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Gianna Alfanno
Ms. Brandy Bradley
ENC 2135
January 21, 2016
Project 1 - Community and Genre
Behind every dance or fundraising event that Panamanian students attend in their high
school, or posters and announcements taped across the hallways, there is a hard working
committee in charge of its perfection. In Colegio Brader, each grade level has its own student
council. The student council is an organization ran by strong student leaders who work to
enhance the high school experience and represent their class front of the rest of the school. The
members are elected by the students and take on positions such as president, vice-president,
secretary, and treasurer, for all four years of high school. This community is mainly recognized
as the link between students and the professional and management bodies of the school.
In order for this organization to be successful there has to be a good relationship between
its members; it all starts within the inner circle before reaching out to the student body or
principals and teachers. If each member in the council is on a different page, then things will not
work out. Therefore, to reach a good governance, communication is absolutely crucial in this
community. When it comes to communication, varying genres is a great way to come across
different elements of a community. Genres are basically a compositions kind, category or sort
(Braziller and Kleinfeld, 5) and are significant to consider since they represent possibilities
(Braziller and Kleinfeld, 5). They can differ depending on the audience and the composers
purpose, which can be to inform, persuade or narrate. Additionally, genres may also depend on

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the composers own interests and skills. Taking into account this information, the student council
uses two main genres: social media and formal meetings.
Nowadays, with the rise of media, it is easier for people to stay in immediate contact no
matter where they are. Considering that the audience of this community are the members
themselves (teenagers), the student council makes use of modern digital mediums such as
Facebook and WhatsApp. Both platforms provide the creation of private groups in which only
the people added in are allowed to view its content and participate. Through Facebook, student
council members are able to use both visual and text-based modes to update their fellow mates,
send reminders, and even create polls. It is an easy way of sharing content (such as documents,
videos, pictures, articles or other interesting and supporting information) and of overall
interacting in the community. This is a beneficial medium for members to propose ideas and also
to keep the whole council organized and connected. On the other hand, WhatsApp shares the
same visual and text-based mode, but in comparison to Facebook, this messaging app allows the
use audio, as members can send voice memos and make online calls. This is very helpful for
more urgent situations that require quick responses. Evidently, social media is a very effective
way of communicating within the community of the student council. They are clearly fast and
easy ways of communicating, especially with the audience being teenagers whom are known
spend most of the day with their smartphones and laptops at hand. However, at times, it can be
inadequate. After all, it is a more informal way of communicating and things will not always
come off clear enough. Intentions and emotions can get lost in posts and texts, causing
misinterpretation. And besides, with social media there is no assurance that all members saw
what was posted or discussed.

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The second genre the student council puts to use are formal meetings. The council will
schedule weekly meetings in which everyone sits around a table to dialogue or present,
implementing audio and visual modes. During these meetings the members exchange ideas,
review the ongoing activities, plan for the future and ensure that different interests and opinions
are harmonized and decisions are made. It is also necessary to document all of what is discussed
here, for which the printed medium is included too. This will help assess, analyze and evaluate
plans and results. Members can also print propositions to read aloud at these formal meetings or
have them digitally on laptops, tablets or smartphones. Face-to-face is a more personal,
powerful, and usually the best medium of communicating within a community. When in a
conversation, body language is key. Expressions and postures often communicate more than
words. Also, it ensures engagement; it is in real time and every member proves to be focused on
the discussion. Voice and tone are helpful as well to make points and intentions behind
arguments understood.
Members in the community will always have a different purpose for which they
communicate. Sometimes they seek to persuade, to convince the audience of something, usually
to agree with about a topic, issue, or idea, or to take a specific action (Braziller and Kleinfeld,
177). For example, if one member believes that a bake sale is the best way of raising funds, he or
she must seek the approval of the rest of the council, therefore will try to persuade them. Another
purpose of composition can be to inform, or share facts and details with the audience (Braziller
and Kleinfeld, 91). In this case, the members can notify one another of their current financial
status or maybe of opinions, concerns or interests the student body has.
Furthermore, to guarantee that the previously mentioned purposes are effective, rhetorical
appeals are implied. Rhetorical appeals are elements that help the composer get the audience on

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board (Braziller and Kleinfeld, 11). When making a statement, Ethos is important because
council members must demonstrate credibility. No council member will want to believe in
anothers propositions if they do not seem sure of themselves, and appear trustworthy. They
accomplish this by using facts, stating professional opinion, like advice from a teacher or parent,
or sharing experiences, from previous events or other class generations. Pathos is another way of
connecting to the audience by appealing to their emotions and values. Considering the age of the
audience, the composer can try to be humorous or relatable or motivational. Lastly, for when
communicating with fellow members, Logos must always be present; the statement must make
sense thus have evidence. Members can mention in their compositions things that the rest of the
council should be well aware of, that is logical arguments, kind of like a reminder. For example,
if a member proposes that for the bake sale, the treasurer of the council should be in charge of
the cash registers, that will appeal to the audiences logic and will agree.
The student council in Colegio Brader seeks to organize the student body, expand its
capabilities and ensure an honorable connection between them and the head of the school. This
community also inculcates democracy and leadership to young adults. They achieve all this by
carrying a good relationship between its members through the use of two completely different
communicating genres. Social media is a more informal and quicker way of getting into contact
with other members of the council, especially in extracurricular hours, and can also provide
various ways of being creative, sharing content and contributing to the discussions held in the
group. Formal meetings are as well an effective way of participating, and is actually more
reliable due to the fact that members are across from each other physically. In communities like
this, it is all about making good decisions and without constant and well grounded
communication, this is not attainable. Council members work hard to reach a consensus and,

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even though not everyone can be pleased, they to do their best to make sure that the student body
is in a good position regarding the entire school. Members of the student council community
have said it has helped them grow as individuals. As the schools website states, the
communities of Colegio Brader are committed to training future leaders of Panama and prepare
its students through a competitive curriculum, with a scientific and humanistic perspective so
that they can think and act according to Christian values of responsibility, respect and tolerance
with empathy and resilience (Colegio Brader). They learn to stand for their ideas, and accept
those of others; to coexist and be tolerant within a community; to promote and protect students
rights and responsibilities, needs and interests; and above all, to realize the importance of
communication. Student council is a remarkable opportunity to take part in shaping the world
one small step at a time.

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Works Cited

Braziller, Amy, and Elizabeth Kleinfeld. Bedford Book of Genres. Bosten: Bedford/St. Martins,
2014. Print.

"Missin." Colegio Brader. Social Media Panam, 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.colegiobrader.edu.pa/>.