Advisor Handbook |1

Missouri State University

Immersion Programs

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This Advisor Handbook outlines the

mission and vision of Missouri State

Immersion Programs, identifies the roles

and responsibilities of Faculty/Staff

Advisors, and outlines policies and

procedures to be used before, during,

and after a trip.

Community Involvement & Service Missouri State University | Plaster Student Union | 901 S. National Ave | Suite 131

(417) 836-5774 | volunteer@missouristate.edu | missouristate.edu/volunteer

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Welcome to the Missouri State University

Immersion Programs!

Dear Faculty and Staff Advisor,

We are so excited that you have decided to take part in these Immersion Programs and to serve

alongside dedicated student leaders. Your mentorship and guidance will be invaluable on these

trips.

While the Immersion Trips are student-led, we are committed to offering service opportunities

to all members of the Missouri State University community. We believe that faculty and staff

bring unique perspectives to the social and environmental issues we address on these trips, and

can help support our student leaders in their development. Thank you in advance for the work

you will do in communities across the country, and also for the work you will do with our

students. The key to student learning that takes place on these trips is through immersion in a

new community, examining social issues, and reflection on group members’ observations and

experiences. Your role as an Advisor is a key element in making this learning successful!

The information provided in this handbook is intended to provide a more in-depth look at the

Missouri State Immersion Programs, give specific information about your trip, and outline your

roles and responsibilities as an advisor. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time

before, during, or after your trip if you have additional questions.

Thank you again for committing to such an important role for our programs – we look forward

to getting to know you. Welcome to Missouri State Immersion, and prepare yourself for an

awesome journey!

Yours in Service,

Alex Johnson

Alex B. Johnson Director of Community Involvement & Service Student Development & Public Affairs AlexJohnson@missouristate.edu 417.836.5774

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Overview of Missouri State Immersion

History

Immersion Programs began in 2012 as a student-run initiative through Bear Breaks, a student organization whose mission it was to create service opportunities for other students. This student organization was advised by Community Involvement & Service Staff. That year, two trips were planned to Memphis, TN and Chicago, IL. Interest from students more than tripled by 2014, and the decision was made to incorporate Immersion Trips as official Missouri State University programs. Leadership from Bear Breaks is essential to the planning and leading of these trips. Mission

To extend opportunities for the Missouri State University community to learn about the importance of community engagement, immerse themselves in the culture and issues of others, and grow from “volunteers” into Active Citizens. These programs seek to engage MSU to foster experiential learning opportunities that enhance the Missouri State Public Affairs Mission. Vision

Missouri State University students, faculty, and staff will be active citizens by engaging in positive social change in local, national, and global communities.

Since the program began in 2012, students have travelled to various communities during Fall, Spring, and Summer breaks:

Ashville, NC

Bluefields, Jamaica

Chicago, IL

Dallas, TX

Indianapolis, IN

Little Rock, AR

Monteverde, Costa Rica

New Orleans, LA

Springfield, MO

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Missouri State University Community Involvement & Service

Community Involvement & Service is a set of programs focused on involving students in meaningful

experiences throughout the community. These programs seek to engage students to foster experiential

learning opportunities that enhance the Missouri State University public affairs mission. We develop

students who are active citizens of enhanced character, sensitive to the needs of community, competent

and committed in their ability to contribute to a global society, and civil in their habits of thought speech,

and action.

Community Involvement & Service offers a series of opportunities including one time service events in

the Springfield community, immersion trips, ongoing service experiences, and connections to local

community agencies. Students can participate and get involved with any of these opportunities.

We also serve the Springfield community by offering community agencies the ability to reach out to

students and bridge the connection between students and community partners. We are committed to the

ongoing support and development of the non-profit community in Springfield. Through these agencies,

we are able to help address the social issues that affect our community.

volunteer@missouristate.edu

Community Involvement & Service

@MOStateService

missouristate.edu/volunteer

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Break Away

Break Away: the Alternative Break Connection, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization that supports the development of quality alternative break programs by providing training and information primarily to colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations interested in creating lifelong active citizens through these intensive service-learning programs.

