influence at the local level
Last night the central Indiana alumni association for BYU met to discuss upcoming events and activities that would be of interest to BYU alumni in central Indiana as well as a number of Latter-Day Saints (i.e. Mormons) in the area. I am a member of the alumni association and I very often participate in their occasional meetings. Don't laugh, there are hundreds of BYU alumni in Central Indiana. There are even more fans and supporters of BYU in central Indiana. It's a good sized organization.Tomorrow, the Boone County Learning Network will meet bright and early (barring cancellation from a snowstorm) to discuss the establishment of our fledgling organization. We will most likely finalize our bylaws and discuss a few matters pertaining our establishment as a 501c3. I and another member have been spearheading the bylaws of the organization. we used the bylaws of another organization as our template, taking out what we didn't like, adding a couple things we felt were important, and collating this with input from the rest of the board. Somewhere in the process, I even got elected to vice-chair.
The thing I want to point out here, is that each of these groups represent sizable communities and plays a significant role in the lives of others. The BYU alumni even hold sway over the distribution of some scholarships. If your child is in the running for that, you realize just how important that can be. BCLN is working on establishing an organization that eventually will coordinate non-public school educational endeavors of an entire county. These are some awesome responsibilities - and they are entrusting them to me! If I were to aspire to a similar position at the state or national level, chances are they wouldn't give me the time of day, but at the local level, they are more than happy to have my help. Not because there aren't more qualified candidates (I'm certain there are), but at the local level, enthusiasm and a willingness to help go as far as any qualifications.
At the local level, I get to shape policy, determine direction, and actually make a difference. It's not a power trip. It's a vested interest in communities that I belong to. I want a community education program. I have a certain vision of what community education is and I am providing input that will eventually shape Boone County's Learning Network. Why should I leave it up to others to dictate what BCLN will or will not be? And trust me, there are as many different visions for BCLN as there are people on BCLN's board. Most likely, BCLN will look different from what I or any of the others envisioned, but we will each have had our say in determining the final product. And when all is said and done, I think we will be pleased.
Contrast this with writing letters to politicians in Washington DC where a staffer shoots back a form letter that's been rubber stamped. You want an exercise in futility? Try shaping policy at the national level (or even the state level for that matter). I like the biblical phrase "kicking against the pricks" here (for more than one reason). You're just one in a cacophony of voices (many at odds with each other). I have a vision for how the country should be operated, but I am not going to hold my breath waiting for it. To paraphrase the serenity prayer, we need to change the things that need to be changed and that we can change, not worry about those things that we cannot change, and have the wisdom to recognize the difference between the two. Those who lack the wisdom get the ulcers. I'll take wisdom, thank you very much.
posted by bylaw @ 9:23 PM
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