Catch Up With Chuck | Episode 26 | Serviceship

Rural Futures Institute Author

05/17/2018 Added

13 Plays

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Serviceship interns Tyan and Raghav

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[00:00:11.510]Welcome to the Rural Futures Institute
[00:00:13.470]at the University of Nebraska.
[00:00:15.500]I'm Chuck Schroeder, I'm Executive Director
[00:00:17.330]of the Institute and this is our weekly engagement
[00:00:20.760]with change makers in rural that we all
[00:00:23.350]Catch Up with Chuck.
[00:00:24.890]I'm joined today by two really outstanding
[00:00:27.610]undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska
[00:00:31.210]who are engaged in a great adventure
[00:00:34.420]that we sponsor each year at the Rural Futures Institute
[00:00:37.188]called our Rural Serviceship Program.
[00:00:40.070]So, we're excited to have them here.
[00:00:42.920]We have Raghav Kidambi.
[00:00:45.440]Kidambi.
[00:00:46.273]Kidambi and Tyan Boyer.
[00:00:49.070]And you're gonna get to know them a little bit better
[00:00:50.750]as well as their plans for the summer.
[00:00:53.230]So guys, before we get into the nuts and bolts
[00:00:55.613]of the Rural Serviceship Program,
[00:00:59.400]I want to give our audience an opportunity
[00:01:01.300]to get to know each of you.
[00:01:03.020]You come from very different backgrounds
[00:01:05.310]to this mission you're on this summer
[00:01:08.210]and I think folks will like to know that.
[00:01:10.230]So, Raghav, I'm gonna start with you,
[00:01:12.880]I want you tell our folks a little bit about
[00:01:15.310]your background, your upbringing, family,
[00:01:18.040]any of those things that you'd like to talk about
[00:01:20.050]that bring you to the University of Nebraska
[00:01:24.420]and a little bit of that mission.
[00:01:26.830]Absolutely, firstly, thank you for having me here,
[00:01:29.230]Chuck, it's a pleasure to be here.
[00:01:31.969]To start off with, I grew up in a city
[00:01:35.251]of about seven million people.
[00:01:37.835]Chennai is the city, it's on
[00:01:40.260]the south eastern coast of India.
[00:01:42.180]A lot of coconut trees, we have the longest
[00:01:44.330]coastline in the world, natural coastline.
[00:01:47.370]But again, my parents were very different
[00:01:50.170]people from the start.
[00:01:51.170]My mom was from a rural town.
[00:01:53.650]My dad was very much from the cities.
[00:01:57.263]From when I was a child, I was able to experience
[00:02:01.100]the differences between how they even interact
[00:02:04.900]with each other and then how they interact with me.
[00:02:06.913]Sure.
[00:02:07.746]I'm like, wow, how are they so very different.
[00:02:10.050]Of course, that had something to do
[00:02:11.460]with their upbringing as well, right?
[00:02:15.200]That and being able to travel along with them,
[00:02:18.587]honestly, had exposed me to diverse opinions
[00:02:22.690]and gave me a unique perspective of looking at the world.
[00:02:27.010]Which, right now, that has probably
[00:02:29.230]defined my life more than anything else.
[00:02:31.090]Traveling, meeting new people, getting to know them better
[00:02:36.406]and just trying to see how better I can
[00:02:38.820]impact their life and how these new people
[00:02:42.750]can impact, potentially, my life.
[00:02:44.630]Sure.
[00:02:45.930]That started off again, with my parents
[00:02:47.560]and them being different and such of.
[00:02:49.440]That foundation is gonna guide you your whole life,
[00:02:52.290]I just will tell you, so.
[00:02:53.640]Absolutely.
[00:02:54.473]I think that's important to know.
[00:02:55.859]Absolutely.
[00:02:56.692]Tyan, you're not new to the Rural Futures Institute
[00:03:00.135]or the Rural Serviceship Program,
[00:03:02.950]but you're new to our audience
[00:03:04.070]so I'm gonna ask you the same question
[00:03:05.920]to let them know a little bit about your
[00:03:08.000]background and upbringing and what
[00:03:09.640]brought you to the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
[00:03:12.110]Sure, yeah, thank you very much
[00:03:13.240]for having me as well, Chuck.
[00:03:15.440]I'm from Plainview, Nebraska, it's a small town
[00:03:17.550]of about 1,200 people in north east Nebraska.
[00:03:20.910]I had two parents that both came from rural backgrounds.
