Service-Learning Blog

Service Blog #7: Concrete Jungle

by vchordiya1

Hey everyone! I’m Viraj, and I have partnered up with Concrete Jungle this semester. In this blog, I would love to share my experience with the organization and the projects I undertook. Volunteering with Concrete Jungle was a big learning experience for me. During my time with Concrete Jungle, I worked on several projects that allowed me to contribute my skills and time to their mission. One of the most interesting and satisfying tasks I performed was analyzing their data and making sense of volunteer journeys using machine learning algorithms.

The first step in this project was to clean various datasets, merge them together, and conduct exploratory data analysis. This step helped me to understand the quality of data and identify general patterns. Next, I used deep learning algorithms to cluster similar journeys and identify patterns in volunteer behavior. This helped the organization understand how volunteers engage with the organization and identify areas for improvement.

Additionally, I volunteered for Freedom farmer’s market pickups every other Saturday with Elena. We collected left-over fresh produce from the Freedom farmer’s market and delivered it to a nearby soup kitchen called Intown Collaborative Ministries. It was a great opportunity to explore the market, talk to vendors, and meet many generous people. On average, we collected 30 pounds of fresh produce every other Saturday. This was a very rewarding experience because it allowed us to directly impact the community by ensuring that fresh, healthy food was not going to waste.

Finally, I also worked on the organization’s Doghead farm. I worked on terracing a slope on the farm with a few other volunteers. This involved leveling a hillside’s ground in sections so that the flat areas stack like stairs. This was a physically demanding task as we had to dig and unsoil the inclined part and level it with the flat portion of the farm, but it was incredibly satisfying to see the progress we made. It was also a great opportunity to connect with other volunteers and learn more about sustainable agriculture.

Overall, I believe that my engagement with this organization made a meaningful impact. By collecting and delivering fresh produce to soup kitchens, I was able to directly impact the community by providing healthy food to those in need. Additionally, by using my quantitative skills to help the organization analyze their data, I was able to provide valuable insights that will help them improve their volunteer engagement efforts. I believe that my final project can contribute to the organization in the future. For example, I was able to find some irregularities in the data collection process, which the organization can fix and would help them in the future. Moreover, the volunteer clustering algorithm I designed could help Concrete Jungle predict volunteer’s next move. Then the organization could explore various incentives to nudge volunteer behavior and maximize their full potential.  

Service Blog Post #5

by sflaucher1

   Hello, everyone! While reading through all the various posts about you guys’ volunteering experiences, I am ashamed to admit that mine has not been as active. Due to my busy schedule, I chose the “long hours once a month” route. However, I still had a lot of fun and met amazing people, and I would love to share some of my experiences.

   I volunteer at Dunwoody Nature Center, a non-profit organization that LOVES nature and works to improve Dunwoody Park, educate children and adults, and motivate environmental awareness. Thus, I have witnessed how this amazing organization works to achieve these goals. First, this organization has some of the most amazing people I have ever met. My Program and Community Engagement Manager, Lisha Wedderburn, helped me get familiar with the work and feel comfortable in a foreign environment. She introduced me to everyone at the organization, and they welcomed me with open arms.

  Now, for the part that probably everyone wants to hear about the most- the volunteer part. At first, I was helping with the “aftermath” of a children’s activity or preparing for future activities. For example, I helped set up tables, fixed them, cleaned the areas, prepared different props for children, and so on. Furthermore, I was able to experience how the organization helps children learn more about nature- I was more of an observer here, but I still found it extremely fun! Unfortunately, whenever I chose to volunteer, it was raining cats and dogs (haha, I could not help myself), so everything had to be done from the inside. I communicated with Darcy Johnson, an extremely fun young lady, and she has taken me to learn and do more marketing projects. Everything she had planned could not be done due to rainy days (blah); however, hopefully, this upcoming week will be sunny so that I can be involved in as many marketing projects as possible! This non-profit organization is amazing for students that want to have fun while helping.

