Be Active
Being an active citizen is more difficult that most people think. It is not a title that is easily obtained. Those who work for the title of active citizen do so for the benefit of their community, not to just hold a title. The Active Citizen Continuum provides us with the stages it takes to become an active citizen. We all start off by being a Member – a person not typically concerned with his/her role in social problems. Next is a Volunteer – a person with well-intentions but who is not well-educated about social issues. Third is a Conscientious Citizen – a person concerned with discovering root causes and asks why? Finally, the Active Citizen – this person has community as a priority in their values and life choices. Through my own experiences at VT and in local communities, my community engagement class, and our readings, I have noticed myself moving along this spectrum and I want to share the knowledge I have gained with you.
Service at Virginia Tech is a way of life for most students. Virginia Tech offers so much to students when it comes to service. The first thing that pops into my mind is the Big Event. This is where students go out into the Blacksburg community and participate in various service projects. There is the SERVE Living Learning Community, which teaches students about service in a more in depth look. There is VT Engage which offers a lot of Virginia Tech’s service events. There is also the student body. Students often hang up flyers, post on our Facebook page, or use Gobbler Connect, letting other students know of service projects happening around Blacksburg and the New River Valley. Is the entire student body completely on board with dedicating part of their college career to participating in service? I would say no, but a majority of students on campus love to serve and want to get other students to serve and really exemplify our school’s motto, Ut Prosim, That I May Serve. Most students on campus probably do not know what active citizenship is or that an Active Citizen Continuum even exists. However, I believe that students are doing what they believe to be considered as being an active citizen. Whether they are holding a door open for a handful of people, picking up trash that was left behind, volunteering at the local elementary, middle, or high school as a tutor, or participating in service events in Blacksburg. While they may not be considered an active citizen on the Active Citizen Continuum, in their mind, they are doing something that is helping somebody out. By continuing to do these acts of service, students may come to recognize root causes and issues behind why they are doing these services. At this point, students are asking more questions and wanting to be more active when it comes to the service that they are doing. Now would be great time to educate these students more and introduce them to the Active Citizen Continuum and what it means to be an active citizen. Also, the best way to educate unaware students is to have a conversation with them. On a personal level, we could ask them about the service they have been involved them, introduce them to the Active Citizen Continuum, get them more involved within the school and community. On a university level, maybe there could be seminars about service, how to be more involved, how to ask tough questions, and how to form relationships with community partners. If I have learned anything from my Community Engagement course, there is a lot more to being an active citizen than having community as a priority in values and life choices.
That may sound a tad bit intimidating. How can there be more when community is now a top priority for me? I will not sugar coat it, being an active citizen can and will be very intimidating and challenging. Being an active citizen now means that you are a leader. As James Kouzes wrote, “You are the person that’s setting the leadership example for young people. It’s not hip-hop artists, movie stars, or professional athletes they seek guidance from. You are the one they are most likely going to look to for an example of how a leader responds to [all] situations” (Kouzes 2). Being a great leader goes hand in hand with being an active citizen because both roles involve being in the community and being of the community. Forming tight relationships with community members is very important. Kouzes continues to write, “The leaders who have the most influence on people are those who are the closest to them” (Kouzes 2). You do not have to be in a position of power to be a good leader. Can power help with leadership? That all depends on the type of leader you are and what you demonstrate. “We’ve focused on everyday leaders because leadership is not about position or title. Leadership is not about organizational power or authority. It’s not about the family you were born into. It’s not about being a CEO, president, general, or prime minister. And it’s definitely not about being a hero. Leadership is about relationships, about credibility, and about what you do” (Kouzes 2). Since leadership is only one part of being an active citizen, we need to talk about the other part, citizenship. Peter Block writes in “From Leadership to Citizenship”, “If we believe that leadership is the essential ingredient to high performance, then it has serious consequences about how we think about our institutions and what will improve or change them” (Block 1). This is a very true statement. Leadership is important, we need leaders, but if our focus is to raise up just one person to their full potential, that leaves a majority out of the picture that also need to reach their full potential. Leaders are often placed on a pedestal. They are held to a much higher moral standard. When we glamorize these leaders, we, in a way, are escaping from owning our own responsibility for the world we have created. Leaders are now more of a product of culture and society rather than the creator of it (Block 1). When we become citizens of our communities, we are placed on the same level as the people we are advocating for. Do you lose some of the power that you had when you were a “leader”? I would say maybe. You are still a leader as a citizen, but now there is no pedestal or higher moral standard. Block writes, “Citizenship is our agreement to receive rights and privileges from the community and, in so doing, to pay for them through our willingness to live within certain boundaries and act in the interest of the whole. At the core of citizenship is the desire to care for the well-being of the larger institution, be it an organization, a neighborhood, or a country. This requires accountability. This is the purchase price of our freedom” (Block 3) I would also say that citizens have to work more. We are both fighting for our community and being a part of it. This is where leadership and citizenship differ. Leadership more of a one-sided deal. You have power and some respect, but you are not a part of a community and therefore do not really understand their needs. When you are a citizen, you lose some power, but in turn are part of the community. You recognize their needs and are more equipped to help meet those needs. Like Block said, citizenship requires accountability. When we are citizens, we have people who love us, care for us, and want to see us prosper. We are cared for, so we must now care for others and our communities.
