Updated)
The past few weeks I have personally felt the dormancy of the winter blues. With everything that has been going on in Madison and around the world you can feel like there is a social volcano that is in early stages of irrupting. While I share in most of the objections to a degree, still there is a point when you decide how close to get to the epicenter. The several days of cloudiness certainly did not help me secure clarity of thought. I want to be the change agent that I believe I was placed here on this earth to be. However, there is change and there is change! And I have to hold on to my core value, that positive change is birthed within our hearts, grown within community, and shared through love and grace. Politics and governance, activism and protest I believe play an important role in creating a healthy citizenry. But the real test comes in the vibrancy of communities, churches, families, schools, organizations, friends, and individuals. How dynamic and how engaged are we in responding to the world and in caring for the creation and in creating community?
The past few weeks I have personally felt the dormancy of the winter blues. With everything that has been going on in Madison and around the world you can feel like there is a social volcano that is in early stages of irrupting. While I share in most of the objections to a degree, still there is a point when you decide how close to get to the epicenter. The several days of cloudiness certainly did not help me secure clarity of thought. I want to be the change agent that I believe I was placed here on this earth to be. However, there is change and there is change! And I have to hold on to my core value, that positive change is birthed within our hearts, grown within community, and shared through love and grace. Politics and governance, activism and protest I believe play an important role in creating a healthy citizenry. But the real test comes in the vibrancy of communities, churches, families, schools, organizations, friends, and individuals. How dynamic and how engaged are we in responding to the world and in caring for the creation and in creating community?
While I haven't really felt that much has been "happening" for me. I've realized that I have made several very good finds that I would like to share. First is a very interesting book that I want to read called the Social Animal, that argues that we are not rational animals, but social. Our decisions and our politics etc are based far more on emotion then upon rationality (though we believe otherwise). It is not enough to develop our minds but it is critical to develop our character. I am interested in reading this book, because it seems to argue that it is not enough to simply run programs and create policy, but that the personal and relational aspects are key to anything we set out to do. OTHER NEW STUFF I'VE DISCOVERED over the past few weeks.
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BUS TOURS:
-Housing First Bus Tour April 30th 9-12and May 4th 4pm-7pm Greater Isthmus Group (GIG) work with NanCnare and Barbara McKinnon
I was brainstorming with my parents about what I like to do and if I could make it a "business". I told them that I would really like to arrange bus tours that would build awareness in the community to build bridges. It is said that Sunday morning is the most segregated time in the US. Which is true not just along race lines, but also between denominations. I have participated in a couple of church tours (St Louis and Miami) where on a Sunday morning we visited about 10 different churches between 7:30 am to 12:30 pm. 15 minutes in each church gives you an overall picture of what is going on on any given Sunday. The one question each church is asked is "What are you doing to contribute to your community" and either they will give us materials, or someone in the church will talk to the church for a few minutes to explain what they are doing. But I would also be interested in doing a tour of social service organizations, so that people can find out what is going on in their community/city. The next day my cousin called me up and asked me if I was going to a meeting she had invited me to on Homelessness in Madison. I told her I had a conflict, but was going to see the moderator of the meeting the following day, so I could tell her I'm interested in participating. I asked her what was on the agenda. Guess what it was? They are planning a bus trip to build awareness of the "affordable housing" issue in the county! What? You think a thought and then something falls in to your plate! Well let's see where this takes me to......
I was brainstorming with my parents about what I like to do and if I could make it a "business". I told them that I would really like to arrange bus tours that would build awareness in the community to build bridges. It is said that Sunday morning is the most segregated time in the US. Which is true not just along race lines, but also between denominations. I have participated in a couple of church tours (St Louis and Miami) where on a Sunday morning we visited about 10 different churches between 7:30 am to 12:30 pm. 15 minutes in each church gives you an overall picture of what is going on on any given Sunday. The one question each church is asked is "What are you doing to contribute to your community" and either they will give us materials, or someone in the church will talk to the church for a few minutes to explain what they are doing. But I would also be interested in doing a tour of social service organizations, so that people can find out what is going on in their community/city. The next day my cousin called me up and asked me if I was going to a meeting she had invited me to on Homelessness in Madison. I told her I had a conflict, but was going to see the moderator of the meeting the following day, so I could tell her I'm interested in participating. I asked her what was on the agenda. Guess what it was? They are planning a bus trip to build awareness of the "affordable housing" issue in the county! What? You think a thought and then something falls in to your plate! Well let's see where this takes me to......
