Community Engagement Final Blog Post

1. Explain, using specific examples, how your engagement activity connects to some of the readings, concepts, and skills from the course.

• For this project, I decided to work on my own. Although I had signed up for multiple events, I was only able to make it to one event due to unexpected issues with my schedule and transportation. For the engagement activity, I volunteered at Woods Park from 9am-12pm. We had originally planned to remove poison ivy throughout the park, but the person organizing the activity chose to remove garlic mustard instead. It reminded me a lot of the book that we’ve been reading this term: “Braiding Sweetgrass”. A lot of the emphasis in the book surrounds the relationship between people and nature. One of the main things that we had to do was closely examine the weeds, in order to differentiate them from the regular plants. In doing so, I think that it forced me to be engrossed in not only the task, but the surroundings as well. It was actually quite calming being so focused on the plants, much like the tone of the author’s in the book as she describes her encounters with the natural world. 

I would say that the concept of giving back to nature, instead of focusing on what we can take from it, is also something that connects to the volunteer activity. The weed’s presence in the park was harming the native plants and stopping them from growing. Since the weed is so aggressive, it has to be removed by people. By pulling them out, we were able to give the rest of the plants a chance to grow and multiple. It was our way of giving back to nature and the environment. 

2. What is your overall assessment of your (or you teams’) effort; what went well and what could have been imprved on?

• Although I’m glad that I chose to work alone, I think that there’s a lot that could be improved on. I signed up to volunteer for multiple activities, but I was only able to attend one of them due to unexpected circumstances. The first event that I had signed up for was the free food market that PSU holds every second Monday of the month. Unfortunately, it snowed, so the event was canceled. The second event that I had signed up for was the one at Woods Park, I would say that it was the only thing that went well. Although, we had almost left because I didn’t realize that I hadn’t gotten a confirmation email about the meeting area. In addition, there were no cars by the time we had gotten there and none of the people we tried to contact were answering. Thankfully, we were able to find them after going further into the park. It was a little intimidating because there were only three other people, all of which were white men. The third event that I had signed up for was a garden work party, which I was unable to attend due to last minute transportation issues, as well as a cold. I signed up for another garden work party a couple days later, but I didn’t realize that it was on a Thursday and we had class. Overall, I know that a lot of it was out of my control, but I could have signed up for an additional event after missing the last two. 

3. Describe what you learned through doing this project.

• I learned that it’s important to communicate and get clarification when participating in a volunteer project. Additionally, it’s different working in groups and teams with people outside of work and the classroom. Although I knew that it wouldn’t be entirely the same, it was pretty awkward interacting with other people who participated in the volunteer work. They were nice, but it was definitely an odd experience talking with them, especially because they were all so much older. 
• I also learned what garlic mustard is and that it is really detrimental to the growth of the other plants in the surrounding area. It sends out chemicals that inhibit the growth of naitve plants, in order to make more room for it to grow. The weed is very aggressive so it needs to be pulled out from the roots, otherwise it’ll regrow itself on the surface of the soil. If they are not properly disposed afterwards, they will start to grow on the ground where they are thrown. 

4. What grade would you give yourself on this project and why?

• I would give myself a B+ for this project. I don’t think that I went to as many volunteer events as I would have liked to. Although, that one event felt really long. I did my best to remove as many weeds as I could during the volunteer activity, but I think I could have attended more. 

Braiding Sweetgrass Reflection 2

In the chapters, the author spoke a lot about gratitude and showing affection to their loved ones. This week I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time with my best friend, but we did see each other the other night. I knew that she had been struggling with some personal issues, so I tried to be there for her in the ways that she needed. She eventually broke down and cried for a couple minutes, while I held her. She is always there for me and this was my way of letting her know that I’m there for her, despite new things and people entering my life recently. My older sister and her boyfriend also got sick this weekend, so I did some grocery shopping for them and dropped off ingredients for them to make chicken soup (because I can’t make it myself). They both do so much to take care of me, so I wanted to do something for them. Although they may not be the most extravagant things, I feel that they still allow me to express my gratitude and appreciation.

Braiding Sweetgrass Reflection #1

In the first chapter of the book, the author describes the tenderness in braiding the hair of someone you love. This past week was definitely very stressful, but I was able to spend a lot of it with my best friend. She had a date on Friday, so I spent time with her while she was getting ready to leave. Although her hair definitely wasn’t long enough to braid, I had the chance to fix it for her. I could tell that she was nervous, so it felt nice to give her a little more confidence in that sense. It was pretty funny because I kept messing it up, but it actually came out really nice and she looked very handsome. She does so much for me, and I sometimes feel like I don’t always show her how much I appreciate her. Our love language isn’t the same, but she always makes an effort to meet mine. Hers is physical touch, which I normally am not very comfortable with, but I gave her a big hug before she left, to show her how much she means to me. I think that it’s important to remember to show gratitude towards the people that we love.

Community Engagement Project Update

This past Saturday I volunteered with SOLVE at Woods Park from 9am-12pm. Originally, we planned to clear poison ivy from the area, but the organizer decided to clear garlic mustard instead. It was definitely interesting trying to differentiate the weeds from the other plants, since they all looked very similar. I would say that the biggest challenge was navigation and finding the group that we were volunteering with. The turnout wasn’t very large and there were only six people in total. My friend and I were actually lost for a bit, but we found the group after a while. Clearing the garlic mustard from the woods was important since the weed is known to be very aggressive and invasive. We were informed that it sends out harmful chemicals to the neighboring plants, so that it has more room to multiply. I have a similar volunteer event this Saturday, at a different location.

Community Engagement Idea Blog Post

I’m going to be working by myself for this project. I signed up to do a couple garden projects and park cleanups with Friends of Trees. I’m actually really excited since I volunteered to be a part of the group that plants trees. The first event is this Saturday, another is on the April 21st, and the last is on April 23rd. I also signed up for the PSU free food market this past Monday, but it was canceled because of the snow. I’m hoping to be able to volunteer with another event that helps ease food insecurity. These events connect to the topics in class in the sense that we must take care of the environment and preserve the natural aspects of it. I’m not too sure what kind of trees we will be planting, but they may be used to feed the community if they produce fruits and vegetables.

Sustainability

My group decided to visit the Campus Recreation Center. One of the lesser known facts about the Rec Center is that the equipment was selected for its accessibility to different users. Additionally, the equipment is made from recycled materials and chosen based on their longevity and ethical manufacturing. The cleaning products used throughout the facility are also non toxic and fragrance free. I would say these features definitely contribute to making the campus more sustainable and are being utilized heavily by the students at PSU.