Post-Seminar Assignment #1
To Learn Both Internally and Externally
I am a member of the GESC program at Loomis because I want to educate myself on global and environmental issues. I want to be the best citizen of the world that I can be and in order to do so, I need to be fully educated on issues within and outside of my community. I want to grow and learn both externally and internally so that I may teach others and help others to grow as well. In order to be the best version of myself, I must first reflect on my own identity and environmental impact, and only after doing so, will I be able to learn wholeheartedly about the world and all its incredible inhabitants.
Post-Seminar Assignment #2
Below is a picture that represents my "Call to Action" in "This Moment". Since my sophomore year of high school, I have worked with refugee centers within my area and outside to educate myself about the refugee crisis within the Middle East and get involved where I can. In Jordan, I was able to get more involved in the refugee community by working with the organization called Letters of Love in which I translated letters from English into Arabic and then hand delivering those letters to the local children's refugee camp—hence the picture below. The refugee community is vastly misunderstood and I hope that by educating myself on the issues, I can be more helpful toward those affected as well as help educate those who may not have much knowledge on the crisis. More recently, I have been working with students from Syria and Texas to create a platform that helps refugees moving into the US to gain a understanding of the area they will be living in and aids them as they settle into their new home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the refugee community has been suffering immensely, thus I exhort those privileged enough to help out and give a hand when they can.
Post-Seminar Assignment #3
“What actions will you take to better yourself/your community/the world that are related to the SDGs/GESC Seminar #3?”
Attending the GESC seminar on the SDGs has solidified my passion for working with refugees and aiding in the refugee crisis. Every since I joined Arabic my freshman year, I have been curious to learn about not only the Arabic language, but the Middle East as a whole. Learning about the SDGs, I feel that I could use the goals as guides when working with organizations that aid in the refugee crisis. Thus far, I have been working with students from Syria and one from Texas to create a platform for refugee families moving to the United States. By educating myself on the SDGs, specifically focusing on Global Partnerships and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, we can better our platform and connect with organizations inside and outside the US. Furthermore, understanding the SDGs will allow for a better comprehension of world issues overall. Delving right into the SDG on Global Partnerships, I could use this SDG to educate myself on not only the function of global partnerships and how to pursue such relations, but I could also develop skills that will allow me to be a better advocate when speaking about issues as well as a global citizen overall. Lastly, in learning about the SDG relating to Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, I can use this goal to educate myself on the conflicts and weak institutions that pose a threat to achieving this SDG within the refugee community, and by doing so, I can brainstorm ways to combat those issues or aid in preventing and hindering them. Including the Sustainable Development Goals within my project for refugees will allow for a more holistic approach to the issues as well as they will ensure that I am tackling both the environmental and social conflicts attached the refugee crisis.
Attending the GESC seminar on the SDGs has solidified my passion for working with refugees and aiding in the refugee crisis. Every since I joined Arabic my freshman year, I have been curious to learn about not only the Arabic language, but the Middle East as a whole. Learning about the SDGs, I feel that I could use the goals as guides when working with organizations that aid in the refugee crisis. Thus far, I have been working with students from Syria and one from Texas to create a platform for refugee families moving to the United States. By educating myself on the SDGs, specifically focusing on Global Partnerships and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, we can better our platform and connect with organizations inside and outside the US. Furthermore, understanding the SDGs will allow for a better comprehension of world issues overall. Delving right into the SDG on Global Partnerships, I could use this SDG to educate myself on not only the function of global partnerships and how to pursue such relations, but I could also develop skills that will allow me to be a better advocate when speaking about issues as well as a global citizen overall. Lastly, in learning about the SDG relating to Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, I can use this goal to educate myself on the conflicts and weak institutions that pose a threat to achieving this SDG within the refugee community, and by doing so, I can brainstorm ways to combat those issues or aid in preventing and hindering them. Including the Sustainable Development Goals within my project for refugees will allow for a more holistic approach to the issues as well as they will ensure that I am tackling both the environmental and social conflicts attached the refugee crisis.
Post-Seminar Assignment #4
"Which learning objectives/outcomes in the Alvord Center Engaged Citizenship Matrix resonate most with you? How are you planning to incorporate the Matrix in your final GESC projects (capstone, portfolio, coursework, etc...)?"