-Guided tours CNU http://www.cnu.org/cnu19/guidedtours I googled Urban Tours to find out what other kinds of tours take place in Madison. These are very interesting tours that showcase the unique urban development of this fair city.
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PRISON REENTRY SIMULATION:
Madison Urban Ministry: 3/21 with MedStudent; 4/5 United Way
Prison Orientation: Oakville Prison 4/12 5-8 pm
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TIME BANK this is the most amazing (more on this later!) http://www.danecountytimebank.org/
TimeBanking connects you to the best in people because it creates a system that connects unmet needs with untapped resources. It provides ways for us all to contribute and benefit.
This is so radically incredible! A way to give your volunteer time and then get some services in exchange for it! I've been asked to help volunteer with them to help it run better. It's very community oriented and neighborly. It's designed to include the marginalized. And then to boot....I love it that they organize everyone on a first name bases! That's how I preferred to organize my "client files"....because they aren't clients (that's just a useful name for the purpose of grants etc). They are people. And I know them on a first name basis, so why shouldn't that be how I organize them. So I was so thrilled with this silly little detail that they organize people by their first name! Woohoo!
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TIME BANK this is the most amazing (more on this later!) http://www.danecountytimebank.org/
TimeBanking connects you to the best in people because it creates a system that connects unmet needs with untapped resources. It provides ways for us all to contribute and benefit.
This is so radically incredible! A way to give your volunteer time and then get some services in exchange for it! I've been asked to help volunteer with them to help it run better. It's very community oriented and neighborly. It's designed to include the marginalized. And then to boot....I love it that they organize everyone on a first name bases! That's how I preferred to organize my "client files"....because they aren't clients (that's just a useful name for the purpose of grants etc). They are people. And I know them on a first name basis, so why shouldn't that be how I organize them. So I was so thrilled with this silly little detail that they organize people by their first name! Woohoo!
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FOOD PANTRY GARDENING:
-http://www.cacscw.org/pantry_garden.php
-Door Creek April 18/19
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ZOO's 100 year Birthday!
ZOO's 100 year Birthday!
http://vilaszoo.org/events/index.php?category_id=5007
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Rainbow Project: Volunteer Development http://www.rainbowproject.bizland.com/Jobs/Overview%20of%20The%20Rainbow%20Project%20Inc.%20%282007.07.21%29.pdf
So people are asking me if I am looking for a job. I tell you this is such a great way to look for a job. I know that I could search for job openings, fill out applications, tweek resumes, do interviews, and receive rejection upon rejection, until I find a job that I most probably won't like. That's way too nerve wracking. I know several people in my age bracket who have been unemployed for years now and have just shot every nerve in their body through the whole process. This way I am working, I am meeting people, I am learning a new culture, I am expanding my network, and I'm really exploring what is possible. I highly recommend it. I am truly grateful to my parents for making this possible.
Rainbow Project: Volunteer Development http://www.rainbowproject.bizland.com/Jobs/Overview%20of%20The%20Rainbow%20Project%20Inc.%20%282007.07.21%29.pdf
So people are asking me if I am looking for a job. I tell you this is such a great way to look for a job. I know that I could search for job openings, fill out applications, tweek resumes, do interviews, and receive rejection upon rejection, until I find a job that I most probably won't like. That's way too nerve wracking. I know several people in my age bracket who have been unemployed for years now and have just shot every nerve in their body through the whole process. This way I am working, I am meeting people, I am learning a new culture, I am expanding my network, and I'm really exploring what is possible. I highly recommend it. I am truly grateful to my parents for making this possible.
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