Your Goal Grade
Highlight the header for the column below to indicate which grade you plan to work toward in the course. Meeting the basic requirements for your chosen letter grade, according to the table below, is mandatory.
| A Work | B Work | C Work |
-Misses one class or less, or completes make-up work for excused absences -Annotates all readings thoroughly -Makes substantive comments in discussions -Completes all assignments on time (or has an approved extension request) -Work demonstrates intellectual engagement, care, effort, and growth in response to feedback -Collaborates substantially, contributes to vision, works equally with peers | -Misses two classes or less, or completes make-up work for excused absences -Annotates readings -Often participates in discussion -Completes all major assignments on time (or has an approved extension request) -Completes most SAs on time -Work demonstrates care, effort and growth in response to feedback -Collaborates equally, completes required work | -Misses three classes or less, or completes make-up work for excused absences -Completes most readings -Sometimes adds to discussion -Completes all major assignments on time (or has an approved extension request) -Completes at least four SAs -Meets minimal expectations on assignments; shows limited growth in response to feedback -Completes required collaborative work |
First-Week Introduction
Entering my second year of CODES, I have learned that each discussion and assignment has helped me build character and gain knowledge. This semester, I’m excited to further my knowledge and continue working in the community as we collaborate with our community partners. The goals I have chosen will help me stay structured and pour myself completely into my work. Each goal will help me unlock new skills and become a academic weapon.
Midterm Introduction
As many weeks have passed in the semester, learned how to improve in many different aspects. I’ve been working hard to stay consistent with my assignments and time management. I’ve improved my ability to stay organized by planning and trying to keep track of all my assignments. I’ve been learning many essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. Group collaboration has helped me be more open to different perspectives. I’m very proud of the work ethic I have been putting in so far this semester. Moving forward this semester, I plan to keep pushing forward and staying committed and consistent in this class.
Final Introduction
With the semester coming to an end, I have taken time to reflect. I was able to learn new things and about new organizations. Even though I wasn’t able to partner or get in contact with these organizations, I still enjoyed educating myself and others about the organizations and resources they offer. Since I had more responsibilities this semester, I had to incorporate different time management skills and organizational habits, but I was still able to maintain my workload. Even though things didn’t go as planned this semester, the challenges gave me lessons about discipline and hard work. This semester showed me how to adjust when things don’t go accordingly. I learned how to be comfortable with change. Everything I learned and endured this semester, I will take into next semester so it can be successful and smoother.
Course Goals
Goal 1 (15%)
Based on 12c: work independently toward goals by contributing and meeting deadlines.
This reflection shows how I’m able to analyze and contribute to the work while also having my own opinion and meeting the deadline presented.
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Working towards various goals set by me, my group, or my professors. Practicing time management to ensure all deadlines are met Always show up to class ready to work and participate | Reflections Class discussions Group projects Website | The reflections will show how I can analyze while also meeting deadlines. My participation on the website and research projects will demonstrate my commitment to collaborative work. The class discussions will help me evaluate my work ethic, so I can learn how to work independently and contribute to deadlines more effectively. |
Reflection
This reflection shows how I was able to meet the deadline and expectations while also working independently on my personal goals and thoughts.
Website
The website shows my participation in the website and demonstrates my commitment to working with others.
