College City Cogwheel | January 28, 2021 (Jan 27, 2021)

Let's get UNcomfortable!

Talking about racial issues isn't easy and can be downright uncomfortable. But as Rotarians we are called to learn about the truth and challenge ourselves to be in conversations that aren't easy. For our February 4th club meeting we'll be doing small group conversations based on the first three episodes of the video series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man hosted by Emmanuel Acho. PLEASE watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 (~30 minutes total) and join us for some guided conversations.

The videos can also be found on You Tube here.

OPPORTUNITY FOR ROTARY LEADERS

Local communications firm, Neuger, is hosting a panel on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 10:30 CST focusing on advocacy. They'll cover how to engage in grassroots efforts and use quality communications to inform public policy. Fellow Rotarian Steve Underdahl is one of the panelists. To join, click the public Zoom link located on the Neuger website at the start time of the event.

THIS WEEK'S MEETING

Join Our Thursday Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85383965788?

pwd=YUhZejJpWnkzcVhoNkgvU0NrU0hwUT09
Meeting ID: 853 8396 5788
Passcode: 601997

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

Cecilia Cornejo

Cecilia Cornejo, At Home as a Perennial Outsider. Artist, filmmaker, and educator, Cecilia Cornejo, will share her experience as an immigrant living in Northfield, her residence since 2010. Drawing on her ongoing project, The Wandering House, Cecilia will discuss how she finds both a sense of purpose and belonging in a community-engaged artmaking practice. Hosted by Jean Wakely.

BIRTHDAYS

Scott Wopata (1.17); Ben Martig and Tom Neuville (1.31).

MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES
Sharon Flaten-5 (1.26.2016); Vicky Langer-8 (1.31.2013).

RCAT CORNER

Our Rotary Climate Action Team (RCAT) is dedicated to making climate change a strategic priority and to raising awareness, providing education and encouraging individuals and businesses to act in the interest of our planet.

Our Climate Action Statement - Read our climate action statement here.

For additional information about our club’s Rotary Climate Action Team chair, Alan Anderson, at 507-371-4673 or luckyduck49@gmail.com.

LAST WEEK'S MEETING

Thanks to last week's Cogwheel Reporter, Todd Thompson.

ATTENDANCE

GUESTS

Sarah Nathan, from Northfield Shares; Kyle Haugen from our Rotary District.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Kyle Haugen: What do we do as Rotarians is create “positive peace.” Giving to the Rotary Foundation allows us to do this. Polio has been reduced by 99.9%. Kyle thanked our club for it’s giving to Polio Plus - $7.058. Our club was yhird in the District for total giving to the Foundation.

LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER

Maggie Miland

Maggie Miland, from Realize Strategies (from Vancouver)

Maggie is grateful to be here today and in Northfield with her family.

We’re plugged in … yet disconnected. How to forge genuine connections.

Graphic Recording – visual notetaking

Rotary exchange in 2012-13 to France.

“Find the differences in another person in order to understand and respect their culture and ideology”

Graduated from U of British Columbia.

Passion is in story telling, this developed over the years. Maggie’s sister is on the autism spectrum and she created an anti-bullying program. Helped to strengthen anti-bullying laws.

What is graphic recording. To do it, you listen, synthesize and document.

Priorize accessibility, UBC Learing Exchange.
Foster Trust, Rise Women’s Legal Centre.
Build Ownership, especially among young people, others can add to the drawings giving ownership.
Promotes deeper understanding for long lasting change, Real Talk Workshop. Great tool for a confernece on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

How to interact with those you serve.

Put yourself in their shoes, then walk with them.
When facing a challenge, wield a marker. Figure out by drawing it out.
Make the people you serve a leading role in the story. It’s theirs.

Procreate on the Apple iPad is what Maggie uses to draw her graphics.

The entire January 14th meeting can be viewed here.

COMING UP

Beth Kallestad

February 4 — Beth Kallestad, Let's Get UNcomfortable! Talking about racial issues isn't easy and can be downright uncomfortable. But as Rotarians we are called to learn about the truth and challenge ourselves to be in conversations that aren't easy. Hosted by Kristi Pursell. (See top of page for more details and a homework assignment.)

Cal Mann

February 11 — Cal Mann, A Rotarian’s Peace Corps Volunteer Service Adventure in North Macedonia 2017 - 2020. Cal will share his experience as a Rotarian serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eastern Europe. He was among the 7,400 global Peace Corps Volunteers who were evacuated in March 2020 due to Covid-19. Hosted by Ann Richards.

February 18 — RCAT/Peter Fiekosky Founder and Chair Emeritus, Foundation for Climate Restoration, Foundation for Climate Restoration "F4CR." Hosted by Lee Dilley.

Jennifer Barrientos

Natalia Marchan

February 25 — Jennyffer Barrientos, Growing Up Healthy Director, Northfield and Natalia Marchan, Growing Up Healthy Director, Faribault, Reducing Energy Burden in Rice County Mobile Homes. Growing Up Healthy, the City of Northfield and the City of Faribault are collaborating to connect low-income, Latinxs residents living in Faribault and Northfield mobile home parks with Xcel Energy's Home Energy Squad initiative and weatherization supplies, in order to help families improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Vicki's Vision

Vicki Dilley, President

Dear Friends,

Wasn't Maggie Miland impressive last week? She sure seems to have found a wonderful niche for herself. One of the things that struck me was her remembering what a Rotarian in France told her during her exchange ..."Find the differences in another person in order to understand and respect their culture and ideology." She was greatly impacted by this statement and she shared with us that it started her on a course she might have not otherwise taken.

What I take away from this is how important our words are, how they might have a significant impact on someone ... for good and for not so good, it seems. I have told young people many things over the last decades. I wonder if my words ever had the impact on a "Maggie" like this man did.

Our Rotary Club has had a significant impact on students in Northfield, but also around the world as we have hosted more than 100 students from Argentina to Zimbabwe. We have sent almost 300 students since 1969. What have they learned from this experience? What course in life did their exchange send them on? I would guess that almost everyone of them could tell and show you how their exchange sent them on a

trajectory they would have not seen coming before they left home.

One of the things students often tell us is how much they learned about themselves. While we may have thought we were sending them off to learn about the world, they had the opportunity to struggle, question, be bored, challenge themselves and look for the differences, like Maggie did. And they learned about who they were like they had never done before. Isn't this wonderful? To know more about yourself at the age of 18 or 19, just as you are preparing to launch into your days of higher education? How fun it must be for teachers to have students like this in their classroom.

Well, be proud to be a part of something so life giving as this, to be a part of Rotary Youth Exchange and to be so rewarded by them coming back to speak to our club and show us what this has done for them.

Thank you all, thank you Maggie.

Vicki