Bonner Congress 2019 All Group Session

1. The Continuum of Civic Engagement
From Service To Social Justice
Bonner Congress 2019

2. Learning Outcomes
★We will reflect on our own efforts in a continuum of
civic engagement and social change.
★We will share examples and think about how to
empower other Bonners and Bonner Programs to
engage more broadly to work for social justice.
★We will think through a framework and steps to take
home to our own campuses and communities.

3. Reflect on
Your Civic Experience
Check off what you’ve
done on page XX

4. PollEv.com/bonnerfounda585
Take a moment to
pull up the poll

5. In the last year, have
you donated money
or raised money for
a charity or cause?

6. In the last
election,
did you vote?

7. In the last year,
have you been
involved in any
community-engaged
research?

8. In the last year,
have you worked
on a political
campaign?

9. In the last year, have
you worked to
create or pass a
piece of legislation?

10. In the last year,
have you worked
on a social action
campaign?

11. Now, how is
all of this
part of Bonner?

12. Bonners learn about
and address issues,
moving from service to
root causes & solutions!

13. “The particular framework we provide below
was selected in order to highlight several
important political dimensions of efforts to
educate citizens for democracy. Our
description of three “kinds of citizens” is not
intended to be exhaustive…”
For the Bonner Network,
we interpret this to help us ask
What kind of change agent do
you want to be? How can you
gain skills in all dimensions?
Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2004). What Kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 237-269.
What Kind of Change Agent?
THE POLITICS OF EDUCATING FOR DEMOCRACY
Joel Westheimer University of Ottawa and Joseph Kahne Mills College

14. Personally Responsible Participatory Justice-Oriented
Direct Service Service Leadership Capacity Building/Social Action
Volunteered regularly with a nonprofit
Donated money to a charity or cause
Attended training on diversity and
inclusion
Purchased from locally owned or socially
responsible businesses (“buycotting”)
Prioritizes and practiced wellness/self-care
Vote regularly in elections
Practiced recycling and efforts to reduce
waste (reusable straws, energy efficient
lightbulbs)
Advocated for fair practices within an
organization (hiring for diversity, equal
pay, etc.)
Has encouraged friends or family to
take action (volunteer, donate, etc.)
Conducted community-based research
(i.e., to find solutions)
Participated in community groups/
organizations that are trying to affect
change on an issue
Worked on a political campaign
Participated in a protest or
demonstration
Volunteered/worked to pass a piece
of legislation (canvassed, phone-
banked, etc.)
Worked on a social action campaign
(i.e., to advocate for a change, like a
new minimum wage)
Contacted or visited a public
officials office (i.e., wrote a letter to
lobby)
Conducted community organizing
on an issue or cause
Social Change Spectrum

15. Bonner Student Development

16. Personally Responsible Participatory Justice-Oriented
Direct Service Service Leadership Capacity Building/Social Action
Volunteered regularly with a nonprofit
Donated money to a charity or cause
Attended training on diversity and
inclusion
Purchased from locally owned or socially
responsible businesses (“buycotting”)
Prioritizes and practiced wellness/self-care
Voted in last election
Practiced recycling and efforts to reduce
waste (reusable straws, energy efficient
lightbulbs)
Advocated for fair practices within
an organization (hiring for diversity,
fair pay, etc.)
Has encouraged friends or family
to take action (volunteer, donate,
etc.)
Conducted community-based
research (i.e., to find solutions)
Participated in community groups/
organizations that are trying to
affect change on an issue
Worked on a political campaign
Participated in a protest or
demonstration
Volunteered/worked to pass a
piece of legislation (canvassed,
phone-banked, etc.)
Worked on a social action
campaign (i.e., to advocate for a
change, like a new minimum wage)
Contacted or visited a public
officials office (i.e., wrote a letter to
lobby)
Conducted community organizing
on an issue or causes
Social Change Spectrum
We need more partners, training & support for this!

