This week in class we will begin our study of the Constitution and the concepts that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the Constitution here: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm
As we get to know each other this quarter, you will learn that I am a big believer in volunteerism and giving back. I'd like to leave this world better than I found it. For our first blog, I'd like to get know you a little better, so my question to you this week is, "What is something you could do to help your school, your community or your planet?" Answers are due no later than Sunday, October 10th, 2010.
Personally I really don't know what I can do to help my school besides paying then the large amount of money to get my degree. But things I can do to help my community/planet would be to be more observant and helpful to people who may need it. And be more cautious about littering.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely do what ever I can. I'm attempting to recycle but with roommates who really dont care, it's tough. When I have the money to spare I will help who i can. Honestly though most homeless people can help themselves by getting a job.
ReplyDeleteI feel that people don't have a right to complain if they are not doing there part to fix the problem. I myself like to give back under the radar. At school I try to get involved with school events and really just be kind and friendly to everyone I meet. When it comes to the community I honestly could do more. I try to give to those I see in need, and if I cant help them I feel prayer is always better then nothing. I use to volunteer more then I seem to have time for these days, but giving your time and lending a hand is more powerful then money in my eyes. Doing little things like turning off lights and not running water unnecessarily around the house and even learning how to grow your own fruits and vegetables would be a good way to help the planet.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently giving back to the school by trying to engage other students to try and put forth effort that would make them competitive in their field. I've been a tutor for about a year, I work in Student Affairs to help students get in touch with their advisers. I'm the Student Ambassador for Graphic Design, and I help give back at open houses and orientations by giving tours of the school to parents and perspective students. I haven't had much of an opportunity to help my community but I have made a logo for a small eco-friendly diaper company. It's called Toasty Baby and they are on Twitter and Facebook if you want to check them out.
ReplyDeleteI do recycle at my house. I also have helped to clean up a neighbor's yard after his barn burned down. As the school goes I have volunteered my time for many different events.
ReplyDeleteI do recycle and try to be as active and aware of things as possile. Stephanie I actually would like your help, Indianapolis Light & Power has a program for spreading what students can do to save energy. It is a program where they join forces with schools that are usually Junior High Schools and High Schools. But from what I see our school does not do all of the recycling and energy saving that they could. This program is to teach students what to do to save energy at home, which also means saving money. But at school I don't understand why we don't have paper recycling in every classroom. This school could do local funding with the paper that is recycled. Can you help me with starting some of these goals?
ReplyDeleteI, honestly don't know how I would help my school and community, other than volunteering within my local community. I could volunteer to help build playgrounds for children or help plant more trees. A way to help the school is to help keep the campus clean by making sure to pick up trash and throw them into the trash bins.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I have any significant project going on right now that helps my school or my community let alone the planet for that matter. I will state that I don't throw trash out of my car windows like my mom used to make me do when i was younger. So i guess this is a small unconscious contribution I make. Something i could do is maybe make some flyers that promote earth cleanliness. But i can't exactly say those flyers would be artsy and eye appealing enough to make people want to read them...and they would be a waste of a forest. HAHA
ReplyDeleteI wish I were able to put a bigger effort into giving back to the school, community, and of course the planet. Although there are many small things that can be done, I feel like I am more focused on what is going on in my life right now. With moving, starting a new full time job, my four classes, and an attempt at a social life, I haven't left much time and energy for giving back. Someday, I will definitely try to do some volunteering. I would love to help build a home with Habitat for Humanity (this is also helpful for educational purposes because I am an Interior Design major). Also, I wish I could do more for the Humane Society and animal rescue centers. I know it will bum me out to go and see all the homeless animals and I would end up wanting to take them home, so I am hesitant about it. Animal welfare is important to me so I donated to the ASPCA earlier this year. As far as the school goes, I am not sure what I could do to help. I do think we could have more recycling available. It would also be nice to have some healthier food options for available to the students (that are affordable). I think the school should do a food drive this year. It would be a great way our school could come together to do something for our community. It should start in November and end closer to the holidays so that we could gather a large quantity of food. I already have some items to contribute. When I was in high school I was in Key club and we donated a TON of stuff to the St. Vincent De Paul Society. We filled a bus with stuff for them and helped put it away. Then we helped the people find what they were needing by walking them through the warehouse and selecting the items on their list. It was an experience I will never forget because it clearly meant so much to them. Food banks are being used at an all time high right now and we could definitely make a difference by donating to a local one.