Social movement theorist David Snow defines a social

movement as "the conscious strategic efforts by groups

of people to fashion shared understandings of the world

and of themselves that legitimate and motivate collective

action." Break Away provides leadership to the

alternative break movement, which is simply put - college

and university student leaders who are committed to

deeper understanding and direct service on social issues,

as well as the transformation of participants into life-long

active citizens.

Missouri State University is a member of Break Away and

part of its movement. This network allows our university

to collaborate with other institutions and Alternative

Breaks across the country. Break Away’s model for

effective trips serves as a basis for ours, including the 8

Components of a trip and the Active Citizen Continuum.

Active Citizen Continuum

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Immersion Partner Roles

Participants

Over 50 students participate in Immersion Trips each year. There are approximately 8-10 student participants on each trip. Participants often become Trip Leaders in the future. Trip Leaders

Immersion Trip Leaders spend a semester leading a team and facilitating meaningful discussions on social justice and social change. Trip Leaders participate in a semester-long training process and are responsible for planning and facilitating learning before, during and after trips. Faculty/Staff Advisors Each trip is accompanied by Staff or Faculty Advisor(s) serving as the main advisors for each team’s Trip Leaders to

support them during the implementation of the trip. They are encouraged to use their experience and knowledge to support trip leaders in emergency or conflict resolution situations. Community Partners

Community Partners interact directly with the community in which the group will serve. They help organize the direct service, and serve as resources for education, orientation, and training.

MSU Immersion

Trips

Participants

Community Partners

Faculty & Staff

Advisors

Trip Leaders

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Faculty/Staff Advisor Roles

There are some essential Advisor responsibilities that comply with Missouri State University regarding safety, finances, and transportation. There are also some guidelines and resources we have you use in order to share trip information and gather feedback for our office. Please visit each of the items below by clicking the link or refer to the Appendices. Many of these are required paperwork and noted in *( ). All required paperwork needs to be turned in to Community Involvement & Service – PSU 131 before your trip. Conflict Resolution

Center for Dispute Resolution resources: http://www.missouristate.edu/cdr/Links.htm

Driving

*Driver Form (Required): http://www.missouristate.edu/assets/safetran/universityDriverregistration.pdf

University Vehicle Policies: http://www.missouristate.edu/policy/op9_04_universityfleetvehicle.htm

Accident Report Form: http://www.missouristate.edu/assets/safetran/accidentReport.pdf

Accident Witness Report Form: http://www.missouristate.edu/assets/safetran/accWitness.pdf Finances

*Travel Advance Form (Required for Exempt Faculty/Staff): http://apps.missouristate.edu/financialservices/forms/travel/foreign_travel_advance.pdf

Travel Advance Policies: http://www.missouristate.edu/policy/op8_22_1_traveladvances.htm

*Expense Report Form(Required): http://apps.missouristate.edu/financialservices/Forms/travel/Travel_Expense_Report_Edit.pdf

Travel Reimbursement Policies: http://www.missouristate.edu/policy/op8_22_6_travelreimbursement.htm

Group Travel/Meal Money Form: http://apps.missouristate.edu/financialservices/Forms/Travel/Team_travelmeal_money.pdf

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Staff Advisor Role During the Trip

