OVERVIEW
Hannah Harris
Rebuilding Rockport: March 11-15th, 2019
I chose this service project because I wanted to spend spring break making an impact and serving others.
SECTION 1 – Application of college courses
The crisis communication course as well as some other communications courses I have taken, prepared me for a couple different aspects of this trip. I had the opportunity to apply lessons and discussions from not only crisis communications but also the public relations course I took last semester. The first of these skills I applied while on this trip is best represented by the mantra of Dr. Winslow herself, “blessed are the flexible for they will not be bent out of shape.” The implementation of flexibility came into play early in the week, due to circumstances that promoted me to being team leader. Changes in the plan for the week were constantly changing for my small team of five. We never knew what we would be doing for the day at the worksites or where exactly where we would be until we had already left base in the mornings. To us, being flexible in this situation meant that our team should put a smile on our face and seize the day. Being able to adapt quickly and not let it get to your head is arguably one of the most important traits a successful crisis communicator can have.
The second lesson I applied from this course was one that our class has discussed in several times throughout the semester: if you have a clear understanding of what’s happening, share the message. What that looked like for this service learning project is that we had an opportunity to share that the work isn’t finished just because the media isn’t broadcasting about it anymore. Our entire class’ social media platforms for the week were flooded with posts about the work we were doing, and the progress that has been made in Rockport. After speaking with local leaders of the Rockport community, our messages we were posting were communicating that the community is still recovering and there’s still room to make an impact. We were taking charge of the narrative and helping people to see that the job still hasn’t been completed, but that the community is on its way to bouncing back stronger than ever.
The last skill I applied on this trip was being able to communicate with several different varieties of publics. This is the very definition of what public relations is. For this learning experience, there were plenty of different publics that we had the opportunity of interacting with. For example, Samaritan’s Purse is a religious organization. Typically, their volunteers are made up of church youth groups, private Christian college groups and other religious type crowds that consider this a mission trip type of experience. For our team, being from a state school and not a religious group, it was still important to adhere to the norms of the organization we were serving along side. We prayed with our team leaders, took part in morning devotionals, and fully lived out the saying of “when in Rome do as the Romans do.”
SECTION 2 – Student Involvement and Life Experience Skills
Throughout my entire college career, I have been a part of Tarleton’s Student Government Association. Three years I have been on the executive board of this organization. Being a student leader has taught me how to lead peers in a way that inspires teamwork, and encourages others utilize their strengths in group settings through leading committees and various task forces. For this learning experience I had the opportunity, as I previously stated, to be a team leader for a majority of the week. I applied my leadership style that I have spent the last three and a half years developing to still be a peer in the group but to also take responsibility.
SECTION 3 – Global Awareness
It’s easy to watch the news and see the physical devastation that a hurricane has on the town it makes landfall on. It’s impossible to truly know all the damage done to all the individuals affected, without hearing their personal stories. It opened my eyes so much to even have brief conversations with the people of Rockport. When it’s over 18 months after a tragic event and there are still families struggling with displacement, and yet they are nothing but grateful for our presence and impact we made, it absolutely blew me away.
There was a crew leader from Samaritan’s Purse that was actually a resident of Rockport. One morning at breakfast he took the time to express to me that even though our group was only there for a week, and we may think that our impact was insignificant in that short amount of time, that it did not matter how long we were there…progress was made, families were helped. This conversation shifted my viewpoint on the week, and gave me perspective on who this organization was made up. The full-time Samaritan’s Purse staff have dedicated their careers for months or even years to give people hope in time of crisis.
SECTION 4 – Implications
My view of crisis communication, now that its been applied has changed in the sense that crisis communication isn’t just companies trying to stay in good graces with the public when a major issue arises, although that could be one aspect of it. Our team got to see the impact of crisis communications in the sense of helping real people during a time of need. My personal definition of what crisis communications after a disaster is: give hope to those who have suffered a loss. It’s about being able to have a clear message to give to those that are impacted so that they know the state of crisis will not last forever.
The week spent in Rockport had just as much impact on me as I had on the jobsites I worked on. I now have this eagerness to do more disaster relief, whether it be in Rockport or even helping someone in my community going through their own crisis. I can further apply the lessons and skills I have cultivated through this experience and this course to actively seek out those in need. My purpose in starting a career in public relations has become more defined in a sense that relating to people makes an impact. Communication in the face of crisis is something that I will need to do throughout my career as well as my personal life. I plan to continue to work with organizations like Samaritan’s Purse when I can, and potentially even make a career out of serving an organization that’s purpose is to assist disaster victims.
SECTION 5 – Putting It All Together
Going into the week I did not know what to expect from this service learning experience. Of course, I knew that we would be physically working on houses that are in the rebuild stage after hurricane Harvey, but that simple job description did not account for exactly what I would get out of the week. If I had to sum up my entire experience in Rockport it would be “impact”.
The definition of impact is “to have a strong effect on someone or something”, in my case, I believe that this trip was nothing but impactful in several ways. Going into the beginning of the week I challenged myself to not only seek the opportunity to impact those I was serving, but I also looked for ways to impact those I was serving along with. After speaking with some of the homeowners we were serving and even locals we ran into across town that were just interested in why a group of 17 girls from Tarleton State University would want to spend their entire spring break doing construction instead of partying all week, it was evident that we were there to make a difference. This was touching and very well received by everyone we came into contact with. I was not prepared, however, with the impact that this trip had on me.
It may have been a bit selfish to have set out on that week wanting and willing to have some sort of instant gratification knowing I was doing something that deserved a good pat on the back. I realize after the trip that I may have bragged to one or two family members, classmates, and co-workers that I was not going to be the stereotypical “spring-breaker” at the beach, but rather I was there to better a community. I don’t discount that this is a noble and great thing to brag about, but that was not necessarily the point or the lessons I should have been going for. I could only assume that most of my classmates on this trip had a similar thought process.
Other than a few girls that I had been friends with before even enrolling in this course, I knew very little about who all my classmates were much less their personalities, leadership styles, work ethics, or even their strengths. I quickly learned after the first day on the jobsite, that you can really get to know someone while they are holding the 26” ladder you find yourself standing at the top of for several hours. There’s an instant trust and bond you must form in that certain scenario in order to properly communicate. It was so easy to have conversations that weren’t driven by small-talk but instead were deep and meaningful. With each passing day and having more and more of these meaningful conversations while working, I truly got to know these girls and vice versa. There were plenty of inside jokes and fond memories that were being shared every single day of that week.
As I just mentioned, I knew next to nothing about my classmates on this trip, but when it came to the Samaritan’s Purse staff, I knew absolutely nothing going into the week. The crew leader I was assigned to is a man named Carl. The very first day I never once saw him smile and anytime that I asked a question, his answers were very short. Reserved was an understatement. I made it a personal goal of mine to get to know him and learn his story. By the end of the week and several long conversations filled with my teammates and me, essentially being nosey, Carl started opening up. By the end of the week, we not only got to see a few smiles from Carl, but we also got him to crack up with us on the jobsite. With all that being said about Carl, the impact that a few of the other staff members had on me, not only inspired me to want to do more with disaster relief but it also gave me the inspiration to do my class project over a few of the staff members and hopefully share with others their stories.
Reflecting on the learning experience I am grateful for Dr. Winslow for putting this course together and inspiring us. I am thankful for my classmates who I find absolutely amazing. Lastly, I am thankful for those I got to know in Rockport and learn from when it comes to communicating in crises.