ReplyDeleteI do recycle at my home and at my appartment and i do try to get everyone else too, but no luck there. We also have a program at my chruch that recycles pop cans and the money that we collect to support the Nyaka School for children orphaned by AIDS. We also give to love chapel. To help our school... not sure.
ReplyDeleteCheca -
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of a school recycling program. We recycle in the faculty lounge and other places, but as you said, not in every classroom. We can discuss it as a group next week!
Stephanie
Recycling is always a great way to help out. Being involved in the food service industry, I think that buying localy grown and sustainable food is something that we all can do to help out our local communities. Go to your local farmers market and check out what's going on or the next time you go out to eat, try out the "mom & pop" joints.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that is helping the school right now is, the use of e-books. That will help the planet big time, because we are not cutting down trees, to make the paper for the books. Although, in contrast to that statement, i would rather be able to pick up a book and read it that way, instead of having to find a computer or a wi-fi to link up to, in order to read a book. As far as what i can do to help? I am just not sure yet on that answer. I guess i could cut down on the use of plastic wrapped foods, which would be real hard to do, unless you live on a farm and can have everything fresh daily. I will have to get back to you on this matter because I have never really thought about a question like that before. James Moore
ReplyDeleteWell first off recycling everything that you can that touches your hands is a great start, and when I say everything I mean EVERYTIHNG! You would be amazing at the difference between households that recycling and ones that don’t. It only cost $18.00 for three months of curb side pickup here in Indy. And yes I know, you can’t get curb side pickup everywhere but there are several locations, normal in front of Wal-Mart’s or larger super markets. Also having a compost pile in your back yard, is a great way of getting rid of your leftovers and food waste. All you need is a small space in your back yard and if you don’t have that they even make ones that can be stored inside, as well as red worms. Red worms are what eat the leftover waste and enrich the soil with their body waste. Oh and they must be red worms because red worms are the only worms that can squirm upward and downwards. You can also carpool, ride your bike or walk, us reusable bags, unplug appliances that aren’t in use, and much much more. Just being more aware is all I can really ask. I love mother earth and I do as much as I can to help her out!!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am currently serving as a tutor in school in fashion department and helping our teachers with other students that need help in their HW and other difficulties they have to finish their work. I would like to help our community by participating in volunteer work and help keeping our environment clean and safe because there is too much pollution going on around us and it’s not good for our health. Besides global warming there are many other issues of common resources that we need solve. It can be water, food, or natural gas that is used by billions of people around the world, and because of the overpopulation this resources are going to reduce. So I want to help people make aware of this issue and keep our planet secure.
ReplyDeleteBefore i came to Ai i was in this group called keep belleville beautiful it was a once a year thing and the entire group would get together on a Saturday and go around town picking up trash and everything we would pick up we would then divide into recycling bins were would take back to our schools recycling center. It was one of the ways i did help my community and the planet. Recently I can honestly say I haven't helped out my community, except oh yea, I walked to school from down the street. I guess I did help the planet!
ReplyDeletePersonally doing things for the school other than help other students, is something that i dont feel like we should have to do because we are paying AI a lot of money to have all of the resources that the students are going to need. But for the community i feel like there are lot of things that we can do because there are children in each community that needs food, clothes, or just a better home. To help the world by recycling and doing everything that they say to do i think could really help out the world and I havent really thought about doing any of that because it doesnt play in to the time that i need to get all of my other things done in life.
