E-Term 2021: Internships in Community and Social Change

One thing you learned (Note: This should be a concept or an idea, not a statement of fact.)

The thing that stuck with me the most from these chapters was the notion that momentum is something that is not always guaranteed or can be foreseen in the work of social innovation. This usually comes from outside sources that push the work of the organization forward, and not the work of those within the organization itself.

One thing you connected to your own experience. This could be a connection to your internship, to another activity, or even to something you’ve observed in the news.

The idea of “flow” is something very stressful to me. When the book talked about getting into the flow of things I begun to think about my future leadership position within my sorority this coming year. While I know I will be a good leader (I would not have applied for the job if I did not believe I was qualified) I am sometimes worried I will either be too go with the flow or too rigid. I think that once I get into the position, like the getting into the stream quote on page 157, I will find myself and my comfort within the position, but it is still a daunting idea.

One question you have

How can I be more structured but also go with the flow when in a leadership position? This is something that I believe I will struggle with in the future as I like structure and for things to go a certain way, and when they don’t I get very discouraged.

• One thing you learned: One Concept that stuck out to me was the concept of momentum in social innovators. According to the text, momentum is not something that can always be determined or gauged as it fluctuates. This energy that we speak of happens outside of the social innovator. This means that the energy works on its own and doesn't require assistance from the social innovator and acts as the source of transformation (pg. 124-125).
• One thing you connected to your own experience: This can be seen in my experience as a leader because I am sometimes a go with the flow type of person. I have found that sometimes when I'm acting in my capacity as a Director or Vice-President that things fall into place more smoothly when I don't try to work against the momentum of things already occurring.
• One question you have: Is this type of  momentum a apart of natural order or is it another complexity of science?

In this reading I learned about the concept of collective effervescence and the importance of self-organization. Collective effervescence involves the coming together of individuals to create energy, a movement, or a solution so large that it could not have been born unto only one of the individuals involved. This all relies on the idea of self-organization and the willingness of individuals to operate on their own, not leaving all responsibility to the leader of the pack.

This concept reminded me of lessons that I have learned throughout my time as a psychology major about concepts such as groupthink and social loafing. Groupthink involves a sort of alienation that goes on within groups that would not have occurred in social isolation, while social loafing involves the tendency of others to slack off because they know that members of their group will pull their weight. Collective effervescence seems to be the opposite of these concepts, or rather the way that a collaborative effort would play out in a perfect world.

There for my question is, is it truly possible to achieve collective effervescence and self-organization to reach complex solutions? The aspects of psychology and the natural tendency of human socialization make me lean towards no, while the book does present a few examples. I’m just skeptical about the ability to actually implement this idea in real life, rather with the broad examples used in the book.

(All from Chapter 5, no page numbers because listening with Audible)

One thing I learned from these chapters is to report both the successes and failures so you can truly learn from an experience.

One thing I can connect to my experiences is the quote, "The flow can find you only if you're in the stream. Get in the stream and learn to observe the currents around you" (pg 157). Throughout my internship, I felt slightly insecure about not being educated enough on all LGBTQIP+ topics and vocabulary.  But, as the quote stated, the best thing to do is get out there if you're wanting to make a change.

One question I have: How do social innovators who face skeptics consistently push forward in those challenges?      

I connected with the sentence "the price of failure can be steep; loss of hope, sometimes even harm to those you sought to help" (p. 67 E-book) because it reminded me of the class discussion we had on Friday where an example was given about the people that tried to help a community by building them a well for more access to water, but it was rather harmful because it attracted mosquitoes and increased Malaria cases. I can only imagine the overwhelming amount of guilt that might have weighed on these people. I also connected with the example of the three Catholic nuns inspired by Dorothy Day to start St. Joseph's House (p. 69 E-book) because I have read so much about the works of Dorothy Day.

If you do not reach "the tipping point" spoken about in the 5th chapter (p. 58-59 E-book), does that mean you are inefficient with your social innovation?

This makes me think about all of the doctors and nurses who are overwhelmed by how many people they see on a daily basis who is being diagnosed with COVID. The have some many patients and its probably not enough of them to be able to take care of them like how they want too. This makes me think about funeral homes because they are being overwhelmed with bodies and some of them cannot give the bodies the proper burial because they have so many. 

Are they feeling like they are not doing enough? Are they letting how many people that have passed away outweigh how many lives they have saved?   

I learned that flow is difficult to define. Csikszentmihalyi found that flow was a psychological state, very much within the capacity of the individual to create, if not to control. (pg.129)

One thing that I was able to connect to my own personal experience was how the author Csikszentmihalyi studied people who devoted enormous number of hours to an activity that required discipline and wasn’t rewarded by money or fame. This relates to myself because the majority of my life before college I participated in both volleyball and soccer, as well as dance. (pg. 129)

How does an individual find the concept of flow in their daily lives? 

One thing you learned (Note: This should be a concept or an idea, not a statement of fact.)

