COMMUNITY-BUILDING Experience
Choose two of the following from the “How to Build Community” poster on the cabinet near the door of room 206 (consider choosing actions with which you have little to no experience):
*Take Time to Get to Know Your Neighbors
*Sit on Your Stoop
*Plant Flowers
*Use Your Library
*Play Together
*Buy from Local Merchants
*Take Children to the Park
*Have Potlucks
*Garden Together
*Pick Up Litter
*Read Stories Aloud
*Dance in the Street
*Talk to the Mail Carrier
*Help Carry Something Heavy
*Barter for Your Goods
*Start a Tradition
*Bake Extra and Share
*Sing Together
*Mediate a Conflict
*Seek to Understand
*Learn from New and Uncomfortable Angles
If you're looking for more options, try here...
After you've made your choice, perform the act. Repeat if necessary. Repeat repeatedly if you find the action to be one that is worthwhile.
Then, use your wisdom, your creativity, and that big ole heart of yours to reflect on the experience(s). Consider using the following questions as a guide. Make up some of your own questions if it helps…
*What was the short-term impact of your action on you? on others?
*What might you imagine the long-term impact will be on you? on others?
*How might your neighborhood/community/our school/this world look if this action became
more common than it is now?
*To what extent did this experience allow you or others to feel ‘more alive in the time’ that you
have?
*On one level, such little gestures do not change the world. On another level, it is precisely
such little gestures that change the world. Care to comment?
*Post your responses to any of the above questions here by clicking 'New Post' prior to class on each of the following dates:
Monday, November 16th, 2009 & Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Have fun!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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I registered to vote and voted as my community activity. I'm going to answer that last question: On one level, such little gestures do not change the world. On another level, it is precisely such little gestures that change the world.
ReplyDeleteMy voting doesn't change the world on the level that I'm one person out of millions voting, and I'm not the only one deciding these matters and issues. Also, I am only voting for issues that directly affect my state, not the nation or the world. However, on a different level, every vote counts, and if everyone says "I'm not voting, I'm just one person. My vote doesn't count," then no one would vote, and the people's voice wouldn't be heard. Lots of "just one persons" make up a majority, so voting can, and does, matter and effect change. As for these effects only applying to the state of Ohio, people from other states could decide that they like what Ohio is doing, and therefore enact change in their own state, which could spread to the nation, the world, or who knows how far?
Katherine Wiesenhahn just posted about voting
ReplyDeleteKathleen Hiltz
ReplyDeleteI met my new neighbors yesterday, and they have two adorable kids. Mrs. Bray is from Ireland, and she had her youngest baby a month ago.
The short term impact of our conversation is that I now have few more familiar faces in the neighborhood. The long term impact will probably just be a few phone calls asking me to babysit in the future. One little gesture like this by itself will not change the world; however, if everyone was a little friendlier to those around them, the world could be a very different place. if people understood their neighbors as friendly people instead of as an unknown presence, the world could be a lot more trusting. People could be less paranoid about strangers everywhere. The flip side of this, like Katherine said, is the possibility that people will not bother to be friendly with the assumption that no one else will.
Coach a youth sport
ReplyDeleteSelect baseball season is starting up again and I am an official coach this year since i'll be 18. I've been working with the team for years, but now I get to be official. I not only help coach the 11 year olds in baserunning and catching, but I talk to them and am a good friend to each team member. Also, I just "babysat" the entire team while the team parents went out to a dinner together. We had fun, and we were able to treat each other as friends rather than me being a high-above-them coach. Through my youth sports involvement I can help the kids grow as athletes but also as friends and good, morally sound community members.
I cut way back on the amount of tv I watched this weekend. I only thing I watched was one half of the UC game on Friday.
ReplyDeleteThe short term impact was that I found that I had a lot more time to get important things done. I was able to get out and run when I usually would've been watching the bengals. I was able to clean my room and get ALL of my homework done on sunday when I normally would've been watching a couple hours of tv. The long term impact is that if I cut back on the tv I watch every week I could find the time to do the things I need to do, and also find more time for the things I love.
i started picking up litters while I work out.
ReplyDeleteIt is a small gesture and there is a limit to how much I can pick up in limited amount of time in limited amount of area. but even if so, I believe it changes world just by doing so even though you can't see the change. because it will change the world if we are all doing so. in Korean saying there is "dust gathers in to a mountain" I believe this is what it is. small changes should be made first to make a bigger changes, because I can't make bigger change by myself.
