Agent of Change
UNPACKING PRIVILEGE
What does it mean to be an ally?
How can WE be agents of change?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE MARGINALIZED?
Just as the word “margin” suggests, “to be marginalized” is to be pushed to the sides – indicating inferiority. So...
a marginalized group is a minority group that’s needs, contributions, and opinions are not prioritized, and often actively dismissed, within major aspects of society (such as public policy).
WHAT IS HEARING PRIVILEGE?
Because of the foundations of our society, there are certain inherent attributes about a human that either significantly advantage or disadvantage them. "Privilege" is a word used to describe those inherent advantages that one has.
If you haven't been confronted with "hearing privilege", some more common concepts are "white privilege" (race-based), "male privilege" (gender identity-based), or "educational privilege" (education-based).
Hearing Privilege is the systemic advantage that hearing people benefit from based on the antiquated belief that being deaf is a prerequisite for being inferior.
This misguided idea of inferiority stems from the belief that deafness should be fixed or cured, and that hearing loss leads to a "less than" human experience.
For these reasons, it is important that hearing allies advocate for the Deaf Community and work within the collective to resist the erasure of the Deaf experience, Deaf Culture, and Deaf gain.
The 7 Cs of SERVICE LEARNING!
1. Consciousness of Self - The awareness of one’s held beliefs, values, attitudes, and emotions, that
motivate them to act.
2. Congruence - Thinking, feeling, and behaving with consistency, authenticity, and honesty.
3. Commitment - Motivation to consistently serve, driving the collective effort.
4. Collaboration - Working with others to reach a mutual goal/common effort.
5. Common Purpose - Carrying out collaborative work with shared aims and values.
6. Controversy with civility - recognition of two fundamental realities within creative collaborative
efforts: differences in viewpoint are inevitable, and such differences must be expressed openly but also with the intention of staying on track to accomplish the collaborative effort of service/ the service activity.
7. Citizenship - The process in which an individual and a collaborative group gain an interconnectedness with the community throughout the service activity.
Making a client or staff member’s day, helping make someone laugh, developing inside jokes, and remembering personal facts about the clients, are not too small to be part of a big change.
BECOMING AN AGENT OF CHANGE:
To realize that I was a component of change I first had to challenge what I - at first - thought it meant to be an “Agent/Architect of Change”. For a while, I had a difficult time really thinking I was making a difference because I felt like “making a difference” had to be something more than I could possibly give as a 21-year-old college student.
I know that I am an agent of change (even if I'm not actively buying the clients new houses) because the Day Program Supervisor at CSL has told me personally that the OSU students serving at CSL this semester have been the best group he has ever worked with. He mentioned that it means a lot to him, and the clients, that we are outgoing and willing to make genuine, fun, impactful connections.
TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY AS AN ALLY
Service-Learning and Accountablity.MP4