P.S.: I have included a picture from last week’s rainy day.

 

Service Blog Post #6: Winding Down

by jreid47

Since I am not a Georgia native, I had no idea what to expect when Mrs. Palmer, the founder of Atlanta Creek League, suggested that we should explore Clear Creek, which is a part of the Chattahoochee River watershed. It was a fun experience to learn more about the creek and connect with those on the BeltLine who were not aware of which creek they were near. However, even though we were able to have fun, we were also able to find heavily littered areas in the city. One prominent example was the area under Piedmont Avenue Bridge in which I have an active case with the city for litter removal.  

Regarding the goals that were set out, Mrs. Palmer and I decided to set our focus on outreaching to local communities and businesses to be more conscious of water pollution as well as informing them of which creek one is located nearby by entering their address on the website. The act of easily locating which creek an individual lives near is the most interesting aspect of Atlanta Creek League due to the shocked expressions people have when they are able to name something they have always looked at. As mentioned before, we were able to meet with people on the BeltLine and it was humorous to see the sheer surprise on their faces. Moreover, not only is this aspect interesting since it takes a short amount of time, but it can also provide unexpected outcomes since an individual will be able to take the first steps in becoming involved in watershed issues and in contacting organizations that are dedicated to their creeks. 

My service assignment is informing my final project since I am getting a firsthand account of what I am promoting, a promotion of interest in one’s local creek, for my digital brochure. It is also informing my final project since I am mapping out where Clear Creek is and noting how crucial its protection is for Atlanta’s water to be safe. 

I would highly recommend Atlanta Creek League to anyone. In fact, I have already recommended the organization to individuals in my other organizations due to its important work and because the people I have worked with are extremely nice as well as caring. I would also recommend it due to the founder being highly efficient and passionate in her work. 

I do believe that I will dedicate more time in the future to serving this organization as I have made many connections with the people I have helped, and met, since we have a common cause. Additionally, I will dedicate more time to this organization since their work directly affects me as I have to use Atlanta’s water system that obtains its water through the Chattahoochee River and is connected to the surrounding creeks, which highlights its importance even more.

Understanding the In’s and Out’s of a Non-profit Organization and Surveying Trees

by mvasquez10

  The Blue Heron Nature Preserve (BHNP) is more than just a pretty place to stretch your legs. During our time volunteering our coordinator has emphasized the importance of learning what it takes to keep a nonprofit organization moving toward its goals. During our first few weeks, we met with individuals from the different departments that help maintain the vision of the BHNP. Essentially, it can be broken down into four main categories; management, development; education; and environmental science. The Executive Director explained her role as the main representative of the BHNP to other organizations and government offices, she also is responsible for managing the staff and making final decisions about future operations and developments. Those on the development side are in charge of securing funding and planning outreach events with corporate and private donors. Education is one of the most important roles for this non-profit, not only for the hard work of planning summer camps, and after-school programs that require teaching staff, supplies, and a lot of forward planning but because it is through these programs that the BHNP receives most of their funding. And last but certainly not least is the environmental science department which acts as the guiding light for all decisions of development and educational program, making sure that preserving, caring for, and monitoring the precious ecosystems within the preserve are done in a beneficial and meaningful way. 

  Ava and I are volunteering under the environmental science department head, Denise Cardin, one of our duties is to help with the ongoing tree survey. A tree survey can be thought of as taking inventory of all the mature trees in the area, identifying them, taking measurements, marking their location, and noting any observations of poor health such as signs of rot, fungi, Ivy, and harmful pests.

Here we are working on one of the trees just outside the parking lot area. This was a fun tree to work on because it did not match any of the descriptions listed in provided Tree ID Booklet we were provided. Being a plant nerd, I took this as a challenge and tried my best to piece together a reasonable identification for it, my best guess was it was some kind of Yew, based on the branching pattern, and leaf orientation. Luckily, I have a plant ID app on my phone which came in handy once I figured out what I was looking for and was able to confirm that it was indeed a Yew tree. It was moments like these that I find the most rewarding working outside, I love learning more, and figuring things out like a puzzle. Ava was also extremely helpful taking notes as we talked and joked about anything and everything. 