17. Inspiring Examples of Student Work
In your Bonner and college experience, you can
“serve” in all of these ways that build capacity:
✓ Do fundraising / resource development
✓ Promote voting and electoral engagement
✓ Do community-engaged research
✓ Work with a public official
✓ Create or advocate for legislation or policy
✓ Work on a social action campaign

18. Working in partnership with the Youth
Volunteer Corps at Hampton Rhodes,
four Christopher Newport students led
the organization's fundraising efforts
through the Give Local 757 campaign.
Two students also wrote grants to raise
needed revenue.
Fundraising:

19. At Appalachian State University in North Carolina, the
students launched a campaign to reinstate an on-
campus voting location. In his letter to the NC State
Board of Elections, the student government president
wrote, “As students, we do not understand why there
are individuals who seek to make voting more difficult
for both students and local citizens. For many years, Ap-
palachian State University has worked with the Town of
Boone to create a unified community. Students have
been responsible for providing countless amounts of
services to the town. We are residents, and we consider
the moving of this polling place to be an extreme
disappointment.” The students successfully reinstated
the polling location (Markovich, 2014).
Electoral Work:

20. Community-Engaged Research:
Working with the Marine Discovery Center,
Zach Edwards, a Stetson student
researched and created curriculum to
educate youth on reduction of plastic
youth. The student also coordinated with
public schools visiting for field trips to
prepare zero waste lunch options; collect
data about waste; and write policies with
schools for zero waste field trips.

21. Emma Henderschedt, a Siena student,
worked with the Albany County District
Attorney’s Office to research and analyze the
needs and education of victims of crime
within the Capital Region of New York State,
using interviews. The goal of the research
was to present the DA’s Office with concrete
needs of victims that are not being met, so
that the DA’s efforts can be redirected.
Work with Political Office:

22. Alexis Nail, a Birmingham Southern
student, compiled research with other
JCMP Fellows (from other colleges in
Jefferson County, Alabama) on the 30
documented victims of racial terror
violence in Jefferson County and
published a report with the County to raise
awareness and combat the issue:
http://jeffersoncountymemorial.com/30-
victims/
Work on Policy Research:

23. Ethan Morellos, a Brown student,
conducted policy research to improve
sexual health standards in Rhode Island.
The goal was to increase access and
ensure reproductive autonomy in Rhode
Island state laws, as well as organize
canvassing and phone banking
opportunities for political action in
medically underserved areas.
Social Action:

24. Let’s Use This
Framework to Expand
& Deepen Our Work

25. 1) Hunger/Food Insecurity
2) Climate Crisis/Environment
3) K-12 Education
4) College Access
5) Immigration
6) Adult Education/Job Skill Training
7) Criminal Justice Reform
Pick an Issue & Go to that Area

26. Your Experience
1) What organizations and programs have you
worked with on this issue?
2) How does your experience fit the spectrum?
Personally Responsible Participatory Justice-Oriented
Direct Service Service Leadership Capacity Building/Social Action

27. Example: Early Childhood
1) Served in Head Start classroom, working
with 3 year olds.
2) Helping children with social skills, reading,
playing (direct service). Sophomore year
trainer other volunteers (service leadership)
Junior year worked on writing lesson plans
(capacity building).

28. Now, Map the Issue
1) In your community, what are other nonprofit
agencies or organizations that work on this
issue? If you know, write them down.
2) If you don’t know them, look them up. Try a
Google search or congress.gov.

29. Example: Early Childhood
Danville-Boyle Head Start
Wilderness Trace
Child Development
Danville Child Development Center
Cabinet for Health and
Family Services
Blue Grass Community
Action Partnership
Danville-Boyle Early
Childhood Alliance

30. Example: Early Childhood
Danville Head Start
Wilderness Trace Child
Development
Cabinet for Health and Family
Services
Blue Grass Community
Action Partnership
Kentucky Early Childhood Institute (state)
Jumpstart for Young Children (national)
Danville-Boyle Early
Childhood Alliance

31. Collaboratives
1) Collaboratives are organizations that involve
multiple agencies and their representatives.
2) They may be ad hoc (i.e., community groups)
or sustained organizations.
3) They bring focus to collective goals, such as
making a proven impact on an issue.

32. Illustration: Types of Partners
Partner
Service Provider
(Individuals)
Collaborative
(Systems)
Campaign
(Policies)
Example
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
Get Set After School
Program
New Brunswick
Community
Food Alliance
Mercer County
Alliance to End
Homelessness
Intern with
Mayor's Office,
City Council, or
District Attorney
Enact Local
Wage Theft
Ordinance

33. “Collaboratives”— Four Levels
Cooperation
Simple
Coordination
Moderately
Complicated
Collaboration
Complex
(technical
solutions)
Collective
Impact
Highly Complex
(systems change)

34. The New Brunswick Community Food Alliance brings
together city residents and youth, college students,
community leaders, and local government to build a
sustainable and just food system in our city.
Our mission is to ensure that all New Brunswick residents
have access to nutritious, safe, affordable, and culturally
appropriate food at all times.

