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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Community Engagement


An article in Wednesday's Democrat and Chronicle bodes well for community engagement programs at MCC as it identifies a survey that finds more people are volunteering. The article features Rochester Americorps at MCC and quotes program director Marilyn Rosche.

Jim Memmott
Senior editor


(March 14, 2007) — Brandi Remington, 22, a 2006 graduate of Ithaca College, joined AmeriCorps here in September.

Among other things, she tutors young people in Rochester.

The experience has been transformative, said Remington, a native of Randolph, Cattaraugus County.

"I didn't come from this community," she said. "But being a volunteer, I've fallen in love with Rochester really quick. I get to see its better side."

Remington's experience is a textbook example of the value of community engagement.

Not only does she help others, she also improves her own life.

It's the sort of involvement that the Rochester Area Community Foundation is hoping to increase in the next few years.

But the results of a survey announced Tuesday suggest that achieving this goal will take work.

The survey found that one of the Rochester area's vital assets, the trust that community members have in one another, has diminished.

"Today, far fewer people in both Rochester and America are willing to say, 'Most people can be trusted,'" said Jennifer Leonard, president and executive director of the foundation, which conducted the survey here, as it did in 2000.

While the survey of 700 adults in Monroe and five adjoining counties found a general drop in trust — from 52 percent to 41 percent — it also found a slight increase in trust of the police. And it found that people are volunteering more.

One function of the survey is to help the Community Foundation target its grant giving, directing some of its funds toward programs that encourage community engagement.

But as it did in 2000, the survey also sheds some light on community attitudes, capturing how people in this area felt about a variety of subjects.

Called the Survey of Social Capital — a term that includes trust, tolerance and volunteerism — it was developed at Harvard University and undertaken in 21 communities nationwide.

While the drop in trust concerned Leonard, she stressed at a news conference Tuesday that there were positives revealed throughout the survey.

People here are more interested in politics and national affairs than they were in 2000.

African Americans and Latinos have become more engaged in community activities.

And while trust between the races has dropped, it remains higher here than it is nationally.

A tumultuous time

Leonard emphasized that the drop in overall trust has been seen in the context of events that occurred between 2000 and 2006. The nation saw the disputed 2000 presidential election, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist acts, an economic recession, the invasion of Iraq and the continuing war there, as well as the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Given all of this, Leonard suggested that it's no surprise people have become less trusting of others and more suspicious of governments.

And given the increase in social needs, it also may be no surprise that people are volunteering more.

"We see a fall in idealism and the general belief in the goodness of people, and that's sad," Leonard said. "But people seem more willing to roll up their sleeves."

The Community Foundation — which has $214 million in assets — has funded a variety of efforts to improve community engagement here.

John Rodriguez, president of Latino Alliance Inc., noted at Tuesday's news conference how important the foundation funding was in putting together the Latino Political Academy, a series of classes for people interested in getting involved in politics.

Dash Douglas, the executive director of Mosaic Partnerships, a program that brings together people with different backgrounds and social and professional networks, emphasized the importance of building alliances across the board.

Gaining trust

The foundation has given grants to the Rochester AmeriCorps program for several years.

The AmeriCorps philosophy lines up with the foundation's goal of increasing civic engagement, said Marilyn Rosche, the program director, in a telephone interview.

Not only do AmeriCorps members become more involved in a community, but they also work to get other people — especially young people — involved, Rosche said.

Remington, the Ithaca College graduate, has been working with the city's Bureau of Parks and Recreation.

Tuesday, she was at the Edgerton Community Center tutoring city school students.

Her AmeriCorps experience has increased her trust of others, Remington said.

"I've taken the time to get to know people. I think that's the problem. People aren't taking the time to know each other."

However, Remington said that while she is more trustful, people here seem to trust her less, at least at first.

"Everyone is really wary of a new face in the neighborhood, especially if she's a little country girl," she said. "They think, 'What's she trying to do, save us all?'"

Her advice?

Remington believes that people need to put aside their fears. It's worked in her case, as the young people she works with have accepted her.

"Once they saw I was genuine, we've learned to laugh at our differences; they've become our inside joke. It brings us together."

Dianne E McConkey
College and Community Relations
03/15/2007