I believe one important part of being a leader is educating ourselves and becoming a resource for others. As leaders on campus, we are especially lucky that there are plenty of resources to help educate us on important issues so that we can become resources to others.
Three trainings in particular that I am aware of on campus are Emerge, Safe Zone, and Mason Cares. Mason Cares only takes 2 hours, while Emerge and Safe Zone are a more intense one full-day training.
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Posted by adipert
Alter
native Breaks, an organization that I first learned of my freshmen year here at George Mason University. I went to an information session and I have not looked back since. I went to Jamaica during winter break of 2012. It was truly an experience that I will never forget! During this trip, I was able to successfully step out of my comfort zone and do things I thought I would never experience. The most fulfilling aspect of this trip were the children we worked with. They did not have much, but were very appreciative of us being there to help them and donate school supplies. The country as a whole was kind and welcoming. They were all poor for the most part, but they cherished the smaller things in life, which was one of my main takeaways from the trip. “You never know what you have until its gone.” This is a quote commonly used in our society, but it speaks volumes. All of the things we take for granted here such as hot water, the people of Jamaica do not even have the luxury to experience it. I cherish everything I have in my life all because of one AB trip to Jamaica. I plan to continue to go on more trips to make a difference, as well as learn about myself in the process! 
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Posted by cwashin212
This semester I let ambition and aspirations get the best of me and signed up for a level 300 International Theory and Politics course. I entered the class, positive that I was up to the challenge. I was quickly blindsided by terms, words, and phrases beyond my intelligence level and comprehension. I e-mailed my academic advisor in a panic and she reassured me that I was indeed in the wrong class – not exactly the reassurance I had anticipated. Nonetheless, being as strong willed as I am, I devised to stick it out. The following class, I reached a point of somewhat understanding – this was a breakthrough.
This was more of the reassurance I was looking for, so I ran with it. Just this past week we delved into Contsructivist theory and I realized I actually really like this stuff. It all started coming together. But one thing stood out the most, we began discussing the idea of how states act according to their interests in further accordance with social norms etc. Some how I managed to make the connection that maybe, we as individuals, aren’t so different.
My professor described the perspective of state’s in terms of action as being defined through a ‘prism of possibility’ whereas our capacity for change and development both individually and collectively is determined by the actions of other states both past and present and further defines our discourse and action in response to the world around us.
I see myself looking through a prism of possibility every day. As leaders, I believe we’re called to look outside of this prism and truly view the whole picture. I thought back to when we went to the Edge and how we were called to look outside the box of practicality. Through taking the risk of widening our perceptions and aspirations we are further challenged to overcome the prism of possibility by redefining what is possible and achieving what has never been thought of as comprehensible.
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Posted by cshuler
During high school, especially my senior year, I was determined to make myself known and become apart of everything! I was told by older friends, family, and loved ones that senior year would fly by and to make the most of those times. I took all that advice to heart and signed up for everything that I was able to. Not only did I sign up, but I held a lot of leadership positions as well. Needless to say, this left me feeling extremely burnt out by the end of the year. Although I value those great times, it really became too much for me to handle sometimes.
One of the main things that attracted me to Mason was the diversity found here. So when I first got accepted, I knew there would be tons and tons of clubs and organizations to choose from. However, by the time summer ended and the year was about to begin, I had gotten used to doing nothing. Even though, I heard my Patriot Leader over-emphasize the importance of getting involved, I told myself that I wouldn’t join anything at Mason because I worked myself so hard in high school. I wanted time to enjoy college and take everything in. That was one of the biggest mistakes I could’ve made. I really enjoyed that time of relaxation for the summer, but my mind was ready to get back into high gear once I started at Mason.
Often times as leaders, we don’t know how to balance or manage our time properly. As a result, we usually work ourselves to death. I was torn between becoming involved for fear of working myself too hard and just not doing anything at all. Also, living on a floor with such motivated, inspiring people didn’t help at all either. 🙂 Everyone around me was getting involved in some form and I was just chillen. I’m a firm believer that too much of anything can cause problems. How do you find balance in being a leader? When do you say this is too much? How do you know when you’ve signed up for too much? Is taking time for yourself a bad thing?
Just a few thoughts of mine…
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Posted by cforema2
I recently came across this article, “Does Voluntourism Do More Harm than Good?“” It is a good read and I encourage you to click over.
