2017 Class Update: Nov. 8th

The Class of 2017 started off our time together this week with some logistical tasks, such as who is going to the BHA next week, who is writing the blog post for the week, etc. Our BHA visits seem to be going really well, and everyone who has gone so far has had an excellent time! We also discussed Cookies to Go-Go, which is being held TONIGHT (November 9th). Put in an order and support the Class of 2017 while eating delicious cookies!

Our class then moved into committee updates (Local, Marketing/Fundraising, and Conference). The local committee did not have too much to update, other than the fact that our visits have been very valuable to both the kids and ourselves. The marketing and fundraising committee gave a few updates on things like reserving and signing up to work Moseley tables for meal swipes in a few weeks, creating swag for the conference, and our YouCaring fundraising page. Lastly, we moved into the conference committee, which is where we spent the remainder of our class. To our dismay, things have not exactly been turning out the way we have expected them to. This is due to difficult communication across parties, as well as the inability to make future plans as a result of non-definitive answers. The conversation we had mostly revolved around the budget that we had been given for the conference, all of which we were expected to pay; however, this budget was approximately double of what we are able and had intended on paying. A time-sensitive revision of this budget is currently in the works. Every member of our conference committee is a rockstar and has been so incredibly patient and mature through this entire process. And at the end of the day, our class is all in this together and will do everything in our power to make sure that this project happens. More developments on the way!

 

The Class of 2017

The Class of 2017: We’re Back!

The Class of 2017 met on Tuesday, February 2nd and hit the ground running. We started class by having some pizza and hearing about all of the amazing places our classmates studied abroad during the fall semester and winter term. We had some logistical tasks to complete, such as designating people for note-taking, designating someone who is willing to send email updates those abroad currently, and assigning three new class representatives to facilitate our class this semester.

Over winter term, our class representatives reached out to the class to find out everyone’s committee preferences for this semester. By doing this, we were able to have everyone assigned to a committee by the beginning of Tuesday’s class. These include Grow Biointensive, Conference, Local Project, Marketing, Fundraising, and Documentary committees. We broke into committees for a portion of our class to find a weekly time to meet, make semester goals and discuss what we need to accomplish to move forward this semester. We shared our goals with the class and had a large-group discussion about how we want this semester to run. Our class will continue to focus on addressing food insecurity through sustainable agriculture and the Grow Biointensive method of farming in Namibia and Alamance County.

We had about 10 people abroad last fall, and a large portion of our cohort traveling over winter term, so it was necessary to spend time bringing everyone up to speed on the progress our class has made over the past few months. We discussed progress made with our contacts abroad, a new option for a local project, the progress we have made writing a Memorandum of Understanding, and the new idea of a agricultural-exchange program between same-age schools in Namibia and Alamance County. We have a lot of new material and opportunities to work with this semester, and are excited to dive in with full force.

Wrapping Up the Semester: Class of 2017

The Class of 2017 has wrapped the semester with lots of reflection and team bonding. On our second-to-last day of class, we were blessed with beautiful weather and our lovely mentor, Carol, brought in a parachute. We spent the remainder of class outside and used this opportunity to de-stress and have some fun while playing games to get to know each other a little better. Our last day of class consisted of a version of speed dating, where we had short conversations with many of our classmates to find out some fun facts and explore things we had in common. Seeing as we started off the semester by going to the Challenge Course and initially getting to know one another, it seemed only fitting to end the semester with group bonding. A large portion of our semester was dedicated to learning how to work with each other and exploring how we can be effective as a team during our next two years together. These last few days of class made us realize how much we have grown as a group and how much more comfortable we feel around one another, which is crucial for effective teamwork.

For our final exam, we were given two reflection papers to write. The first was a series of questions, in which we had to think critically about what we have learned from Periclean this semester and how the experience has impacted us. For the second paper, we were asked to respond to three questions pertaining to our experience so far as Periclean Scholars: What? So what? Now what? We were then asked to provide an overall reflection of the semester. During our final exam period on Friday, December 5th, we discussed our answers to these questions and talked about what we hope to accomplish next semester. This in-depth reflection was a wonderful note to end the semester on. The Class of 2017 has had such a wonderful experience our first semester as Periclean Scholars, and we are excited to see what we will accomplish in the semesters to come!

Annie Phelan Introduction

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Hi I’m Annie Phelan! I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Periclean Class of 2017! A few close friends who have had wonderful experiences as part of Project Pericles drew me to apply for the program. Before applying, I did not know much about Namibia or the program itself. Nonetheless, I was also intrigued by the opportunity to be part of a sustainable change in a country I knew little about. In my Global Experience course freshman year, I wrote a lengthy final paper on how important it is to be a global citizen. In writing this, the idea struck a chord with me. Being a global citizen is everyone’s responsibility, and includes not only being aware of global issues but also always looking out for ways to help others in less fortunate circumstances, both locally and globally. In high school I was very involved in the local level, with service projects such as our local food pantry and Habitat for Humanity. Now I am excited to expand my service and learning to a much broader, global level.

Getting to know other cultures is also something that has always intrigued me, and I am looking forward to learning about Namibia. Making connections and forming relationships with people from other cultures and diverse backgrounds is one of the most beautiful things about humanity, in my opinion. We can learn so much about not only Namibia but also about ourselves and our own abilities as global citizens. As Elon students, we have so many opportunities and resources at our fingertips. Using these to make a sustainable change in even just a small part of the world is an incredible opportunity that we need to take advantage of.

I am beyond excited to work with such an amazing group of people. I know that if we work together on listening to each other and taking all opinions into consideration, we will have a strong project that everyone can get excited about. But before we even dive into that, learning about Namibia itself is our first step and I couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to see what we are capable of.