On Saturday morning, I made a reservation for five friends and myself at the National Exemplar, which is a local restaurant located in Mariemont. The building is part of the old Mariemont Inn, so the inside looks very much like you’re walking into an old hunting hall, with deer mounts on the walls and old worn out furniture. The food was great and also happened to be cheaper than IHOP, which is our typical place to eat.
ReplyDeleteThe short term impacts included postponing my hunger for another few hours, having the experience of a new restaurant/area that I typically wouldn’t go to, and enjoying great conversations with my friends outside of the normal school day. I’d say the impacts for them would be the same as well.
If I continued such a habit of dining at unique local restaurants, I would gain a greater knowledge of the area I live in, a wider variation in the food I eat, and a better relationship with others. The same can be said for those whom I ate with.
If this action became more common, local businesses and restaurants would flourish more and corporate food chains and the like would diminish to an extent. The community would seem to become more involved with itself.
The experience made us “feel more alive” by breaking the norm of eating at the same-old, same-old franchise type restaurants such as IHOP.
I said hello to a stranger.
ReplyDeleteSo I was at the gas station getting gas for my car at 6:30 in the morning, which I'll be honest, is a place no one wants to be that early. Well there was another man probably in his mid 40s or so, who was on the other side of the gas pump. He seemed to be preparing himself for a miserable day. As he got in his car, I said to him, "have a nice day" and gave him a smile, or at least as much smile as you can muster at 6:30 in the morning. He smiled back and said, "Why, thank you."
This action cheered up both my day and his, and there is a possibility that he looked upon his day as much more opportunistic. There could even be a minimal effect on his co-workers from my action. If more people took time out of their day to do this I think people in general would have better days and therefore better lives. I felt more alive because I stopped going through a routine which allowed me to brighten up my day and someone else's day. There is a poster in Mr. Hutch's room that says something like "Don't think a small group of dedicated people can't change the world, indeed its the only thing that ever has." These little gestures can have huge effects if they are continued.
This weekend I hung out with a different crowd than I normally would, and we kind of danced in the street.... Well, we played Ninja in the street. And it was wonderful. It was nice to be with different people and still have a grand old time and enjoy ourselves. The short-term impact on me was that it made me quite happy. It felt really good to just stand there and play a silly game. It was funny how something so small was so gratifying. I hope the long-term impact includes spending more time with said group of enjoyable humans, partaking in various activities together. That would be quite nice. If this action became more common, everyone in the whole world would be pleased. (except drivers, but they'd get over it.) It flow sho made me feel more alive. It was wonderful to be out in the cold, doing something goofy, enjoying the company of friends.
ReplyDeleteWhy yes, I do care to comment. Little gestures do, in fact, change the world. One must start small. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I think someone of a slightly influential nature may have said that once.... and it's quite true. You can't change everything, but you can change some things. Start small, it catches on.
Over this weekend I attended the Anderson vs. Middletown football game at Nippert Stadium. My best friend played for them and I thought i would support him however i was with very few people i actually knew in the stands. I sat in the student section ironically even though i was not a part of Anderson high school. This was made even funnier because i was actually in the very front of the student section cheering them on, holding signs, and starting chants for the rest of the fans. This turned out to be not only an extremely funny experience but also a rewarding experience as well. All of these people i had cheered with were people in my very own community and i made friends out of many of them. IF it wasn't just talking with them during the game i may have been screaming with them or trying to storm the field with them but ultimately getting yelled at by the security guards. Overall i know next week when i go to the game I'll have many new friends i can hangout with again when i go to the Anderson vs. Elder game and support my community's football team.
ReplyDeleteAs my community building activity i chose to greet people. Every morning of the past week ive tried to say hi to as many people as possible. I believe the short impact of my action is making the people i greet happier and more aware of my love and affection towards them. The long term impact could just be a a day to day routine, or maybe the spark of a new friendship. A simple hello could start a chain reaction, which would then cause world peace. Archbishop McNicholas, My communtiy, and even the world could become more friendly as a result of greeting one another. Life is short and theres not a minute to waste so greeting everyone is a good start to living life to the fullest. Being outgoing with one another could make others feel more alive in the time that we have. Like i said a simple hello could spark world peace
ReplyDeleteKatherine Wiesenhahn
ReplyDeleteThis week I donated to a local food pantry through McNick's canned food drive. The short-term impact of this action is that the poor people in our community will have food for the holidays and not have to go hungry and that I feel that I was able to make a difference in someone else's life, no matter how small. The long term impact is that this inspires me to donate more to those in need. The same is true about those around me. My small gesture might cause someone else to want to help those less fortunate in our community as well. Such small gestures as this don't change the world because my donating of several cans of food will not solve world hunger, but it will help someone not have to worry about what and how they'll feed themselves and their kids for one night at least. If your action benefits even one person, that's enough. There is a line in "Suessical, the Musical" that says "A person's a person, no matter how small". I believe the same is true about actions. Even the smallest of kindnesses makes someone's life better, and therefore improves the world.
