my community organization "uses" public space", what could you do as a volunteer to encourage them to think about it/embrace public space and public ownership?

I think this is a great way to tie the topic back to your community work, however you are free to write about anything! If you thought of something else that really intrigued you, please write about it! I'm excited to hear what you guys think.

Thanks,
Josh C.

Posted by reut0076 at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Using circle processes and dialogue, we learned about each others’ connection to social justice. How did we get “turned on� to justice work? Who were our mentors? And how does spirituality play into this connection? What can we do as individuals or communities to better support his work through spirituality?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is In Your Face: Reclaiming Public Space Tuesday, October 28th from 5-7pm in 1701 University Room 207. Sign up for it online at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My Reflections (Katie Peacock, facilitator)
Sometimes it feels like there is more than a road dividing the University of Minnesota from the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. My sense was confirmed as we went around the group of students to ask what brought them to this RAP session. Most of the students expressed an interest/curiosity in the neighborhood but just haven’t taken the time to explore. How is it possible that most students can identify the restaurants, stores and other assets of Dinkytown or Stadium Village but have very little sense of the community just across the street from the West Bank Arts Quarter, Carlson School of Management, and the Humphrey Institute? How have U of M students, staff and faculty been acculturated to understanding our bordering communities? Is there a difference in the imagery, language, and marketing that you see for Dinkytown, Stadium Village, and Prospect Park, versus Cedar Riverside?

Reflection Questions
One of the most important aspects of CHANCE is that it is tied to a place. It is intentional that our partnerships and work are tied to the neighborhood where Humphrey is located. Thinking of your own community experience: What draws you to the place where you do your community work? Does it matter that the organization you work with is based in a particular neighborhood? Is it a conscious choice for you to work in that neighborhood? Is it a conscious choice that the organization works in that neighborhood? Do you participate in the neighborhood beyond that community work with an organization? If your relationship with the neighborhood goes beyond your community work, how does that impact your experience?

To get credit for this RAP Session please make sure you leave us a summary with how it went, what you learned, etc in a comment on this entry or shoot Laura an email at damm0032@umn.edu.

If commenting, please put your full name and umn.edu email address so we know who to give credit to!

Hope you all enjoyed the RAP session and come to some more, the next is Connecting Justice Through Spirituality Monday October 24 from 11am to 1pm in Burton Hall 123. Sign up for it online at www.servicelearning.umn.edu/trainings!

Posted by reut0076 at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

This is the very first of our monthly reflection ideas and since the election is looming in the very near future, we thought we'd have the October reflection topic focus on just that.

Since every Scholar works on a variety of issues, we wanted to give everyone a chance to think more about how the issues their organizations work on are reflected this election season. Are they discussed by the candidates (both local and national)? How are they discussed? If they aren't being discussed, do you feel they should be? And, of course, name those issues and how they do relate to this election!

To help you in this process, we thought we'd provide you with two videos, and a nice quiz from Minnesota Public Radio.

In case you missed John McCain and Barack Obama's party nomination acceptance speeches, here they are. Are they discussing your issues? Are they discussing the issues in general sufficiently?

Barack Obama:

John McCain:

Finally, and most importantly, take this quiz from MPR! It gives you the chance to answer some questions on a variety of issues and in the end see how you match up to the candidates. You can take local and national versions of this quiz as well! Click here to take that quiz.

A note about turning in reflections: For these monthly reflection ideas, please email your journal reflections (2-3 pages typed double spaced) to Laura Dammer-Hess at damm0032@umn.edu. If you plan on doing a non-journal reflection, email what you can to us, if not, drop it off at 345 Fraser! Also, if you want us to post your reflection on the blog, let us know!

Posted by reut0076 at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The day I decided to lead a RAP session about the connect between Justice and spirituality, I assumed the RAP session would be attended by mostly white, Christian women. And so I was not surprised to walk into the room and find just that. And to be honest, I was not thrilled about it, often being the only non-Christian in the faith conversations. But then! I learned, felt, experienced, was challenged, and was able to grow more than I thought possible! The session seemed extremely helpful and hopeful for people. It was a space were we could honestly delve into important topics that reflect our reasons for being involved in liberation work.