Much of your role during the trip takes place through in-the-moment problem-solving, conflict management, question answering and in some cases providing directions to the trip leaders when needed. You were selected as an Advisor for the dynamic you bring to the trip, your potential to solve problems in the immediate, and your ability to have fun and be a participant along with everyone else. We cannot give you directions on how to solve every problem or scenario that come up. Additionally, we expect you to make sure that the Trip Leaders are carrying out their leadership roles. The Advisor is essentially a “behind-the-scenes” kind of person. This does not mean that you can’t provide your insights and ideas about certain situations, but leave the initial decision-making up to the trip leaders and be there for them when they need a little direction. Another reason we believe in having Faculty/Staff Advisors on the trip (apart from the logistics) is that, frankly, you have more life experience. Advisors have a different perspective on the issues that you’re discussing and have a different role in not being a peer of the participants on the trip. We encourage Advisors to push the discussions a bit and to encourage trip leaders to ask difficult questions. Don’t be afraid to open up and show participants your true self – they will appreciate your ability to relate to them. There are times when Advisors can feel a bit out of the loop with stuff, but embrace it and have fun with them. Being an Advisor can be an amazing experience and you’ll never know what you’re going to learn from the participants. Basic Duties on the Trip

Manage money for food, gas, and other expenses (in the form of money allocation via the Travel Advance Form

Take appropriate actions in case of an emergency on the trip

Participate in all service and reflection experiences during the trip

Create deep meaningful dialogue, inquiry and critical thinking surrounding social justice issues

Serve as a resource for the Trip Leaders concerning group dynamics and logistics as needed

Encourage and support Trip Leaders as the primary guides, facilitators, and leaders of your Immersion experience

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Driving All drivers will need to complete a Driver Form (and submit a copy of a valid driver’s license) and review

the University Vehicle Policies. Some trips will be taking Enterprise Vehicles, which fall under University

Policies as well.

Dealing with the Money All staff advisors will need to consult with Community Involvement & Service and Trip Leaders to pinpoint what the trip budget will be. It is then the Advisor’s responsibility to complete a Travel Advance Form in order to take money on the trip. When completing your Travel Advance Form, please use these account codes:

B02567 - Ashville Immersion

B02568 - Dallas Immersion

B02569 - Indy Immersion

B02570 - Springfield Immersion

B02571 - NOLA Immersion

If cash is allocated to participants for travel/meals, make sure to fill out a Group Travel/Meal Money Form and have all participants sign. Guiding Principle: Be frugal. This experience is meant to immerse ourselves in the community. The money will be spent mostly on housing, food, and educational opportunities (museums, etc.) At the end of the trip: you will need to complete an Expense Report Form and turn it into the Bursar’s Office.

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Food Like travel, food options and delivery methods are unique to each trip. While the responsibility for this lies primarily with your Trip Leaders, be inquisitive. Here’s a basic outline of all the possible methods and things to know about each one: **First and foremost, know the dietary restrictions of your team** Meals included Some trips may have meals provided as a portion of the program fees, TLs should know what meals are provided and what are not by the organization

All meals will be provided by the organization. They should have vegetarian options, but they may not be extensive. Make sure TLs ask

about that. You might want to bring snacks or buy them when you get there.

Cooking Your Own Meals Most of the domestic trips will have to cook meals for the group. We require TLs seeking low- to no-cost housing to find lodging that has a kitchen or seek out a community center nearby which has a kitchen to cook all meals.

Plan your menu, make one giant shopping list, and then take a couple students shopping. Lunch may be provided by the organization, but you may have to make your own. If you do eat out, students will want to know how much they can spend at each meal and if it

includes tip and drink! It may be helpful to figure out what your “normal” total is ($7 x 15 people is $105.

Top Tips If it’s possible, plan your menu out in advance and go shopping as soon as you arrive, so you

don’t have to do it after a long day’s work. It’s cheaper to buy bottled water and snacks in bulk but even cheaper to bring reusable bottles. Check out the kitchen to see what pots/pans/cooking knives/serving spoons they have. At the grocery store, don’t forget to buy utensils, bowls, paper bags & baggies if you’re packing

lunches, cups, and other basic supplies. Make sure to label all your food in the common kitchen, so it doesn’t disappear. One Way to Organize Meals Figure out the number of times you’ll be eating out and which nights. Create teams and assign them to meals. Breakfast: Buy breakfast options and students get them on their own as they wake up. Lunch: Sandwich assembly line. Assign teams to each day. Dinner: Try to plan the menu out in advance – what can you cook a lot of for not a lot of money?

