Values Clarification

We reflected upon our own values before and after the volunteering, and here is how the trip impacted the values that constitute us!

Kayla Boche, Kaydee Ecker, Stephanie Niklasen, Zale Chous

Moore Community House-Early Head Start Program

We worked with the teachers in Moore Community House in different classroom and with different age groups, from age one to two, and infants.

Education/knowledge

In the early head start program, children showed a lot of interest in learning. they’d read books and practice how to say certain vocabularies. The teachers sing to them and play games with the kids to keep them interested in the class. We also learned that the reason they brush their teeth after lunch is because some children do not have toothbrushes, toothpastes or other hygiene products back at home. Here, we also learned how the hurricane Katrina has so much influence to Moore Community House, and how they recover from the damage and be there for parents in need again.

Discipline

The children in the program are generally very discipline. They learned how to put their dishes away, brush their teeth and wait in the line to wash their hands in such a young age. The teacher said they've been doing that since they were even younger so it kind of just became a habit to them. And they were all very polite and learned to be respectful for each other and more to the teachers.

Future Application

We can use the experience to help more people like them, and understand more about their background.
knowing that discipline is important to an extent because it ensures success in the years to come.

Gardening at Moore Community House

Sowing Seeds & Planting Roots

While we dug holes, planted seeds, and uprooted weeds quite literally during our time at Moore Community House, we also learned about the importance of metaphorically sowing seeds and planting roots. We learned that even volunteering your time by doing the littlest of things (like planting seeds) can have a big impact on an organization, and an entire community. We also learned that establishing oneself as an active citizen is vital in order for a community to flourish. The seeds we spent a few hours sowing will grow into beautiful flowers for the children to enjoy all spring and summer long, and the garden plots we we weeded will be used to foster hands-on learning for these children as their own vegetables and herbs take root.

Diversity of Narrative

During our time gardening, we were given the opportunity to hear the life story of one of the employees of Moore Community House: Miss Nancy. Through listening to Miss Nancy's story, we not only came to a better understanding of Biloxi as a community, but we learned to embrace and empathize with an experience different from our own. Miss Nancy taught us about the value of diverse narratives and the power they have to broaden our perspective on life.

Resiliency

Through talking with Miss Nancy, we learned a lot about her experience with Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Her house was completely destroyed during the hurricane, as was most of the area near the gulf. When asked why she wasn’t more upset when she saw the house in ruins, she said, "It’s just stuff. I’m alive. That’s what matters. I can rebuild." The response Miss Nancy and the entire Biloxi community had to such a tragic event taught us all about what true resiliency means: continuing to fight for your values and your community, even when it would be easier to walk away.

Future Application:

All of these values have inspired us to take more deliberate action to support our communities. For me personally (Kaydee), I know that I need to continue supporting positive change in my hometown -- even if it would be easier to turn the other way and ignore all of its issues. I no longer believe that service must always be a grand, magnificent gesture. The smallest of actions -- even planting seeds -- can make a huge difference. This change in understanding has and will continue to encourage me to do service work however and wherever I can. I know now more than ever the value of seeking out and hearing diverse narratives. I will continue to do this throughout the rest of my education, in my own personal reading, in discussions with others, and in the future as a teacher. Lastly, Biloxi has taught me to have courage even when things look bleak. It has taught me to support your community when it needs you -- in the best of times and the worst of times.

Women in Construction

Knowledge/Learning

Staff taught us about the volunteer's impact, and how the organization was founded by one outstanding volunteer who still maintains all the behind-the-scenes work to keep the resource functioning. One dedicated individual with a vision and connections to resources and people can make an impact on entire communities. This was a real life example comparable to our common read, The Freedom Writers.

We taught each other tricks of the carpentry and lawn care trades, and improvised when we had to come up with efficient ways to get the job done!

Humor

The staff taught us that the quickest way to get work done is as a cohesive group, and to get closer we all made jokes and just had fun with the tools we were given! The Women in Construction volunteers all had their own sense of humor that they brought to the community to create an open environment.

Contribution

By doing the small jobs and the busy work (laying floor, raking leaves, busting up pallets, sanding, etc.), we made a lasting impact because the small efforts on our behalf amplified into large effects on the community level. e.g. busting up pallets provided test wood for the women to practice on so they could perfect their trade on an inconsequential material.

We were not working directly with youth at this site, but by helping the mothers obtain an education and a trade, the youth could benefit in the long run. Also, by getting more women into the job field, there are more role models for the kids to look up to.

Together, WE CAN DO IT!

In the future, we can use our

humor to help us keep our communities together and moving forward.
contribution to remember that every little effort counts, whether that means donating, volunteering, or even making a living by supporting worthy causes
knowledge to help us envision new ways to better the communities we are a part of, and to become Master Carpenters!

CASA of Harrison County

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate Association) is an organization that bridges the gap between families who are struggling and social services. These volunteers provide consistency to children who are stuck in an ever-changing life, supporting them and being there throughout the most difficult times.

Passion

From hearing their stories and learning about what the volunteers at CASA do in their everyday lives, we were able to experience the passion that accompanies true service. The passion of those at CASA inspired us to bring similar passion to every aspect of our lives, now and in the future. Each volunteer that we spoke with understood the importance of giving your all to the cause, and reaffirmed our belief that passion is a necessary ingredient in preventing social issues.

Caring

"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care". -Theodore Roosevelt

Along with the clear passion, the volunteers at CASA showed us that truly caring for those who you are working with is the most important aspect of service. Being a constant for the children and families who are experiencing the negative impacts of social issues is one great way to show just that, and is the mission of CASA. We will strive to always show that we truly care for everyone in our own communities, especially those who are suffering. As we learned throughout the semester, true service means working with those who are experiencing hardships.

Rebuilding

This organization and it's volunteers demonstrated that rebuilding, or using your past to learn for the future, can be a process, but working with each other to build a better future sparks a flame that continuously grows. No matter what one's background contains, those experiences can always be used to build a better future for oneself and others in the community. Many social issues are intertwined with one another, thus creating a viscous cycle, but taking those negative experiences from the past and learning from them will ensure a better future for all.

In the future we can....

use and develop our passion to inspire others in the community to be a part in building one another up rather than tearing one another down, especially while working to eradicate the social issues that impact us most
show that we care and be more aware of what caring means to those whom we are working alongside in our communities
rely on our own past and those of others as an anchor from which to rebuild toward a better future for all; no person's story is the same, and every story provides knowledge to build upon for the betterment of a community

Cultural Activities

New Orleans, Ohr O'Keefe Museum, Biloxi Beach

Community

Whether walking around the French Quarter, carving tiles, touring the museum, or playing volleyball on the beach, there was a clear sense of community no matter where we were. People everywhere were more than willing to help one another and see what others had to offer. We can bring this sense of community back to Iowa City and bring a bit of that "southern hospitality" north.

Culture

Experiencing everything that Biloxi, Gulfport, and New Orleans had to offer opened our eyes to many different cultural aspects. We were told that New Orleans was a true melting pot, and this was clear once we were able to experience it for ourselves. Seeing those many different cultures in the same place inspired us to value our differences and embrace the whole community that results. We can take this expanded knowledge and use it in the future to build a more cohesive society, especially in the UI community where diversity of culture is around every corner.

Brought to you by Mayor FoFo

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