CAM BLOG
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CAM = Community Action Month!
what is CAM like?
what is CAM like?
by Simone W.
Today is my ninth day of CAM. I’ve been doing CAM online and I’ve really enjoyed CAM which to me is a surprise. I often get overwhelmed by big projects and was dreading Community Action Month but it’s going really well. I think it’s interesting because we get a chance to connect with people and bond with them over an issue we both care about even though we're online. But if you’re like me (a perfectionist who prefers to work on big projects alone when you have to school over zoom) then you get that option to work alone.
Even though I prefer to work alone when I’m online because it’s less overwhelming for me, it's nice how the cohorts are organized because I still get to hangout with people in my cohort and learn more about them.
I also like how we get to focus on areas that we care about and also get a chance to learn about topics we never even thought of! For example, week one I was planning to do Gender and Society but then I saw Disabilities in Dance and Athletics which really interested me and is something I didn’t know much about.
From the interviews I’ve done it seems like people like CAM and that you get to work with one group of people. One guide mentioned how nice it was that even for the people who are online they’re online less than they were, which is one thing I really like about CAM.
My favorite thing about community action month online is probably the fact that even when we are not working on our slides, it’s not like we have to watch boring videos and have to take extensive Cornell notes then talk about the video in a three hour meeting. Instead we get to read articles about cool current events (like genetically modified mosquitoes) or go into breakout rooms according to zip codes and talk about our neighborhoods.
I do wish you could do projects with people who are in other cohorts or people who are either at school when you’re online or vice versa, and that CAM could be longer than a month, but overall I really like it and think it has been a really fun experience for me.
Simone also interviewed a couple students and a guide about CAM:
Simone's Cam report.mp4
what is community?
what is community?
Some anonymous student answers to the question:
What does it mean to be part of a community?
a group of people that works together and respects each other
To be in a group of people that have something in common
to be able to feel safe and supported with the people around you
It means to participate.
To be part of a group of people who work together.
Depends on the person, there is no specific definition, but for me, it’s just being in a group that you know
To contribute and make a healthy safe space.
to feel included
It means you feel safe in that group and you can speak your mind and be yourself there
knowing people, and being listened too and respected in a group
to be a part of and help support a group.
to be able to trust each other, and feel like you are part of the group
being apart of a community means being apart of a group of people that believes something
It means your in this place or with a group of people who you trust you have a connection with and it just feels special or important
I think that it means that you participate in the workings of the the systems in those communities, you help others, and you try to be able to empathize and support those that are in the community in question. You could also define it as being a part of a group, and participating in what that group does.
I’m not sure, it’s definitely based in trust and mutual kindness though.
to have a place with your peers and guides
To help others in your community so they will help you later
What it means to be a part of a community is to be in a group of certain people who match a certain set of things like, all going to the same school, class, or all doing the same activity or job and working together as one and supporting each other
to participate
the code you live by
the code you live by
This week we worked on an activity called, The Code You Live by, adapted from a NYtimes Student Opinion feature.
If you had to sum up the code you live by in just a few words, what would you say?
We read some examples and then worked on writing our own codes. Students were encouraged to think about how they fit into the bigger picture of society and community, and to consider how all the social issues we are learning about in CAM connect to how we relate to each other personally.
How do we make decisions when we need to? What guides us?
How does this connect to categories and labels that larger society creates?
Here are examples from our community:
If I had to chose one little phrase it would be this: I can try.
I once worked for an entire year on a piece that I loved, and I grew and learned the entire time. At the beginning of that year I could barely wrap my mind around some of the wild chords, and my piano teacher was unsure I'd be able to do it, but I just said repeatedly (and rather stubbornly) no! I like this one! I can AT LEAST try. by the end of the year I was playing it so often and so happily my brother was able to repeatedly throw pillows at me while I played(in an effort to get me to NOT PLAY IT AGAIN) and I wouldn't even pause.
That's kind of a long story to illustrate why my code to live by is: I Can Try.
(by Lillian E.)
I live by being open to hear what other people have to say and remembering to look at things through other peoples perspectives not just mine. This is an important life skill for me because often when I am interacting with people they forget to understand my point of view and that I am a person too. A lot of these feelings are brought up when i'm listening to music too, specifically Olivia Rodrigo.
(anonymous)
I really don't have one code to live by because life is constantly changing and no one code is suitable for
any situation you may encounter. Though there are a few good ones that can be used correctly in some
situations, none of them work for all situations.
(anonymous)
(Students, if you want yours added--with your name or anonymously, email Julie.)
community action month
community action month
As winter melted into spring we prepared for this month of learning about being connected community members and citizens.
As guides, we didn't know exactly what form the last weeks of this strange year would take. We knew we wanted students to investigate processes of social awareness and change. We studied things like Action Research and Project-Based Learning.
A panel of community care workers spoke with students in late March, and on our asynchronous work days in April kids investigated films, podcasts, and readings about social issues. They practiced identifying stakeholders and impacts and actions. They thought about how these issues connect to their lives and neighborhoods, and what they want to know more about to develop their understanding and positively contribute.
Now we've made it to CAM--four weeks that will wrap up this unusual year, that will likely pass too quickly, in which we can learn from each other, expand our community knowledge, and creatively teach each other what we have uncovered, discovered and connected before we head off into summer days.
JK
5/17 at the park
5/17 at the park
A snapshot from lunch at the park by Emily Blue. :-)
Getting Ready!
Getting Ready!
It's May 13th and we are so close to being ready for CAM!
Check out Scott testing some new equipment, making sure everyone can hear him.
First Post
First Post
Hey hey, this is our first post!
Look for more posts soon about our actual work together!
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