Assign teams to each night.

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Emergencies Despite everyone’s best efforts, emergencies and unexpected situations happen (broken ankles, bark

poisoning, flat tires), so here are a few tips on what you can and should do.

Know the Phone Numbers You should have EVERY participant program the On-Call Advisor, Faculty-Staff Advisor, and Trip Leaders’ phone numbers into their cell phones! Have everyone’s phone number handy (and preferably programmed into your phones). Keep a list of everyone’s cell phone numbers in your pocket and give a copy of the list to everyone on the trip. This will help keep track of people in airports, in different vans, at different sites, on public transportation, etc. In any emergency, make sure participants alert the Advisor and Trip Leaders immediately. Insurance Students who are not covered under their parents' or guardians' health insurance plan or have no coverage of

their own are encouraged to purchase health insurance. International students are required to purchase this insurance in order to attend Missouri State University. Each international student's account will be charged for required health insurance when they register for classes each semester.

If a student needs meds or medical care and it’s not covered by insurance, it’s their responsibility to pay. Encourage them to have a credit card and a conversation with parents or guardians prior to trip.

What To Do in Case of an Emergency First and foremost, put your own problem solving skills to work to do whatever is necessary to solve

it in the immediate. You will have been given a list of Emergency Contacts for the trip as well as emergency contacts for

everyone on your trip. Call the On-Call Advisor to update him/her/zir on the situation. Keep him/her/zir updated as the

situation evolves and is resolved. If someone has to go to the hospital, the Advisor MUST go with them to the hospital. One TL may

accompany the Advisor, but the other TL must stay back with the group. The Immersion Trip First Aid Kit A basic first aid kit will be sent with you on the trip. The goal of the kit is to provide the immediate first aid you would need while you get to a hospital and for very basic care. It certainly does not have everything to handle an emergency, so trip leaders should have a discussion with participants about medications and other possible needs while on the trip.

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Contacts

On-Call: Alex Johnson, Director for Community Involvement & Service:

alexjohnson@missouristate.edu, (o) 417.836.5774 (c) 417.699.0415

Trip Leaders Phone Number Email Address

Trip Participants Phone Number Email Address

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Trip Information

Trip Issue:

Trip Location:

Departure:

Time Zone:

Accommodations:

Community Partner:

Site Leaders:

Participants:

Certified Drivers:

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Education & Reflection

Education should include the historical, political, social, and cultural context of the social problems you will be working with during service. Effective education provides faces and opinions from all perspectives on the issue, including ways that your personal life choices are connected to them. The organization you will be working with may be able to provide resources for education. Here are a couple good articles on service in general to get you started.

The Starfish Story

There was a man who lived along the ocean. One morning, at about 5:00 am, when he could sleep no

longer, he decided to take a walk along the beach. It was a foggy morning, and the first rays of the sun

were slipping above the horizon. The man enjoyed the walk; it was as if the beach belonged to him. He

glanced down on the beach and saw a figure that seemed to be dancing. He wondered why anyone

would be on the beach so early; his curiosity caused him to quicken his pace.

As he drew nearer, he realized that the figure was that of a young man, and he wasn't dancing... he was

throwing something into the water. As he drew very close, he realized that the young man was picking

starfish off the beach and was tossing them back into the water. "Why are you throwing starfish into the

water?" he asked. As the young man continued on with his task he replied, "The tide is going out, the

sun is rising, and the starfish that are left on the beach will surely die."

"I understand," the man replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. It seems such a

waste of time and energy! You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many and there are

miles and miles of beach with starfish all along it. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a

difference?"

The young man thought for a moment. He reached down to pick up another starfish, and as he gently

threw it back into the sea he said, "It makes a difference... to this one."