Earlier this semester, I was not very concerned with moving along the active citizen continuum; I did not even know there was a “hierarchy” to service. I was only concerned with getting involved with service opportunities that seemed to correlate with things I did in high school and maybe do service that was not familiar to me but sparked my interest. After learning about the Active Citizen Continuum in class at the beginning of the semester, I realized how shallow all of my service experiences have been. Throughout that class, I kept analyzing all the service that I had done and tried to figure out where I belonged on this Active Citizen Continuum. I found it very difficult and challenging to place myself in one of these stages, because I had never thought that there was a spectrum like this. At the end of class, I decided that I fell under Volunteer. I thought, I love to serve, I have good intentions, and I want to be more educated about social issues. I made my goal this semester, if not move all the way to Conscientious Citizen, to at least show progress as to moving toward that part of the spectrum. I started to get involved with more service opportunities throughout the semester. I worked with Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, the Montgomery County Christmas Store, the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, and the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market. While I enjoyed each service event I was involved in, I really enjoyed getting to work with Habitat for Humanity. Through my experiences with Habitat for Humanity, I wanted to become more educated on what this organization does and how they help people. Through learning more about habitat, I began to wonder more about homelessness and poverty; what causes this and how are we combating these issues. I love that Habitat gets the family involved with working on their home, and make long lasting relationships with these families. Working alongside a family, rather than doing the work for them, I believe, is way more beneficial in the long run. When figuring out what service I want to participate in, I look for: long lasting, relationship building, opportunities, am I working alongside or am I working for, and is the service I will do impactful and beneficial? That is what I want to explore in the semesters to come at Virginia Tech. What are the root causes behind homelessness and poverty, and how is Habitat working to combat those issues? All my questions might not be answered right away, but through experiences I might answer my own questions. Now, I start seeing myself moving up on the spectrum toward Conscientious Citizen. I am questioning things and really wanting to know root issues, rather than just doing service and going home. My ultimate goal, which will more than likely take more than one semester, is to try my hardest to move all the way up the spectrum to Active Citizen. I also want to get more of the people I know moving along the spectrum as well. I also want to explore the issues pertaining to homelessness and poverty. I eagerly want to work with Habitat more to find out more on what it takes to provide these homes, are these homes actually a long-term investment for the family, and what qualifies a family to receive a Habitat home? With my major being Architecture, I feel that I can learn a lot about this issue and help fight homelessness.
Cites:
Block, Peter. "From Leadership to Citizenship." Insights on Leadership: Service, Stewardship, Spirit, and Servant-leadership. By Larry C. Spears. New York: Wiley, 1998. 1-6. Print.
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. "Leadership Is Everyone's Business." Leadership Is Everyone's Business. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer, 2007. 2. Print.
Service at Virginia Tech is a way of life for most students. Virginia Tech offers so much to students when it comes to service. The first thing that pops into my mind is the Big Event. This is where students go out into the Blacksburg community and participate in various service projects. There is the SERVE Living Learning Community, which teaches students about service in a more in depth look. There is VT Engage which offers a lot of Virginia Tech’s service events. There is also the student body. Students often hang up flyers, post on our Facebook page, or use Gobbler Connect, letting other students know of service projects happening around Blacksburg and the New River Valley. Is the entire student body completely on board with dedicating part of their college career to participating in service? I would say no, but a majority of students on campus love to serve and want to get other students to serve and really exemplify our school’s motto, Ut Prosim, That I May Serve. Most students on campus probably do not know what active citizenship is or that an Active Citizen Continuum even exists. However, I believe that students are doing what they believe to be considered as being an active citizen. Whether they are holding a door open for a handful of people, picking up trash that was left behind, volunteering at the local elementary, middle, or high school as a tutor, or participating in service events in Blacksburg. While they may not be considered an active citizen on the Active Citizen Continuum, in their mind, they are doing something that is helping somebody out. By continuing to do these acts of service, students may come to recognize root causes and issues behind why they are doing these services. At this point, students are asking more questions and wanting to be more active when it comes to the service that they are doing. Now would be great time to educate these students more and introduce them to the Active Citizen Continuum and what it means to be an active citizen. Also, the best way to educate unaware students is to have a conversation with them. On a personal level, we could ask them about the service they have been involved them, introduce them to the Active Citizen Continuum, get them more involved within the school and community. On a university level, maybe there could be seminars about service, how to be more involved, how to ask tough questions, and how to form relationships with community partners. If I have learned anything from my Community Engagement course, there is a lot more to being an active citizen than having community as a priority in values and life choices.