  Next week we will begin work on our project, installing an educational sign that explains the importance of the locally endangered native flowers growing in the preserve. We are all really looking forward to getting started and bringing our vision to life!

Service Blog Post #4 Checking In

by lavellaneda1

Volunteering at Wild Nest has allowed me to get more familiar with knowing what kind of care birds require. Over the last four times I have gone to volunteer, I have been presented with various tasks such as preparing food, washing dishes, going down to the aviary, and midday clean up duties. Birds usually eat berries which have to be cut into tiny pieces because for some reason, they tend to go uneaten when the pieces are too large. Going down to the outdoor aviary tends to consist of bringing down fruit and seeds down to the birds who are getting ready to be released. There are two separate outdoor aviaries, one of them I am not allowed to enter into due to it housing the infamous “your majesty” who is a bird known for flying and landing on you while biting. One of the activities I enjoyed most was being able to handle the medications for three birds. I was given the privilege of measuring out the dosage and getting medications ready. 

Over the last two weeks, the number of birds at Wild Nest have greatly increased in number. The adult and juvie room are close to being full of birds while at the same time due to baby bird season finally arriving, there has been an influx of baby birds who are being nursed. Just this week, six recently hatched baby wrens were brought in and are currently being thermoregulated in an incubator at 85 Celsius. Every 15 minutes the wren are being feed nutritional baby formula using a 1 ml o-ring syringe with a cannula tip. Baby wrens like to be hidden which is why when they are placed into their incubator, they are hidden with a light piece of napkin. After 5 minutes have passed from the formula feeding, the baby birds are once again taken out to be feed worms. The worms are cut in half and placed in water to help with hydration. I was given the opportunity to feed the baby wrens worms and had to whistle and blow on the wrens multiple times to get them to open their beaks. This helps them open their beaks due to the sounds sounding similar to their mothers. 

I have greatly enjoyed volunteering at Wild Nest and it has certainly exceeded my expectations. Everything has a set system and is very organized which helps when you’re starting out to volunteer. I’m looking forward to increasing my knowledge about birds and continuing to volunteer with this organization. 

Concrete Jungle Blog #4

by eocasio1

Over these past few weeks, I have been volunteering and doing various things for the Concrete Jungle organization. The first task I was asked to work on involved their social media platforms and designing a new template for them. In an effort to highlight produce that is underutilized, they asked me to create a template for a new weekly post called “Fruit Fact Friday.” The template consists of three slides: the first being where I can present the title and picture of the fruit, the second slide provides the fun fact, and the third highlights a picture of them actively harvesting the fruit. First, I came up with three different template designs to ensure I was providing them with the exact template they are looking for. I then emailed them all to the Communications Director; where she was able to look through them and pick her favorite. I am now in the last stages of finalizing the template, using the corrections I was given. Once it is finalized, they will be able to use this template for every fruit they harvest and post something every Friday to keep engagement up!

Along with the social media side, I have also been helping in their volunteer opportunities. The first one Viraj and I have done has been the farm days. Concrete Jungle has an area of farm land right in Atlanta where they grow apple trees, pear trees, guava-pineapple trees, various vegetables, and much more. On the first farm day, we helped to de-weed the vegetable beds and the various fruit trees. I was told that this would help the trees and veggies to thrive. The second volunteer task we have been doing has been going to a local farmer’s market, Freedom Farmers Market, and collecting left over produce. On these days, we first head to Intown Collaborative Ministries, a local soup kitchen, and pick up a wagon for the produce and “Concrete Jungle” aprons. From there, we head to the farmer’s market and go around to different vendors with fresh produce. We start off by introducing ourselves and what we are there for. We then ask if they would like to donate any of their produce that will go bad soon to a local soup kitchen. Collecting all the produce we get; we then return to Intown Collaborative Ministries where we weigh the produce we got and deliver it to them to give out at their next soup kitchen drive! I have loved working with Concrete Jungle so far and learning more about this organization and their mission!