[00:03:23.340]Two of the hardest working people that I've met in my life.
[00:03:26.220]I can't thank them enough for everything
[00:03:28.740]that they've given me in that aspect.
[00:03:31.099]They're the type of people who don't,
[00:03:33.796]I don't know how they get everything
[00:03:36.270]done in a day that they do.
[00:03:38.120]So, that's very inspiring for myself
[00:03:40.380]to have two role models in my house like that.
[00:03:43.190]That's honestly, that's kinda how I try to live my life
[00:03:45.020]is just, nose to the grindstone,
[00:03:47.030]very hard working, do what needs to be done
[00:03:49.610]in the time that it needs to be done.
[00:03:52.221]That rural aspect is what really lead me to UNK.
[00:03:56.137]UNK is a small enough community
[00:03:58.550]but that also provides those opportunities
[00:04:00.990]that the big city can provide.
[00:04:02.670]Wasn't too big, wasn't too small,
[00:04:03.850]it was just the right fit for me.
[00:04:05.050]Sure, well you've taken advantage of that.
[00:04:06.951]Yeah.
[00:04:07.784]And gotten involved in a variety of programs
[00:04:09.440]including the Rural Serviceship Program.
[00:04:11.890]So I wanna have our audience understand
[00:04:14.480]a little bit about what you're doing.
[00:04:16.280]So, for this summer, the two of you
[00:04:18.340]will be going with a teammate, teams of two
[00:04:21.540]Teams of three in your case.
[00:04:23.115]That's right. (laughing)
[00:04:23.980]You're changing all kinds of things.
[00:04:25.730]But, going into a rural community to solve a problem,
[00:04:29.200]address an issue that has been identified
[00:04:32.220]by that community as a high priority.
[00:04:34.560]So, indeed you're going to be working with
[00:04:37.560]leaders and mentors in those communities.
[00:04:41.110]But the truth is, you're expected to a solve a problem,
[00:04:45.750]to address an issue, create a result,
[00:04:49.990]based upon your own resources and creativity
[00:04:52.320]and figuring that out.
[00:04:54.434]So, this week, we've had these guy involved
[00:04:57.190]along with their colleagues that are going
[00:05:00.610]to a number of communities, involved in
[00:05:02.950]some very intense training in preparation
[00:05:05.204]for this experience.
[00:05:07.470]Because it is not a typical internship
[00:05:11.110]where you're simply going out to get some experience
[00:05:15.780]in a chosen field, you're actually
[00:05:18.443]going out to build leadership skills,
[00:05:21.820]build human relationship skills,
[00:05:23.710]problem solving skill, conflict resolution skills,
[00:05:27.290]community building capacity,
[00:05:29.271]all in a real world environment.
[00:05:32.740]Over the last five years, the Rural Futures Institute
[00:05:35.730]has placed 38 students in 19 communities,
[00:05:39.210]we've seen phenomenal outcomes,
[00:05:42.620]not only for those communities
[00:05:44.290]where real issues have been addressed,
[00:05:46.510]but also for the students that have been
[00:05:48.324]involved in that project.
[00:05:51.458]Tyan, I'm gonna start with you,
[00:05:54.090]you and your partner, partners,
[00:05:56.940]actually are the first in history
[00:05:59.160]to go back a second year into a community
[00:06:02.010]and carry the project you started in 2017
[00:06:06.240]to a new level, so I want you to talk
[00:06:08.900]a little bit about the project
[00:06:11.100]and your expectations for McCook.
[00:06:13.460]Sure, so, one of the things that,
[00:06:15.968]the reason why we were brought here is really
[00:06:19.000]McCook has an issue right now that we're trying
[00:06:22.230]to help solve in regards to childhood obesity.
[00:06:24.940]As do many, many communities, right.
[00:06:27.410]Correct, correct, both rural and urban.
[00:06:29.330]Right.
[00:06:30.163]So, what we developed, along with our professors,
[00:06:32.580]was a camp that kind of incorporated
[00:06:34.590]health and wellness but also sustainability.
[00:06:37.150]The camps acronym is THETA, which stand for
[00:06:39.550]teaching health, exercise, technology and aquaponics.
[00:06:42.290]Which is where the sustainability factor comes in.
[00:06:44.310]Right.
[00:06:45.170]The health and exercises portion,
[00:06:47.054]very obvious with childhood obesity,
[00:06:49.670]trying to get these kids out and moving.
[00:06:52.640]Educating them in regards to nutrition
[00:06:55.220]and just how much they can do as far as exercise goes.
