COMMON GROUND
Our mission is to increase census participation on the South Side of Milwaukee in order to eliminate under-representation and properly count the citizens of Milwaukee.
Census day is April 1, 2020
ABOUT OUR CENSUS INITIATIVE
Our servant leadership project is partnered with Patricia Obluck at Common Ground. Together, we are encouraging South Side residents to participate in the upcoming 2020 Census. Participation in the Census is important, as Census data directly affects how federal tax dollars will be spent on programs such as roadways and education, and also how the state of Wisconsin will be districted. The main reason that we have learned through research about why an individual would choose not to fill out the Census is simply because they were not aware of it. Little to no information about the Census is the main problem we are trying to combat, and we plan on doing that by spreading information everywhere we can, whether on foot, with an informational piece, or a website. Another issue is many individuals do not trust the government. We are seeking to inform citizens that Census data cannot be used for any government organizations other than the Census itself. We are hoping that the spread of this information will decrease fear surrounding the Census and will in turn increase participation, so every individual will be represented.
TIMELINE GOALS
SEPTEMBER 2019 - NOVEMBER 2020
To research the history of the census. Learn about why and how it is taken and the significance of it. We will analyze past responses of the census and determine what issues have transpired and why. We hope to determine the overall feeling about the census is in the city of Milwaukee.
DECEMBER 2019 - FEBRUARY 2020
Create an Informational sharing piece to express key data and talking points about what we have learned from our research. We seek to find an understanding about what the census brings to Milwaukee and how money will affect it, both in terms funding and where it goes. We will take time to visit individuals on the south side of the city in an attempt to encourage them to fill out the census.
MARCH 2020 - APRIL 2020
We plan to share what we have learned with Common Ground leaders in hopes of putting together a plan to further the encouragement of census participation.
AN UNEXPECTED COMPLICATION
The Coronavirus posed an issue to our original plan
As a group, our original plan was to create and distribute an informational door hanger to the southside of Milwaukee. When we were sent home in March due to Covid-19, we had to be creative and figure out a new way to achieve our goal. Our solution was very similar to the new way of life for many: go online. As a group, we decided that sharing our information online would be the best way to reach the most amount of people possible in our given scenario, and that is just what we did.
ADJUSTMENTS
In order to continue working in some capacity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our fellow students, along with ourselves, wrote exciting short stories to help ease the tension that the pandemic had created. Some were serious and reflective, while others were lighthearted and goofy. As for our group, after we adjusted our informational piece to fit the current circumstances, it was shared on the MSOE Student Life Facebook and Instagram pages in April to help raise awareness. While it will not reach the amount of people we hoped for, it still accomplished part of our goal of spreading the word about the importance of the census and how and where it can be filled out.
STUDENTS
Meet The Group
NICK STACHURA
I am a student majoring in actuarial science and I am also on the men's volleyball team. I wanted to be a part of this project because I wanted to make an impact on the city of Milwaukee and gain a greater understanding of the census. I wanted this knowledge to help me advocate for the community and encourage participation.
JACOB AMUNDSON
I am majoring in biomedical engineering. I found this project captivating because it allowed me to research a topic that I knew very little about. I am able to learn about the history of the census and develop a better understanding of how to assist the Milwaukee Community.
BEN STEVES
I am a student at MSOE currently studying Biomedical Engineering. Common Grounds is important to me because it helps to foster a sense of civic duty in the community. I believe that the work I have done with Common Grounds has made and will continue to make Milwaukee a more better and more politically engaged community.
REFLECTION
For a year long school project, working with Common Ground has been both an enlightening experience to learn about the community and how the census can directly help it. Learning how funding is distributed, how the community is divided by boundaries the amount of people who live in the cities of the nation, and how it will impact housing, education, transportation, health care, and employment. The fact that it also helps determine how many congressional seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives is remarkable. It is important for anyone reading this to understand that their data is not just another number. It has a direct impact on the country and the people who live in it. It goes to show that once a decade, every citizen has a chance to be apart of history, no matter how small it may seem.