ReplyDeleteThere's not really much we can do for the school except I guess to show up, pay tuition, etc. But to help the community I could pick up trash on the street that I've driven or walked past. That would also help the earth. If I were to try to help the people in the community and world, I would try to be a helping hand instead of being in the way or having a negative impact on it. There's not really many things I can think about without trying to put a situation or scenario to it
ReplyDeleteWell since in my major, mind you that my major is Media Arts & Animation, we are not required to do internships because of how scarce it is in our state. So the next best thing to try to gain some kind of experience before we graduate is volunteering. Not too long ago, I went to Student Affairs to talk with Enjoli about anything I can do like interships here in order for me to gain workforce experience before I graduate. Sadly we can only find just a few. I believe like 5 positions somewhere in the state entirely. So she recommended me a website called volunteermatch.org where I can type in any kind of volunteering I would like to do like doing a voice recording for a company and it will guide me to the specific volunteering positions available in my state. Sadly I have not tried out the website yet but I am looking forward to trying it out come by the beginning of next year. As far as giving back by volunteering now, I have been doing so preferably on the internet. On the internet, I do amateur voice-acting. I look for auditions for people's audioplays, which are kind of like the radio shows of old, or fandubs of Japanese anime and such and I try to audition if I enjoy the concept enough. My services are free since I enjoy doing it as a hobby and in retrospect it goes toward my experience and my degree anyway. So to conclude, it is not required in my major to do interships but I do have the power to do volunteering that does pertain to my field and I have been doing so by doing amateur voice-acting.
ReplyDeleteI give back to charities, like March of Dimes each year. I try to raise money by doing a ram-age sale and car wash and sometime an auction. I also help with shop with a cop or fireman. This helps family and kids in need around the holidays, have their wish come true. I know my company that I work for always has opportunity to help the community. As for giving back to the planet, I try and not use plastic bottles. I use those big 5gal water jugs and refill my reusable water bottle. I try and donate clothing when not in use for a year. As for school, I show up and work. I don't live here, so I try my best to participate in other activities when I can. Some people don't understand, when one person doesn't do their work, it falls on everyone. If you think about it, we are own creative community that feeds off of others opinions and critics. I know I'm quite but I say how it is. For real, you might like it or you might hate it, but you will think about it!
ReplyDeleteI almost always answer this type of question with the simple answer of RECYCLE. I've always supported recycling and thought it was a "no-brainer". However, I am not currently recycling and haven't in several years. (recycling at home, that is) I find this interesting because I think it sheds some light on the reason so few people recycle. I feel as a society we've become lazy. It's easier to throw away your McDonalds paper bag and cup rather than search for a recycling bin. It's also cheaper to go the easy way. Where I live, I think it costs $8 a month to have recycled products picked up from your home. It's so cheap considering the impact it could have on our environment, yet I haven't made recycling a routine like so many others. (The Indy Star reported only 1/20 households have the monthly recycling pick up.)
ReplyDeleteWell, in order to help my school, community, and planet, I would like to inform everybody of the fact that Fast Food is the devil. After recently reading the book Food, Inc., I realized that not only is fast food ruining the health of human beings, but it is ruining the economy as well. Yes, fast food is cheap and inexpensive, but the only reason the food prices are this way is because of the low wages they pay their employees.
ReplyDeleteCurrently working full time and going to my five classes leaves me with little extra time. So I have not thought much about what I can do to help others. during the winter I do help out with my old wrestling program's practices. Teaching kids from three to eighteen is about all I have done. I do hope after I get out of school and on my feet to do some free design work for non-profit organizations. No one in particular, just whoever I can find in need of help. When you look back on your life you see that there is so much given to you that it's hard not to want to give back.
ReplyDeleteTo give back to my school, I'm very active in what is going on. I'm currently a tutor, sitting in as many courses as I can, helping out the new students, as well joined AGIA, and try to help raise awareness for what our school has to offer and how to get help.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know what I could do to really help our school. For the community I help out by helping out a lot of non profit organizations. I also make sack lunches and deliver them to the homeless(it is really nice to see how happy they are to see some people care and they really enjoy someone to talk to). As for my planet I recycle and try my best to pick up trash when I pass by it and avoid littering. I really wish I could do more.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest i really do not know how to help the school, my community, or the planet, if i do not help myself first. what i mean with that is that we focus in the outside, when we should been focusing in ourself, that is the only way we can help the school, our community, and our planet.