[00:06:58.520]Then, technology, just the way that the world's changing,
[00:07:01.150]I mean, we are constantly being pushed
[00:07:03.530]with more and more technology.
[00:07:05.260]So these kids need to be able to adapt to that.
[00:07:07.327]And aquaponics, I know it's kinda scary to say this,
[00:07:09.880]but we do have a food shortage
[00:07:11.640]and we have a continuously growing population
[00:07:14.320]and they're expected, I believe, it's 2050
[00:07:16.420]to actually run out of food for this population.
[00:07:19.330]So, what are the kind of things that we can do
[00:07:21.930]to help shape this younger generation
[00:07:24.150]so that we can prepare for these problems
[00:07:26.490]that are very real.
[00:07:27.950]Now, I know one of the things
[00:07:28.940]I've heard you say about the project
[00:07:30.650]this year is that you're gonna incorporate parents.
[00:07:32.900]That's right.
[00:07:33.810]At least one day a week into the program
[00:07:36.320]so we're kinda building a family connection
[00:07:39.033]into these principles.
[00:07:41.010]Yes, that's right, once a week
[00:07:42.300]we're gonna be bringing in the parents
[00:07:44.190]to teach them the same material
[00:07:45.230]that we're teaching their kids.
[00:07:47.420]If you only have your child come home
[00:07:49.310]and your family's not really leading
[00:07:51.250]by the same example, their not gonna follow that principle.
[00:07:53.560]If we can really get with the parents and the children,
[00:07:55.900]start to formulate these families
[00:07:58.270]and start to shape them with this mindset,
[00:08:01.670]this futuristic mindset of how important health is,
[00:08:06.050]how important exercise is, how important
[00:08:07.970]what we put into our bodies is day to day,
[00:08:10.430]we can really start to change family by family,
[00:08:12.730]community by community and eventually
[00:08:14.000]grow this across the state.
[00:08:15.260]Sure, okay Raghav, this is gonna be a whole new world,
[00:08:18.570]you're gonna be a new guy in town.
[00:08:20.089]Yeah.
[00:08:20.922]In Seward, you had the opportunity this week
[00:08:23.150]to meet, via Zoom at least, Johnathan Jank
[00:08:26.940]who's been a great ally to the Rural Futures Institute
[00:08:30.840]through a variety of activities.
[00:08:33.050]Tell a little bit about the community you're going to
[00:08:35.730]and what your projects are gonna be.
[00:08:37.720]Absolutely, so I will be in Seward, Nebraska
[00:08:41.460]and at least from what Jonathon
[00:08:43.679]had communicated with me, I was able to realize that,
[00:08:47.721]that the community by itself needs
[00:08:50.890]or requires a fresh outlook.
[00:08:53.850]Although there are people moving into Seward,
[00:08:56.100]faster now than anytime in the past, I'd say, decade.
[00:09:01.560]It still seems like there are some gaps
[00:09:04.230]that need to be bridge when it comes to
[00:09:06.400]folks moving in and the just stuff like,
[00:09:10.640]oh, where are we gonna live,
[00:09:12.140]are there, how are we gonna, are gonna buy a house,
[00:09:15.420]are we gonna rent a house, are there landlords around?
[00:09:18.210]How do we find these people, how do we find a job,
[00:09:22.890]how are employers, is there a connected web of employers
[00:09:27.470]that can potentially help us out here and to be employed?
[00:09:31.700]So, for those who move into the community,
[00:09:34.220]what are those first things, what are those things
[00:09:36.710]that are most important that we can set up
[00:09:39.660]to kind of streamline the processes involved
[00:09:42.538]with a person moving to a new community.
[00:09:47.110]A lot of the times, I mean not just in Seward,
[00:09:49.850]but anywhere, wherever you go,
[00:09:51.920]you might run into problems where you're like,
[00:09:54.160]oh, how do I set up my utilities,
[00:09:56.120]how do I, where do I go for this particular thing?
[00:09:59.870]Because there isn't necessarily a set up job board site
[00:10:06.906]or stuff that are, like websites that can show you,
[00:10:11.800]hey, you can work here within Seward, Nebraska.
[00:10:13.820]Or, you can find a house or rent
[00:10:16.140]out here in Seward, Nebraska.
[00:10:18.130]Just places that, things that people need
[00:10:21.220]in order to even move to a community.
