Tim Joseph

2-27-2019
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Reflection C
For me, working with Chicago Friends School gave me a look into how a new and upcoming

schools work hard in order to grow and diversify. Also, working with a community rather than

trying to impose one’s will was a little different from what I have experienced from the past. The

idea to make connections that better everyone involved shows how social change is different

from volunteering. To me, it is similar to pulling weeds out. You could just remove the part of

the weed that is above the surface, but that does not remove the root of the weed, thus it keeps

coming back. While Chicago Friends School does not have problems, the idea of adding

diversity should be rooted in a system that helps it be sustained over a long time. By working

with Chicago Friends School, the idea of service has changed for me by showing me how being

part of a community and being involved is what helps and addressing the roots is what makes

service meaningful.

I know I have talked about my service trip I took back in the summer of junior year of high

school. Reflecting back on it, while I believe that we did make a change that had the right

changes, I do not know if it addressed the roots of the issue. I feel like for the mental housing

case, while spending time with them was essential to show them that they should feel valuable,

that should have been an opportunity to know what could be an underlying issue that needed to

be resolved in order to have more people come visit, especially family, so that the residents

would not feel lonely for extended periods of time. In Komives and Wagner’s piece “ What is

Social Change”, they say, “An important aspect of working for social change is focusing one's

attention on the root causes of problems rather than the surface-level issues they create” ( Komives and

Wagner, pg.11, 2009). For Chicago Friends School, we, as a community, are trying to make a change that
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is everlasting. We are trying to learn a lot about the school to see what they need to do or not do in order

to increase the amount of diversity of the school over time.

I feel like another thing that has changed in my mind is the idea of diversity in Chicago. I know

that it has nothing to do with service, but I see now why it is sought after. Chicago and Edgewater have so

much diversity in all aspects of humanity, and they are able to thrive on it. In the past, I obviously knew

that Chicago was diverse, but now, I see that diversity is key to show that all people are welcomed. It

gives us perspective on the lives of others ad their backgrounds, which leads to a more accepting and

knowledgeable community.

Another thing is the idea as working as one unit, between those who are doing the research and

those who are researched, is important that is strong, and that both sides are working off of each other. I

do not want to say that this idea is a new thought, I feel like it has been deepened. I feel like talking with

Karen really shows how community based research relies on both sides cooperating with each other and

being honest with one another. She has provided a lot of information that is key for our understanding on

how to approach the question on how to increase diversity at school. Also, she has been very welcoming

with us from Loyola going to Chicago Friends School and her coming to Loyola, which shows how both

sides come together to make actions that are needed.

The idea of assimilation and not “looking down” on a community was also expressed so

far in the process. From day 1, the idea of both communities coming together to make a change

that is needed was expressed, and the idea that we are not “above” them was expressed early on.

From the same article mentioned before, they wrote, “In this pitfall, peo- ple attempt to "fix"

another community by helping it become more like their own. This ignores the differences

among communities and the expertise that exists outside of one's own” (Komives and Wagner,
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pg. 29, 2009). While we are becoming one unit, we have to realize that there are differences that

are present which lead to certain things that we can do that they can’t, or vice versa. That where

asset mapping comes into play, and shows what resources are available that can be used to make

the change that is needed. From Komives and Wagner, they say , “An asset-based view of the

community starts by identifying all the resources the community has to build upon to make it

stronger, and then think creatively about how these assets can be applied in new ways” (

Komives and Wagner, pg.30, 2009). Before, I always thought about going into a community

with what we, as those who are coming in, have and using it to make a positive change.

However, after seeing how we have progressed with Chicago Friends School, the idea at looking

at how other schools are doing and looking at other organizations in order to find resources that

can make a change that is rooted. The whole idea of finding organizations that are based in the

Chicago area that can help with creating diversity in Chicago Friends School is key in my

opinion since while we might have an idea on what to do, these organizations have experience or

could shed light on some ideas that could be more effective.

In conclusion, I believe that so far in the progress with working with Chicago Friends

School, there are many things that I have learned or have been reinforced when doing service

and working with a community. Working together on the same level is important, yet

recognizing that there are certain differences that must be taken into account when trying to

come up with a plan. Also, the idea of working with others who could have the necessary

resources at hand rather than trying to use the resources we have stood out since hopefully, these

organizations know better how to approach a situation in a certain way that creates leads to a
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more effective change. Personally, I love the idea of diversity and reflecting the city of Chicago.

It showed me how diversity leads to a more accepting world.

Tim Joseph
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Bibliography

“What is Social Change?” Chapter 1, Komives,S., &Wagner,W.(2009)