Civic Engagement Training Iowa College AmeriCorps Program You will need an internet connection for this training! Hello and welcome to the Iowa College AmeriCorps Program Civic Engagement Training. You will need an internet connection in order to participate in this training session. Most of this training is done through reflection and discussion. Because of this approach we recommend that you participate in the training with other AmeriCorps members.

Goals of this training Outcome Increased desire to be more civically engaged in their community Objectives Members will recognize how to participate in civic engagement Members will recognize their service as civic engagement Members will recognize how their civic engagement is a reflection of their values We hope that when you walk away form this training that you will want to be more civically engaged in the community. You probably already are doing civic engagement, but we hope that by the end of this training you will recognize how to you can be civically engaged. We also hope that you will be able to recognize how your civic engagement is a reflection of your values. Participating in civic life is personal and involves you making choices and expressing those choices through your voice. In this way, when you are doing civically engaged activities you are also participating in a democracy.

defining civic engagement How are you civically engaged? Lets start by defining what civic engagement is and then start to think about how we are civically engaged in our communities and on our campuses.

Discuss the questions on the following slides Watch the two videos Civic Engagement 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBrmwYdp6gU What is Civic Engagement? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80D3wrdGKbE Watch both of these short videos then we will discuss them using the prompts on the following slide. Discuss the questions on the following slides

Discussion questions Do you agree with both definitions? What you would add or remove from either? How have you participated in civic engagement activities in the past? How do you feel your service, as an ICAP member, is civic engagement? What did you think? Do you agree with both definitions? What would you add or remove from either? How have you participated in civic engagement activities in the past? How do you feel your service, as an ICAP member, is civic engagement? Take the next ten to fifteen minutes to discuss this with those around you.

making civic decisions What do you value? Every day we are confronted with serious social problems that affect the quality of life for ourselves and our community. As an AmeriCorps member, you have made an exciting choice to work on problems regarding education, public safety, the environment, and other human needs. Where do you begin? Where will you be most effective? What problems do you think are most pressing? We will try and answer these questions in the next activity.

The value of thinking civically Even with the help of volunteers, not all problems can be fully addressed. As individuals and volunteers, we must decide what causes to support and where to put our time and energy. Choosing issues and convincing others of their importance is an essential civic responsibility. While government, business, and non-profit groups all play a role in addressing your community’s problems, they don’t have enough resources to deal with every problem. Even with the help of volunteers, not all problems can be fully addressed. Hard choices must be made. For government at the local, state, and federal level, legislators must decide every year which programs will be funded and which will not. As individuals and volunteers, we must decide what causes to support and where to put our time and energy. Once we have decided, we also have to try to persuade others—our governmental representatives, community groups, and friends and associates—that the cause we believe in is worth supporting. Choosing issues and convincing others of their importance is an essential civic responsibility.

Most Pressing Deadline Benefit Most People Most Amount of Time Homelessness Illiteracy Child abuse Air, land, and water pollution Gang-related violence High drop-out rates from school Environmental preservation Drug and alcohol abuse Other Carefully review the following list of some of the problems that your community might be currently challenged with. Use the dropdown menus to rank the list by the following categories: Which has the most pressing deadline? Which, if solved, will benefit the greatest number of people? Which will take the most amount of time to solve? Once your group has decided move to the next slide and reflect on your decisions. Next Slide

Discussion Questions How does, if at all, each of these problems relate to the service you are providing? What additional problems might be added to the list? What could you and your college do to address some of these problems? So what did you think? Did you all agree? Was it easy to make those decisions with the information you have? Consider the following questions: How does, if at all, each of these problems relate to the service you are providing? What additional problems might be added to the list? Why? What could you and your college do to address some of these problems? Take the next ten to fifteen minutes to consider these questions.

the meaning of good service What does good service look like? Finally, lets look at what good service is and, more important, what it is not.

Margaret Mead Is it the only thing that ever has? “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  Is it the only thing that ever has? When does a group of people do this work? How do the citizens go about this work? When is it good change? When is it bad? Why doesn’t change happen all the time? Consider this quote from Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist, exemplar of civilization, and awardee of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. Lets think about this quote for a minute. Is a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens the only thing that has ever caused change in the world? What about large groups of people? What about single individuals? When does a group of people actually do this work? When are they inspired most to change the world? Take the next ten to fifteen minutes to talk about these questions and this quote. What are your thoughts? And how do those thoughts affect your personal or professional life? How do the citizens go about this work? What’s the process? Is it the same here as it is in Iceland? How about Russia? Guantanamo, Cuba? When is it good change and when is it bad? Is there anyway to tell? Why doesn’t this happen all the time? Certainly there has to be small groups of thoughtful, committed, citizens roaming around wanting to cause some change .. Right?

Civic Engagement Training Iowa College AmeriCorps Program Thank you for completing the Iowa College AmeriCorps Program Civic engagement training. Please remember to fill out this training’s section of your training certification sheet.