Broadcasts.com - "Community Service" (Life is Work)

RESULT: To explore the concept of community service in the workplace and in life - its purpose, how it typically shows up, and how to be intentional about how we participate in a way that cultivates community care.
Danecdote
- First experience with community service was volunteering for the Humane Society with my mom for NHS in junior high
  - Time to connect with my mom
  - Spend time with animals
  - Glimpse into the frustrating world of non-profits - never seemed to be enough people or resources
  - Also ended up bringing home one of our dogs, Biscuit :)
- Now think about it in terms of one of my fav quotes - “try to reduce the gap between your values and your actions” (Miriame Kaba)

Protein - Main Event - Topic d’jour

Community Service
- Its Purpose
  - Often described as a “way to give back” to the community
    - This implies that we have drawn enough resources from the community to experience abundance in our own life, and now have the capacity/ability to “give back”
- How It Shows Up
  - In general, community Service is often the work that needs doing, “essential work” that is often overlooked and undervalued (hence, it often being unpaid and voluntary)
    - Cleaning up rivers, green spaces
    - Spending time with and supporting children, the elderly, animals, the vulnerable in our community
- At Work
  - Committees
    - Party Planning
    - Event Organization generally
    - Any “voluntary” position within an organization that does something ‘fun’ for the org
  - Time Off for Community Service
    - Usually available in large organizations that have a lot of abundance/resources - employees can use work hours to volunteer with an organization
      - Org employees are volunteering with often has to be “approved”
  - Team Community Service
    - Community Service activity is decided for the entire group by leadership, becomes a kind of “team building” day for everyone
  - Before getting the job - in non-profit sector, often encouraged/expected that you enter the organization as a “volunteer” to build report, show dedication to the projects/mission to ensure you are considered for a paid position
- In Life
  - Re: Danecdote
    - Systemically encouraged as something that you need to do to be an “honor” student (cannot be part of that “club” if you don’t)
  - Making time for causes/activities that support the community that matter to you, personally
    - Religious Community
      - Often have different community projects
    - Food Banks, Homeless Shelters, Animal Shelters
  - A note on “being a good person”
    - Culturally, we associate someone who does community service of their own volition as “being a really good person”
      - There is nothing “wrong” with this per se, but want to be mindful that ‘not doing a community service project’ does mean that you are therefore /not/ a good person - dichotomies and binaries do not serve anyone in any context - you are already good, even if you are not currently participating in community service as we think of it!
  - Prison System
    - Do not have time to talk about the exploitation of prison workers in /full/ today, but
      - Often prison workers keep our highways and roadways clean
      - Do the work that needs doing that is not “volunteered” by the general public
How to be intentional about community service
- Spoiler - Community Service is just community care! It can look a lot of different ways
  - Simply put, anytime you are think about how our actions affect your community and acting with intention in a way that supports your community, you are doing your community a service
  - Doesn’t have to be a formal, structured thing
    - Check in your teammates
    - Strive to always be asking yourself, ‘how can I be more kind?” in your everyday life
    - Focus on seeing the goodness that is already inherent in yourself, as this will allow you to see the goodness that is already inherent in other people
To provide some more structure:
- Reframe the purpose of community service for yourself
  - In what way can you serve the community that reduces the gaps between your values and your actions?
  - How can you serve the community in a way that reflects the vision you have for how you would like the world to be?
- Identify the skills and talents that are yours to give
  - Context: Originally Dan was interested in being an international aid worker
    - Graduated with a degree in international relations and a working knowledge of French
    - What do I have to offer an aid organization? Not much
      - However, I do know my community am resourceful, realized that I could better support the refugee population where I lived, so sought that out as my first job
  - For volunteering, it’s a similar process
    - Are you an empathic listener who enjoys spending time with others?
    - Are you a patient teacher?
    - Are you good with numbers, could you provide that support to an organization that cannot afford more help managing their finances?
    - Identify the skills and gifts you have to offer the community and find ways to give them away (a gift becomes a gift when it is given away!)
  - Ensure that the /way/ that you are sharing your skills and talents links to your original goal - to reduce the gap between your actions and values
    - Let your actions reflect the world that you desire to live in
  - Make the choice for yourself to support your community in a way that works for you
    - Time
    - Resources
    - Ability
- Reminder: our culture implies that community service is a “way of giving back” - this does not mean that you do not need support yourself. Be mindful of your capacity - we need to both support our community and be supported ourselves. Remember to seek the support that you need as well.

Mel’s Mindful Minute: 36.09

5 senses grounded exercise

We Are Always Students

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
Real Change by Sharon Salzberg
Mutual Aid

Sharing is Self-Caring

Self-care
- What is an action you can take to reduce the gap between your values and your actions?
Community-care
- What is a skill or gift that you have that can support your community?
Systems-care
- How do our systems inform what we think of as community service? Is community service accessible to everyone in the same way? Why or why not?

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