Arley J.

Winter Professor Robert Arnold HONR 2750-H01 April 30, 2013 Final Reflection: A Heros Journey A unique aspect of this community service practicum has been the overall process that this class entails. It has not been uniquely about getting a certain amount of volunteer hours completed, as one might think when taking this type of class, but instead it has been like my own heros journey, not unlike those seen all throughout film and literature, that has taught me both about volunteering and what it means to be a volunteer. Through this experience, I have learned about volunteer work, thought about how volunteering applies to my life, and been faced with some unexpected challenges that I eventually overcame. I have been challenged to understand volunteering in a different way, and as I reflect upon my entire experience in this class, I realize that I have gained an even greater understanding of volunteering and its importance in our community. Before this class, I lived in my ordinary world, unaware of the adventure that awaited me. I didnt have very much interest in volunteer work aside from requirements nor did I have much knowledge on all the good that volunteer work can do. My call to adventure occurred when I decided to sign up for the class, a requirement for graduation from the Honors Program, but my refusal of the call came very quickly after beginning the course. The amount of hours I would need to devote to service over the course of the semester seemed daunting enough as it was, but learning of all the other assignments I would need to complete made me reconsider taking the course this semester altogether. My sister, my mentor I suppose, convinced me that I could handle both the coursework and the service

hours with my other classes this semester. I crossed the threshold of the add/drop period, and left my ordinary world. The special world had no shortage of tests, allies, and enemies for me, each one building my approach. The various assignments required this practicum, for example, served as tests along the way, all of which helping me to learn and think about aspects of community service that I hadnt previously taken the time to consider. With the first assignment, we were challenged with reading and reflecting upon a very in-depth research study on the topic of community service. Although this was not an easy read, it forced me to start thinking about community service in a deeper way, right at the beginning of the semester. It not only made me think about other peoples motivations for volunteer work, but also about my own, both past and present. This self-evaluation was deepened by the second part of the assignment, which required reading and responding to someone elses essay response. One of the other students focused their essay on questions they still had about a type of volunteer work that applied to me. By choosing to review this particular response to the article, I was able to self-reflect even more on how my own past experiences with community service. With the second assignment, the first reflective journal entry, we had to choose the organization that we wanted to work with. This challenged me to find an organization that applied to my life and my interests. When on volunteermatch.org, I came across Charlotte Film Community and immediately knew that that was organization I wanted to get involved with, due to my recent interest in the film industry after working on a production set this past summer. Working with this non-profit opened the door to learning even more about the film industry, particularly local, independent film, which was incredibly exciting. After looking into it more, I realized that this wouldnt just be something fun to do, although it is important to enjoy and be interested in the community service you choose to participate in, but it would also be something really valuable. Too often we focus on a limited part of the

community when we do community service, but I think it is just as important to stimulate local arts as it is to feed the hungry. In a sense, art feeds a part of all of us that cant be satisfied with food. This step of the process continued to change the way that I look at volunteering and community service in general. Joined with my new allies Juli and Haven, I continued my approach in the special world. Another trial was the next class assignment, which was very difficult to fulfill. It involved picking a research article that was closely related to the type of volunteer work we have been doing. Since my choice of community service is a bit non-traditional, this was a really tough task. Not only was it difficult to find an article that was at all relevant, but it was also even more difficult to try and tie what I could manage to find to the specific work I have been doing. I did the best I could, but it was quite the challenge. Nonetheless, I continue my approach to the ordeal, lessons and allies on my side. I reached my ordeal when I realized how difficult it was to collect hours with my organization, due to the nature of my work with Charlotte Film Community. Unlike working with something like a soup kitchen, there were no set times for me to go in, do my work, and get out. Actually, there wasnt even a building for me to enter when completing my hours. Instead, it has been a lot more behind the scenes work. Instead of standing around doing my work, I spent time planning for events, sending emails, and making my own hours. In fact, its very difficult in general to try and clock hours, when there was really more of a constant virtual and mental involvement. Of course there were times when I would purposefully go out and try and complete a task, such as driving around to different locations trying to collect donations of gift cards and such from local businesses to offer as rewards for various door prizes and contests at the monthly meetings and the organizations 4-year Anniversary Party, but even that was a challenge because of the independent nature of keeping track of these hours. Instead of relying on someone elses schedule and choosing a time to commit to doing certain hours of service, I have been forced to be responsible for my own time that I allot to the project, and it became clear as I

continued involvement that I wouldnt be able to get all my hours in from this project, which meant finding other ways to stimulate the community as I continued with CFC. With the help of my allies at Volunteer Outreach, I devoted lots of time and effort to finding small service projects outside of CFC, which helped me complete more and more hours, and with the help of my allies Juli and Haven, who have been and are continuing to work at finding ways that I can continue to help CFC in order to complete my hours, I have faced my greatest fear of not passing a class and defeated this fear. I am now confident that I will be able to complete my hours and pass the class, earning me my reward of a passing grade. Now, with only about two weeks left until the end of the semester, I am on my road back. I am sure that my resurrection will occur right at the threshold of the end of exam week, when I will have those extra couple of hours to complete by May 10. It will test me one last time and threaten to take away my reward of my passing grade, but in a moment of sacrifice of my time, I will overcome that last severe test. The elixir that I will then return with will include the reward of a passing grade, but will also contain many elements that have the power to transform the ordinary world that I left at the beginning of the semester, including my excitement to have been a part of Charlotte Film Community, which is really benefiting the local arts scene, and which has fueled my motivation to continue helping with CFC even after the class ends. Through all of the assignments, study, and service, I have only continued to grow and learn inside and outside of the classroom over the course of my Heros Journey this semester. Im thankful for the newfound outlook on service that this journey has given me, and I look forward to continuing my involvement with CFC long after I return home from my journey.