Introduction: Yashwanth Alluri

by yalluri1

Hey everyone!!! My name is Yashwanth Alluri, and I am a junior majoring in Computer Science. I transferred from India to Georgia State University in the Fall of 2022, and moving far from family and home has been the most challenging decision ever. It has been a ride ever since I moved here, as everything is so different, and I’m still adapting to it. However, this massive change in my life has led me to learn and grow every single day, and I’m grateful for it all. Although I have lived in Atlanta for over a semester, I still have yet to see much of it. So at the end of the Fall semester, when I decided to register for classes, I came across the Honors Service Learning class, and Dr. Finck’s course description quickly caught my attention.

I thought this class would help me have a lot of experiences in and out of the classroom environment, and I genuinely enjoy this class much more than any other class I’ve taken. We’ve had a lot of classroom discussions about current environmental topics, and hearing different perspectives and opinions helped shape my view on many of these topics. We’ve also read this fantastic novel, “Urban Tumbleweed: Notes from a Tanka Diary.” Everyone had a chance to discuss 2-3 pieces they thought were their favorites and give their perspectives. I am now getting in to start with my out-of-class experience with the community partner of my choice that I got matched with. The “Amphibian Foundation” is a non-profit dedicated to conserving amphibians and promoting awareness of the global amphibian decline.

I personally never had any experience with amphibians before, so I am so excited to get this opportunity to have it now. I have also looked at the communities website and social media pages; their blogs were amazing and fun. I am very excited about this new experience and the memories I will carry forward after my volunteering work is finished there.

Service Blog Post #3: Wild Nest

by nmuhammad31

I have been doing many tasks at Wild Nest. Aside from doing the laundry and dishes, I learned how to prepare the food for the birds. Different types of birds require different types of foods. For example, hummingbirds eat nectar, and this nectar is a liquid which we put in syringes and let them self-feed from in their cages. Other birds such as doves, robins, and the waxwings have diets that consists of mealworms, avian salad, berries, insect mix, and sometimes earthworms and seeds. Some birds need special care, for example, having a heat lamp above their cage. I also learned how to properly catch a bird from their cage to take out for weighing and feeding medications. When I see the shift leaders try to catch a bird, they have to be quick with it because some of the birds fly around so fast and is hard to catch. In order to properly hold a bird, you have to put its head in between your index and middle fingers and use your other fingers to gently hold the body as to not let it fly away. I also learned how different injuries can affect a bird. Just recently, Wild Nest took in a bird that most likely got hit by a car. Upon examination of the bird, its head would go back and forth, kind of like a twitch. Its head was also extremely swollen. This is the outcome of getting hit by a car. Our project will discuss how to prevent birds from needing rehabilitation. We will discuss the common causes of bird injuries, mainly focusing on window collisions, cat interactions, and glue traps. We will also discuss possible solutions to these problems. The most interesting aspect of my service is learning how unique each bird is. Each bird has preferences for its diet. Certain species are more friendly towards other birds than others. Some birds are really easy going and easy to handle, while some are fast and full of energy. Working with birds made me realize how unique each bird is and how incredible of an animal it is. This is why we should try our best to learn about the common problems birds face and we need to learn how we can prevent injuries to birds.

First Day Takeaways: Blue Heron Nature Preserve

by astapleton3

                                     

On our first day of work with Blue Heron Nature Preserve, my classmate Milo Vasquez and I met with Executive Director Melody Harclerode and Conservation and Operations Director Denise Cardin. First, Denise greeted us and gave us a synopsis of the organization’s missions, current projects, and the kind of work we will be doing. Their official mission is to provide access to green space and environmental education in Atlanta, but they also want to provide a space for art to flourish as well, showing off original pieces by several different artists in the Atlanta area. Both Denise and Melody asked us in-depth questions about our strengths and our interests, and it was nice to see that they want to work with the skillsets we already have and give us a fulfilling opportunity based on that. Milo, who is very familiar with the plant life both here and in his home state of Oregon, has a deep level of interest and experience in Environmental Science, whereas my interests mostly lie in art and communication (though I have a healthy amount of experience in event coordination as well).

