Soul Dogs Community Service Project
Description -
Sophomore Inspire Week is a week in the spring where everyone in the sophomore class is put into a group to participate in a community service/volunteer work. There were five options, and I took part in the project partnering with the Soul Dogs Shelter outside of Cortez on the Ute Reservation. This organization is all around the Four Corners, and their goal is to educate the public and offer free or low cost spays and neuters for dogs and cats. The facility on the reservation was a little neglected, so we went down there for three days to help them out. We socialized and exercised dogs and cats, as well as cleaning up after them and renovating parts of the building. We mostly focused on two rooms, which we emptied, deep cleaned, and painted to prepare them for cats and puppies respectively. We also worked to organize a fundraiser for Soul Dogs in Durango on March 28, 2019, which involved finding a venue, activites, donations, etc. Working with Soul Dogs was an invigorating and education experience.
Pictures -
Presentation -
LINK:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FkInLndXGsxrwLHKpHlSksztFhjASy9tfzlpNVN7jBU/edit#slide=id.p
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FkInLndXGsxrwLHKpHlSksztFhjASy9tfzlpNVN7jBU/edit#slide=id.p
Reflection -
Paragraph 1- Big Takeaways
For a couple of years now, I have wanted to pursue a career as a vet in my future. However, I was not specific on what kind of vet I wanted to be. After this community service project, I have discovered that I DO NOT want to be a small animal vet. There were so many fluids and things when we were at this facility from the dogs and cats that were disgusting, and I know I wouldn’t have to deal with those as a large animal vet or an equine vet.
Another lasting thing I learned during this project is that a facility does not have to be immaculate for good things to happen. Though the building the shelter was based out of was not perfect by any means, they were doing wonderful work on the reservation for dogs and cats using the resources that they had. It was hard for me to pair a sub optimal facility with a successful organization, but after spending time at the Toawac Location, I know that it is possible.
Paragraph 2- Connections Between School and Work
One major skill that I took from the classroom and utilized during my community service project was collaboration and teamwork. This skill was essential to the success of our project, and I feel that Animas’s teamwork based curriculum prepared me for this. Throughout the week we had to communicate, collaborate and have fun together. One skill that I learned during the service project was how to get things done without needing direct instruction. In the past, I have needed very specific directions from a leader or an adult before I did anything, but during the past week I believe I developed the ability to find things that needed to be done and just do them. This made my work ethic more efficient and my contribution to the team more positive.
Paragraph 3- Time Management
During the first and third days of the community service project, I was doing really well with time management and getting things done efficiently. The first day I was in an unfamiliar environment, so my reaction was to make a good impression on the people there and set the tone for the rest of the week with really hard work. However, on the second day I found myself standing around during large chunks of time, not wanting to do particular tasks and procrastinating, and having more social time than work time. After reflecting during lunch the second day, I realized what was happening and made a change in the second half of the day, though there was still some messing around. On the third day, the other girls in the group were gone, so that contributed to my focus along with being familiar with what we were doing by that point. Looking back, I can see I lost motivation throughout the week in times of monotonous work or when I was socializing with other people.
Paragraph 4- Connections to YouScience
My YouScience results informed me that I am a highly sequential thinker. This means that I am good at planning, brainstorming, fitting steps into a sequence, and developing systems and plans of action that are efficient and effective. I used this skill during sophomore inspire week, because I became a leader in the planning process for the fundraiser. I also used this skill later on in the week when we were at the shelter, by coming up with a plan of action in my head to what I needed to do in what order to get my task done best.
Paragraph 5- Advice for Future Students
In order to get the most out of your Sophomore Inspire Week, I would advise that you choose what to do based on what YOU want to do and are interested in, not what your friends are doing. I didn’t have any close friends in my group, but if I had I would have been more focused on them than on the projects. During the week I made friends with people I wouldn’t have otherwise connected with and had a wonderful experience doing something I was intrigued by. Also, if you have an idea of what you might want to study in college or go into as a career in your future, seek out an inspire week that is similar or relates to that so you can get a feeling of what that is like. Or you could do something completely different to get an understanding of some other type of work. Do whatever you will enjoy the most and will help you gain knowledge and skill.
For a couple of years now, I have wanted to pursue a career as a vet in my future. However, I was not specific on what kind of vet I wanted to be. After this community service project, I have discovered that I DO NOT want to be a small animal vet. There were so many fluids and things when we were at this facility from the dogs and cats that were disgusting, and I know I wouldn’t have to deal with those as a large animal vet or an equine vet.
Another lasting thing I learned during this project is that a facility does not have to be immaculate for good things to happen. Though the building the shelter was based out of was not perfect by any means, they were doing wonderful work on the reservation for dogs and cats using the resources that they had. It was hard for me to pair a sub optimal facility with a successful organization, but after spending time at the Toawac Location, I know that it is possible.
Paragraph 2- Connections Between School and Work
One major skill that I took from the classroom and utilized during my community service project was collaboration and teamwork. This skill was essential to the success of our project, and I feel that Animas’s teamwork based curriculum prepared me for this. Throughout the week we had to communicate, collaborate and have fun together. One skill that I learned during the service project was how to get things done without needing direct instruction. In the past, I have needed very specific directions from a leader or an adult before I did anything, but during the past week I believe I developed the ability to find things that needed to be done and just do them. This made my work ethic more efficient and my contribution to the team more positive.
Paragraph 3- Time Management
During the first and third days of the community service project, I was doing really well with time management and getting things done efficiently. The first day I was in an unfamiliar environment, so my reaction was to make a good impression on the people there and set the tone for the rest of the week with really hard work. However, on the second day I found myself standing around during large chunks of time, not wanting to do particular tasks and procrastinating, and having more social time than work time. After reflecting during lunch the second day, I realized what was happening and made a change in the second half of the day, though there was still some messing around. On the third day, the other girls in the group were gone, so that contributed to my focus along with being familiar with what we were doing by that point. Looking back, I can see I lost motivation throughout the week in times of monotonous work or when I was socializing with other people.
Paragraph 4- Connections to YouScience
My YouScience results informed me that I am a highly sequential thinker. This means that I am good at planning, brainstorming, fitting steps into a sequence, and developing systems and plans of action that are efficient and effective. I used this skill during sophomore inspire week, because I became a leader in the planning process for the fundraiser. I also used this skill later on in the week when we were at the shelter, by coming up with a plan of action in my head to what I needed to do in what order to get my task done best.
Paragraph 5- Advice for Future Students
In order to get the most out of your Sophomore Inspire Week, I would advise that you choose what to do based on what YOU want to do and are interested in, not what your friends are doing. I didn’t have any close friends in my group, but if I had I would have been more focused on them than on the projects. During the week I made friends with people I wouldn’t have otherwise connected with and had a wonderful experience doing something I was intrigued by. Also, if you have an idea of what you might want to study in college or go into as a career in your future, seek out an inspire week that is similar or relates to that so you can get a feeling of what that is like. Or you could do something completely different to get an understanding of some other type of work. Do whatever you will enjoy the most and will help you gain knowledge and skill.