Students on CLCE’s Alternative Break trips ask this and other important questions of themselves – before the service, during and after it.
For me the most important question is a matter of learning to serve with our heads as well as our hearts. Yes good intentions and a spirit of care matter. But we need to think critically, do the research, and understand the issues and the community.
While most of the time we can feel proud of the service we do within the confines of the Alternative Break trip, the true potential for impact is seen in what happens next. What do we do with what we have learned on these trips? Many students come home full of gratefulness to the community who welcomed them and taught them so much. They are often fired up about raising funding to send back. Go for it, and let me know how I can help. What about advocacy? What about influencing policy – governments, corporations, the World Bank or IMF or other organizations that need to hear about this community.
A more long term question is: What will you do with the privilege of a college education to make a difference?
Alternative Break trips can be incredibly powerful. Some students come home and change their major, or shift their professional goals in ways that value making a difference over making piles of money.
If you choose to join us on an Alternative Break trip, or if you choose to engage in “volunteourism” (please choose a reputable agency to work with), please do so with mindfulness. What is your impact here? What are you learning? What is needed in the long term that you can address?
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Posted by Wendy Wagner
By Lori Lawson
This week I am about to combine the two popular themes found in my posts – nerdy enthusiasm and Feminism. I am hoping that some of you have seen the television series Battlestar Galactica. Just this past weekend, I was exposed to the wonderful world of space warfare the is this show. Even if you haven’t seen it, however, I think you will still get my message.
After just a few of watching, I couldn’t help but to realize how prominent women are in the series. Even though the show is in the magical land of science and nerdiness, women help very powerful roles without anyone questioning them. The show features a female president, strong female antagonists, and an amazing fighter pilot learning how to become a leader in the fleet.
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Posted by llawson
You all have probably heard about the Kony 2012 term by the advocacy group Invisible Children. Now that the year 2012 has come to a close, many wonder what will happen next and if Invisible Children has even done anything really…However, 2012 was a successful year to fight off Kony and his army of innocent child soldiers that were abducted from their homes throughout several years. Advocacy and leadership go hand in hand. Conversely, there are many that criticize Invisible Children for creating advocacy and apparently “not doing anything”. In my opinion these people aren’t educated enough of what happens to the donated money and what Invisible Children really does. Those who complain about the organization often or actually never check out the official Invisible Children’s website, where all the statistics of the donated money are listed and all the progress of the past years are shown. The first step of judging something is to actually do research and then an individual should critique it.
One of the many accomplishments that were achieved in the year of 2012, was that on May 12th, 2012 Caesar Achellam, the LRA’s top commander, was captured by the regional forces through the aid of awareness that Invisible Children and its chapters have created throughout the world. Also, there are currently 44 radio operators from CAR and DR Congo that were trained to facilitate the Early Warning Radio Network to protect its citizens from the LRA and its abduction strategies of recruiting young children to become child soldiers. Also, there 6 FM radio towers that broadcast “come home” messages over 26,801 square miles in the region where the LRA travels currently. 89% of escapees credit “come home” messaging as the reason they decided to attempt an escape in the first place. 30 rural communities in central Africa are linked into Invisible Children’s Early Warning Radio Network, which uses HF long-range radios to give advance warning of security threats.
This shows only a few things that show CHANGE, which started with a documentary of three inspired young men that created advocacy and awareness through the web. This truly shows how far Invisible Children has come and that it WILL NOT STOP HERE. So go out and create AWARENESS because no matter how small or big a step towards change is, it will create a domino effect. With today’s youth, anything is possible. Many students throughout the United States have formed smaller chapters to support Invisible Children’s mission to create awareness and change. Without their help, there would have been no real movement to make a difference. One great example of a student organization that wants to make a difference is our own George Mason University Invisible Children group that many of you are probably familiar with. They have recently hosted a Benefit Concert, where Branches and the Great Canyon Band performed, to gather as much donations as they could (Check out this article by Cameron Shuler). If you want to make a difference and be part of this great organization on campus, stop by the bi weekly meetings (GMU IC).
What do you think?
Do you believe that awareness is vital to create real change or should leaders only act immediately to create change?
Any comments are appreciated (:
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Posted by soofed
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Posted by Daedalus
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Posted by Daedalus
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Posted by Daedalus