I’m excited for the two of us to get as hands-on as possible, especially since our strengths seem to complement each other. Denise also took Milo and me on a tour of the building and let us wander around one of their trails, where we discovered a community garden and compost space. During the tour, she asked us if we knew about heat islands, to which we replied affirmatively since that was defined for us in our class’s first reading, Atlanta City Design: Nature (published by the Department of City Planning). Heat islands are a problem we see in Atlanta often, where infrastructure in urban areas absorb and trap heat from the sun, which negatively affects the climate and air pollution levels. We discussed the role of tree canopies and how integral they are to protecting heat islands, specifically with the lack of green space here in Atlanta. What shocked me the most was when she showed us a marsh out the window attached to a stream (pictured above left) and told us that it used to be a lake. She said that people in the neighborhood adjacent to the preserve remember ice skating on the lake in the Winter, which is unfathomable to think about looking at it now.

Last, Milo and I had an opportunity to sit and talk with Melody and ask her any sort of questions we may have had. Milo definitely had me beat in the question department, but I think we’ll both learn best as we go along and think of possible questions as they arise. Our first task will be to survey the trees throughout the space and measure their circumference. I am eager for more of this type of work in the future and excited about all the new information I expect to learn throughout my time with Blue Heron Nature Preserve.

 

Blog Post #2: Getting Started

by jdavis311

I first physically engaged with my Community Partner, Wild Nest Bird Rehab, last Sunday. At this initial meeting, my GSU team members and I went through an orientation led by both of Wild Nest’s training leaders. Here we learned about the organization’s history, what help they expect from us, and where everything is located in the facility. Located within Legacy Park in Decatur, GA, Wild Nest will be having its first baby bird season in its newly renovated facility this year. Baby bird season is their busiest season, and it will start in a few weeks, so this is an exciting time to begin volunteering with the organization.

Wild Nest Bird Rehab began after Nancy Eileen decided that singlehandedly caring for birds in her home was becoming unfeasible. When going out of town, she would have to find someone to watch the birds, and when dozens of baby birds needed to be fed every few minutes she would need extra hands. Wild Nest Bird Rehab is meant to serve as a place where people can join forces to care for many more birds than a single person could. Their goal is to rehabilitate and release songbirds and inform the public about ways they can reduce threats to these birds.

Getting to see and interact with baby birds is the most exciting part of this partnership to me. On Sunday we were able to see a baby hummingbird and I was shocked by how small it was! This link shows a picture of a baby hummingbird taken from Google Images.

Some of the most notable aspects of Wild Nest’s facility were the quarantine room for birds with diseases, the outdoor aviary where birds close to being released can practice flying again, and the kitchen where bird food is made. The kitchen even had a cookbook with recipes for different bird species. Live worms and leafy greens were part of many recipes.
My volunteer responsibilities will expand as I go through weeks of training. For the first three weeks, I will be shadowing a “Level 1” volunteer. After I have shadowed them for three weeks, I can choose to do the tasks I’ve been watching on my own with supervision or choose to shadow some more until I am more confident. Once I try the tasks on my own, the person who supervises me will certify that I am capable of doing “Level 1” tasks, then I can move on to shadow someone doing “Level 2” tasks and the process starts again. There are three levels of volunteer expertise, and I am able to stop training at whatever level I would like. The organization needs volunteers at each level and they are understanding of the possibility that volunteers could be uncomfortable doing higher-level tasks.

I am thoroughly enjoying my volunteer experience so far, and I hope my classmates are as well!