Community Service Project

(a) What does community service/volunteerism mean to you? * I define volunteerism as a service performed for the benefit of others with little or no benefit to the person carrying out the service. One may volunteer for many reasons but these should not include expecting to receive an income or publicity for work being done. One benefit that a volunteer may have however is growing their knowledge base about the activity in which they are participating. One should think about the ways which they can make their community a better place to live for themselves and everyone else.It’s really not that hard, carrying out simple actions like helping an elderly person to cross the road or donating your unworn clothes to persons who have a greater need for it can be classified as volunteerism. (b) Which two of the four goals of Vision 2030 do you think is most closely linked to community service/volunteerism? Why? * Of the four goals of Vision 2030, I think that the first goal- â€Å"Jam aicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential† and the fourth goal- â€Å"Jamaica has a natural healthy environment† would be the two most closely linked to volunteerism.Through personal empowerment, volunteers may seek to realize their full potential by conveying to themselves tasks which will benefit them as well as the society in which they live. Volunteers may seek to assist persons with additional training they may need as well as school projects. This is done in effort to bring forth well rounded individuals. The final goal of Vision 2030 states that Jamaica has a natural and healthy environment. Volunteers can help Jamaica to achieve this by cleaning up their environment and various communities. By doing so, they will have helped to create healthy and comfortable surroundings for all citizens. c) Select one of the two goals discussed in (b) and suggest ways you can contribute to achieving this goal through your community service. * I believe that I can help to carry out goal four of Vision 2030. The Bible (NIV) says in 1st Peter 4:10 â€Å"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms† and so I believe that each and every one of us were made stewards of this Earth and that it is our responsibility to take care of the environment and all things in it.Stewardship aids in the development of society and so I will take it upon myself to volunteer at Hope Zoo Preservation so I can develop better work ethics, make good use of my free time as well as help the organization to return to its former glory. This includes participating in cleanup activities, carrying out administrative tasks and doing everything else in my power to facilitate smooth operation so that visitors will always remember Hope Zoo not just as a commodity but as an experience. Lecturer’s Signature________________________Submission Date___________________________ Reflec tion Piece #2 a. Identify your agency and briefly discuss the history, goals and objectives of the agency. * The organization that I have been contributing to for a greater cause is Hope Zoo which is located on Old Hope Road, Kgn 6 in St. Andrew, Jamaica. The institution, a section of the Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo was originally a part of Hope Estate which was owned and operated by Richard Hope- a former commander in the British army- who had been gifted the estate in return for helping Britain take control of Jamaica.What we now know as Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo is the largest in the Caribbean and is just 200 acres of the estate which was bought by the Government to establish an experimental garden for foreign species in the late nineteenth century. One very important moment in the history of Hope Gardens is Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 1953. Hope Zoo has been undergoing some major restoration changes over the years and in 2005, the Nature Preservation Foundation (NPF) took charge.The NPF intends to â€Å"develop and manage Hope Zoo and the Royal Botanic Gardens as a sustainable facility for environmental education, applied research, recreation, wildlife and flora conservation for Jamaica and the region; and to position the facility as part of the Tourism Product. † b. Bearing the Vision 2030 goal you selected in reflection 1 in mind, identify a set of objectives you aim to fulfill in your assignment at the agency. * I chose the fourth goal of Vision 2030- â€Å"Jamaica has a natural healthy environment†.The objectives I aim to fulfill in my assignment at Hope Zoo include: participating in cleanup activities so that the staff, guests as well as animals can benefit from existing in a clean environment; carrying out administrative tasks in an attempt to lessen the work load of the administrative department as well as being readily available to any visitor who may have questions or need help with something in an attempt to facilit ate smooth operation. c. Discuss the specific steps you will take to accomplish these objectives. In order to accomplish these objectives, I will ensure my early arrival to the institution each time I am on duty and immediately report to my supervisor for a list of my duties for the day. I will then proceed to complete my tasks which will revolve around the objectives mentioned above as well as observing my surroundings to see what else needs to be done and how I can make a contribution. These steps will be completed in an effort to make Hope Zoo a better place and in agreement with Vision 2030: Jamaica.Lecturer’s Signature________________________ Submission Date___________________________ Reflection Piece #3 a. Identify some of the problems/issues you experienced during your placement. * This has been a very good experience, however I did not particularly appreciate being harassed by a particular zoo keeper on more than one occasions during my forty hours of service. b. To w hat extent did problems you encountered/witnessed in your placement reflect problems prevalent in the wider Jamaican society? Being troubled or provoked by persons in the workplace causes discomfort and disagreement. This is mostly done out of envy or jealousy. One worker may do it to get another worker angry enough to react violently, no doubt getting into problems with the manager and possibly losing his/her job. Either way, victims of this are often not very happy with their jobs and so productivity levels tend to decrease. There may also be a lack of interest in completing tasks efficiently as workers would have lost focus. c.What impact do you think these problems will have on our ability to achieve the goals laid out in Vision 2030? * I believe that provocation between workers will have an impact on the country’s ability to achieve goal one -â€Å"Jamaicans are empowered to reach their fullest potential† and goal 3 -â€Å"Jamaica’s economy is prosperousâ € . Jamaicans will not have reached their fullest potential by 2030 if there is constant workplace harassment or violence as this would have caused their interest and determination levels to decrease.If a worker’s determination and desire to carry out his/her duties effectively decreases, productivity levels will also decrease and so Jamaica’s economy will not be as prosperous we want it to be by 2030. d. What solution did you employ to address the problem? * I addressed the problem by having a private chat with the person about my issue as well as possible implications of workplace harassment on the business itself. I made sure he understood my position and we came to a truce. I can honestly say this worked wonders as up until this point we have not had another conflict. Lecturer’s Signature: Submission Date: ____________________