Regarding the Alvord Center Engaged Citizenship Matrix, my project aims to incorporate all four quadrants of the matrix, thus allowing for the creation of a portfolio that is well researched, expansive, and includes action plans. Through the creation process, I hope to develop skills that will teach me to be a better leader and active listener and as I begin to improve upon these skills as well as learn new skills, I hope to also gain a better understanding of my own cultural and environmental background and identity. I feel that the two quadrants on knowledge seeking and skill development will play a crucial role throughout the creation of my portfolio while the quadrants on understanding enhancement and action taking will be more prevalent within my project as they make up the main goals for what I hope my project can achieve—better understanding of the refugee community within my community and action plans to aid in the crisis. Furthermore, while I do feel the quadrants for knowledge seeking and skill development will aid in my creation process, I also believe they will be helpful in gaining new collaboration skills and in working with other students, faculty members, and individuals outside of the Loomis community. Due to Covid-19, my project will not be as hands-on as I once hoped; however, in creating a portfolio with information about the refugee crisis, I hope to work/connect with some local NGOs within CT that will help expand my knowledge of the crisis. Overall, I hope to use the matrix as a guide to ensure that my portfolio is comprehensive and well informed.
Regarding the Alvord Center Engaged Citizenship Matrix, my project aims to incorporate all four quadrants of the matrix, thus allowing for the creation of a portfolio that is well researched, expansive, and includes action plans. Through the creation process, I hope to develop skills that will teach me to be a better leader and active listener and as I begin to improve upon these skills as well as learn new skills, I hope to also gain a better understanding of my own cultural and environmental background and identity. I feel that the two quadrants on knowledge seeking and skill development will play a crucial role throughout the creation of my portfolio while the quadrants on understanding enhancement and action taking will be more prevalent within my project as they make up the main goals for what I hope my project can achieve—better understanding of the refugee community within my community and action plans to aid in the crisis. Furthermore, while I do feel the quadrants for knowledge seeking and skill development will aid in my creation process, I also believe they will be helpful in gaining new collaboration skills and in working with other students, faculty members, and individuals outside of the Loomis community. Due to Covid-19, my project will not be as hands-on as I once hoped; however, in creating a portfolio with information about the refugee crisis, I hope to work/connect with some local NGOs within CT that will help expand my knowledge of the crisis. Overall, I hope to use the matrix as a guide to ensure that my portfolio is comprehensive and well informed.
Post-Seminar Assignment #5
"How are you going to be “an outlet for change"? What is going to be the “one step” that you will take?"
In order to be "an outlet for change", I want to reflect and analyze the implications of my actions on the environment and work to be more sustainable. As I head off to college and into the working world, I want to ensure that I am always conscientious of my actions and how they impact the world around me. For example, I have been working toward an all-vegetarian diet, and, in the future, I hope to achieve this goal and educate myself more thoroughly on the problems within the meat industry. Taking this step and others similar will push me to be fully aware of my impact on the natural world, which then enables me the ability to educate others and speak about environmental issues at a more in-depth level. I believe that by focusing on my carbon footprint and working on bettering myself to be more sustainable, I can then focus on other issues within my community and become a stronger voice of change. Additionally, I hope to continue my work with refugees and want to be "an outlet for change" by being a voice that speaks on the issue and spreads awareness. At my college, I aim to continue writing for Letter of Loves and hope to also join clubs that work to fight the refugee crisis. Since I will be studying Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies in college, I hope to study abroad within the Middle East and get involved at the ground level, if able. While being "an outlet for change" does not mean I must make some life-altering contribution to society, I hope that through my studies at university as well as my own passion, I can be a strong voice and encourage others to speak up as well, plugging them into the problems that threaten our world.
In order to be "an outlet for change", I want to reflect and analyze the implications of my actions on the environment and work to be more sustainable. As I head off to college and into the working world, I want to ensure that I am always conscientious of my actions and how they impact the world around me. For example, I have been working toward an all-vegetarian diet, and, in the future, I hope to achieve this goal and educate myself more thoroughly on the problems within the meat industry. Taking this step and others similar will push me to be fully aware of my impact on the natural world, which then enables me the ability to educate others and speak about environmental issues at a more in-depth level. I believe that by focusing on my carbon footprint and working on bettering myself to be more sustainable, I can then focus on other issues within my community and become a stronger voice of change. Additionally, I hope to continue my work with refugees and want to be "an outlet for change" by being a voice that speaks on the issue and spreads awareness. At my college, I aim to continue writing for Letter of Loves and hope to also join clubs that work to fight the refugee crisis. Since I will be studying Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies in college, I hope to study abroad within the Middle East and get involved at the ground level, if able. While being "an outlet for change" does not mean I must make some life-altering contribution to society, I hope that through my studies at university as well as my own passion, I can be a strong voice and encourage others to speak up as well, plugging them into the problems that threaten our world.