I TOMS you TOMS we all scream for TOMS! Or is that ice cream?
It’s pretty apparent that TOMS brand shoes are popular (just count the number of them you see in one day!). Heck, even I have several pairs! But, as some may argue, they’ve got a peculiar style. Would we still buy them if it wasn’t for the “one for one” policy? Read the rest of this entry »
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LCE LLC | Tagged: philanthropy, social, TOMS, trend | 
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Posted by mfuerst
The concept of my collage is that leadership is the base of all social change. Depending on the leadership the result of the change could be successful or not
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Posted by acrummie
Over the past few days I got the amazing opportunity to be part of the RA Retreat and some leadership classes. I thought I knew what leadership truly meant and was fully capable and ready to become an RA. However, there is so much to learn!!!! There are so many personalities and identities that we as individuals aren’t aware of. Whether we are part of a dominant and/or subordinate group within society. These factors aren’t probably important to us at this moment, but as leaders to make real progress between different identities within a group, one has to know how to successfully address the hurdles from any angle. Therefore, I ask you to take a minute and look around you and see from a third person’s view of how you fit in a group and what you contribute or how others’ identities affect the group tone and progress. According to Richard Grant, “The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes a purpose.” If we realize how different and dynamic true identities of the people within our group are, then we can use it through diversity to make real change and progress as leaders of today. If you want to read more about self and social identity, which is a similar and cool concept as well (Purdue University).
What do you think?
Is it important to embrace individual identities to make a group stronger or should we label a group as one to be strong? Which one is better?
Let me know what you think!!! (:
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Posted by soofed
Over break, I admittedly watched a ton of TV. I am very passionate about theatre and acting and I was thrilled when I saw just how involved celebrities are with certain causes and charities. I find it particularly inspiring that a lot of causes that celebrities support are the ones that don’t always get a lot of attention. I am sometimes bothered by the fact that the news and media only focus on particular causes and charities and not at all on others, so it was great to see how many celebrities were really passionate about causes that are less well known. Cystic fibrosis is a cause that does not get nearly enough attention. Many people do not understand the seriousness of this disease and how significantly it can impact one’s life. All of the funding for this disease is private, so charities like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation need all of the help and donations that they can get. One of the main sources of support for this cause is Celine Dion. By publicly supporting the cause I am sure that she has brought much needed awareness about the disease.
Some people argue that celebrities are just supporting causes mindlessly in order to gain fame, but I’d like to think that this for the most part isn’t the case at all. Many celebrities have a deep personal connection to certain organizations, charities and causes. I have heard people say that celebrities are exploiting a cause for their own benefit, but I just don’t think this is true, after all even if they just bring attention to a cause that hasn’t gotten much in the past aren’t they already doing their part? What are your opinions on this?
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Posted by cbutle11
5 Comments | LCE LLC | Tagged: Called, Chosen, fair, Jesus, Leading, Matthew, Patriot | Permalink
Posted by Roger Dean
When it comes to being a leader, one characteristic that is often associated with leadership is the ability to stand up against popular opinion in order to advance the rights of those oppressed. We have seen wonderful leaders who have fought for the rights of marginalized people everywhere. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., P!nk, Kate Chopin, these people in their own ways have shown characteristics of leadership by standing up for those that are often misrepresented.
What is most important to understand with anyone wishing to be a leader is that they should never fear changing society to help everyone, to create a world that is more inclusive, diverse, and accepting. Currently, we live in a world where the people mainly empowered is cisgender, heterosexual, able, thin, rich white men. People that don’t face these characteristics have, in some way, faced oppression because they don’t hold all these privileged identities. A true leader is someone who should be able to fight for the rights of those who face oppression; to those that are not heterosexual, to those who do not identify as female, those who don’t have economic privilege, etc.
As leaders in the making, and as loving human beings, we should all take a moment to see and plan how we can make this a more equal and loving society that supports people of all identities.
2 Comments | LCE LLC | Tagged: cissexism, classism, heterosexism, leadership, privilege, social change, social justice | Permalink
Posted by rvelasqu
Many people say that a leader has to have a certain quality about them. For example, people might say that a leader has to be a great speaker and that they could rally the people behind them. Having that quality is nice, but not every leader can do that. I found an interesting article on this topic by Dr. David G. Javitch. His article, 10 Characteristics of Superior Leaders, talks about what great leaders should have.
The first characteristic that he talks about is mission. This is plain and simple. The person knows what they want to do and why they are there. “A superior leader has a well thought out (often written) mission describing the purpose of the organization.” The next big quality of a leader, is their vision. Its not about the eyesight, but rather about what they plan to do in the future. “A vision needs to be abstract enough to encourage people to imagine it but concrete enough for followers to see it, understand it and be willing to climb onboard to fulfill it.” The next key characteristic is having good communication skills and interpersonal skills. The leader needs to be able to get everyone to understand what is going on and then being able to take input from their followers. That feedback from the followers is crucial. The person in charge might not know that what they are doing is disliked. This leads me into the next quality, inspiration. Leaders need to have this. It is mainly about the morale of the group. If the morale is high, then the group will accomplish more.
That was a brief summary of some good leadership qualities that can be used. Do you have any qualities that a leader should have?
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Posted by jsakevic
I want to kick off my first blog post of 2013 with one of the biggest issues I am facing this semester. It’s an issue that I know many of you and other college students around the globe are also facing. It’s an issue that appears in numerous movies, TV’s, and books. So, obviously it’s not an originally issue, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult.
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Posted by ptinnell
By Lori Lawson
Foreword: If this offends you, I am sorry. I am sorry that you do not see the gravity of the issue of victim blaming, which is an issue that needs a voice. Today, that voice is my voice. Victims are victims. No one deserves to be raped, injured, or murdered, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, age, appearance, or any other factor that has even been used to excuse a guilty party.
While my blog post today may not be directly linked to leadership or community engagement, I think that we could all stand to take a moment and examine who we hold accountable for what actions and why. As a leader, or even community member, it is important to understand how important equality and removing bias are in creating a well-funcioning group. Today’s example is what is known today as “slut shaming.”
In a nutshell, slut shaming is blaming the victim of sexual assault for making themselves a target through the way they dress or act instead of assigning blame for the assault on the rapist. Essentially, this is a manifestation of the idea circulating that women need to be taught not to get raped rather than teaching people not to rape. Now, you may ask, where did I see this occur that was so shocking to me? An interview.
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Posted by llawson
As you’re growing up you learn that difference between a follower and a leader. A leader is someone that takes the first step, shows by example, and isn’t afraid to be wrong at times. At first I use to believe that a leader was a person that would just take the role and have control of everybody and everything that is going on at the moment. Now that I’m growing up I’m realizing that just because a person speaks up first and decides to take control does not make him or her a leader. A leader can be anyone at anytime of the day. This leadership class made me realize a lot about the different types of leadership roles and how to go about each role. There are a lot of qualities to have as a leader not just someone that can tell people what to do and boss them around.
As a person I was never the one to step up and say something first. I was always behind the scenes and if you need my help I was there to contribute. I am a shy person and never felt like my opinion was good enough for a group discussion. I would sit back and listen to what everyone had to say and put everything together for the group, assuming more of an organizational role. Now seeing that there are different components in being a leader being the behind the scenes person can also make you a leader too because you are taking the role and collecting all the data and compacting it into one message for the group or maybe even a group paper. All my life I would always finish the work for a group and take the responsibility for finishing that assignment. Doing all that makes me a leader in itself. I’ve never noticed that but that is good quality to have as a leader; a person a group of people can count on