Starfish Hurling and Community Service

by Keith Morton http://steans.depaul.edu/faculty/docs/starfishHurlingAndCommunityService.pdf

One of the most popular stories in community service events is that of the starfish: a (fill in your

description, usually young) person is running, hurling starfish deposited on the beach by a storm back

into the sea. “What are you doing,” asks a (fill in your description, usually old) person, “You can’t

possibly throw all the starfish back. Your effort makes no difference.” “It makes a difference to this one,”

replies the first person, who continues off down the beach. The usual conclusions drawn from this

hackneyed tale are about the importance of making a difference where you can, one person or problem

at a time; about not being put off by skepticism or criticism or cynicism.

The story acknowledges the relief that comes when we find a way to relieve suffering. A

somewhat deeper reading is that there is merit in jumping into a situation and finding a way to act - the

first step in determining what possibilities for action might exist. But the tale is, ultimately, mis-

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educative and I wish people would stop using it. First, it is about a problem - starfish cast up by a storm -

that is apolitical (unless you stretch for the connection between pollution and el Nino that might have

precipitated the storm). There is seldom any hesitancy or moral complexity in responding to a crisis

caused by natural disaster. It is the one circumstance in which charity can be an unmitigated good. The

story suggests that all problems are similarly simple - that there is a path of action, which is right and can

avoid the traps of politics, context, or complex and contradictory human relationships.

Second, the story is about helping starfish and not about helping people. It avoids, therefore, the

shadow side of the service, the sticky problem of who deserves our help. The starfish are passive; they

have no voice; they cannot have an opinion about their circumstances, at least not that we can hear.

This one is much like that one. Their silence coincides with the fact that they can have done nothing (the

story suggests) to deserve their fate. In most of the situations where this story is told, service is about

people working with people: people with histories, voices, opinions, judgment, more or less power.

Third, the story avoids the possible complexity of ecology: it might be that the starfish are part of

a food chain that is being interrupted as they are thrown back - birds might go hungry at a critical time

of year, for example; or it might be that the starfish have been released by a storm from the ocean

bottom because they have outgrown their habitat. It is never smart to intervene in an ecosystem

without understanding how all of its parts are interrelated.

Fourth, the tale suggests that we should work from emotional response and not our heads, even

though the problem is, in this case, a knowable one. As “overwhelming” as the miles of beach seem, the

dilemma of the starfish is finite and knowable - this many starfish on this stretch of beach; a bit of

advance organizing could result in enough volunteers to return all the starfish to the sea.

Fifth, the story privileges random, individual acts of kindness. It avoids questions of community

(and we claim “community service” as our ground after all). It avoids questions of working with others. It

polarizes the relationship of the two actors: how different would the story be if the second person

joined in with the first? In short, the story does nothing to teach us about community or service. This in

itself is not necessarily a problem; it could be an entertaining tale, and that could be enough. What

makes it a problem, however, is that the tale of the starfish pretends to teach us something about

community service, even as it misdirects our sympathies, our intellects and our sense of purpose.

Don’t go charging out to help. Talk, listen, build relationships, know your self, your environment; work

with others where they and the situation itself can teach you how to act with more and more

knowledge and effectiveness. Stop hurling starfish.

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Consider Before Your Service

What do you imagine your community partner site is like?

What are some personal perceptions that you have about the agency you will be working with?

How have experiences from your life, thus far, influenced your values and beliefs in relation to the service you will be doing?

What questions do you have about the deep causes of the social issue you’ll be working with?

How educated are you on the social or environmental justice issue?

What is the identified problem/community need?

How is your community partner site addressing that need?

Why are you needed?

What fear, if any, do you have about working in the community?

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

What would you like to change about your community?

What communities/identity groups are you a member of? How might this be related with your

commitment to service?

