Leveraging Identity
& Critical Reflection
to Increase Community Impact
DUSC & CCESL
2016 Diversity Summit
January 22, 2016
Ashley Edinger, Neda Kikhia, Sarah Yaffe, and Ryan Hanschen
Welcome
Introductions
– Presenters
– Participants
Workshop as a Free Space
CCESL & DUSC
Agenda
10:15am – 11:30am
• Introductions
• Community Organizing
– Background, Definition, and Phases
• Relationship Building
– Self-Interest, Activity
• DU Service & Change
– Overview & Critical Reflection Best Practices
• Critical Reflection & Action Plan
Workshop Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
• Articulate the community organizing concept of self-interest
and identify their own self-interest
• Explain the importance of critical reflection, learn reflection
best practices, and understand how to facilitate brief
reflection activities within groups and communities.
• Reflect on the relationship between their self-interest and
their current community involvement and make a plan for
increased community impact.
Community Organizing
Elements
Self
• Self: who you are and who you are in
relation to others
–
–
–
–
Identities
Privileges & Oppressions
Values & Beliefs
Self-interest
Self-Interest
• Selfishness (me only)
• Self interest (inter-esse: me amongst
others)
• Selflessness (others only)
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Self-Interest
• Self-Interest → the intersection between
your core values and our shared
democratic values
• Ask yourself:
– What are you willing to become unpopular
for?
American democratic
values:
• Equality
• Justice
• Freedom
• Dedication to the
Common Good
Self-Interest
• How do we get to core
values? The intersection
of:
– Identities
– Values
– Experiences of, learning
about or witnessing
violations of our identities
and/or values
Identities
Values
Core Values
Learning about,
witnessing or
Experiences of
Violations of
Values and/or
identities
Identities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Muslim
Educated
Woman
Book Lover
Traveler
Student Club
Enthusiast
Core
Values:
• Being heard
Values
• Being valued
• The ability for
difference to be a
strong relational
glue
• Equitable access to
knowledge
The ability for shared knowledge
and experiences to bridge
understanding and gain knowledge
across misunderstanding
●
●
The time I was called a
terrorist by someone who had
never met an Arab let alone a
Muslim
The detachment people may
feel when marginalized
Learning about,
Witnessing or
Experiences of
Violations of
Values and/or
Self-Interest
• Questions to ask:
– “If I am only for myself, what am I?
– “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
Identities
What identities
are central to
your being?
Define your
experience in the
world and how
the world treats
you?
Core
Values:
What ethics or
Values
morals guide you &
how you engage with
the world?
(they may be from your
family, religious
institution, friends, etc.)
What are you willing to
fight for? To become
unpopular for?
What direct
experiences (to
yourself, to someone
you know/love) or what
episodes have you
learned about that
rouse you to act?
Learning about,
Witnessing or
Experiences of
Violations of
Values and/or
Core Values
Self-Interest
Collective
Democratic values
Justice, Equality, Freedom, Dedication to
the Common Good
DU Service & Change
DU Service & Change (DUSC) is a student
organization engaging the DU community in
diverse opportunities that facilitate positive
change for the greater public good.
DU Service & Change
•
•
•
•
•
Project Accelerate
Project Action
Project Connect
Project Depth
Project Volunteer
DUSC Service Data
Community Organizing
Framework
•
With DUSC, we use Community Organizing to
perform co-curricular service learning through:
• Making connections to academic learning
• Discovering root causes of selected issues
• Performing individual and group critical
reflection
• Developing reciprocal relationships with
community partners
• Enhancing skills of participants
• Mentoring
DU Service & Change
Questions?
Critical Reflection
Critical Reflection
• Creates an open space where people can share
and exchange their thoughts and ideas
• Guides people to be thoughtful and critical of their
own thoughts and experiences
• Challenges assumptions and preconceptions
• Encourages people to find their personal
motivations
• Looks for curricular or academic connections
Identity & Community Impact
Action Plan
• Core Values
• Campus/Community Commitments that
reflect your Core Values
• Core Values that are not currently
reflected in your Campus/Community
Commitments
• Specific to build a stronger connection
between my Core Values and
Campus/Community Commitments
Education Equity
Collaborative Reciprocal Relationships
Teaching Denver Urban Issues & Policy
Gov’s Commission on Community Service
Compassion
Increased Reciprocal Relationships
Compassion
South HS Community Partnership Board
Connect with colleague working with refugees
Determine next steps to support and show compassion to refugees
Save the Date!
Fourth Annual Day of Action
April 16, 2016
Questions?
Thank You!
DU Service & Change
http://www.du.edu/ccesl/service/dusc.html
https://www.facebook.com/DuServiceChange
[email protected]
Center for Community Engagement & Service Learning
http://www.du.edu/ccesl
[email protected]