Civic and Social Responsibility

Individuals have a civic responsibility. They have a duty to actively participate in actions and efforts that impact the community positively (Tennessee State University, n.d.). These include addressing societal problems, showing stewardship, questioning government policies, political advocacy, and so on. This is what civic engagement is all about. The Project, a collegiate competition organized by the Project Management Institute, Western Michigan Chapter (WMPMI), provides an ideal example of civic engagement. The project brought together teams of students from educational institutions to work on a real life business challenge with the help of team champions and professional project managers as mentors (WMPMI, 2017). Using actual or fictional companies, each team employed best practices to develop an executable project plan that would be judged by a panel of business leaders. The actual project selected for the competition was to plan for the process of applying for a B Corporation or B Corp certification. By bringing together a professional organization, colleges, and business leaders, the project had a positive impact on the project management field and the community. The institute provided an opportunity for students to enhance their project management knowledge, network with business leaders and professionals, and to learn about B Corp certification. The project was, therefore, of immense value to students.

As mentioned earlier, civic engagement is about impacting the community is a positive way. Whether it is healthcare, education, or environmental conservation, every community has its own needs. The needs touch on different stakeholders within the community, including children, parents, families, students, businesses, and so forth. The Project addressed a crucial community need as it involved college students. As part of the community, college students require experiences that connect them to the real world. Out-of-class experiences help college students to relate the knowledge acquired in class with real world scenarios. Professionals and business leaders can play a crucial role in fulfilling this need. Through the competition, students got a chance to learn about project management as well as improve their communication skills, teamwork abilities, and professional profile. The project, therefore, can be viewed as an initiative of giving back to the community. With the coordination of WMPMI, executives, business leaders, and professionals came out to mentor college students in their professional journey. As Kelly Talsma (PMP, VP Education WMPMI) puts it, it is not every day that college students get an opportunity to have feedback from business leaders (WMPMI, 2017). For students, therefore, interacting directly with business leaders was a valuable experience -- a defining experience in their career life. The project positively affected the community by not only connecting students with professionals, but also improving local chapter stats, especially in terms of attendance, contribution, volunteerism, and engagement (WMPMI, 2017).

The Project is just one of the many collegiate academic competitions. Academic collegiate competitions range from general to specialized competitions. One such competition is the College Bowl, an inter-college competition where two four-member teams from different colleges are matched against one another in a contest (Henshaw, 2017). The contest, which is broadcasted nationally via radio, requires teams to answer various questions from all subjects taught by most colleges and universities. There are similarities and differences between The Project and the College Bowl. Both events have an aspect of engagement in that college students participate in academic-related activities. The College Bowl, however, lacks the civic element. The civic element denotes an activity that is related to the community or enhances the wellbeing of the community (Tennessee State University, n.d.). While the competition in the video revolves around giving back to the community by connecting college students with professional mentors, the College Bowl is predominantly about bringing students together to have fun and interact with one another as they showcase their academic prowess. In other words, the College Bowl contributes less to the community compared to The Project.

As seen in video, some corporate professionals volunteered to become mentors to The Project student teams. This is an indication of valuable lessons business leaders and project management professionals drew from the competition. At the core of the competition, students were required to develop a project plan that would generate business value. In this process, professionals were to act as guides for the teams. By the end of the project, mentors and faculty sponsors learned the significance of mentorship for college students, especially as far as professional development is concerned. Indeed, the competition may not have been as meaningful as it was without professional mentors. By replicating the same in their places of work, business leaders can have a valuable impact on their followers or employees. At the workplace, employees have immense potential, which they may not realize fully until there is someone to offer the right guidance. In their businesses and workplaces, professionals can contribute to the professional development of their employees by acting as their mentors. A closer look at many workplaces reveals that employees lack mentors to walk with them in their career journey. As such, employees' potential may remain untapped to the disadvantage of both the individual and the organization. If mentored, however, employees can put their best fruit forth. On the whole, professionals or individuals with privileged positions should take it upon themselves to offer mentorship to their followers or those behind them.

References

Henshaw, A. (2017). Academic competitions for college students. Retrieved from http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/0466F1A7/Academic- Competitions-for-College-Students/

Tennessee State University. (n.d.). Defining citizenship and civic engagement. Retrieved from http://www.tnstate.edu/servicelearning/documents/Defining%20Citizenship%20and% 20 Civic%20Responsibility.pdf

Western Michigan Project Management Institute (WPMI). (2017). The Project Video "Vision" [video file]. Retrieved from http://wmpmi.org/content.php?page=THE_project_2012_Video