On this page you will find links to LEADS resources, either downloadable or available online. This should be an interactive space where all of us will be able to add materials as we find them. Learn about inspiring leaders, ways of thinking about service, approaches to the world in its current state, and check out the link to the LEADS calendar!

 

President Obama has declared this summer a national summer of service. On the newly established Serve.gov, you can watch inspiring videos, search for volunteer opportunities across the country, and read about others' volunteer experiences (or add your own!) through their blog.

  

What makes a great leader? What are the qualities that set them apart and how have they used them to motivate others, effect change and achieve their goals? Below are profiles and links to information about a few leaders.

 

 

Janie Berrera, president and CEO of Acción Texas, has been a pioneer in the field of microfinance, helping individuals and small businesses get off the ground wih affordable loans. Read more about her in this engaging article from San Antonio Woman magazine's summer 2009 issue. -Linden (from Beth Blissman)

With regards to someone who motivates me, I would say Bill Bryson. I have been reading his book "A Short History of Nearly Everything." This book was the product of him realizing he new next to nothing about science and devoting 3 years of his life to learning how people knew things like the age of the earth. It is nice to know that someone, with a little time and effort, can do well in an area that is well outside their expertise and his efforts motivate me to continually broaden my interests. -Neil

 

Geoffrey Canada, who started the Harlem Children's Zone, is inspirational and his program is amazing. Here's a snippet from a recent Washington Post article (linked below):

     "Geoffrey Canada's nonprofit has created a web of programs that begin before birth, end with college graduation and reach almost every child growing up in 97 blocks carved out of the struggling central Harlem neighborhood.

     Canada was raised poor in the South Bronx and went on to earn a graduate education degree from Harvard. Years ago, he grew frustrated that his successful after-school program was not decreasing Harlem's tally of high school dropouts, juvenile arrests and unemployed youths. He set out to devise an encompassing program to "move the needle" and improve the lives of poor children in a mass, standardized, reproducible way.

     Now the Obama administration seeks to replicate Canada's model in 20 cities in a program called Promise Neighborhoods and has set aside $10 million in the 2010 budget for planning. President Obama has frequently singled out the Harlem Children's Zone, and first lady Michelle Obama recently called Canada "one of my heroes.""

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/01/AR2009080102297.html

-Christina

 

In a lot of ways, she strikes me as a hugely motivational woman who helped ease tensions between nations... by swimming. http://www.lynnecox.org/aboutlynne.htm The information is more towards the middle of the page, but she helped reduce the problems of the Cold War by swimming the Bering Straight-- the first person to ever do it. She's also swum several dangerous straights and channels, and she swam 1.06 mi to Antarctica. In 33 degree water. She opened many doors between countries and is a strong woman whom I admire. -Meghan

Lynne Cox is a leader in the sense that she pioneers, swimming in places where no one has ever attempted before. Cox writes about her extraordinary experiences to inspire others, prove the extent of human endurance, and even create peace. This article talks about her swim around the Gulf of 'Aqaba in the Middle East in order to promote peace between nations. -Linden

 

Representative of Ohio's 10th district, Dennis Kucinich is that rare politician with unwavering principles. His chaotic childhood growing up in 21 different places with a truck driver father and stay-at-home mother gives him an insight into the lives of the people he serves and a commitment to make their lives better. Here is an article that talks more about his childhood, term as mayor of Cleveland, and presidential candidacy. It's outdated now but still inspiring. -Michelle

 

We will be visting Case Western University for their convocation featuring Greg Mortenson on August 26. Moretenson, a former mountain climber, has devoted himself to building schools in rural areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, enabling children, escpecially girls, access to education they would not otherwise have. Read about his memoir of his experiences, Three Cups of Tea, here. Watch a brief video of Mortenson discussing his expereinces here. This excerpt from the book raises issues of service, leadership and community building as Mortenson learns how to make his vision a reality while working in a culture very different from his own. -Linden (recommended by David and Michelle)

 

I have never actually met David Orr, but his story is still pretty inspiring. He raised all of the money for the environmental studies building almost in spite of the college. David Orr's faculty page from the Oberlin College Website. -Erika

 

-Jacqueline Pons

 Ms. Pons is a drama teacher, director, and playright for Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida. She first became my mentor when I took her drama class in middle school. She is still my mentor today, not to mention lifetime friend. She created her own theater troupe, called the Pons Players, which now spans over more than seven generations of students. The Pons Players is dedicated to her father, Enrique Pons, who died of AIDS in 1987, and works to raise AIDS awareness along with other humanitarian causes. Ms.Pons has dedicated her life to empowering her students to build confidence in their own abilities, to cultivate their passions and talents, and to "pay it forward" by helping others in need. Ms. Pons is a great mentor because she leads through experience; she has overcome great obstacles. This spring she was diagnosed with a relapse of breast cancer, and while going through chemo she still persevered in writing a powerful new play that tackles the issue of alcoholism among family members. Ms.Pons has tought me to face all challenges with courage and understanding, to give it my all, and to never give up on my dreams. I wouldn't be half the person I am today if it weren't for her guiding light.