Reflection
Reflection #5: Wrapping Up
With the semester coming to an end, our research has now transitioned into preparing us for CODES 320 and all the work we will do in there, and potential things we can research. I have taken time to reflect on everything that happened this semester, and I was able to learn a lot and realize a lot. This experience has been learning about grassroots organizations and the environmental challenges. Throughout this semester and this project, I’ve become more empathetic because it made me realize you don’t know what someone else is going through, and even though this isn’t something I’ve experienced firsthand, going through the research process has made me feel various emotions for the residents having to endure this. I’ve learned very valuable lessons about communication, teamwork, leadership, and responsibility while also being able to pinpoint my own strengths and weaknesses. I have also seen that there’s room for improvement and realized the areas I can improve in and grow in. One of the many takeaways I had this semester is learning the importance of respect and communication when working in a group setting. Since we’re all coming from different backgrounds, sometimes it could be barriers when doing group work. We learned to use our different backgrounds and skill sets to help one another and pour into the group project. Reflecting on when we first started in CODES, my group and I have grown very far, and just this semester alone, we have all grown. Over time, we developed better communication skills, and we were able to have clarity and honesty. Making it easier to do assignments together but also give constructive criticism and feedback without others taking it personally or it coming off as harsh. Strengthening my communication skills has helped me have better clarity when working with others. Instead of assuming or going based on actions, learning to communicate better has helped with our collaboration. I was able to strengthen my humility throughout this process. At times, I thought I understood the situation or what residents were going through, but as I did further research, I saw that there were many layers to everyone’s stories. It helped me avoid assumptions and not be insensitive to the information shared with us or the conversations had. I was able to discover more about myself throughout this semester. I learned the value of honesty, communication, critical listening skills, and hard work. I learned not to have hesitation or doubt and to respect other ideas while also realizing my ideas are valid too. I was able to contribute thoughtfully and be genuinely interested in my group and the work we do. I had better participation this semester because I felt more comfortable and confident in the tasks given to me. I feel grateful for the experience I got this semester with my group, research, and my class. I learned about different things and got a better understanding of things I thought I knew. I strengthened my collaboration skills and empathy; I also developed more patience and understanding. Overall, I appreciate the opportunity to learn about grassroots organizations and see the great work that is done in the community to help fellow residents.
Goal 2 (15%)
Based on 1a: Demonstrates ability and commitment to collaboratively work across and within community contexts and structures.
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Ensure that all members feel included and have an opportunity to participate Using healthy collaborative skills to ensure everyone is respected. Using healthy communication skills to ensure that everyone’s opinions get heard. Preparing and working independently to complete assignments Create an effective consensus | Group Discussions Group Projects Final Presentation Site Visits/ Meetings Reflections | The group projects will allow me to exercise my thoughts and ideas into a central message to show that I can work collaboratively while also practicing healthy habits to include my thoughts and respect others’ thoughts. During in-class & group discussions, I will be attentive, respectful, and engaged when discussions are happening to show my commitment and ability to work collaboratively. Site visits/meetings will allow me to show my collaborative skills while working with our community partners. The final presentation will give me the space to build upon others’ contributions openly. |
Final Presentation
The final presentation allowed me to take my knowledge and research and build upon others.
Reflection
Reflection 3
You’ve completed a few site visits/Teams meetings. Hopefully, you are starting to understand your partners better, building trust, engaging in the work, and learning from your mistakes. Consider your self-presentation during your visits. Have you been confident, nervous, open to ideas, or quick to judge? How have your behaviors influenced the interactions you had? What do you think you are doing well? What could you do better? Give examples and tell stories.
Even though I haven’t had any site visits, my group has been having numerous online meetings with John from Heartland. Those meetings have been giving us a clear direction to work in and where we should focus our time. I have been very open to numerous ideas. Throughout this semester, we haven’t been able to see a lot of our plans through, so it has left me nervous and confused. I’ve been open-minded and I continue to be open-minded throughout the rest of this semester. After doing research, the grassroots organization that has interested me the most has been Empire 13. Empire 13 is a grassroots organization out of Southern Illinois University. There is a non-profit organization that helps fight civil rights issues, black lives matter, systemic racism, and also helps residents in lower-income areas. I think my research is what I’ve been doing well. I have been using multiple websites and apps to gather information and insight on Empire 13. I’ve been doing research across different platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and news articles. I believe if we had a more proactive plan, things would have been better and more productive. It’s hard to move along with a plan when you’re trying to work with other organizations or people who are just as busy or even more busy. It was a big disconnect this semester with organizations. Getting responses or even the time of the day made doing work this semester challenging because it gave me little to nothing to work with.
