What are your WRC thoughts??

SALTy people! Please post your thoughts on the World Relief Campaign name/the gimmick/the tchotchke

Name: EdJakarta: Imagination in Session

Gimmick: __________! Anything is possible! Brainstorming thus far includes -- A report card/progress report, bookshelf, a creativity center with a sandbox, finger paints, modeling clay, legos, etc. How could we build something/what do you envision?? Remember, the gimmick is to show our fund raising progress, highlight donors, and physically connect the name/mission. For Mission Nutrition it was a food pyramid, for Operation Haiti it was a map from Valpo to Haiti where a tap-tap bus drove to the clinic, and for Project Peanut butter it was a giant tub of peanut butter. Let's get creative! :)

Tchotchke: Something handmade/fairly traded from Indonesia -- anything you'd like to see or do you have another sweet idea?

The Fair Trade Fair in the News

Check it out.

http://www.post-trib.com/news/692336,vutradefair.article

Closing Out the Semester/Evaluations

Hey everyone,

This will be the last time you hear from me until next year, so I wish everyone a safe trip home and Merry Christmas.

To start off, here is the link to the SALT Fall Semester evaluation form that can be completed online, so please try and do this if you have 15 minutes some time in the next week...
http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=dki45vwbwzwjofj375269

For the meeting:
James led another great devotion focusing on the "Silence" and how it has been lost for the most part in society and how we should all try and reflect on God's message through his silence over the holidays.

Dec. 18th @ 4:30 we will be delivering gifts to the Adopt-a-Family and also Hilltop
-contact Hannah.Cartwright if you can help and/or have a car

Fair Trade Fair has been very successful...selling over 1/2 the items on the first day. Great job Mary and Mackenzie!!!!

Spring Break trips have gotten funding so depending on the trip, the cost will be between $100-$200
contact Rebecca.Lohrmann@valpo.edu if you are interested in going on one of the trips and specify which one:

1) Christian Appalachia Project
2) Gulf Coast
3) Heffer Project

The rest of the meeting consisted of brainstorming and I won't bother bogging down your email box with all of the things we talked about, except for one thing....

Some of the names will be put on the blog to discuss throughout the break and please voice your opinion for what sounds good/bad, so we can narrow this down to the right name, gimmick, and tchsotzke.

Some of the final names included:
EdJakarta : Imagination in Session
EdJakarta: Free to Learn
Minds Without Margins: From IN to Indonesia
Imagination in Session: From IN to Indonesia
EdJakarta: Interaction in Session

Finally, we said our final goodbye to Katie Martin and wish her well with her future and also Anna Smith who will be studying abroad in the spring.

Safe travels everyone,

Jeff Field
VU Class of 2008
Ambassador In Admissions
Salt Secretary
Earthtones
Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics

Invitation to Conversation on "The Green Pages"

So...many a good idea has come out over drinks at Passtimes, and this is one of them.

Here (finally) are tentative written thoughts about the prospect of making "The Green Pages" a reality..."The Green Pages" basically came out of a conversation about the desire for SALT members to be able to connect with others who have that "something" - that sincere thoughtfulness about social justice issues, excitement about action, and a commitment to their faith. But, it's hard, because those people aren't just listed in the Yellow Pages...thus, one person around the table said we need to create the "The Green Pages!" And soon the ideas began to flow -

-the need for activists to have a supportive community and a place to return and be nurtured and challenged.
-the potential burnout and need to have resources available and a place (even if it is cyberspace) to talk to other like-minded individuals
-the desire to connect with people who have that "something" after graduation

...below are more ideas. Please comment and add your own...and let's begin to build this. We're looking at trying to establish at least the cyber presence of "The Green Pages" sometime next spring and doing our first SALT commissioning next week...but the rest all depends on us!

"The Green Pages" Is...

“The Green Pages” is an initiative to connect SALT alums with opportunities and a network of change agents already at work in the world.

“The Green Pages” represents an effort to recognize a broader community of change agents who feel the call to be the “salt of the earth” and who seek to connect their passion to serve with their work in communities and workplaces around the world.

