Civic Identity

Hailey Quinn, Emily Schmitt

What is Civic Identity?

Civic identity is the formation and negotiation of personal and group identities as they relate to presence, role, and participation in public life.

Civic identity allows us to identify how our values have been shaped through life experience and relate them to those of others. Understanding others values and life experiences allows us to form connections and practice empathy.

Our civic identity can be used to enact social change, as we're able to better acknowledge our skills, abilities and interests and utilize them accordingly.

Civic Identity –

you will gain a greater sense of how your personal skills, abilities,

and interests may aide in community development and leadership

IMG_8951.HEIC

Tallgrass Prairie Center

We traveled to Tallgrass Prairie Center in Cedar Falls, IA in order to help sort prairie seeds for future use in native prairie restoration. Here we learned how to seperate prairie seeds from their native stems and how to properly plant the seeds once they were ready. Our partners there taught us to identify usable rattlesnack master seeds from the shell by sprinkling the seed in front of a fan. The seed that blows further away is unusable as the fan imitates the wind and seed that will blow away too easily isn't helpful in restoring prairies.

IMG_8949.HEIC

Tallgrass Prairie Center & Our Civic Identity

This pertained to our civic identity as we believe in environmental restorations which help limit the effects of climate change. Mitigating climate change is something we value and having the opprotunity to connect with an organization that shared these values was incredible. It also allowed us to utilize our interests and strengths while working with our partners.

Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn

The Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn is located in West Liberty, Iowa, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1883 for the purpose of storing hay and housing farm equipment, horses and cattle. The original property owner, Joshua Secrest, commissioned local barn builder Frank Longerbeam to plan and construct the structure. Rich Tyler bought the 9 acre farmstead in 1993, intending to save the unique structure and its accompanying buildings. This barn is valuable and culturally significant to the West Liberty community, and to the history of farming in Iowa in general. It is a valuable space, and volunteering at it and helping to preserve it is a way to ensure that it stays in this community.

Why a Round Barn?

The advantage of round barns is that they are more resistant to wind, and can store a greater volume of hay while requiring the same amount of lumber to produce, which makes them more efficient. Round barns primarily became popular in the Midwest, and there are over 100 still standing in Iowa today.

Cleaning up the Animal Stalls

Pictured to the left are the stalls in which animals like horses, cows and pigs would be stored. The cows would then be milked in this area, and the trough would allow for drainage. Rich Tyler used to offer tours of the Octagonal Barn in which people would "milk" the fake cows with a device that mimicked udders, thus allowing people to connect with Iowa's history of farming and to keep this culturally sensitive tradition alive for people that may be more removed from the nature of it. Shown here, Tong is sweeping the are to keep it in shape for visitors to come this season and enjoy this historical sight.

Restoring a Garden Area

Shown above, Laken is holding up a brick that she found while uncovering dirt form a concrete foundation from an old shed. We worked to uncover this area, so that it can be enjoyed and visitors can be encouraged to make use of such a culturally valuable location. Surrounding the shed foundation, we cleared rocks and leveled dirt, shown to the right, so that a garden may be planted in the coming months. This area is mostly dirt and rock, and introducing a greater variety of plant species would increase the ecosystem services provided in this area and benefit the community more. Prepping the space in the way that we did allowed us to connect with the nature of the area, while offering a service that community members might enjoy.

Top 5 Strengths: Communication, Woo, Positivity, Adaptivity and Empathy

Emily

I found that a variety of my strengths were beneficial throughout the week. Being positive and adaptive was helpful pertaining to changes in our plans or the weather. Being empathetic was also beneficial to me throughout the week as I learned more about the needs of the community members we were assisting through our partnerships. It was also important being able to communicate with each other when we needed assistance from each other.

Top 5 Strengths: Empathy, Restorative, Adaptability, Positivity, and Strategic

Hailey

The strength that helped me the most this week was empathy, as we were in new settings and interacting with different parts of our community each day. The best approach in these situations is to listen and seek to understand if, where, and how a community might want your help. Approaching with empathy allows you to be the most effective volunteer, and to learn the most from the process. Being adaptive aided in this process, as you must be flexible during service to meet changing needs.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse