greetings from jersey!

i miss you guys

: (

hope everyone's summer is going well!

Reflections on the Bonner Program: Celebrating the Past, Planning the Future

As many of you know, the 20th "Bonnerversary" event will be held this June 2-3rd 2010 at Berea College. In an effort to capture the impact of the Bonner Program and share it with others we are asking all of you to participate in a reflection. In reflecting on your experiences with the Bonner Program, you will be doing so with a wide network of individuals who have been affected, in some way or another, by the Bonner Foundation. Reflections from individuals across the national network will be shared with the Bonner Foundation, and a representative sample of them will be compiled into a book that will circulate as part of the 20th "Bonnerversary" event.

We ask that you use this time to reflect on your experiences in the Bonner program during this past year, and also as a chance to to plan and look towards the future. Please use the following questions as a guide to your reflection:

1. Describe a significant (perhaps transformation moment) for you during your experience in the Bonner Leaders Program.

2. As the Bonner Leaders program launches into its third decade of service, what should be done to make it a more effective program (you can answer this on a personal, program, campus wide and national level)?

3. What are you prepared to do to help make the Bonner Leader program more effective?

Submissions may take many forms, including written, photographs, songs, artwork or video.

Blove!!!!!!

Looking Forward

We are racing to the end of the semester!! Now is the time to start thinking about how we can take your Bonner experience to the next level.

1. Service: what increased responsibilities or focus could you add to your experience next semester/year?

2. Professional Growth: What skills would you like to work on to take your experience to the next level.

3. Programmatic: What new innovative things would you like to try next year?

Blove!!

Shadow Program

For those of you who have not heard about the Shadow Program that we will be participating in with Prof. Stavros' Foundations class, we will each be given a group of two or three students to shadow us at our service sites. The purpose of this experience is to give them an idea of what service learning is. Each student will interview you and they will then write a 3 page paper summing up what they learned. In order to prep you for this experience I would like you all to answer the following questions:

1. What is Bonner to me?

2. What is Service Learning?

3. How does your service site and any projects that you are working on at your site meet the object of Service Learning?

4. How do your projects complement the mission of Siena College?

Favor?

Hi Bonners,
Sometime last week I lost my TI-89 calculator, it's really expensive and kinda a big deal because I have a test coming up and it's going to be impossible to do it without the really fancy expensive calculator. Do any of you happen to have one that I could borrow?
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Ananda

Assignment: Reflections

Hi everyone!

This week's blogging assignment will be based on the event that you attend this week (3/10 or 3/11). After attending either the documentary film "The Price of Sugar" or the "Charity in Truth" event, please reflect on and answer the following questions:

1. What were the three main points made in the event?
2. What was something that shocked you?
3. What is something that you learned?
4. How did the event end?
5. What do you think the calls to action should be?
6. How did you feel after the event (hopeful, enraged, inspired, motivated, angry) and why?
7. Other feedback.

Assignment: Update us on your Service Placement

We are well on our way into Spring semester. Now is the time to give us an update about your service placement.

1. Where are you placed? Please describe your organization.

2. What are you doing there?

3. Reflect upon your experience there so far.

4. How can you take this experience to the next level?

5. Tell us an interesting story.

6. Other feedback.

Identity

There are many reasons why identity is important, especially because identity defines a person. Someone's identity is the concept that depicts or describes what/who that person really is. Defining ones identity is a really complex concept because ones identity can be composed of many factors. Finding these factors can sometimes be hard and difficult to comprehend. Sometimes one doesn't know that such factors are there and the whole process can sometimes take long. Its a matter of asking you what really makes you, you. For instance God and Myself make the most important part of my life. My family and friends have some value in the whole chain as well but i go above them and God goes above me. The whole concept of getting to know myself or even defining myself seems to me like a difficult task. It is basically a matter of not having enough experiences to really say who i believe or what i believe defines me. A program like Bonner is very valuable to me, since it allows for me to have experiences,meet people,and learn things that will eventually or help me define who i am as well as a chance to further know and understand myself.

New Assignment: Identity

Over the last two weeks we have evaluated the people we are connected to; who influence us; and have started to look at who we are through writing a personal mission statement.

Please read the following poems and answer the questions below:

Identity

Identity please security do ask As you show them your identity pass They look at it letting you through But its that plastic card really you That snapshot image of your face Is not what your identity makes Your true Identity is much more complex Something a mere image doesn’t reflects The way you care or feel is part of you Your inner soul we hope keeps you true Perhaps you have a real gift Or maybe others spirits you do lift It’s the way you laugh and joke Or the way you give others hope Perhaps its that you fight so hard Or that no one can ever beat u at cards Or that you are a great cook Identity is not just how you do look Its how you act think what you find true That’s the identity of being you Micron

Identity of a person

Identity of a person Identity signifies complexity Identity identifies with reality Identity is the bearer of all vanity How does a person identify with identity? You define yourself based on what? They say, they say You’re kind or moral based on what? Or You’re a genius and shrewd based on what? Or You make the perfect lover, look for no other They say, they say You’re strong without a thought it may not last long Or You’ve skills since with a record you run up high bills Or You are shy but no one ever talks to you or says hi Or You never give up because right now you are on top They say, they say You are generous or gregarious when all you are is conscious Or You’re innovative yet not the originator of the idea conceived What are the facts? That makes your identity intact When change on identity has the last impact? Copyright 2006 - Sylvia Chidi Sylvia Chidi Questions: 1. Why is identity important? 2. Why is it so complicated or is it? 3. What or who makes up the biggest part of your identity? 4. How does the concept of getting to know yourself or defining yourself make you feel? 5. What role does college or programs like Bonner play in defining yourself?

one week

roughly until our bonner meetings start again!

hope everyone's as excited as i am to start afresh with our service sites from the first semester

and put some extra oompfh into everything we do

: )