Growing the Seeds of Community Engagement: From Volunteer to Active Citizen

Education is often compared to the act of planting seeds. When students participate in the community, seeds of knowledge, experience, and curiosity are planted, which (we hope) challenge them to think critically and consider the world in new and different ways. As educators, there is joy and satisfaction in this seed planting; however, it is also our responsibility to further the growth of those seeds and move students along the path toward becoming active, lifelong citizens.

One tool that can be helpful in charting the course of that growth is Break Away’s Active Citizen Continuum, a (somewhat underutilized) resource that many who work with alternative break experiences may recognize. The continuum suggests that each person comes into a community with little awareness of or interest in community problems. After initial community-based experiences, in the case of an alternative break participant, possibly an orientation session or direct service engagement, the student moves into the volunteer phase. Unlike being a member, volunteers are well-intentioned – they care in some way – but they are ill-prepared to face complex social problems. It is only through disruptive experiences like strong direct service, critical reflection, and on-going education that the individual begins to ask: “why?” Why are there people who work full-time but still don’t have enough money to pay for food? Why are so many people with severe mental health issues homeless, rather than being provided with the help they need? Those in this conscientious citizen phase are concerned with discovering root causes for injustice and social issues and, as they learn more and continue to engage, they become active citizens who place the community as a priority in their decision-making about life choices. They may decide not to shop at particular stores due to hiring practices or issues around fair wages, for example. Essentially, these active citizens shift how they live their lives due to their community experiences.

As educators in higher education, utilizing early community involvement to guide students towards engaged citizenship through volunteerism – one-time and ongoing service – or other more substantial community engaged learning experiences is key. Entrance into service through volunteerism is a key starting point for most people. And, by rethinking the alternative break focus of the Active Citizen Continuum to encompass a broader venue for active citizenship, we can utilize it to design programs, initiatives, and curricula – those disruptive experiences – that truly move students to the next level. We can identify entry points for service, including student organization philanthropy and service, one-time service experiences hosted through service offices or campus ministry, or even community-focused judicial sanctions. We can chart an intentional “service curriculum” of sorts, which builds on the developmental needs of students at various levels and provides opportunities for leadership development, social justice education, and social action.

Utilizing tools like the Active Citizen Continuum, with its focus on strong direct service, in-depth education and on-going community involvement, to guide program development will assist in creating meaningful service experiences that are asset-based and driven by community-identified goals (Break Away, 2016). Due to the community and long-term emphases of involvement as participants move from volunteerism toward active citizenship, the tool can help us to guard against reinforcing stereotypes and inequalities, or what Morton referred to in 1995 as the “unintended consequences” of service. Instead, we can create disruptive community experiences which challenge students to explore the world, learn across difference, face their own privilege, and recognize that service is not about saving the world, but instead about building relationships and movements for social change. Parker Palmer suggests that “we who educate must insist that knowing is not enough, that we are not fully human until we recognize what we know and take responsibility for it” (2007, p. 7). By engaging students in the community through developmentally appropriate, engaging, and justice-oriented service, we plant seeds which empower them to bloom into fully human, participatory members of their community.

References

Break Away (2016, April 16). The solution for the word issue [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://alternativebreaks.org/the-solution-for-the-word-issue/

Morton, K. (1995). The irony of service: Charity, project, and social change in service-learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 2, 19-32.

Palmer, P.J. (2007, November-December). A new professional: The aims of education revisited. Change, 39(6), 6-12. Retrieved June 13, 2016, from http://www.changemag.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/November-December%202007/full-new-professional.html

Link

Active Citizen Continuum: http://alternativebreaks.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Active-Citizen-Continuum-2014.pdf