I really liked learning about the concept of “the flow”. I do a lot of event planning and work on campus, and it is always weird to me when things just fall into place and I don’t have to do anymore work for what I am planning. I never know how to respond in this situation, because I feel like I should be doing more, so when I heard about the concept of “the flow”, and how other social innovators feel like this as well, it was really interesting to me, and kind of comforting to know that I am not the only one who feels like this when putting events together, or planning something in general.

One thing you connected to your own experience. This could be a connection to your internship, to another activity, or even to something you’ve observed in the news.

In chapter 6, the author discusses the concept of failure within social change. Failure is something I hate. This is not an uncommon sentiment , as I am sure no one enjoys failing, but it is something I just despise. I am the type of person who double and triple checks what I do to ensure that I get everything done correctly the first time, not leaving myself any room to mess up, or even grow. When I read this section of the book, I started thinking about my internship and how failure was essential for social change in the LGBTQ+ community. If certain efforts didn’t fail, others would not succeed. I want to start understanding the benefits of failure, and stop fearing it so much. I'm not saying I am going to start not trying with every task in the hopes I fail so I can learn something, but instead I am giong to try and not be as afraid of failure and use it as a tool for growth.

One question you have

Chapter 6 discussed something called “cold heaven”, and I am still really confused as to what the author meant by that. It just did not make much sense to me.

Something I connected: On page 168, it talks about having to face reality and that this is the only way that social innovators can keep their feet on the ground. I thought this was really interesting because it's basically like a call to action. It says that conviction is required to sustain innovation through various struggles and great changes will come from small actions. 

Question: What small steps can we make as innovators to creating a better and more positive environment? 

Something I connected: P. 168 talks about the concept of a cold heaven, where when social justice involves keeping your ideals at a forefront, there are certain aspects of reality you must always address and work with. One of these is money, and money in the social justice sphere shy away from this due to negative connotation, but for now, money is power and ability. In my own internship there is a struggle for funding and renting our spaces to external parties. This involves business talk and sticking up for the church where it may not be considered polite or selfless. 

Question: What are some examples of flow and how are they different from than an average productive day?

One thing that I learned about is the concept of “dagu- a word that means information, though it implies more than pure data” (135). To me, this is a more expansive and eloquent way of saying the common phrase “put your heads together”. I really like the idea that it is our duty to share our knowledge, rather than hoard it for yourself.

I connected to the Stockdale Paradox, which is the idea of staying realistic and hopeful at the same time (168). I think in today’s climate of injustice, a lot of people ache to find solutions to questions people have been asking throughout history. I think the Stockdale Paradox is a healthy mindset that gives people freedom to not have to be the hero, but rather a piece of the puzzle. 

How do you find the balance between finding flow and knowing when to step up through leadership in an area that you are really passionate about. 

Learned: Stockdale Paradox. You must have absolute dedication to a great vision and ruthless commitment to staring reality in the face. This paradox is a new perspective I had never thought of before, I will attempt to apply it in my life. The people who are unwavering optimists are likely to be beaten down by reality and “die of a broken heart” (169).

Connected: “social innovators must simultaneously keep their had in the stars and their feet on the earth” (167). I connect to this because I consistently try and be realistic about things when I am trying to achieve them. This has helped me from having low self esteem and thinking I am less.

Question: All my life as an athlete ive been told to imagine the unimaginable and that positivity will result in success. If it is true that full belief in your goals results in success then how can we expect social innovators to achieve real success without fully buying in? Basically I’m curious if my club coaches message was flawed or if athletics requires a different perspective than social innovation?

I connected developmental evaluation on pg 176 with my internship. It says that it is about learning what works, acknowledging what doesn't work and learning about the difference. As in my internship I am doing some research regarding mental health availability in different schools districts across the world and seeing how accessible they are to parents and students. This reminded me of this research that I am doing because my supervisor told me " find what works for these school districts and see what we can take from it to use for schools in the Birmingham area." It is important to see what others are doing and take note of it, in order for other programs & things to do better. 

Question: pg 140. How does one properly cultivate flow? 

Learned: When trying to create social change, we should ask ourselves: what patterns are already in place and why are they working? Changing the rules that keep these patterns in place can create social change. Pg. 144-145

Connection: The book discussed a Czech psychologist who studied what motivated people to pursue a certain craft even when it didn’t result in money or fame (dancers, musicians, athletes, etc.). He concluded that these people manage to “find flow” characterized by intense focus in which “whatever one does becomes worth doing for its own sake; living becomes its own justification” (129). I watched an e-term culture credit this week on the topic of mindfulness, and the speaker discussed the concept of “flow.” I’ve never heard of this concept before so I find it intriguing to hear of it for a second time this week. The speaker described “flow” in the context of a group of colleagues at work who are able to get “into the flow of things” and make a lot of progress. I would be interested to learn more about how to get yourself in a state of “flow.”  Pg. 129 

Question: I still do not fully understand the best way to go about cultivating “flow.” Pg. 140