Group picture of the 1st ESCEI cohort from 2013. Photo: Shauna Bittle
On November 19th, 2014, graduates of the second annual Evergreen Student Civic Engagement Institute (ESCEI) gathered for their final cohort meeting to present and share their service projects. They first met in a five day pre-orientation program and under the leadership of Member of the Faculty Nancy Koppelman and Recreation and Athletics Director Matt Newman, they embarked on a journey that will define their academic and social experiences at Evergreen.
Sharing in the success were Fred and Paul Goldberg. Fred, a Trustee of the College, and Paul, an Evergreen alumnus and Governor for The Evergreen State College Foundation, have been staunch supporters of ESCEI. By their efforts, the Goldbergs have given access to all incoming students regardless of financial concerns. Also in attendance were Wendy Endress, Michael Zimmerman, Amanda Walker, Ellen Shortt Sanchez, John McLain and myself. McLain in particular deserves special recognition; when Newman fell ill, John stepped in for him and seamlessly supported the students.
Students in the 2nd annual ESCEI program spend the afternoon volunteering at local gardening non-profit GRUB on Sept. 18, 2014. Photo: Shauna Bittle
After Zimmerman hinted at a special spring event in the works, and after John, Nancy, and Matt had praised the students, their personal experiences and the value of the program, it was the students’ turn to speak. After all, that was why we were there. Before I share some of the presentations, Nancy emphasized that the students were in full time programs and their service projects were extracurricular.
*To protect the privacy of the student participants, I will not share their names in this report.
The first group had spent the quarter working with the Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County. Their intention was to design a lesson plan around the theme of positive self-expression (a theme in its own right for ESCEI) and teach using examples of artwork, an exercise and a debriefing discussion. The group briefly lamented the circumstances –there were unexpected challenges working with an off-campus organization and the date they had set was cancelled. Nonetheless, the group was determined to deliver their lesson plan to a group, so they approached Evergreen’s on campus Children’s Center. They set a date after Thanksgiving and were excited about presenting what they called an “Inner Monsters Theme.”
The next group, called “Come As You Are,” had organized what they described as a “Self Love Event.” They held the event, open to the campus community, in the Longhouse. To their surprise, forty-one students attended. They expounded on the success of the zine they used as their marketing strategy. Not only did the zine promote the event, but it provided valuable information and resources for students. One of the activities included putting the participants in a circle and having them throw a ball of yarn to each student, who then gave a self-introduction and compliment. The group excitedly related that each student had kept a piece of yarn as a reminder of the exercise. The group worked with campus administrators to get permission to light a fire so they could burn scraps of paper on which participants had written their negative thoughts. After burning their negative thoughts, students wrote positive thoughts, keeping them while they enjoyed S’mores.
Another group, called “Young Voters,” aspired to increase political efficacy on campus. They used flyers to “get out the vote” and share information. They also set out to provide voter registration resources, in the process discovering that Evergreen’s student chapter of WASHPIRG does that also. They reported getting a lot of interest after election results were publicized and are looking forward to working on getting out the campus vote in coming years.
There were at least three groups that worked on projects around the theme of Random Acts of Kindness. One group used positive affirmation sticky notes and a film screening of “Pay it Forward”; another strapped signs to themselves encouraging hugs; and another group’s theme was to give flowers to strangers. Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed by the campus community and they were overwhelmed with inspiring reactions from other students.
At the end of the presentations, about half of which are reported here, the students handed in self evaluations and project summaries. Nancy Koppelman mentioned that their final papers, reflecting on their ESCEI experiences, were due Friday, 11/21, at 11:59 pm. Then, each student said a few final words, giving closure to the experience.
“I can’t imagine the type of person I would’ve been if I hadn’t been part of ESCEI.”
Students in the 2nd annual ESCEI program spend the afternoon volunteering at local gardening non-profit GRUB on Thurs., Sept. 18, 2014. Photo: Shauna Bittle
“One of the reasons I loved ESCEI is because it opened so many doors.”
“With all the knowledge and resources I learned from ESCEI, I was able to help people.”
The final moment of euphoria: Matt announced he would be passing back the letters the students wrote to themselves on the first day they attended the institute. Many had forgotten, and everyone was excited. If one thing is certain, it’s that this cohort of passionate and service-minded students is going to do great things at Evergreen. As grateful as they are, we’re even more grateful for them.