Site Visits
Even though I don’t have physical evidence for this section, we did several virtual Zoom meetings with our community partners, and those were our main site visits. The Site visits/meetings allowed me to show my collaborative skills while working with our community partners.
Goal 3 (20%)
Based on 9c: Implements solutions to address multiple contextual factors.
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Evaluate different solutions and create the best approach to solve the problem. | Reflection Project / Data collection Group collaborations Class work/discussions | The group Collaborations will help me insight into different perspectives and solutions Everyone can offer. The data collection will help let me outline the best way to solve the problem and learn about similar problems and them situation. |
Reflection
The reflection shows how I contribute to all of my goals overall, by working hard, developing ideas, and analyzing while still meeting the deadline.
Project
Data Collection
To inform Cahokia Heights residents about community organizations and grassroots organizations that they could get support from and benefit from. I researched local organizations, compiling a list of different organizations based on the work they did in the local community. Originally, I wanted to conduct a survey, but I wasn’t able to do so. Therefore, by compiling my research and the data from my group members, I came up with my own data collection method. Throughout this process, I learned that Cahokia Heights residents have little to no access to grocery stores. Most of the area and the surrounding area qualify as food deserts. Also, renters face ongoing issues and concerns about their renters and property. When it rains and floods, it causes damage to the property. Using the information collected by my group’s members and the research they conducted, I was able to gather as much information as possible for my data collection. Doing this helps me gather information and an understanding. I used social media and other online sources to identify local mutual aid providers and networks. I came up with a list of various grassroots organizations, such as Empire 13, Cahokia Community Basket, Restore Decor, SIUE Garden, Glen Ed Food Pantry, Cougar Cupboard, Heartland’s, and JJK. Compiling this research helps me verify the support they offer, understand the impact community members are facing, and recognize gaps in the resources and community members. One of my findings from the research was that the residents’ awareness was low, and that transportation was hard for some residents because most residents are elderly. This shows a great need for different strategies so the residents can get the support they need. Things such as partnerships with local churches, libraries, and schools, outreach to the community, and using social media platforms. In addition to finding ways that can help residents and improve outreach, I identified examples of what mutual aid could look like for residents or those who want to help. Fundraisers, drives, community clean-ups, giveaways, disaster recovery, and peaceful protests. These activities address the issues and support residents while also building a sense of community and trust. Moving forward, my next steps would include an interview with one of not multiple of the grassroots organizations listed to gain deeper insight on their work and their missing, adding information to our website for residents and those who want to help, and creating a resource guide. And connecting with our partners to explore any other options or additional actions we can take collectively, or just on our end as students. Among the organizations I researched, Empire 13 stood out to me the most; they have served community partners, many of whom we also worked with, such as SIUE or Clean City Coalition. Even though their primary focus is mutual aid, they’ve carried out many tasks and initiatives to support the community and give a voice to residents in Cahokia and the surrounding southern Illinois area. They even collaborated with SIUE student volunteers. They’ve led cleanups and trash removal days, and also done tornado cleanups. Their actions range from a wide variety of things, from clean-up work to protest. They even partake in political actions. All of the grassroots organizations listed have contributed to the area in many ways and offer ongoing support to residents and locals. These organizations make a powerful and positive impact in their communities. Doing this assignment gave me a chance to research and learn about mutual aid, helping me compile my section for my website, which is now turned into a resource section. All of this information and seeing the action that has been taken has inspired me. Overall, this data collection process highlighted the importance of awareness, community, and outreach.
The data collection helped me outline the best way to organize my information I collected about grassroots organizations. With the information collected, I was able to collaborate with my group about our website and add the necessary info to my website tab.
Inform communities in St.Clair County/ Cahokia about local grassroots organizations
Create the opportunity to spark change( It all can start with you)
How to get involved in grassroots organizations?
Write a petition to the mayor and government to have these issues looked at.
