We talked a lot this week about how change comes about in the world. We talked about technological innovations that have helped humans evolve from hunter-gatherers to living in the information age of modern society. We talked about advances in farming and agriculture, inventions like the automobile and the airplane, and had a great dialog about how these breakthroughs came about. We discussed change theories such as the 100th Monkey Theory, the Butterfly Effect, and Breakpoint Theory. We know change in the world is possible; there are thousands of examples. We also know that there are no shortages of problems to address in our own communities. In your own words, what is community action? As a high school student, how do you view your role in your community? What are some barriers that limit you from becoming more involved in your community?
A_Carr
Community action is something a group of people does together to inspire change. Presently my role in the community is limited. I do feel however that this program will help me to become a more active member of the community. Some barriers that limit my involvement are; my lack of knowledge on issues in the community, and the fact that as a high school student I am given less respect than others. This makes harder for me to be heard.
Jacob
I think that Community Action is something that a community does in order to fix a problem within their own community. A high-school student’s role in the community is to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to participate and add to communities in the future. I think that some barriers high school students face when trying to become more active in the community are a lack of experience, a lack of knowledge, and a mostly ageist adult community.
johnny_shu
To me, community action is where people in the community get together and figure out things to do that will help improve the community to make it a better place. As a student I think my role in the community is to get active and bring attention to things that people, as well as a high school student, may not notice and then help find a way to fix those problems. Currently the barriers preventing me from being more active and helpful in the community are: lack of knowledge of the problems going on and lack of resources to help.
alicia
Community action is what happens when a group of people come together for a certain cause, and they try to make a positive change for the good of the world. My role in the community is being environmentally safe, doing community service once in a while, and showing my support towards the animal world by choosing to go vegetarian. The only real barrier that limits one from being helpful and more involved in their own community is laziness. Everyone must put out some effort if we want this world to stay a beautiful and healthy place to live.
alex stern
In my opinion community action is when citizens come together to try to make a change for the better. My role in the community as a high school is to do just that which is to help the causes that I believe in like not poisoning the air we take in. but the only problem is that with any job comes a challenge, in this case since I am only 15 years old I am limited as far as transportation. One other main problim about my age is a lot of teenagers don’t get as much respect as an elder witch makes it harder to prove what you believe in.
Valerie
I think Community Action is when a group of volunteers, or people, get together to make a change in the world or their community. I think as a high school student my help in the community is very limited. Some adults have a bad impression of teenagers which makes it hard to help in the community sometimes. I also think that teenagers have trouble helping the community because they don’t have the same resources as adults do which makes it harder to help.
gillian
As a student, I view community action as being an obligation I have to fufil. After all, to take for granted a community that provides so many opportunities for free without giving back, is both arrogant and selfish. It can be as small as cleaning out cat litter boxes at the Humane Society or as large as helping to organize the Boulder Creek Festival, but as long as it helps to give back what we receive from these organizations almost everyday, no amount of help is too little.
I have to say I disagree with what some of the above posters mentioned about lack of respect from adults in the community. I have yet to receive negative feedback from an older individual to whom I expressed my interest in volunteering. More often than not, they are intrigued by my “abnormal” interest in the community, giving back, and staying involved in organizations that give teenagers a voice. As a teenager, I feel that if I did run across a naysayer, it would be my responsibility to prove that ageism is just another fuddy-duddy way of thinking that does nothing but damage the good work many active teenagers have done.
As far as lack of knowledge goes, you can only learn so much before you just have to get out there and get involved. 🙂
Jamie Shapiro
Community action, I think, is having awareness of an issue or need in the community, and then acting on that. The first, and most important step, is simply being aware of both the positive and negative aspects of the environment that you live in. Once you notice the negative aspects, all you need is the desire and determination to change it. Personally, I think I could do much more to impact the environment in terms of volunteer work. However, I think the most important community action is done through simple awareness and everyday actions. Most problems start out small and then gradually, through neglect, grow. In that way, the solution must also start small, and then grow, through determination and conviction. The barriers that stop me from being more active, in the volunteer sense, are mostly just my own laziness and lack of conviction. Also I think if helping out became more of a social norm, young folks might do it more. I am excited, I have to say, to be able to work on a project that pottentially could have a strong positive influence on my environment.
D.Jay
I thought that our hike with Lynn and friend (whose name I have forgotten) was great. However, the hiking aspect of it was a little slow. We learned so much about the open space in Colorado. I think the thing that struck me the most was how the plains here use to be 20% populated by prairie dog, and we have beaten them down to a measly .2%. I think that’s kind of sick. In addition, the ranchers will go on sometimes almost a killing spree with these prairie dogs is quite horrid. From what I have found, Ranchers own 40% of Colorado, (correct me if I’m wrong) and that one cattle breaks its leg and all prairie dwellers must die?
What is community action? Community action is more than sending a check in the mail, Its getting your hands dirty, and letting the public know that you want change or something needs it.
My role in the community? My role is to volunteer where i am passionate and letting my voice be heard in the community. I think that even though some teenagers are slackers and hooligans that there is enough support and trust in our community for a kid of my age to attempt just about anything. Sky is the limit.
Barriers? The only barriers that come to mind are resources. I do not think I could introduce the black rhino to the Rockies. However, in our fine city of boulder, minus resources and maybe manpower, I think there is very little that I could not accomplish