Consider After Your Service

What? —What happened? —What did you observe? —What issue is being addressed or population is being served? So What? —Did you learn a new skill or clarify an interest? —Did you hear, smell, or feel anything that surprised you? —How is your experience different from what you expected? —What impacts the way you view the situation/experience? (What lens are you viewing from?) —What did you like/dislike about the experience? —What did you learn about the people/community? —What are some of the pressing needs/issues in the community? —How does this project address those needs? Now What? —What seem to be the root causes of the issue addressed? —What other work is currently happening to address the issue? —What learning occurred for you in this experience? —What would you like to learn more about, related to this project or issue? —What follow-up is needed to address any challenges or difficulties? —What information can you share with your peers or the community? —If you could do the project again, what would you do differently?

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Social Change Model Consciousness of Self

o Were you aware of your underlying beliefs of how to “properly” build a model? o What are your underlying beliefs of the community you are going to?

Congruence o Did you act on what you were thinking or did you do something different while

building? o What actions do you have that might conflict with values of the community you

are going to enter?

Commitment o Did anyone give up through this activity? Why? o What is going to happen when things get tough in Atlanta?

Collaboration o How did your group collaborate? o How will your group collaborate?

Common Purpose o I provided the common purpose, but what if I had just provided the materials

with no direction? o Who is giving you direction or purpose on this trip?

Controversy with Civility o Who had disagreements in their group? How did those play out? o How might disagreements arise on this trip, how will those play out?

Citizenship o Why did you feel responsible to do this challenge? o What is going to prompt you to continue the “challenge” in the community after

the trip?

Change

o What is Social Change going to look like on this trip?

Root Causes Activity Students will participate in the Root Causes Activity: Why is Sam ______? Be sure to entertain

all options, but the following questions will help guide the post-conversation

Guiding questions:

What do you think when you see Sam?

Is Sam a boy or a girl? Why did you think that?

How does it feel to do this activity?

Are there anything on here you disagree with?

How does your own lived experience influence what you wrote here?

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Sample Reflection Questions

What were your initial expectations? Have these expectations changed? How? Why?

What about your community involvement has been an eye-opening experience?

How do you motivate yourself to go to your site when you don't feel like it?

What specific skills have you used at your community site?

Describe a person you've encountered in the community who made a strong impression on you, positive or negative.

Do you see benefits of doing community work? Why or why not?

Has your view of the population with whom you have been working changed? How?

How has the environment and social conditions affected the people at your site?

What institutional structures are in place at your site or in the community? How do they affect the people you work with?

Has the experience affected your worldview? How?

Why does the organization you are working for exist?

Did anything about your community involvement surprise you? If so, what?

What did you do that seemed to be effective or ineffective in the community?

How does your understanding of the community change as a result of your participation in this project?

How can you continue your involvement with this group or social issue?

How can you educate others or raise awareness about this group or social issue?

What are the most difficult or satisfying parts of your work? Why?

Talk about any disappointments or successes of your project. What did you learn from it?

During your community work experience, have you dealt with being an "outsider" at your site? How does being an "outsider" differ from being an "insider"?

How are your values expressed through your community work?

What sorts of things make you feel uncomfortable when you are working in the community? Why?

Complete this sentence: Because of my service-learning, I am....

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Ideas for Reflection There are a wide range of meaningful reflective practices and strategies that can be incorporated into service-learning, including the frequently used approaches listed below.

Journals: Writing in journals is widely used by service-learning programs to promote reflection. They're most meaningful when instructors pose key questions for analysis. (See bottom of page for sample reflection questions.)

Community Presentations: Students create a video or photo documentary on the community experience.

Presentations to Community Organizations: Students present work to community organization staff, board members, and participants.

Speakers: Invite community members or organization staff to present in class on their issue area.

Community Events: Identify community events that students can attend to learn more about issues.

Mapping: Create a visual map that shows how the service-learning experience connects to larger issues at the state/national/global level.

Videos: View a video or documentary to elicit discussion about critical issues that relate to their service experiences.

Letters-to-the Editor: Students write a letter-to-the-editor or to government officials that address issues important to the community organizations where they are working

Creative Projects: Students make a collage or write a poem or song to express an experience.

Blog: Create a course blog where students can post comments on their experiences.

Reflective Reading: Find articles, poems, stories or songs that relate to the service

students are doing and that create discussion questions.

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Making the Most of a Smart Phone: iMovie The iMovie application for iPhone costs $4.99 but is a great tool for creating simple and catchy

videos. You can stich a couple videos together on your phone in 10 minutes or less. There are

predesigned templates and background music to choose from to make the video even more

seamless.

Epic Epic is a video-capturing tool that costs $1.99 that allows you to take clips in succession and it

stiches it together for you. Set the clips between 1 second and 10 seconds and record an entire

week, day, service project, or other adventure. These short videos can be showcased any day to

demonstrate what happened.

Google Maps/Apple Maps Both Google & Apple have map applications that have their strengths & weaknesses. Be sure to

compare addresses in both before proceeding. Be aware that if you have an iPhone and utilize

Siri then you will navigate using apple maps by default.

Gas Buddy The Gas Buddy application is a great tool to locate cheap gas, and even find out what gas

stations are coming up in the distance. Utilize it to save money throughout the trip. Also be

sure to note that some places may have cheap gas, but not have access to quality restrooms and

food.

Beware: Gas stations affiliated with Walmart, Sams Club, Kroger, etc. may have lower prices for

members only.

Twitter/Facebook/Instagram Be sure to utilize your social networks. We will be retweeting things throughout the week if

people use the #_______________. Also you can include #AlternativeBreaks for a national post

– these are great ways to brag about our trips to other schools.

@MissouriState

@MoStateService

#CitizenBear

#________________

_

#AlternativeBreaks

@BreakAway

YouTube Feel free to upload videos to YouTube using the MSUServes account information. We will share

these videos throughout the week. Raw footage is OK! People like to see rough videos instead

of polished pieces many of times.

Login Information MSUServes@gmail.com

bearblitz

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Blogs

Blogs are a mandatory part of these trips, as they are important for several reasons. First, they allow students to reflect on service and learning experiences. Reflection allows students to complete the circle of learning. Second, blogs allow our office to assess student learning and program outcomes. We compare blog posts and student comments to the Social Change Model of Leadership. Last, Immersion Trips are showcased on the Missouri State homepage, Facebook, Twitter, etc. These blogs will be one of the main focal points for community members, alumni, etc. to gain an understanding of what students are doing. Every person should blog at least once during the week. Be sure that people sign their blog at the end.

Blogs should be updated 1-2 times a day. If you do not have internet access you should have them

recorded on a computer and then upload to the blog as soon as you do have access.

These prompts are for the formal blogs. Feel free to add photos and commentary from smart phones

throughout the day as you feel inclined.

Reflective Prompts:

These prompts can be used to guide someone through a general post. Students can post using 3

paragraphs “What, So What, Now What” identifying the what of the question, so what does that mean

to the student, and now what will the student or should society do differently.

What is something that surprised you today?

What was your gut reaction to something you experienced today and what do you think about

that gut reaction now looking back?

How do you see your social issue in your location in comparison to Springfield?

What do you wish people back at Missouri State would know regarding your issue?

Identify a frustration or anger that you experienced and how do you process that?

How do you plan to take this experience & knowledge gained and do something with it?

What is something that challenged you today?

Do you have a different view of something now than before you left for the trip?

What are you learning from others on the trip?

What do you see yourself doing differently when you get back to Springfield?

Why would you recommend an Immersion Trip to a friend?

What has been uncomfortable for you and how have you addressed that?

Do you feel guilty about anything? Why might that be?

Complete a narrative (story) of one of your service projects. Highlight your thoughts coming

into the service project, what you experienced, the conversations you had, and the reflection

after the project

Upload a photo and explain what that photo means to you and why are you wanting to share it

Create a poem that highlights your experience

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Make a list of unanswered questions you have now on the trip

Record a video blog highlighting your thoughts about the day, sharing information. (This can be

done with another person as well)

Link a blog to a song that inspires you or that has significant meaning from the day. Explain how

the lyrics are influencing your post.