Kaitlyn Sobun

EXPL 291

04/22/19

Final Reflection

I had no idea what to expect from this class. I got in on a technical glitch. I

walked in the first day with no knowledge of what community based research actually

was. This process has caused me to grow a considerable amount. It gave me new

ideas and outlooks, professional skills and leadership skills. This was all done while

connecting the experience and service back to learning. This was the first time I sat in a

classroom and felt like I was able to and needed to apply what I had learned not only to

the project but also to my personal life.

At the beginning of the semester I questioned the purpose of reading the

Stoecker book. I thought it would be repetitive due to the fact that I had conducted

research in the past as well as taken a research methods class. It was through

experiencing the growth of a community based research project from questions to

answers, that I realized that this kind of research is very different from other projects

that I have done in the past. On page 27 through 31, Stoecker explains that

participatory research focuses on being useful, employing many types of research

methods and working in collaboration with the community. This was evident while

working on this project. Our entire project was centered around us working in

collaboration with Karen to use different research methodology in order to assist in the

progress of the strategic plan. Another part of the book that I was surprised I applied to
this project, was the research cycle. When working on any research, especially when it

involves people, the flexibility of the research is very important. Community based

research is meant to go through a cycle. It is a never ending cycle of diagnosing,

prescribing, implementing and evaluating. When we started the project, we knew that

the diagnoses was the lack of diversity within the Chicago Friend School. The next step

was to prescribe a list of research questions.. This list soon had to be changed in order

to better fit the needs of our community partner. We ran into a problem and re

prescribed before implementing our research .Once the research was finished, our data

was evaluated by ourselves, professors, community partners and also others in

attendance at the research symposium. My part of the research paper was the further

research section. This shows that although we are finished, the project goes back into

this research model (Stoecker, 2013, 81-83). The book also speaks to flexibility. This

was used a lot in the internal audit group. We had to work with the parents, teachers

and staff of Chicago Friends School to create a schedule for interviews. At first I was not

too excited about coming up to the Northside more but then I realized that all the above

listed people have lives just like I do. This taught me that although the school is a single

institution, it is made up of many people and moving parts. This realization made me

take a step back and analyze more than just the school. This is where I realized that

communities are similar in this way. A single community is made up of many institution

with many individuals and moving parts.

The Morton article speaks about service in three ways. He explains that service

can be either charity, project, or social change. This project falls under the social
change subheading. It was until after the research was done that I realized that are

results could be used to address social change. The project was based around diversity

and inclusion. If our project is used in anyway we could have potentially affected social

change. This social change would have come out of strengthening the organization by

uncovering opportunities for connections with the communities assets, the community

by investing time and manpower into an organization in the area and future and current

community based projects, activities and proposal. These are the three points of interest

that are introduced by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In the article A Community-Building

Workbook from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute School of Education

and Social Policy by Sarah Dobrowolski, Deborah Puntenney, John P. Kretzmann and

John L. McKnight, asset based community development is a tool that can help both the

community and the organization that is apart of the research (1-2). This is especially

true in Chicago Friends School. The asset mapping gave the school possible

connections to assets that can be used to help the school grow. The growth of the

school can in turn strengthen the community by giving some of the residents access to

equitable, holistic, and value based education.

Social change occurs when individual, group and societal values overlap.

Looking at the social change wheel, community based research is a major part of the

continuum of engagement. Community based research occurs when social change is

needed and all these values overlap. This is a way for people to identify problems and a

need for social change and then find the answer to how this change can or needs to

take place. This kind of research also helps the individual grow as a leader. My personal
leadership process has progressed in many ways. I think the most important leadership

skill that I have taken away from this project is self empowerment. I had always been

afraid in the past to taken on such a big project due to belief that I could not. The group

aspect of this project helped my to adjust and realize that I am capable of completing

meaningful work. This leadership skill is especially important to me because I feel that it

is extremely hard to convince people to trust you in a leadership role if you cannot trust

yourself. Along with this skill, self consciousness came. This area has also seen some

progression. It was not as if I was naive or aware of myself before, but rater I was only

aware in certain aspect. I know find myself taking a step back and thinking about how I

fit into a situation. I am no able to realize that my actions can have a direct impact on

others. This realization has made me take time to slow down in situations to allow

myself time to consider how I should interact with work or the things or people around

me. This was a real shift in consciousness for me. I never saw myself, or anything else

for that matter, as a part of something so much bigger than the individual. I used to see

communities as areas rather than living breathing organisms. I also used to view

research as an assignment. This also has changed during this experience. In the past, I

saw no quantifiable effects of research and immediately believe that that somehow

implied that it did not matter. I realized that result are not the only purpose or goal of

research but rather the seeking of knowledge is.

Along with progress in leadership goals and a shift in thinking, I also received

new professional skills. Time management, punctuality, and work flexibility were skills

that I acquired in the internal audit section of the class. I also gained the skill of how to
interact with someone on a one on one basis in a professional manner. You must

choose your words carefully while making them feel comfortable by using eye contact

and other warm body signs. I also was able to be skillful in communication and working

in a group setting. I have always been that person that will take charge and pick up

slack in group work. This is probably due to the fact that I have trust and control issues.

The open communication between groups and group members allowed for a smooth

collaborative group effort.

This entire process truly represents the values Loyola University of Chicago has

set forth in their mission and vision statement. The group worked as members of a

diverse community in an effort to expand knowledge. This knowledge was based

around diversity and inclusion which are huge parts of social justice. Karen made it very

clear that her mission was to bring equitable education to racially and socioeconomically

diverse populations. This showed how important how all people are important and how

important it is to care for others. It also tested each members personal integrity and

ethical standings.

Overall, this experience is very different from what I imagined the first take I

walked in the door. I saw a super small class and became very intimidated and

considered transferring out. I had no background in community based research. I am

glad that I decided against a schedule change. This class allowed me space to grow not

only as a student but also as a human being.