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Grassroots Living-Learning Community

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FALL 09

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A Rooted Living-Learning Community: Cultivating our Ethnic Identities in Christ

For twelve years, Calvin sponsored the Mosaic Community--a place where students have lived and learned together around issues of culture and race. As the original and only Living-Learning community in the residence halls, it stood alone as a place for any student who wanted to take a step of engagement in learning while living together in a vibrant community. Students applied to be part of the program, attended seminars and learning events together, and received academic credit for their involvement. That same spirit now transitions into this re-visioned and refreshed living-learning community as we enter year #2 of the Grassroots Community.

The Community's Purpose and Commitments

As a community of students,

  • We confess the brokenness of our world and the sin of racism which has infected our world on a personal, institutional and cultural level.
  • We confess that cultural superiority and internalized victimization have damaged our relationships with one another, creating social tensions.
  • We confess that we often submit to the world's definition of who we are while failing to "ungrasp" those identities in exchange for one rooted in the image of God.

Illuminated by God's grace and wisdom, we commit to:

  • Reflecting the kingdom of God in how we interact with one another
  • Restoring and redefining our ethnic identities by exploring race relations in the context of the United States, IDIS 190.
  • Sharing our living and learning together through communal meals and activities

Is this community for me?

  • Are you interested in becoming an active part of a community that intentionally dialogues about ethnic identities, racism, and justice?
  • Are you ready to challenge yourself to look at the world a little differently?
  • Do you want to broaden your perspective and be part of a close-knit community of supportive fellow students?

If so, this could be the place for you. Change happens in our own lives first, at the grassroots level. Set your roots, and grow with us.