[00:10:22.950]So we are trying to market the community
[00:10:25.390]and also try to bring together stake holders,
[00:10:28.080]much like, again, employers, landlords,
[00:10:30.052]business owners, and even the community folks
[00:10:35.010]who want to make a change within community.
[00:10:36.942]Right.
[00:10:37.775]Bring those people together, see how we can
[00:10:40.110]eventually help each other out in an effective,
[00:10:43.760]strategically planned manner.
[00:10:45.150]So, without having luck play a role,
[00:10:47.780]plan it out and try and get this to work together.
[00:10:51.400]Doctor Lindsey Hastings just spoke to you guys
[00:10:54.180]this morning, who is a Seward resident
[00:10:56.420]and talked about the importance of community engagement
[00:11:01.210]as a key toward community development.
[00:11:03.830]So I know one of the objectives that Johnathan
[00:11:07.965]and other community leaders in Seward have
[00:11:10.380]is creating what they call that stickiness.
[00:11:12.550]Absolutely.
[00:11:13.868]So when a young family moves there,
[00:11:16.690]they don't feel they're just planted
[00:11:18.850]on the face of the earth somewhere,
[00:11:20.500]they actually feel they've become part of the community
[00:11:23.500]and have a role to play in that flow toward
[00:11:27.660]development of the community.
[00:11:29.570]I know you're gonna have an interesting time.
[00:11:31.370]Seward is one of our poster child communities
[00:11:34.550]for a successful rural community
[00:11:37.450]that's thriving but does it on purpose.
[00:11:41.490]They've worked for generations
[00:11:43.420]to make sure that their the kind of community
[00:11:46.170]where people want to live.
[00:11:47.680]I know you're gonna enjoy that engagement, Raghav.
[00:11:50.126]Yeah, looking forward to it, Chuck.
[00:11:51.424]Yeah, yeah, well listen, guys,
[00:11:52.920]we have always said that this is not a program for everyone.
[00:11:58.620]It has some pretty big challenges.
[00:12:02.070]It takes genuine courage to go into a community,
[00:12:06.280]where you haven't lived, and work with people
[00:12:10.480]you've never met or don't know very well at least.
[00:12:13.690]Work on a project that wasn't your choosing
[00:12:16.510]and be challenged to come up with a solution
[00:12:20.680]that is not found in a text book.
[00:12:23.210]Challenges your creativity, your courage,
[00:12:25.300]your leadership and we thing that's pretty cool.
[00:12:28.490]There are lots of adults, quite honestly,
[00:12:30.260]that would pass on that kind of challenge.
[00:12:33.070]So, I'm just so proud of you for
[00:12:36.544]being willing to take that on.
[00:12:38.800]I'd like to hear from you as to
[00:12:41.410]how you think this experience plays into
[00:12:45.040]your own life ambitions and goals.
[00:12:48.430]Tyan, do you want to start?
[00:12:49.380]Yeah, sure, absolutely.
[00:12:51.630]I don't really have place that I have in mind,
[00:12:53.660]necessarily as far as a community goes
[00:12:55.530]to where I want to settle down in, in the future.
[00:12:57.350]Sure.
[00:12:58.183]So, this is going to be a great experience for me,
[00:13:00.090]great opportunity to go and really
[00:13:02.730]give myself that experience without out
[00:13:04.990]actually have to settle down there, right?
[00:13:06.440]Right.
[00:13:07.273]So I get to go into a community,
[00:13:08.106]where I'm not from, where nobody knows me
[00:13:10.010]and just really just do it my own way,
[00:13:13.720]without anybody really having preconceived notions
[00:13:16.270]about me or anything like that and that's great.
[00:13:18.270]I mean, that's gonna be how it's gonna be in the future
[00:13:20.820]when my family and I decide to settle down
[00:13:22.880]wherever that may be.
[00:13:23.780]If it's in Chicago, it'll be the same. (laughing)
[00:13:25.712]Right, exactly, right, I'm gonna have to meet people
[00:13:27.010]and I'm gonna have to know the heavy hitters,
[00:13:29.590]I'm gonna have to know the players in the community,
[00:13:31.080]things like that, if I want to get things done.
[00:13:33.520]Then, as far as a career goes, I'm looking
[00:13:35.560]to go into physical therapy.
[00:13:37.970]The direct problem solving application
[00:13:39.720]is absolutely right there, there's a problem,
[00:13:41.833]we have to set up a plan of action
[00:13:44.170]and we have to go step-by-step to hopefully
[00:13:46.690]relieve the pain, so to speak, of the community.