“The Green Pages” is also a launching point for the creation of future programs that might encourage and cultivate transformational leadership in multiple fields by equipping change agents to respond to injustices with love and faith, build up communities through relationships and creative vision, and solve problems by finding sustainable and innovative solutions.

"The Green Pages" On The Web

A multi-faceted website that would allow SALT alums and other like-minded individuals to connect, share information, and build a network of contacts and support.

Ideas:
•A web-forum where alums can share experiences, frustrations, excitement, etc.
•A “Green Pages” of contacts where people can share their information, or share organizations or persons who have that “something” – a passion for combating injustice in the world, being intentional and thoughtful about their work, and seeking to be “the salt of the earth.” Ideally, something that people could change from themselves rather than requiring a webmaster.
•Resources – suggested social justice-esqe books, music, organizations to check out (like the after-salt section on SALT website except way more), grants, other sweet websites like idealist.org etc.
•A section where SALT alums could write little articles/devotions
•Linked to SALT’s website & The Chapel
•And a way specifically to keep track of SALT alums.

SALT Alumni Groups (Modeled on CC Reading Groups)
Organize SALT Alumni Groups which would gather to both act and learn – perhaps having selected readings/essays that would focus on faith, activism, and or leadership that the would read and discuss together, but then also each group find its own active component whether it meant raising funds for a particular project, doing an awareness event, or volunteering with a specific organization.

Commissioning...

This could be an opportunity to be more intentional about how we send off SALT members from this place, both in terms of graduation and as a way to leave for off-campus programs and return. Perhaps, taking a page out of the Lutheran Deaconess Association book and creating a litany/ceremony-esque commissioning process for SALT members (and then eventually perhaps any VU student who wanted this to be something that highlighted their time here at VU and would go with them as they went out into the world to serve, work, get more schooling, etc).

At first, this might be a simple commissioning service that could take place at the last SALT meeting before members leave or graduate. [A Draft has been created by Hannah Cartwright & Claire Rueffer - see your e-mail attachment]

However, eventually perhaps this could be something that might be a part of the baccalaureate service and a highlight of graduation festivities – perhaps more the form of a consecration service, especially if connected with the following idea.

Certificate in *Transformational Leadership*

On another level, this could be a part of a broader effort to train and prepare “change agents” in a variety of fields beyond those considering non-profit/direct service work/missionary work by helping them cultivate both the mindset and strength of faith, as well as a skill set to send them out into the world to be transformational leaders.**

**In the search for a name of what we’d be training/preparing people in the closest thing I could come to would be a Certificate in Transformational Leadership. Basically, we’d be trying to find some label for saying that someone has intentionally thought about and learned about how to incorporate their faith with their service, work, and lifestyle.

Eventually, this could be something that could complement a student’s degree program, or that people outside of the VU community could come specifically to Valpo for post-graduation training for. This could build on programs out there which provide certificate programs in Non-Profit Excellence, Servant Leadership, Pastoral/Lay Leadership Excellence, etc but specifically targeting those who want to connect their faith and their work from a variety of fields.

The core of such a certificate program might be training/courses/workshops on community-building/grassroots community action and a theology of social justice, then with field specific workshops on anything from business ethics and engineering application, to strengthening non-profit tactics, etc.

A Vision for a "Green Pages" Event

At the basis of this idea, is the recognition of the need for change agents to have a community of support and the realization that sometimes it is hard to find this support (especially those who are young and without a nurturing community or involved in active work abroad or far from their traditional communities). As well, this would provide an opportunity for individuals to be challenged and nurtured in their vocation in a community of like-minded individuals who are all trying to discern their call. [A model for this sort of community can be found in the VU Liturgical Institute which meets each spring]

So perhaps a more long-term vision for the Peace & Social Justice Symposium would be a meeting point for SALT alum and other like-minded individuals to gather together and be renewed and rejuvenated, as well as empowered through opportunities to both reflect, but also learn and connect with other change agents at work in the world. As well, this would be an opportunity for current VU students and SALT members to both connect and network with those at work in the world, as well as gaining experience in event preparation and planning.

