Blessed Beyond Belief

This pretty much sums up how I felt yesterday prior to arriving at Dove Springs Recreation Center but most certainly how I felt when I left. I came home with a sense of anticipation and great hope for the families and children who make up the community of Dove Springs.

My drive to Dove Springs consisted of idle chatter between me and myself... a long conversation about being open to whatever the experience held and to also not make assumptions and hopefully, not have any made about me. I truly wanted to experience the community with fresh eyes and see the beauty in all that was important to the people of Dove Springs.

The start of a chilly morning gave way to warmth and greetings from community members, city council members, Texas Exes, and the ever popular Vince Young. Every speaker had a message from "this is what I learned serving a community" to "what is your purpose?"

I was particularly moved by Austin city councilwoman Kathi Tovo's account of her experience with service learning. She recounted the story of being a grad student @ UT and her mother had recently died.  Acknowledging she was in a difficult emotional place in her life, she began to search for something and asked herself what her mother would have wanted her to do. She found the response to be to get involved in the lives of others. So, she became a mentor to several young girl scouts. Her conclusion: she got far more from that group of girls than they got from her. We truly receive more than what we give.

And I wondered how Project and the input of others would change the lives of these young girls for the better?  I wondered also how the impact of college students could change these children's  lives?  Do they dream of college?  Do they hope and dream for things many of us take for granted?

Talking to a group of students who were painting, I discovered they were from St. Edwards and UT. Hilltoppers and Longhorns working side by side for the good of the community. And they were having a great time and eagerly shared with me their enthusiasm for helping the community and their commitment to service learning. It was so fun to see the passion these young men and women had for others.

As I sat in the community center editing photos for Facebook, I was privy to watch families come and go, community recreation center employees and a variety of volunteers. Amazingly everything out of each person's mouth was positive and uplifting and encouraging. No small feat to say the least! The gratitude I heard in people's voices as they talked about the way Project had impacted Dove Springs.

 The sweetest part of the day? The recreation center's custodian. He was a gentle, kind soul who had this servant's heart and wanted everyone to be happy and have what they need.  I absolutely adored him! 

#blessedbeyondbelief

Building Effective Relationships

In light of Valentine's Day and all that it means or doesn't mean for each of us, I thought it appropriate to look at relationships. And our readings  for this course revolve around building relationships with the people within the community.

Relationships require an investment of desire, time and commitment. Some of us are better than others at building and maintaining a network of friends, family, coworkers and colleagues. They also require patience. It can be frustrating when we try to accomplish something in our own way and time and see other's views or ideas as an obstacle to the goal.  I think of the saying "all roads lead to nowhere." By not allowing others to have input into a project or goal, I have lost sight of the true meaning of my service.  The project may be complete but the relationships are annihilated.

I attended  a community meeting @ Martin Middle School this week. As I watched a very unique and diverse group of faculty, police, parents and community members, I sat in awe at the amount of respect they had for each other and their opinions. Each person listened intently and allowed others the right to speak about their concerns, dreams, and goals for the schools and the neighborhood of Holly Street. They came together working toward a common goal...the belief that improvement in the school and neighborhood was essential.

I, being the outsider, recognize that these people live in community and understand each other and have probably worked toward building relationships.  I also found the people of Holly Street to be encouraging and warm and engaging and inviting me, the foreigner, to step inside the halls of Martin Middle School and build relationships. It excites me to see the desire they have to provide an environment that will allow students to be the best they can be.  I look forward to being a part of something that hopefully will continue in the years to come.  Moreover, I am thankful for the opportunity I have to learn from a culture that is drastically different from my own.

Service Learning

 I saw this on a friends facebook post today and it really made me think about how we view ourselves externally. But what does it take for us to take a deeper look internally? Are we willing to look at our egocentric thinking, our stereotypes and fears and misconceptions?  I thought about the CRAFT model and how each service learning project taught the participants as much about themselves as about others.



As a result of reading the article Voices from the Community: A Case for Service Learning, I was prompted to consider fear, stereotypes, cliques in the context of a learning project.

I am sure each of us has been the recipient of the damage of a stereotype or a clique. Not feeling understood or included...a tough place to be. We want to be liked, understood and supported.  And possibly we, like Paula shared last week in class, are misjudged by the car we drive or don't drive, the neighborhood we live in or don't live in and the list goes on. OR quite possibly you have judged others in the same way and been exclusive in your friendships and not letting people who are different have influence in your life. I wonder what I missed over a greater portion of my life by having friends who were "like me."  And how that limits growth.