Community Orgs:
Empire 13
JJK
Cahokia Community Basket
Heartland’s
Empire 13 community partners: SIUE, Clean City Coalition, Loud For Liberation, PSL STL, Coffee Revolution, Build N The Foundation, Moms Demand Action, and City Of Joy Fellowship
Focus: Mutual Aid
Mutual Aid/ Community service done by Empire 13:
- Boots to the street (partner with SIU and SIUE student volunteers to carry out the campaign)
- Community clean-up ( cleaning up the community with volunteers, picking up trash and abandoned material)
- Tornado Clean-up ( cleaning up the aftermath of the STL tornado)
- No king’s protest ( peacefully protesting against current political issues and the presidency)
- Fighting Environmental racism ( peacefully protesting and doing things such as cleaning up and refreshing predominantly black neighborhoods)
- Earth Day clean-up ( cleaning up on Earth Day)
- Wear Orange Day (gun violence awareness, wearing the color orange to show support for gun violence awareness and gun violence victims)
- Help flood victims restore their homes ( restore homes and repair damage done by floods in the southern Illinois area)
Ways to do this mutual aid
- Attend Empire 13 events
- Collaborate with local community members and organizations to gather participants for events in your community or other initiatives tailored to your community’s needs.
- Create a group within your community and protest #freedom of speech
- Create a group (might need a permit) and clean up areas (materials needed: gloves, garbage bags, sanitizing materials, neon colors)
Local mutual aid/community service
- Glen Ed Food Pantry
- Restore Decor
- SIUE Gardens
- Cougar Cupboards
- Cahokia Community Basket
Ways to do mutual aid
Offer tech support for online schooling, work, or healthcare access
Form a mutual aid group with neighbors, community members, volunteers, and community partners
Use online forums to stay connected, or GroupMe
Set up regular meetings to assess needs and distribute tasks, while also hosting meetings to come up with events, plans, and community service ideas
Create flyers or social media posts to raise awareness and invite open participation
Organize donation drives or supply pick-up/drop-off points
Map out neighborhood needs and available resources for distribution
Create delivery systems or transportation for people without transportation
Build systems to track inventory and requests (Google Sheets/Google Forms)
Coordinate collective action to demand systemic change
Document and challenge injustice or mistreatment in the community
Help with job applications, resumes, or navigating legal systems
Implementation Plan
Section 3: Data Collection (see blue section for further instructions on carrying this out)
What data do you need to answer your question: secondary research, interviews, surveys, focus groups, oral histories, ethnographies, scientific experiments? Drawing on your experience from your other CODES courses, develop plans for specific data sets that need to be collected. Each member of the team will be responsible for collecting and curating one data set. Raw data should be maintained in a shared drive accessible to the entire team. Determine what data you will need to collect and who will be responsible for the work. For each data collection activity in your plan, consider why you are collecting it, how and from whom you will collect it, and what methods will be most effective.
Sa’Dae- I plan on connecting with grass root organizations in Cahokia Heights. I will be researching the work the organizations do and how their work benefits the residents of Cahokia Heights or helps them with the issue they’re suffering from. I plan on comparing different grass root organizations in the area to collect data.
Goal 4 (25%)
Based on 13b: Uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to illustrate mastery of the subject, conveying the writer’s understanding, and shaping the whole work.
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Using certain content to analyze data and information that’s collected. Using certain content to organize the information needed to complete my project. | Reflection Implementation Plan Class work Project Data Collection | My data collection will highlight the data and collect support for the information. The project will showcase my analytical skills, which are essential for conveying a clear understanding and developing effective messages with supporting materials. The reflections will enable me to properly illustrate the material provided. |
Data Collection
Section 1: Process Description
To inform Cahokia Heights residents about community organizations and grassroots organizations that they could get support from and benefit from. I researched local organizations, compiling a list of different organizations based on the work they did in the local community.
Originally, I wanted to do a survey, but I wasn’t able to do a survey, so compiling my research and the data from my group members, I came up with my data collection.