Additional Ideas re: “Green Pages” Event:
•Connect with the service fair – bringing all the service organizations to the event.
•SALT member/SALT alum mentor/mentee possibilities – a place of meeting.
•Opportunity to bring in fantastic speakers in a variety of fields…could connect with various colleges, bring in someone from Engineering w/o Borders (COE), someone working on ethical business practices (CBA), etc.
•Opportunity to build on Valpo’s reputation as a leader in training and thought on vocation – building on the Project on Theological Exploration of Vocation – but connect it campus-wide rather than just in C Voc/Lilly Fellows, etc

Put your Thinking CAP on :)

Hey everyone,

Try to keep this short as judging by the turnout in the beautiful snow at the meeting, people are just a "tad" busy.

Devotion: led by Kylie Johnson and was very appropriate to realize that we are in God's hands and he is going to help us along the way and help guide us, especially in regards to the World Relief Campaign.

Alan talked about the Better World Books Drive that will again be put on at the end of the semester to help promote literacy around the world through our donation of text books or any other books that we no longer need.
-Last year's spring book drive, brought in about 400 books that could be sold for funds towards literacy programs abroad
and almost 1,000 books that were donated to libraries and education centers (like the one in Jakarta)
-for our hard work, Better World Books supplied a generous $300 check towards the next World Relief Campaign...woohoo

Other projects gaining financial support is Kim Hover's magazine which just received $1,000 from the College of Arts and Sciences.

The main part of the meeting was brainstorming for the Child Creativity Center in Jakarta, Indonesia

Hopefully by next week we will have narrowed down our choice of a Tchotchke (trinket to give to every donor), and ideas for a gimmick and title for the project.

Some of the names that were brainstormed were:
Create ______ ; Cause:Creation ; 4 a Smarta' Jakarta ; Creation Station ; Kindness for Kids ;
From IN to Indonesia ; Creation for Kids ; Kids Creating Community ; Minds Without Margins ;
Envisioning Education ; Indonesian Vision ; Growing Minds ; Building Bridges

Some of the gimmicks were:
A creativity center ; Sandbox ; Finger Painting ; Molding Clay ; Legos ; Report Card
Progress Report ; The Creation Station ; books; bridges ; bookshelf > donors names go on spines

As you can tell there is still a lot of work for both of these areas so please be thinking about more ideas and ALL ideas are welcome

Finally for the Tchotchke:
options are: coloring books; crayons ; local kids gift (fair trade item) ; smarties ; candy bracelet ; legos

The general consensus is that we all need to try and do some research on Indonesia, so if you have 15 minutes this weekend try and find out some information to help make our decisions next Tuesday (more educated :) )

Some events that were also juggled around were :
Are you smarter than a 5th grader
Art Show - have elementary schools participate
Dodgeball Tourney
Elementary Recess Tournament

Last but not least here are some announcements to be aware of over the next week:

Possible Community/Crusader Connection Internships available with Spring Valley and the VIC
contact Sarah.Farmer@valpo.edu if interested in any type of internship during the semester or summer

This Friday is the Sobieskie Stride from 5:30-Midnight @ Immanuel Lutheran School
If interested in walking and supporting this family please contact James.Strasburg@valpo.edu as he will be going there on Friday and even if you can only come for a few hours, the family would greatly appreciate your participation.

Fair Trade Fair is next week
---This Sunday @ 4pm, the Carpet Board will be decorated...come on out and help with that

Tomorrow, Wednesday at the Amnesty Meeting (9pm-Crusader Room in the Union)
-Pastor James Keller will be talking about refugees in/from Burma
-will also be at Celebrate

If interested in working on SALT staff next semester as someone that would act as a liaison between the VIC and SALT
contact - Hannah.Cartwright@valpo.edu

If interested in working on the WRC staff serving on possible committees of records, research, activities and others I can't remember...
contact - Tezra.Jennings@valpo.edu

Finally on Thursday in the Fishtank Lounge in the Union @ 7pm the Student Activity Group for planning different activities on MLK Day will be meeting, come on out if interested in the events during this celebrated weekend.

Over and out,

Jeff Field
VU Class of 2008
Ambassador In Admissions
Salt Secretary
Earthtones
Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics