What Does it Mean to Do Good?

By Michelle Heims

I believe that doing good in a community means taking part in things that result in improvements and/or positive outcomes. If oneself is doing good for their community, they and others will benefit from their actions. There are many different ways to do good for your community, some of which include volunteering, taking care of your space, being kind, and helping those who need it. Respect and kindness are at the forefront of doing good for your community, especially if you are unable to offer more. 

There are so many ways to do good in your community, and research actually plays a significant role in community engagement. Research can allow for more efficient progress to be made because you can ensure that you are taking the most effective steps to better your community. Research can improve community engagement processes and show what does and does not work. Research can also provide data relevant for supporting policy and change. For instance, this summer I am researching foreign policy and how history has affected it in the Czech Republic. To better the community and the country’s foreign policy, they reflected on their past and improved upon their flaws for the betterment of society. Research can also help spread information necessary for community engagement such as ways to help combat various issues. Additionally, in research there is also room for error as you figure things out and experiment, but we learn from these failures and improve upon them. That way you can ensure that what you are doing to better your community is the most effective option or course of action to take. 

Prior to this experience when I thought of community engagement I thought mostly about volunteering, political involvement, community service, and helping one another. Although these are some of the more known forms of community engagement, there are many other forms that I never really thought much about. Some of these forms include: education(also in the form of tutoring), focus/meeting groups, event planning, marketing, and blood donations. I didn’t realize that all of these activities could count as community engagement, some more than others. However, this experience has also shown me how important the little things are. Most people when they think of community engagement they think of largescale work that is very noticeable, but something like a blood donation or tutoring still betters the community just on a microlevel. My CBI was critical thinking, which can be improved through community engagement as people combine perspectives and knowledge to take a unique approach to community betterment. 

Overall, exposure to varying perspectives, especially those that challenge your own, is crucial for critical thinking and community betterment. By exposing yourself to challenging perspectives, you can better understand situations and think more critically. It is easier to solve and approach problems if you have a wide mindset. This can help you better your community by widening your mindset and being open to new things that may help your community better than ways you originally thought of. An example of this is when the Czech Republic gained sovereignty, they had to start from ground zero. To ensure that society would function and thrive the best it could under this newfound sovereignty, leaders in the Czech Republic were open to various perspectives to organize the government and approach its issues. Having an open mind to various perspectives can ultimately make it easier to make your community better, and can boost sustainability and longevity in the long run.