Nicole's+reflection

Reflections on the Project I used to think democracy was just a form of government i n which the supreme power was vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections and other political events. After participating in this project, I learned that democracy is also one’s choice to interact and become an active member of his/ her community, and represent ideas and opinions. I learned that there are a number of ways to take action in one’s community, some being more upfront and involved than others. I learned that public education consists of flyers, newsletters, reports, film or video screenings, public hearings, and internet blogs and pod casts. Direct Action is boycotting, picketing, going on strike, demonstrations and protests, and nonviolent civil disobedience. Citizen lobbying entails actions such as writing a bill, testifying at a committee hearing, and persuading legislators. Finally, one can take action through the media with letters to the editor, call-in shows, PSAs, radio shows, news releases, and other media events. All of these methods make it easy for a citizen to choose which he is most comfortable with and present his ideas in a democratic society. After working on this project, I learned a few things about myself. I found that I am not as active in my community as I would like to be, and am not completely utilizing my rights as a democratic citizen of my community, town, state, and country. In the future my goal is to let the issues of utmost importance to me be heard. I want to play more of a role in my community than simply just voting for president every four years once I turn eighteen. Now that I am familiar with several different courses of action, my concerns will be easier to illiterate in future. Working on this project also enabled me to reconcile that teamwork is important when it comes to letting one’s voice be heard. After all, if a citizen wants to define an issue, one of the most important steps is rallying support. My partners and I united and helped each other in small ways to accomplish bigger tasks. Although our beliefs differed at times, we always came to a compromise at the end, and cooperated successfully. Although my group did not have enough time to carry out our new parking policy by implementing it, I believe that our groundwork will be a stable foundation for groups in future senior seminar classes to take over.