More volunteer and project ideas

Sign up for an account on idealist.org, volunteermatch.org, handsontwincities.org and volunteertwincities.org to find volunteer opportunities and also to find volunteers for each specific site

CTC hopping fair – city council members?
Community Technology Fair
Computer Buyers Fair – a day (in a park? inside?) where visitors would go around and learn how to buy a computer for their home and/or home office use
· Computer walk: What are the parts of a computer
· What are the important components of a new computer and what is a good minimum requirement (i.e. hard drive space, processing speed, RAM)
· Low-cost computers set up on display for use *invite computer sales companies like Best Buy and CompUSA to display their machines and explain to visitors how they work and do prelim tutorials on them
· An exhibit of things and materials you can make on a home computer/resources you can have access to
o business cards
o pamphlets
o greeting cards
o videos
o graphic art and design
o email
o the local Minneapolis wireless portals
o school research
o typing programs
o library website
o video chat/IM with family and friends in other countries
· Ways to connect to the internet and an explanation of dial-up vs. broadband and the pros and cons of different service plans and different companies *invite USIW and Qwest and others to showcase their services and how to get them, registration, etc.
· Maybe get ahold of Ken Nelson to have some giveaway computers
· Submission forms available for the Digital Inclusion fund
· An exhibit on no-cost and open source software that is available for installation online
· Resource packets about resources
· Raffle off computers and computer equipment!!

Ways to find civic engagement opportunitie

Online Calendars:

WAMM (women against military madness)
Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers
Twin Cities Daily Planet

Organizations love to put you on their volunteer lists! Sign up with an organization you're interested in and you will likely get lots of volunteer opportunities.

2006-2007 Hand off document

What we did
Hosted 2 corps days
- Philadelphia Farm Day – One day and overnight optional. We drove out to the farm in Osceola, WI in the morning. We spent the day planting, weeding and touring the natural areas of the farm. Then we all made dinner together and some people stayed the night. Suggestion: Prepare short training on community supported agriculture and sustainable food issues and how it relates to our work for the day.
- Midtown Global Market Day – We had training in the morning on small businesses issues, we decorated the market for the holiday season, and we heard from some small business owners about their experience.

Updated the CTEP Underground Calendar with civic engagement opportunities

Set in motion the process of adopting a section of the Midtown Greenway

Found and listed individual volunteering opportunities – on the blog (Nov. 3rd post) and in the resources section of the Underground site.

Advice
-Meet as a committee before hosting a corps day
-Have fun corps days outside since no one else can
-The farm was a big hit, you should go back!

Challenges
-Members don’t utilize the Underground Calendar (don’t check it) as often as they should for ideas
-CTEP needs to clarify if it’s okay and facilitate members doing long-term service projects (example: volunteer once a week for an hour for Pride Alive)

Ideas
-Host a civic engagement opportunity outside of corps day (example: invite people over to watch a documentary and discuss it)

i dont know how to change links

I dont know how to change the links on the right-hand side of this page over there -->,

so I am posting a link RIGHT HERE for the Civic Engagement Calendar from the CTEP Underground site.

If you missed it, here it is again: CIV ENG CALENDAR.

5 months later...

hello all. it's been 5 months and that means it's about time for an update.

First order of business is to say goodbye to Deborah. We have lost a beloved committee member so we will take the appropriate amount of time to mourn the loss--you will be missed!

Secondly, the calendar on CTEP Underground is looking a little scarce. We realize that our year is quickly coming to a close and hopefully we have all taken care of our 5 required civic engagement activities at this point. If you still have an activity or two to fulfill or you need some extra hours, don't worry because we are working diligently to keep that calendar updated. There are plenty of civic engagement opportunities coming up this summer so keep checking.

What else has been going on?

Well, Philadelphia Farms was a hit! Thanks everybody for coming and working so hard. It was a big change to have such a low-tech day and it was nice to be outdoors and see other ways that people are making a difference. We got dirty, we played with chickens, we saw the stars and we learned about CSA. If you dont know what CSA is, well you missed out. It was all lovely.

In the spirit of our day at the farm, the civic engagement committee is planning one more No-Tech Day at the park before our year is over. It will be one full or half-day of the five remaining Corps Days.

We feel that being cooped up all year may have had an effect on our social skills (hello philadelphia farms lunchtime conversation) so we see this day as an important opportunity to play, be creative, relax, see the sunshine, and practice other non-techie skills that will help us as we move beyond CTEP. For returning members, we hope that you pass these important social skills onto new members.

More info on our No-Tech Day coming soon!

Finally, a big welcome to our newest committee member Mai Cha. She is with us for the summer and she needs to finish all 5 civ engagement activities before the summer is over so I feel like she has chosen wisely.

Things are winding down for our requirements but we hope you are all staying involved in your own "civilly-engaging" activities of your own and will continue to do so after September arrives. Thanks everyone,

The Civic Engagement Committee
Abdi R, Alison M, Mai Cha V and Renne L

Outside of Corps Day

Today we:
+all registered at CTEP Underground (see below) and have editing abilities on the site

Thanks to Lesmana and his love for drupal, we now have access to a calendar that will be available and view-able to all CTEP members.

