Addressing Issues Nationally and Locally through

eCitizenship, America's Future and Commitment

Rob CatlettEmporia State University

American Democracy Project Annual MeetingOrlando, FL June 2011

Constitution DayVoter Registration with the League of Women Voters

Valerie Nosing – FYE Civic EngagementCaption in the eye -- “We the people”

Are our eyes open or closed

Thanksgiving Intergenerational Dialogue

America’s FutureDeficits and Debt

Reflections – ESU at NightNight adventures of FYE Civic Engagement

FYE Civic Engagement student helps organizes Christmas Gift Distribution

TRM instead of camping

Another FYE Civic Engagement student helps organizes Christmas Gift Distribution

State of the Union with contemporaneous campus

Twitter dialogue

Francie Grace, formerly with CBS and then Public Agenda leads ESU in

SOTU dialogue.

Hungry Kids ProjectVeronika and her classmates are sorting food for hungry elementary

students at the Emporia Gazette. She discovered her career objective in her FYE Civic Engagement course via field trips.

Hungry Kids ProjectThis is a campus and community cooperative venture. The eCitizenship

opportunities are larger than we originally anticipated.

Concord CoalitionSteve Winn focuses on aspects of the America’s Future Initiative in

discussing issued related to US governmental deficits and debt.

Topeka Rescue Mission – Hunger and Homelessness

Charleston eyes all of the pizza donated by local restaurants as part of a food recovery program.

Food programs for non-homeless hungryFYE Civic Engagement students work at the Topeka Rescue Mission.

Topeka Rescue Mission – Stories we all remember Amy , a future educator interacts with a teaaher who want to take her last breath at the TRM.

Sara’s Story

• The first time I remember being homeless I was with my family. It was an early day as we packed up in a hurry before the sheriff came to lock the doors…

• I can remember the first time I saw crack cocaine and the first time I smelled it. I would have to say I was around six years old. That drug had a hold on my family…

http://trmonline.org/?s=sara

• I remember being homeless a lot in my life, but as I got older it just seemed to become normal, a part of life…

• He had recently gotten out of prison and because of some of his restrictions, we had to move to his home town. We stayed with his father and struggled to make it. It hurt my husband that he could not provide for us. I became pregnant and we made our way out of South Central LA …

Neighborhood Revitalization - The penultimate event

Student help to revitalize a neighborhood using eCitizenship and physical labor. The City of Emporia committed $25,000 to assist.

Neighborhood revitalization Approximately 100 students helped in this clean-sweep venture.

Guess how many countries are represented.6

SOSHuman Sculpting

Kyle displays his exhibit.

SOS Human Sculpting

Rick and Chiyo

Numana and ESU – Food for JapanOver 850 students and people from the community help package 28,998

meals for Japan in less than a week after the disaster. This is eCitizenship at work.

Jasmine Ferguson

The tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11th, 2011, as a result of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake, shook the entire world. To date, over 10,000 people are dead and or missing. Needless to say, just as Haiti needed the world’s help in 2010, Japan needs its help this year. When the idea was suggested, for ESU students to volunteer at a food-packaging event between the Emporia community and Numana, I was thrilled and compelled to participate. I expected there to be support shown from both the students and the community, but when I arrived at the event I was blown away. I got there at 8:30pm sharp, and I felt late because of the amount of people that were already there and ready to work. I loved that there were things to be done to occupy your time as you waited to package the food, like folding the paper cranes. I actually helped and taught some of the students how to make cranes, which was exciting.

When it was my turn to package the food, I felt an adrenaline rush. There was uplifting music and Mainstreet was filled with people. I stood next of a Finnish girl and we danced as we scooped and weighed the food simultaneously. My table had a system that worked and we were able to complete 9 boxes of food. By the end of the night I was pumped and ready to pack more food but there were others that needed a chance to help. As I walked home I calculated that I helped to feed 1944 people and it blew my mind. Just to think that your efforts will help the lives of almost 2000 people in need, will set you on a natural high, as it did me.

I think the entire event ran smoothly, of course no event is without its bumps, but from the looks of things; it was a success. To date, this event was the best experience of my life.