 

Check out the Pons Players group page on Facebook, Together We Will Survive. -Lissette

 

  This may not be the most appropriate leader for the website, but I was reading recently about Ottawa Chief Pontiac and very impressed, and inspired, by his ability to organize people and resources in common goal. Albeit the goal was violent in attempting to destroy the British Fort Detroit in the 18th century, he amassed various local tribes with a history of mutual disliking and attained peace within these tribes. He brought together many people in the Great Lakes area who were former enemies and taught them, in a way, to treat one another as kin and that only by pulling their resources together and acting as an organized unit would they be able to achieve their goals.

      I just love that he was able to bring together many feuding people and achieve a great statement against foreign oppressors. I know we are not fighting the British, but we have a diverse community that has potential if people pool resources together and act like friends instead of the useless bickering. Chief Pontiac had a violent goal to deal with the violent times, but I see the merit in his actions for his community and what he knew to be right. -Joseph

Sargent Shriver, brother-in-law to John F. and Robert F. Kennedy, while often overshadowed by more famous relatives, was a tireless activist for social change within the political sphere. Shriver headed efforts to establish Americorps VISTA, Work Study, Head Start, Upward Bound, Legal Services, and others. He also served as the first director of the Peace Corps under JFK and ran the War on Poverty under Lyndon Johnson. PBS has recently released a documentary about Shriver's work called American Idealist. Watch clips of the movie here, and read more about Shriver here. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sargent's wife, passed away this week, and several recent articles (including this one from the Washington Post) celebrate her memory and efforts to found the Special Olympics, which began as a day camp in the Shrivers' back yard. This shows the ways that, while Eunice Kennedy Shriver was not able to work in politics as did her brothers and husband, she was still able to organize efforts to positively impact countless lives. -Linden (Thanks to Christina for links to Washington Post article!)

 

26-year-old Denver University alum Rory Vaden bases his philosophy of life around taking the stairs. With both a BA and MBA from Denver University, the Colorado native considers self-discipline the key to being successful. He has already founded a multi-million dollar company offering motivational sales trainings, won second place in the World Championship of Public Speaking, and has written and recorded several public speaking and motivationsl resources. Read more about Vaden in this article from DU Today or at his blog. -Linden (from Beth Blissman)

 

 

History and statistics about demographics, housing, environment, education, government and economics of Oberlin, Lorain County, and Northeast Ohio are available at the Bonner CSL website. We will be learning more about these during LEADS, but this provides some good background. Click on the links for more information!

 

Professor Carol Lasser, chair of the Oberlin College history department, will share information about early Oberlin history during LEADS. In preparation for this, take a look at the original Covenant of the Oberlin Colony from Oberlin's founding in 1833.

-Religion. Geology. Humanity. Evolution. Frailty. Service. Xavier Le Pichon pioneered and championed the field of plate techtonics, revolutionizing modern science. This NPR show explains how he has brilliantly woven this stunning career into not only 30 years living in communities dedicated to helping those with disabilities, but also a fascinating theology where christian ethics meets geological processes. I'll leave it at that, coz the link does a much better job explaining. I'm totally into this stuff, so let me know if you find it as nifty as I did. Link: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/fragility/

-David

 

 -Why do we serve and what is the value of service? Adam Davis, in this brief essay, "What We Don't Talk About When We Don't Talk About Service," considers various factors, both positive and negative, that may motivate service and why it is important to recognize and discuss them.

 

- This article, "Activism and Service-Learning: Reframing Volunteerism As Acts of Dissent" discusses the ways in which volunteer work can be reframed within a context activism. While service-learning gains popularity at many colleges, institutions remain skeptical of activism. Donna M. Bickford and Nedra Reynolds discuss the reasons for this and propose that the two modes of civic engagement, often seen as disparate or conflicting, may actually be compatible with one another.

 

This document from Beth Blissman contains three short readings which all take a more global view of service in the context of ways to think about the world considering the feeling of futility one might experience when considering of the problems in the world and the capabilities of one individual. “First Draft of a Manifesto for Our Times” by Vicki Robin (13-15), considers principles to live by in this day and age, “The Global Citizen: Celebrating the Life of Dana Meadows” by J.D. Sterman (25-26) discusses Meadows's ability to remain optimistic while researching the limits of our consumption and the planet, and “The End Is Nigh, Be Positive!” by Richard Eckersley (40-44), which considers nihilist, fundamentalist, and activist responses to the chaos and fear of much of today's global climate.