This weekend I went over to my friend, Jisoo, she lives in clifton by CCM. I believe she took class of yours last year. anyway, she goes to SPA now and i haven't been able to hang out with her all that much even though I knew she had been stressed alot about recording and auditioning for colleges- because we both can't drive. we sang and danced in korean on the way to the restaurant, I remembered singing and dancing with her in senior hall last year. there were quite a few people on the street watching us, I hope they enjoyed our performance. I enjoyed being with her and chatting in korean, which I haven't done so much ever since she left mcnick. I believe we enjoyed this weekend, instead of working on school works and college apps. I believe that when living abroad, you have certain amount of tension and nerveousness around you all the time, and just making through oneday gives relief. Also there are some sense of distance and loneliness even though you have friends around you all the time. I believe spending a time together made us feel more confortable as if we were back home. time with her made me feel more alive and also at the same time more confortable in way that i was back to norm.
ReplyDeleteFor my second building community assigment i chose to support local merchants. Today my mother, my father, and myself went down to Findley Market to grab some lunch. I bought a yummy gyro from a local greek. I also bought some handmade ice cream. I believe the short term impact was that i experienece new foods, and I didnt just go to some random greek place and ate, i ate at a local place and contributed to my local community. The long term impact i had was that i found a new place to eat, that i enjoy and supports local business.I felt more alive, as well with my parents because we all experience something new. That little gesture i made mightve saved a local struggiling family or helped out and there bills.
ReplyDeleteFor my second community building exercise I attended a public meeting, well it was kind of a public meeting, it was a PTSA meeting. By going to the meeting I learned about how many people have to come together in order to accomplish goal. There were seemingly endless lists of events volunteers were needed for. I was amazed at how they were all filled. The long term impact for me is a renewed respect for those that volunteer their time. If more people attended PTSA meetings I think a lot more could get accomplished and a lot more money could get raised to benefit our school. I felt more alive because I was participating in something that I could not accomplish alone, that no one in the room could accomplish alone but that because we were working together could be achieved. I sort of talked about it in my first post but I think that if all these things were done more frequently the world would be a much better place and I know how cliche that sounds but there's really no better way to put it.
ReplyDeleteFor my second building community assignment I went to see a local theater production. St. Ursula Academy was putting on the musical "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," which McNick is also putting on later in January. It was interesting to go and see how a high school on the other side of town put on the same musical as the one we are doing now.
ReplyDeleteThe short term impact was entertainment. If I were to continue a habit of going and seeing theatrical productions, I would not only have a continuous funneling of cash from my wallet (I had to pay 12 bucks to see the show!), but I’d certainly gain a greater knowledge and respect for theater, especially put on by local venues.
My action alone resulted in SUA receiving $24 in sales (I took Charlie to go see it with me) that they may not have received otherwise. If everyone were to do this, what would probably happen is movie sales would decrease and the fine arts would blossom quite significantly. The community would become more social and active and thespians would become more popular and respected among the community.
Kathleen Hiltz
ReplyDeleteFor the 2nd exercise I went to the library. Throughout grade school, I went religiously, every Wednesday after school. With high school, though, I have rarely ever been there. I recognized fewer titles, and had to hunt around for the authors I knew.
The short term impact was that I now have several books to read instead of doing homework or college applications or something else urgently pressing. I read one this weekend, which is why I'm typing this now instead of yesterday.
The long term impact, if I continue (hopefully) to visit the library is more knowledge through my reading of the experience of other people's opinions and experiences through their writing. I had also forgotten how enjoyable it is to sit down and read something without having to write a reader's response or an essay about it. People need to take more time to enjoy a good book. And now I sound like a librarian.
This weekend i went to a local college football game with a friend who knew some kids on the team. After the game was over we went and talked to a few of the kids. They invited us to come back to their tailgate where their families were. When i arrived at the tailgate i was intoduced to his family. Although i didn't talk much it was still really nice to meet some new people. Around me there were many other families doing the same. It was pleasent to see this and gave me another sense of communtiy. Then along with meeting these new people i was allowed to eat some brownies which his grandmother made. They were really good! I hope to see this sense of community in other areas of my life.
ReplyDelete