That may sound a tad bit intimidating. How can there be more when community is now a top priority for me? I will not sugar coat it, being an active citizen can and will be very intimidating and challenging. Being an active citizen now means that you are a leader. As James Kouzes wrote, “You are the person that’s setting the leadership example for young people. It’s not hip-hop artists, movie stars, or professional athletes they seek guidance from. You are the one they are most likely going to look to for an example of how a leader responds to [all] situations” (Kouzes 2). Being a great leader goes hand in hand with being an active citizen because both roles involve being in the community and being of the community. Forming tight relationships with community members is very important. Kouzes continues to write, “The leaders who have the most influence on people are those who are the closest to them” (Kouzes 2). You do not have to be in a position of power to be a good leader. Can power help with leadership? That all depends on the type of leader you are and what you demonstrate. “We’ve focused on everyday leaders because leadership is not about position or title. Leadership is not about organizational power or authority. It’s not about the family you were born into. It’s not about being a CEO, president, general, or prime minister. And it’s definitely not about being a hero. Leadership is about relationships, about credibility, and about what you do” (Kouzes 2). Since leadership is only one part of being an active citizen, we need to talk about the other part, citizenship. Peter Block writes in “From Leadership to Citizenship”, “If we believe that leadership is the essential ingredient to high performance, then it has serious consequences about how we think about our institutions and what will improve or change them” (Block 1). This is a very true statement. Leadership is important, we need leaders, but if our focus is to raise up just one person to their full potential, that leaves a majority out of the picture that also need to reach their full potential. Leaders are often placed on a pedestal. They are held to a much higher moral standard. When we glamorize these leaders, we, in a way, are escaping from owning our own responsibility for the world we have created. Leaders are now more of a product of culture and society rather than the creator of it (Block 1). When we become citizens of our communities, we are placed on the same level as the people we are advocating for. Do you lose some of the power that you had when you were a “leader”? I would say maybe. You are still a leader as a citizen, but now there is no pedestal or higher moral standard. Block writes, “Citizenship is our agreement to receive rights and privileges from the community and, in so doing, to pay for them through our willingness to live within certain boundaries and act in the interest of the whole. At the core of citizenship is the desire to care for the well-being of the larger institution, be it an organization, a neighborhood, or a country. This requires accountability. This is the purchase price of our freedom” (Block 3) I would also say that citizens have to work more. We are both fighting for our community and being a part of it. This is where leadership and citizenship differ. Leadership more of a one-sided deal. You have power and some respect, but you are not a part of a community and therefore do not really understand their needs. When you are a citizen, you lose some power, but in turn are part of the community. You recognize their needs and are more equipped to help meet those needs. Like Block said, citizenship requires accountability. When we are citizens, we have people who love us, care for us, and want to see us prosper. We are cared for, so we must now care for others and our communities.
Earlier this semester, I was not very concerned with moving along the active citizen continuum; I did not even know there was a “hierarchy” to service. I was only concerned with getting involved with service opportunities that seemed to correlate with things I did in high school and maybe do service that was not familiar to me but sparked my interest. After learning about the Active Citizen Continuum in class at the beginning of the semester, I realized how shallow all of my service experiences have been. Throughout that class, I kept analyzing all the service that I had done and tried to figure out where I belonged on this Active Citizen Continuum. I found it very difficult and challenging to place myself in one of these stages, because I had never thought that there was a spectrum like this. At the end of class, I decided that I fell under Volunteer. I thought, I love to serve, I have good intentions, and I want to be more educated about social issues. I made my goal this semester, if not move all the way to Conscientious Citizen, to at least show progress as to moving toward that part of the spectrum. I started to get involved with more service opportunities throughout the semester. I worked with Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, the Montgomery County Christmas Store, the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, and the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market. While I enjoyed each service event I was involved in, I really enjoyed getting to work with Habitat for Humanity. Through my experiences with Habitat for Humanity, I wanted to become more educated on what this organization does and how they help people. Through learning more about habitat, I began to wonder more about homelessness and poverty; what causes this and how are we combating these issues. I love that Habitat gets the family involved with working on their home, and make long lasting relationships with these families. Working alongside a family, rather than doing the work for them, I believe, is way more beneficial in the long run. When figuring out what service I want to participate in, I look for: long lasting, relationship building, opportunities, am I working alongside or am I working for, and is the service I will do impactful and beneficial? That is what I want to explore in the semesters to come at Virginia Tech. What are the root causes behind homelessness and poverty, and how is Habitat working to combat those issues? All my questions might not be answered right away, but through experiences I might answer my own questions. Now, I start seeing myself moving up on the spectrum toward Conscientious Citizen. I am questioning things and really wanting to know root issues, rather than just doing service and going home. My ultimate goal, which will more than likely take more than one semester, is to try my hardest to move all the way up the spectrum to Active Citizen. I also want to get more of the people I know moving along the spectrum as well. I also want to explore the issues pertaining to homelessness and poverty. I eagerly want to work with Habitat more to find out more on what it takes to provide these homes, are these homes actually a long-term investment for the family, and what qualifies a family to receive a Habitat home? With my major being Architecture, I feel that I can learn a lot about this issue and help fight homelessness.
Cites:
Block, Peter. "From Leadership to Citizenship." Insights on Leadership: Service, Stewardship, Spirit, and Servant-leadership. By Larry C. Spears. New York: Wiley, 1998. 1-6. Print.
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. "Leadership Is Everyone's Business." Leadership Is Everyone's Business. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer, 2007. 2. Print.