I firmly believe fear is a place that cripples and prevents us from being all we are created to be. Often times we are fearful of people who are different, new places, new experiences and a language we don't understand. So, instead of conquering the fear, we stay in our safe comfort zone and never venture out to be influenced by others. And sometimes we venture out but in our fear and immaturity, we hang out with our peers and neglect to connect with the culture or the people. This leads to the idea of being in a clique and therefore, we have reinforced the stereotypes of others. Is it a slippery slope?

I ponder all of this as I step out of my comfort zone to enter the community of Dove Springs. Will I be mindful to connect with the people and allow them to see that quite possibly we aren't that different. Will I be perceived as a person who is willing to listen to needs/desires and embrace the wisdom and knowledge and experience within the community?

I have to also consider the obstacle of fear as I  begin an oral history project for Holly Street. Something completely off the grid than anything I have ever done.  Not only will I be doing an oral project but I will also be encountering a culture that I have not had the privilege to be exposed to.

Moreover, I have to be willing to engage with the people of Holly Street and allow them to see me as an individual who wants to participate in their desires and hopes. I may not be able to to break down the wall of cliques and stereotypes and the negatives that can be associated with a service learning project but I can make an effort to do my part by being aware of my stereotypes and actions and how they can negatively affect others.

The "Collective Me"

Who am I in terms of my social self?

One of my priorities for the last 20+ years has been the role of mother. Although my children are less needy in terms of parenting, I am still their mother. I often see the world through my eyes as a mother. I see children who need a mother or parent to nurture them and teach them. 

I am also a student and in many ways my children are my peers but also being a student brings diversity to my life which I love and I also enjoy football and especially college ball and of course, the Longhorns! Being a student is also reflective of my love of learning and reading. I believe books are a way to open up the world to us and even if we can't travel or experience certain places or events, we can imagine and gain insight through the written word.

My faith is important to me also. It is my guide for how I choose to live my life - values and principles. Hopefully showing love and compassion to those around me.

I also love sports!  I enjoy watching tennis but I love playing the game. It is social and also brings diversity to my life as I encounter people from all walks of life on the court.







I love shoes...court shoes, running shoes, heels and flats. They are a way of expressing who you are and how you are feeling or what you are involved in. Looking in a person's closet at their shoes can reveal their lifestyle and show you personality!

Culture

I have been thinking a great deal about culture this week and what that really means. From our book we saw the interaction of those going into a new culture. With Project we are embracing the elements of the CRAFT model.  We each have our own culture but are we exposing ourselves to diversity? Do all of our friends, family and interactions look like us or are we branching out of the comfort zone and familiarizing ourselves with those who are different?

I grew up in a family where mental illness was rampant. It is a culture so often misunderstood and no matter how far we come in understanding mental illness, we still have stereotypes. I have a friend who is bipolar.  He is often misunderstood as being unsafe and a lunatic due to several psychotic episodes which involve police and drama that no family would want to encounter. He lives in a small community where people want everything to look perfect. Life is not. His wife and children often suffer due to the lack of awareness of what mental illness truly is.  As his friend, I want his neighbors to go beyond their egocentric thinking and get to know him and see him for who he is. In order to understand those who are unique, we have to want to expose ourselves to something or someone which can be fearful.

I enjoy running and many days I encounter a variety of homeless people...a culture that I don't understand. So often I would like to talk to them and enter a world that to me is actually quite terrifying. Fear...it paralyzes us and prevents us from accomplishing goals.

I have a multicultural psychology class this semester that relates to our Project. I didn't realize  when I signed up for Project that the two would so closely intertwine. Working with the Dove Springs Community or any community that is diverse requires taking a look at our own culture and being aware of any attitudes or stereotypes we may have.  The author of Psychotherapy and Counseling with Minorities recommends doing a self life-history.Doing this involves:

• Looking at the cultural diversity of your past.
• How diverse is your neighborhood and community
• How diverse is your former school or present environment
• How diverse are the people I date or dated
• How diverse are the places I visit
• How diverse are my college courses
• How diverse are the challenges I undertake or have undertaken

I find these questions to be beneficial as I look to work with others that have a culture that is unique to mine. I hope by looking at my own diversity and lack thereof that I will be effective in pursuing my goal to help others and also to break down walls of misunderstanding related to others.