[00:13:49.540]And that will be a direct application
[00:13:50.773]with my future patients.
[00:13:52.290]Sure, well I, as I talked about Seward,
[00:13:54.840]I have to say the same about McCook.
[00:13:56.929]Absolutely.
[00:13:57.840]I grew up with really McCook as really our trade center
[00:14:03.085]and so through the course of my life
[00:14:04.460]I watched those leaders in McCook
[00:14:06.760]through difficult times and prosperous times,
[00:14:10.280]always looking to make their community a special place.
[00:14:13.830]I know they've appreciated you guys
[00:14:16.300]coming out there and the project you started last summer.
[00:14:19.010]So, I'm just proud of what you've done.
[00:14:21.030]Raghav, tell us how it fits for you.
[00:14:23.210]For me, very much like what Tyan said,
[00:14:25.740]this is again a novel experience.
[00:14:28.550]I'm going in to solve a problem.
[00:14:32.180]For me, solving problems is something
[00:14:34.100]that I get intrinsically motivated for,
[00:14:37.190]like it motivates me to want to get things done.
[00:14:41.458]That, again, fulfills
[00:14:44.910]my need for happiness
[00:14:47.070]or whatever you'd like to call fulfillment
[00:14:49.950]for lack of a better word.
[00:14:51.820]So, I want to go in there, get things done,
[00:14:54.900]shun stereotypes, I want to help people,
[00:14:58.520]I guess, develop the community into something
[00:15:01.950]that they have been wanting it to be for a while.
[00:15:05.680]And I want to be, again, that catalyst that
[00:15:07.930]can make things happen.
[00:15:10.696]Those might be big words but this is truly
[00:15:14.720]what I want to do, that I want to pretty much
[00:15:18.660]make sure that our goals are reached
[00:15:22.010]by the time that we're done with this serviceship program.
[00:15:26.034]That I can leave Seward feeling satisfied
[00:15:29.350]both intrinsically and extrinsically.
[00:15:31.330]And say hey, Johnathon, here's something,
[00:15:34.080]here's some great work that we've done
[00:15:36.240]and I'm proud of what we've done working together.
[00:15:38.970]Working together along with stake holders
[00:15:41.990]within the community, be it Johnathan
[00:15:43.750]or anybody else that we are introduced to
[00:15:46.100]is also gonna be a great, different experience
[00:15:48.210]for a student like myself, so looking forward to it.
[00:15:51.030]Well, it is those big ambitions
[00:15:53.370]that make life worth while and that will
[00:15:56.660]define the difference between
[00:16:00.123]you guys as leaders in communities
[00:16:02.560]and folks that are just along for the ride.
[00:16:05.067]I just have to tell you, we at the Rural Futures Institute
[00:16:09.030]think you're a special cut of humanity
[00:16:12.450]that's will to go into a community
[00:16:15.030]and try to drive change.
[00:16:17.070]And, by the way, when you improve those communities,
[00:16:19.860]you make life better for all of us on the planet.
[00:16:22.220]So, we're very proud of what you're doing,
[00:16:24.070]we'll be intrigued to stay in touch with you,
[00:16:27.030]not only this summer but throughout
[00:16:28.450]the course of your careers, we think you're special.
[00:16:30.700]Anything you'd like to add?
[00:16:32.430]I just like to thank, RFI for allowing me
[00:16:34.800]to do this Serviceship again.
[00:16:36.399]It was a tremendous experience last year
[00:16:37.400]and I thank you guys for having me back
[00:16:38.640]and thank you for having us here today, Chuck.
[00:16:40.150]Delighted.
[00:16:41.130]Yeah, pretty much the same,
[00:16:42.530]I'm very delighted to have this experience.
[00:16:45.690]To move on forward, see what's next
[00:16:48.340]in store for me through RFI.
[00:16:50.593]Good deal, well listen,
[00:16:52.540]we want to invite you to stay in touch
[00:16:54.510]with the Rural Futures Institute
[00:16:56.190]through our website, through Facebook,
[00:16:58.470]Twitter, Instagram, Linkin and all of those tools
[00:17:02.270]that you might choose to follow.
[00:17:04.760]We'll be back next week looking at real people
[00:17:07.770]and real places that demonstrate
[00:17:10.170]thriving rural communities are a
[00:17:12.010]worthwhile choice for good living.
[00:17:14.240]Thank you so much for joining us.

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Catch Up With Chuck | Episode 26 | Serviceship

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