Leadership for the Indianapolis Trip.

Greg Hardison: Community Building

• Current Leadership Position: Risk Manager for Phi Delta Theta

The issue of why there is Food Injustice in Indianapolis is not a simple one, if it was, it would already be solved. Rather than attempt to solve it ourselves, we went to understand how the processes of Asset Building and Community Development were being used to help build up the community we were studying, the urban population of Indianapolis. To do this, we learned about the local social networks, and how these worked with the power of public and private/non-profit organizations to work to aid the community, by working with the leaders in these organizations we were able to see what must be done to build upon the strengths of the community.

The government infrastructure for those in need of food or shelter in the State of Indianapolis is in a sorry state. The government provides little in the form of food donations, and the amount has decreased in recent years. Additionally, the State of Indianapolis does not own or operate any homeless shelters within the city of Indianapolis and because of this, much of the burden falls on private and non-profit organizations.

We worked with many of these private/Non-Profit organizations: Fletcher Place Community Center, Gleaners Community Food Bank, and the Wheeler Mission. These organizations work to bring together the community and build upon the strengths of the community. These groups seek to build upon the strengths of the community by getting them involved in volunteering opportunities, connecting the various social groups and organizations, and creating connections that will serve to build the community of Indianapolis.

Leadership is involved in this as a leader using the asset based strategy for community impact has to work to create a larger and more interconnected community. He does this by going out and making these social connections between people in different organizations. A leader would need to be the person who spreads awareness and grows the number of people who are willing to dedicate themselves to the idea of active citizenship.

Leadership has several definitions depending on who you ask. My experience as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army has given me a unique perspective of leadership. The values I embody depict a leader that only leads from the front. The army has values and ideals that every soldier follows. These ideals compound when in a leadership role because everyone is looking to you for guidance and support. I am an engineer platoon leader in charge of thirty soldiers. These soldiers range in age and experiences all to which I manage and ensure everything flows towards mission success. This experience has poured out into my interaction with my team members during Alternative Spring Break because not only were all the team members leaders in their respects. It taught me to reflect and to learn more about the individual functions of a team.

Community Consciousness was highlighted by our very journey, being entrenched in the community we decided to learn about. As a Public Health graduate student, we focus on interventions for health promotion and disease prevention. As time progresses more and more research asserts that social determinants of health have a greater impact on health outcomes than previously understood. Food insecurity, our primary objective, is a growing problem in the United States. This is also an incredibly important topic because it affects health in many ways. Being able to go into the community and see first hand how food insecurity affects individuals was an invaluable experience. A famous quote that I live by is that there is “no survey before service.” Before one can impact a community, you must learn about the community through service. This trip in many ways solidified community consciousness as we slept, ate, and conferred service for a week in a community that we didn't have a particular investment in but all unified under one goal of service.