After collecting data, the key points that I took from everything I collected were
- Cahokia had few to little grocery stores
- Most southern Illinois areas are food deserts
- Renters right
- Renters issue
- Property damage from rain and flooding
I collected information from websites, social media, and Google
- Empire 13
- Cahokia Community Basket
- JJK
- Heartland’s
- SIUE Gardens
- Restore Decor
- Cougar Cupboard
- Glen Ed Food Pantry
This research allowed us to gather details on mutual aid work, verify programs that are offered , understand the impact the community is facing, and identify gaps in communities.
I learned that awareness was low, and many residents aren’t aware of the orgs or mutual aid programs they can get support from. There are many barriers for them to get involved or get help. There could be better outreach methods.
Outreach Methods:
- Flyers
- Social Media
- Partnerships with local schools and churches
- Communication
- Monthly Aids
What Mutual Aid Could Look Like:
- Community clean-up
- Fundraiser
- Give away/ Drives
- Protest
- Disaster Recovery
Next Steps:
- Conducting potential interviews with one of the grassroots organizations (if possible)
- Add information to our website for residents who need resources
- Develop a resource guide for residents
- Connect with current partners about what we could further do
Community Orgs:
Empire 13
JJK
Cahokia Community Basket
Heartland’s
Empire 13 community partners: SIUE, Clean City Coalition, Loud For Liberation, PSL STL, Coffee Revolution, Build N The Foundation, Moms Demand Action, and City Of Joy Fellowship
Focus: Mutual Aid
Mutual Aid/ Community service done by Empire 13:
- Boots to the street (partner with SIU and SIUE student volunteers to carry out the campaign)
- Community clean-up ( cleaning up the community with volunteers, picking up trash and abandoned material)
- Tornado Clean-up ( cleaning up the aftermath of the STL tornado)
- No king’s protest ( peacefully protesting against current political issues and the presidency)
- Fighting Environmental racism ( peacefully protesting and doing things such as cleaning up and refreshing predominantly black neighborhoods)
- Earth Day clean-up ( cleaning up on Earth Day)
- Wear Orange Day (gun violence awareness, wearing the color orange to show support for gun violence awareness and gun violence victims)
- Help flood victims restore their homes ( restore homes and repair damage done by floods in the southern Illinois area)
Reflection #4: Data Collection
You have now implemented some aspect of data collection by this date. You might have distributed a survey, hosted an interview, convened a focus group, or conducted an experiment. Describe the experience in detail. If you completed an annotated bibliography, perhaps you can compare what you have read about to what happened in our context. What has gone well or been instructive? What problems didn’t you foresee? What do you wish you’d done differently?
Reflection #4: Data Collection
When doing research, data collection can look different for everyone. By the time we reached the data collection stage, the plan had changed multiple times already throughout the semester. My data collection assignment was to collect data on local grassroots organizations and community resources in the southern Illinois area. This meant reviewing the platforms of the organizations and having conversations with them. We did reach out to certain organizations and didn’t receive a response, but I was still able to collect data by researching and looking at their platforms. Although my data collection was different from my peers in my group, I took my research, plus their data collection, and used that to create my part of the website and gather secondary information. Since my group had a collaborative structure, it was easier to come together and build off of what each other had gathered. My team shared a Google Drive and multiple documents that logged interactions, site visits, data, information, and our implementation plan, which was the start of all our research. I believe this helped us stay organized and helped compare different information and results, which made it easier for us in the long run. This helps us gather what should be included in our website, and specifically for my part what residents could benefit from when looking for resources for our aid. Our research ranged from different things, such as grassroots organizations, site visits in Cahokia Heights, Housing and property information, services offered to residents, and many other things that we were able to gather. With everything I collected and my other groupates collected this helped us construct our website. Even though there were many challenges, such as organizations being busy and having a long response time. This slowed down the timeline and also changed the course of things. This experience showed me that answers and collaboration aren’t always guaranteed. Sometimes there can be hesitation, reluctance, or busyness. Also, trying to gather information and connect with so many different organizations in such a short matter of time was a challenge, seeing how we only had this class once a week, if there was no response, then it left us straggling or having to change something else. Despite all these challenges, I was still able to do research and get everything I needed. I learned more than I expected and found many other organizations with good resources and benefits. If anything could be done differently, I would communicate earlier and build a more effective plan with my team, so if I were to fall short or someone else were to, then we would be able to smoothly move past the bumps in the road without having to start over again. Overall, this experience has shown me how to be resilient and more understanding because when doing research, data collection, and partnering with others, anything can change and anything is possible.