Continue reading "Connecting Justice Through Spirituality RAP Session Reflections" »

Posted by reut0076 at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In this workshop we discussed a variety of health topics on a global and local level, including diabetes, health insurance and refugee aid. Then we focused more in depth on two particular topics: malnutrition and mental health in post-crisis communities. In small groups, we analyzed the statistics that demonstrated the urgency of these health crises and explained why the problems existed. Then we talked about the specific ways that student can address these issues. After outlining the key success factors for an effective intervention, we reconvened as a large group to share some of our tactics. Examples included donating left-over UDS food to shelters, creating an undergraduate health survey, forming a mental health peer support group, and publicizing nutrition facts to raise nutrition awareness. The last portion of this workshop was dedicated to creating a commitment to action, in which each participant wrote out a plan to tackle a health issue in a tangible and measurable way. An action plan could be as simple as creating flyers to support a cause. It was up to the individual to decide how they can use their skills and resources to make a change in their community.

Continue reading "Public Health RAP Session Reflections" »

Posted by reut0076 at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My first time at an official privilege workshop was as a facilitator, needless to say, I was a little anxious about it would go. However, everyone had a lot of great things to say and we got through a lot of really intense stuff. My only wish is that it could have been a longer session. I felt like we ended up leaving a lot of ground untouched, that many of us would have liked to cover. I’ve looked at privilege from many angles as a social justice student, and in some of my other classes, as well as in my own community work. However, every time I sit down to actually have a discussion about “privilege� whether white, class, or other, I realize something new.

Continue reading "White Privilege Rap Session Reflections" »

Posted by cesp at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Confronting Privilege in Community Work
This RAP session will consider how we deal with privilege in our personal lives as well as in our community work. Although different types of privilege will be considered, the session will focus on white privilege and class privilege.
We all deal with privilege and inequality in some way through our community work, so students doing all types of community work are encouraged to attend.

Time/Day: Thursday, March 13th 3-5 PM
Place: Armory 116

Public Health Care and Community Service
This session will focus on how individuals can make a lasting impact on the lives of an entire community through public health work. Participants will work on translating their knowledge of health care problems into a hands-on experiences that serves the specific needs of the community.
Students that have been involved in this type of work are strongly encouraged to attend and share their experiences with the group. For those who are interested in getting more involved, there will be a list provided of nonprofit agencies involved in public health along with other resources.

Time: Wednesday, April 2nd 4-6 PM
Place: Nicholson 120

Connecting to Justice Through Spirituality
Using circle processes and dialogue, we will learn about each others’ connection to social justice. How did we get “turned on� to justice work? Who were our mentors? And how does spirituality play into this connection? What can we do as individuals or communities to better support his work through spirituality? All are welcome- please bring readings, song, teachings or other things you’d like to share with the group.

Time: Friday, April 11th 11 AM -1 PM
Place: Appleby 219

Food Matters: Hunger, Culture, Access, Health, and Social Justice
At this RAP session we will reflect on Food and the many different roles it plays building communities. Community gardens, food shelves, restaurants, soup kitchens, grocery stores, and even our own kitchens and dinning rooms are all important pieces that make up the diverse communities in the Twin Cities. This will be an opportunity to discover the connections between your work and food justice. You will also learn more about organizations working against the inequalities around food.

Time: Wednesday April 23rd 12-2 PM
Place: FolH 116

Community Engagement? Service Learning in the Global South
What does it feel like to be a foreigner? To not know the language of the community you’re “serving?� How does this affect the way the community views you? This session will focus on the experiences of students who have or are planning to do community work in the “Global South,� or developing countries. Students who have participated in MSID, HECUA or other study abroad programs are particularly encouraged to attend.

Time: Thursday, May 1st 2-4 PM
Place: PeikH 155

Integrative Community Engagement Projects
This semester we have 22 students completing the Scholars Program final project, and they’d like to share their experiences with you! This session will consist of short presentations by some of this semester’s ICEP students, a discussion, and tips for getting started on your final project. This session is open to all but is especially recommended for students planning to complete their ICEP in the next year.

Time: Wednesday, May 7th 3-5 PM
Place: NichH 120

To register for RAP Sessions, click here.

Posted by cesp at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)