Community Observation Paper

Community Observation Paper
What was observed during the experience?
I am working at Liberty University’s Dean of Student Office and I am required to sign up to do the Christian services. I signed up to help to assist in Commuter Tailgates, which is an event created to provide free food, games, and music for commuters, who are students live off campus. The supervisor assigned me primarily to welcome and show directions for commuters to check in and get in line. I was also helping other volunteers with their jobs such as organizing food on the tables, making popcorn and ice syrups, and transferring food to the table. In other words, I participated almost in all kinds of jobs. Before the events, all volunteers needs to come prior an hour to set

up and prepare. Since the equipment and tools for the event are heavy, I learned to teamwork with other people to finish the job faster and more effective.
Although I usually had to expose under the sun for at least 4 hours straight, I learned that keep smiling and encourage my teammates will help to lessen both the cold and tiredness. Since large numbers of commuters coming to the event, we always remind and motivate each other to perform their jobs, ensuring the perfect flow throughout. One of the common problems we often encounter is the lack of food when the demands exceed the supplies and we could not provide it on time. Housekeeping is important when the event over. We would have to take everything down to fold, clean the food tray and table, and pick up trash, etc. The events not only created chances for commuters to make friends but also made volunteers get to know each other better.
How did the experience affect you?
I rarely went to community service after I entered university since I have been busy with the school works and social life. However, it is undeniable that although it is tiring to work at Tailgate, I have gained more experience and value in serving people. As the teaching of God, he appreciates the service that a person offers to participate in the community, “Whoever wants to become great among [us] must be [our] servant” (Matthew 20:26 NIV). Therefore, God will measure our greatness by not the number of individuals who serve us, but by the number of individuals we serve (Warren, 2014). Knowing that I can contribute and impact on people’s lives in a positive manner made an enjoyable experience. The experience teaches me that giving back to the society for just a few hours every month can greatly add to my life’s experiences.
One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is community service can bring people from diverse background together to work toward the same goal.

Before, I used to dislike teamwork due to a few negative experiences that my previous teammates were dependent and I had to finish all the works alone without any help. However, I changed my mindset after working with these peers for 4 months in Tailgate. We help, motivate, grow, and learn together as one body of Christ despite the harsh weather condition in Lynchburg. One time, it was raining heavily but we all came in full attendance, set up everything and hopelessly waited for the commuters to show up. It was cold and six of us were shivering under a picnic tent, gossiping and hugging each other to seek warmth. In the negative circumstances, we still found hope and laughed at the fact that everyone, even though was soaked by the rain, but still tried to protect the food from getting wet. Fortunately, the commuters came when the rain ceased and the sky cleared. At that time, we felt relieved and loved since our friendship grew and hard works were worth the efforts. I especially feel blessed to serve in a community that I can constantly promote personal growth and foster

self-efficacy.
What are the needs of the population that you interacted with for this assignment?
The purpose of the event was to provide commuters the special opportunities to connect and build new relationships with others commuters. By joining in multiples events and programs, commuters will be able to grow spiritually, academically and socially within the large community of Liberty University. Living off campus sometimes can isolate individuals from the school community and negatively affect their university experience, especially if they are introverts or lack of vehicles to move around.
Approaching the functional theory from sociology, the primary functions of volunteerism are values, understanding and social (Novoa & Johnson, 2016). Individuals can serve the values function by focusing on the crucial values of hospitality and humanitarianism in helping those in need. While, the understanding function can be served by seeking out to acknowledge about the world and develop the skills; the social function of volunteering allows individuals to engage and reinforce social relationships. Acknowledging the concern of the population, we are making Tailgate as a friendly and interactive environment to welcome all commuters to join and encourage other commuters to come. Serving free food, snacks and games is one way to express our care and promote student integration and as well as fulfilling the needs of real outdoor activities for off-campus students.
How can you help make a difference with this group?
Every single individual in my volunteer group is like a candle. If one candle cannot light up a dark room then a group of candles can. Each of us performs a specific duty and altogether, we have made a great team and achieved a goal of attracting a double amount of commuters to join than the previous school year. As an individual, I might not be able to make a big difference the group, but I can contribute in a small change to the group by serving the commuters with the high performance, supportive attitude and great enthusiasm. As a result, it will produce a pleasant environment for every commuter to participate in and strengthen the value of Commuter Service department. By contributing to building a bridge that connects the off-campus students to the Liberty community and motivates students to become active participants in the school, I am making a minor, yet steady difference with this group.