Civic Engagement committee will now be posting events on this calendar as they occur, and this calendar will be posted to the message board weekly. That way CTEP members can look at the spare time in their own personal schedules and fill that time with opportunites from the calendar.

How very simple! Thanks Les.

Be on the lookout for this wonderful calendar.

Future ideas:
-Philadelphia Farms
-May Day with In the Heart of the Beast puppet program

Other new ideas:
-Art night on Aldrich (a flyer will be sent out) w/ discussion
-viewing Run Some Idiot, presidential candidate Jim Taylor docoments his struggle w/ discussion
-host a group of people and start discussion on current events
-attend an immigrant community center event and then have discussion on citizenship, also with presentation on citizenship "What it means to be an American Citizen"

TASKS
+call IHOB for May Day info
+call Philadelphia Farms for farming info in May
+receive CTEP Underground passwords
+start posting to calendar

Brr.. hibernating

Dear Corps,

Before next Corps Day, we'll all get together for Martin Luther King day on Monday Jan. 15th. We'll participate in the rally, go to the Race exhibit at the Science Museum, and possibly have discussion time afterward. If you write a reflection, you can count it for civic engagement hours.

We think our committe is best suited to fun outdoor activities. Winter can be a time for other committees that require computer or technical equipment. For the spring, we'll start off with a day at Philadelphia Farms in Wisconsin planting and talking about agriculture, farms, the environment, and community food.

Meanwhile, although it's not civic engagement, we are planning a community building event.... Bowling Day! Stay tuned for updates. We hope that it can be free and possible refreshments included.

Love, the Civic Engagement Committee

Individual Civic Engagement Opportunities

• Watch a movie and discuss it
• Go to a lecture, movie, play, or art event that includes a discussion or forumExample: go to the Intermedia Arts exhibit about immigration and then have a discussion afterwards with some other CTEP members.
  Example: Watch The Inconvenient Truth and discuss it
• Volunteer at a Food Not Bombs or another food distribution program.
  Information: c/o Arise! Bookstore & Resource Center, 2441 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55405. vm: (651) 649-4557Shares meals: Saturday 3-4pm on the west bank on Cedar Ave. one block south of the intersection of Cedar and Riverside ave. Cooking at the Brian Coyle Community Center on the West Bank at 420 15th Ave S on Saturdays at 1 PM.
• Volunteer at a community event:
• Pride parade, Juneteenth, art festivals, neighborhood parties
• Go to a public meeting or hearing:
• About Central Corridor/light rail, about community-police relations, etc
• Go to critical mass – bicycle awareness/rights ride - Meet for Critical Mass the last Friday of every month (rain or shine) in Loring Park (on the east side of the park). They usually start meeting up about 5:00pm and try to leave by 5:30pm.
• Volunteer at a rest home for the elderly or senior center - Help with arts and crafts night
• Volunteer at Goodwill Services or Salvation Army
• Volunteer at homeless shelter babysitting, etc
• Volunteer at domestic violence shelter

Plan for Dec. 1 corps day

We will focus on small business issues on Dec. 1st. We will split the day between touring La Loma tamale factory and helping with decorations for the Midtown Global Market holiday celebration.

Or, we might do the the La Loma tour on the day that we are at Alison's site, the BCC if there is plenty to keep us busy at Midtown.

We will definitely try to get in some facilitated discussion about small businesses issues and agendas.

And, we have a new committee member! His name is Abdirashid.

10/20 meeting notes

Tentative Schedule of Corps Days:

1) Immigration
2) MLK
3) Heart of the Beast (puppet workshop, history of May Day)
4) Philadelphia Farms, urban farming - youth farm and market
5) Small business issues

Issue ideas:

immigration
small bussinesses
environmental - Eureka, the Green Institute, farms both urban and rural
transit
tour of the capitol

Tools:

watch a movie and discuss
flyering/doorknocking
training/educating ourselves
labor - painting, clean-up, buckthorn, etc
work events (MLK)
go to events being held by other organizations

10/20 meeting notes

Tentative Schedule of Corps Days:

1) Immigration
2) MLK
3) Heart of the Beast (puppet workshop, history of May Day)
4) Philadelphia Farms, urban farming - youth farm and market
5) Small business issues

Issue ideas:

immigration
small bussinesses
environmental - Eureka, the Green Institute, farms both urban and rural
transit
tour of the capitol

Tools:

watch a movie and discuss
flyering/doorknocking
training/educating ourselves
labor - painting, clean-up, buckthorn, etc
work events (MLK)
go to events being held by other organizations

Welcome

To the CTEP Civic Engagement Committee!

We are planning lots of fun, educational, and engaged corps days, including activities with puppets, farms, and more.

Let us know if there is something you are itching to do or learn about.