Implementation Plan
The implementation plans showcase my analytical skills, which are essential for conveying a clear understanding and developing effective messages with supporting materials. It also shows the plan my group has for our project that will lead us into creating our website.
Goal 5 (25%)
Based on 1b: Connects and extends knowledge from academic study to civic engagement.
| What will you do to learn the content/ develop the skill? | What examples will you add to the portfolio to demonstrate your learning? | What characteristics of the chosen examples demonstrate you have met your goal? |
| Evaluate research and informational sources to connect with civic engagement. Create a pathway to connect knowledge learned in class to community work. Site visits can be used to extend knowledge from academic study to civic engagement | Reflections Group discussions Group assignments | My collaborations, such as group work and group discussions, will show how open-minded and intellectual I am when it comes to addressing and hearing different factors. My reflections will show my ability to be able to connect academic study to civic engagement. The group discussions and group assignments will help me extend my knowledge from academic study to civic engagement by collaborating and pulling from different opinions generated. |
Reflection #5: Wrapping Up
This reflection shows my ability to connect academic study with civic engagement.
With the semester coming to an end, our research has now transitioned into preparing us for CODES 320 and all the work we will do in there, and potential things we can research. I have taken time to reflect on everything that happened this semester, and I was able to learn a lot and realize a lot. This experience has been learning about grassroots organizations and the environmental challenges. Throughout this semester and this project, I’ve become more empathetic because it made me realize you don’t know what someone else is going through, and even though this isn’t something I’ve experienced firsthand, going through the research process has made me feel various emotions for the residents having to endure this. I’ve learned very valuable lessons about communication, teamwork, leadership, and responsibility while also being able to pinpoint my own strengths and weaknesses. I have also seen that there’s room for improvement and realized the areas I can improve in and grow in. One of the many takeaways I had this semester is learning the importance of respect and communication when working in a group setting. Since we’re all coming from different backgrounds, sometimes it could be barriers when doing group work. We learned to use our different backgrounds and skill sets to help one another and pour into the group project. Reflecting on when we first started in CODES, my group and I have grown very far, and just this semester alone, we have all grown. Over time, we developed better communication skills, and we were able to have clarity and honesty. Making it easier to do assignments together but also give constructive criticism and feedback without others taking it personally or it coming off as harsh. Strengthening my communication skills has helped me have better clarity when working with others. Instead of assuming or going based on actions, learning to communicate better has helped with our collaboration. I was able to strengthen my humility throughout this process. At times, I thought I understood the situation or what residents were going through, but as I did further research, I saw that there were many layers to everyone’s stories. It helped me avoid assumptions and not be insensitive to the information shared with us or the conversations had. I was able to discover more about myself throughout this semester. I learned the value of honesty, communication, critical listening skills, and hard work. I learned not to have hesitation or doubt and to respect other ideas while also realizing my ideas are valid too. I was able to contribute thoughtfully and be genuinely interested in my group and the work we do. I had better participation this semester because I felt more comfortable and confident in the tasks given to me. I feel grateful for the experience I got this semester with my group, research, and my class. I learned about different things and got a better understanding of things I thought I knew. I strengthened my collaboration skills and empathy, I also developed more patience and understanding. Overall, I appreciate the opportunity to learn about grassroots organizations and see the great work that is done in the community to help fellow residents.
Group Assignment/ Presentation
This group project gave me a chance to show how open-minded and intellectual I can be when it comes to addressing different factors. I was able to come up with a conclusion and an introduction. Along with my other slides.
My collaborations, such as group work and group discussions, will
show how open-minded
and intellectual I am
when it comes to
addressing and hearing
different factors.
Website Collaboration
