more on civic engagement

Last week, we learned more abut the positions on the Civic Engagement (CE) Team and what a typical service day looks like. As stated earlier, one of the main goals of the CE team is engage others in service that is transformational, sustainable, and inspirational. A community service event can be transformational if it leaves a tangible difference in the community, alters someone's values, beliefs, self image and behavior, creates new or strengthens existing channels of social change, or changes one's daily routine. A community service event can be sustainable if the work you performed will not revert to its previous state, or is continued by other in the future. Lastly, a community service event can be inspirational if the participants know they have made a difference.

The positions on the CE Team include: Recruitment Manager, Operations and Logistics, Visual Arts Coordinator, In-Kind Manager, Tools and Materials Manager, and Site Manager. We applied for these positions on Thursday and had to rank them, including why we wanted each one and how we might excel in each position. I ranked my top 3 as Recruitment, In-Kind, and then Site Mgr. I have zero interest in the other 3. I mentioned that I had experience both in recruitment and in-kind positions and would excel at both because I could develop my interpersonal communication skills and I love building relationships and nurturing those relationships. We did some recruitment training at the Claremont colleges on Thursday and the experience felt so natural and I loved every minute of it!!! I'm crossing my fingers for my first choice!!

We had the morning off on Friday and had to be in Pershing Square at 1 pm for Unity Rally which was hot and almost unbearable; but something I have to get used to for the next 10 months. I'll post a video sometime so you all can really see what we do. It's hard to explain with just words. We then learned about our "Idealist Journeys" and were given workbooks to accompany our "Idealist Handbook." The idea of the journey comes from Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero's Journey. The first quotation in our Idealist Journey Workbook is from him and reads,

"What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare?"

Adorning the same page is a quote by Robert F. Kennedy which reads,

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, he or she sends out a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other through many centers of energy and daring those ripples create a mighty current that can strike down even the strongest walls of oppression and resistance."

In the introduction, there is a quotation by President Barack Obama which states, "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility--a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task." [Obama below supporting City Year in Chicago].

The introduction goes on to talk about how City Year believes in the power of a young person to change the world and we agree with Robert F. Kennedy that even the smallest acts of service create ripples that spread through communities, and that ten months of service is far more than a small act. City Year recognizes that the decision to dedicate ten months of one's life to citizen service is a heroic choice. It is a decision that is sure to take us out of the familiarity and comfort of the lives we've known so far, and launch us down a path of meaningful challenges, interactions with fascinating people, and unforgettable experiences. It is also a decision that will test our skills and abilities in profound ways, and provide experiences that will leave us powerfully transformed. City Year describes us as Boundless Idealists.

A Boundless Idealist is one who constantly seeks to become his/her best self and a better citizen. Someone who seeks meaning in his/her life through giving back to communities in need. Someone who seeks unique experiences that challenge traditional views in favor of something better. The handbook goes on more but I don't want to bore you with the details. The introduction ends with the words..."Welcome to the adventure of a lifetime; your journey starts here, right now." [We will meet in small groups every other Friday and go through the exercises in our handbooks].

We also have this thing in City Year called "Joys and Ripples" which is something we do either at the beginning or at the end of the day. Drawing from the Kennedy quote earlier, a "ripple" is the telling of a brief, inspiring anecdote about an act of idealism, courage and belief and a "joy" is the sharing of joyful news or information. I was walking home the other day, pondering my brief time in City Year and all the things I had learned in only 3 weeks, and stumbled upon the pciture below only a block from my house (I thought it was kinda cool).

FAST FORWARD to Monday....

So I got my first choice and I'm the Recruitment Manager!--I was so elated!!! We were given our psitions in an envelope, and inside there was a quotation which read "Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true" [Leon J Suenes]. We'll see how that plays into what I accomplish this year. I think I can do a lot with this position and hopefully recruit thousands (daunting task?) of volunteers of the course of 10 months.

That's all for now but I will try and post more than I have been, maybe twice a week; I've just been extremely busy. Look for a post coming Friday!