ReplyDeleteTo help the school, I could become a tutor for students that are just starting out in the lower level courses. Also, submitting my feedback on the week 7 surveys helps the school determine which instructors are teaching students what we need to be learning. To help our planet, obviously I could recycle. The hard part is getting everyone else to recycle also. Like some other people have already said, recycling just involves too much work right now that nobody really has the desire to even do it. Sending things to a landfill has become routine now.
ReplyDeleteI feel I already did my part to help AI. When I first enrolled in the photo program 2 1/2 years ago, there really was no photo program. Teachers were mediocre, there was no studio, and no equipment. When we asked for it, we were told 'You don't need photo equipment'. Obviously this was a problem. Rocky was brought on board and helped us get our voices heard in getting the equipment and space we needed. Had Rocky not come along, I firmly believe the photo program would not be what it is today and I would not be at AI. New photo students have no idea that the program could've been an absolute disaster.
ReplyDeleteAs for my community, I help host a program called IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network) with my mom at the church she attends. This gives homeless shelters a reprieve, while homeless are sheltered and fed with childcare provided while they go look for jobs.
Apart from recycling and being smart about resource usage, I don't feel I'm properly educated or equipped to make a big difference for the planet.
As far as making a difference for the planet recycling is probably the biggest thing that you can do to help.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of volunteering, I think that it really helps the community and it gives you a sense of accomplishment.
For school I think that staying infromed on what is going on is really impotant, and getting involved is another good way to make your school experience more benificial and enjoyable.
School: Help younger students.
ReplyDeleteCommunity: Give back by volunteering for little kids, schools, ect.
I volunteer for a little kids youth soccer team that helps the children and is a blast.
Planet: Pick up trash, recycle, ect.
I would love to get involved with children learning about money management. Our world right now is in such a financial bind, because very few people know how to manage money effectively. I think if more people were on top of their game, then we wouldn't really be in this bind.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete-Chris Johnson
ReplyDeleteI'm currently trying to help the school's IMD department. We're lacking in not only students but a general awareness. My goal is to help better the knowledge of incoming students and spread the word to perspective students of what exactly is offered. We just started up a new IMD club and we're in the beginning stages of creating a web presence.
Outside of school I'm currently working on a personal project that will fill a niche in the web community for photographers. I've already showcased the partial development to web designers, developers and photographers around the Indianapolis area and in various communities. Overall, I have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback and backed by eager users waiting for a release.
Other than that, I need more time to help out in other areas!
I am program coordinator of AIGA at our school, it is a graphic design club that just started this past spring. I am proud to be on the committee board to help get our organization going so that other students will be able to take part and get involved long after we are gone. We do alot of design work within our group, and workshops as well. But so far for the community we have donated artwork to Susan G Komen for breast cancer for the Bras Across Broad Ripple. Our next community event we are organizing is the Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat. On Halloween we are going around different neighborhoods in Indianapolis to "trick or treat" for canned goods to donate.
ReplyDeleteI am very proud to be apart of our AIGA student chapter and its good to be able to meet people in our design community and to also be able to give back.
Throughout my childhood and teen years, my family and I have volunteered with various organizations. I have continued this whenver I get the chance. My family also recycles and I am proactive with keeping the lights and other electronics off at night. I also do my best to be a good role model for my younger cousins, neice and neighbors.
ReplyDeleteWe are so fortunate to live where we live and we have so many opportunities to better those around us. I know that there are so many ways I could better be involved but some of the ways in which I am is I am avidly involved with my church and their program in which we go into the city and help fix up homes and yards and assist people with problems and things they need fixed with their properties. It is such a rewarding experience and I realize how fortunate I am and how much I have to give back.
ReplyDelete