Module: Use the perspectives and understandings about yourself that you have gained from both the Clifton Strengths Finder assessment and the Values, Beliefs, and Personal Bias assignment to identify a cause that is meaningful to you, one that you can contribute to as part of our service learning project for social change to support it. You will work towards completing this project throughout this course as your final project. The authors of A Social Change Model of Leadership explained that “If knowledge is connected to something that you really care about, you will be more likely to act on it. “Commitment is a decision of the heart and mind to follow one course of action rather than another” (Fairholm, 1994, p. 122). It is both liberating and limiting. To decide to be an English major means you will likely never be a biologist. If you loved both fields of study, a commitment to one means grieving over the inability to devote energy to the other. Commitment means taking action. Our commitments to action are usually predicated on our most deeply felt beliefs. Consider how your beliefs can influence your behavior. For example, because you believe that people should treat each other with dignity and respect, you might volunteer to be on an inter-fraternity task force group on hazing. Because you believe deeply in social justice and equality, you might establish or join a group that studies and advocates for changes in campus admissions policies. Because you believe that children in an inner-city setting lack many of the opportunities that other children take for granted, you may volunteer weekly to tutor young children. “Commitment is a personal attitude or value that excites us to do whatever needs to be done because we see the need. More than mere identification of intent, commitment is doing. The attitude of commitment flows out of our beliefs and values and is part of our definition of who we are” (Fairholm, 1994, p. 121). It is important to link our motivated actions back to an articulation of our beliefs: “I have decided to do this, because I feel profoundly about that” (Astin & Astin, 1996, pp. 41-42).
Other ideas for a service-learning project or change-action project (these terms are used interchangeably in the textbook) include:
If you value family, health, serving others, and caring, perhaps you would like to find a way to help homeless families and would opt for a service-learning project at someplace like Second Harvest Food Bank; or perhaps at a homeless shelter, or even at a non-profit service organization that supports families with children who are facing a medical crisis, such as the Ronald McDonald House. Students who have an emphasis on psychology, public policy, sociology, anthropology, and even life sciences coursework may find this type of service-learning to be closely aligned with their academic learning.
Perhaps you value adventure, caring, and creativity, and you have a deep love for the outdoors. A service-learning opportunity that might appeal to you could be connected to the environment, a project with a local river rehabilitation group, or beach clean-up, or even one in which you work to protect the sea turtle nests on Florida’s beaches. Students who have coursework in environmental science, biology, public policy, and even environmental engineering may find this type of service-learning to be an extension of the type of academic work they have completed.
This discussion is a brainstorming opportunity, please use your colleague’s as a “hive mind” to help you in your brainstorming regarding your planned service-learning project.
Post your top three values in your discussion response and your thoughts and ideas on current social or environmental issues that reflect those values.
Question to Answer:
Initial Post: Copy & paste the information below into your initial post:
1. Top three values: ” first link”
2. Issues that reflect those values:
3. A cause that is meaningful to me:
4. Possible project idea: ” second link”
5. One question(s) for classmates (colleagues):
example of a classmate:
1- Top Three Values:
– Religion
– Family
– Health
2- Issues That Reflect Those Values
There is always much controversy with religion, which is understandable since everyone comes from different cultures, backgrounds, and families. I personally believe whatever you may believe it is most important to love and respect others. The family has such a strong impact on our lives because it is the first relationship we create in this world. Issues can arise with family because no person is perfect, and a parent’s lack or failure to be there may cause the child harm. Having a healthy body and mind is arguably one of the most beneficial and freeing things in the world. In the States, it can be hard to achieve this because there is so much processed food and crazy diets.
3- A Cause That Is Meaningful to Me:
I have a heart to serve and love people, specifically kids. Volunteering at kid’s camps, Operation Christmas Child, VBS, teaching swim lessons, or working with Best Buddies has brought me so much joy. Our youth is our future, I believe it is vital that we protect, enlighten, inspire, and encourage our youth to grow into the best versions of themselves to reach for their dreams. Each person is different and that is what makes them unique and special, the worst thing you could ever do is try to be just like everyone else (my opinion).
4- Possible Project Idea:
I plan to start a nonprofit organization for children, I don’t wish to release all the information since it is still in the works. However, a brief idea of this program is a kid’s camp, that encourages our young adults to have fun, understand and grow their own unique talents, and blossom their confidence. I hope to educate our youth in a fun way, where they are trying new hobbies, accomplishing things they didn’t know they could, creating friendships, and flourishing into amazing men and women.
5- Question: What could you do to make a difference in your community this week?
Note: for question 4 I have a link for a virtual volunteer Ideas can you choose one of them. “I need an advice” Can you choose one to be for a project because I will have to answer this question for the future. Can you give me an advice, how many pages will I need because I have to do 10 hours of volunteer service-learning. to make a story. This is a review of the project and the questions. You don’t have to answer the questions I just need an advice. Thank you !!!
FORMAT: Each response should be a minimum of a paragraph. 10 questions = 10+ paragraphs. One paragraph = 5 sentences with 100-200 words. **CITE COURSE CONTENT in your responses and include a References or Work Cited page.
Note that to earn an Outstanding on the quality criterion on the rubric you must exceed 10 hours of volunteer service-learning.
Answer each of the following questions and include a References or Works Cited page for the course content you cite and include to support your responses.
1- What was the project?
2- How did you implement the project from the action plan phase to completion?
3- What worked well in it and what could you have done differently?
4- How does this experience connect with the five exemplary leadership practices and the 7Cs of social change leadership? Be specific, list the five exemplary practices which of the 7Cs of social change leadership your project highlighted. Discuss how they connected to your service-learning experience.
5- Going beyond the 5 exemplary leadership skills and the 7Cs, how did the experience affirm, challenge, contradict, or illustrate some of the other concepts and theories presented in our readings and lessons? Be specific and cite the concepts, readings, or theories to which you refer.
6- How were your personal learning objectives accomplished?
7- What is your personal definition of leadership?
8- What is your personal definition of social change?
9- In your opinion, did your service-learning work provide some form of social change? How and why?
10- How will this service-learning experience impact you in the future?
11- References page to list the source for each of the concepts, readings or theories you cited to fully answer #4 and #5.