35. Citywide postsecondary network, committed to increasing
the percentage of residents with postsecondary degrees,
certificates, and quality credentials from the current 17% to
25% by 2025.
Composed of over 60 organizations.
The backbone organization for the NCLC is the Joseph C.
Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies.

36. Comprised of leaders from the education, business,
philanthropic, nonprofit, civic, and faith communities who
believe in the importance of education and the impact of
working together to change the system of education for
every child, from cradle to career.
This work is accomplished through:
• Catalyzing and supporting collaborative action
• Promoting a culture of continuous improvement
• Aligning resources to what works

37. Collaboratives
85%
15%
98%
<2%
Service Providers

38. Collaboratives
1) Are there “collaboratives” or “consortia”
that work on this issue in your area? Which
ones? How would you find them?
2) Now look at what these collaboratives do…

39. Example: Early Childhood
Blue Grass Community
Action Partnership
Kentucky Early Childhood Institute (state)
Collaborative Center for Literacy
Development (state)
Danville-Boyle Early Childhood
Alliance

40. Example: Early Childhood
Danville-Boyle Early Childhood Alliance
Bonners at Centre worked with an Education faculty
member to produce a “Community Needs Assessment”
with the Early Education Council. The study
investigates community members' attitudes toward
Early Childhood Education (ECE), and ECE resources
they would like to see grow in the community.

41. Collaboratives
1) Why do you think collaboratives are
underrepresented in our work?
2) In what ways do you think you and your
Bonner Program could work with more
collaboratives?

42. Government Agencies
1) What are other government agencies and
stakeholders that work on your issue? (Note:
some collaboratives are government agencies).
2) What actions could you take to know and
navigate these systems and structures
(government and key stakeholders)?

43. Policies/Social Action
1) What policies and social action campaigns are
working to address your issue?
2) In what ways might you contribute to policy/social
action work both internally (working within a system)
and externally (working outside a system)?
3) What other support and learning do you need to be
more engaged in this form of social justice work?

44. This Bonner Congress is designed to support
you to learn to take action to address injustices.

45. This Bonner Congress is designed to support
your learning on these complex topics…
Tools for Personally
Responsible Civic
Engagement
(Service & Leadership)
Tools for Participatory
Civic Engagement
(Leadership &
Capacity Building)
Tools for Justice-
Oriented Civic
Engagement
(Social Action &
Systems Change)

46. Personally Responsible Participatory Justice-Oriented
Choose Relevant Strategy Sessions
Self Group Systemic
Social Action 101
What I Wish I Had Known: Lessons Learned
from 7 Years and 10 Elections Worth of
Political Campaigns
Just Mercy, Mass Incarceration, and the
Death Penalty
7 Key Ways Students Can Act To
Stimulate Electoral Engagement On
Campus
Don’t Tell Me Your Values, Show Me Your
Budget and I’ll Tell You What You Value
Lead in, Lead out: The Power of
Influence in Leadership
UNDOCUPEERS
Social Justice & Technology
Developing the Inside to Shape
the Outside
Grassroots Community Organizing 101
Interpersonal Inclusion
A Vow To Poverty? Reimagining Financial
Wellness as a Tool of Vocational Discernment
Civically-Engaged Careers
Understanding Identity, Intersectionality,
Privileges, and Our Role in Communities

47. Fill in with electives that build your toolkits
Elective Workshops Block 1
• Art and Justice: Lessons from Latin
America
• Cross-Cultural Engagement
• Education Inequity in Memphis: An
Historical Consideration of Today's
Injustice
• Emergent Strategy
• Leveraging Service Work to Land Your
Dream Job
• Navigating the Graduate School
Admissions Process
• Reducing Harm in Service
• The Value of Service in the Business
World
Elective Workshops
Block 2
• Activism in our Modern
World
• Contested History
• First Generation Action
• Graduate School... Can I
Get Some Advice?
• Managing Projects
• Power of Near Peers in
Driving Impact in Health
Education
• To Hell with Mission Trips
Then revisit what you are
taking away…
Take a moment to plot your
Bonner Congress goals and
choices.

48. Dr. Axtell’s Framework
Political
Advocacy
Education
Compassion
Lifestyle
Integrity
Financial
Giving
Community
Organizing
Relational
Engagement