Late Fieldnotes Reflection: Open-Action within Shalom

     I have recently coined a term—at least, I hope I have—that defines a type of society or environment where volunteerism is a normal and expected function of society. This term, Open-Action, means that people—by nature—volunteer for the greater good of their society and that as opposed to being seen as a special or extraordinary act of goodness, it is just seen as natural behaviors that everyone adheres to.

     In “Fieldworking”, the authors mention that “One key word can unlock information about the habits, beliefs, geography, and history of a whole group of people” (p. 310). Furthermore, the authors state that “we become cultural translators in situations that we may not realize are important” (p. 311). Within the Shalom Community, I have not found a word that is unique to the center alone; however, the term “Open-Action” is one that can be used to decode the underpinnings of what volunteerism means at Shalom. At the center, there are three primary groups of individuals: Guests, Volunteers, and Staff. The guests are those who are the primary users of the various services that the Shalom Community Center Offers. The volunteers are those who assist the center is carrying out non-professional tasks such as message taking, distribution of mail and daily hygiene/medical products, and retrieval/deposit of guests personal items. Finally, the staff members are those who undertake specific professional duties directly related to the well-being of the guests. These duties range from Rental Assistance to transportation assistance to even the retrieval of documents such as a birth certificate. Although it seems like each specific group has their own established place and that the staff are strictly there for paid professional services, I have continued to see evidence of an inter-community open-action society at Shalom.

     When I last volunteered, I collaborated with a guest and staff member to carry several large chairs up to the respite room. Typically, some agencies forbid any work deemed laborious to be only undertaken by staff members who are covered by liability insurance through the agency. Those who are not—typically guests and volunteers—may not assist in these activities. However, due to the low-barrier status of Shalom Center, this is an example of one a policy that is not in place that facilitates Open-Action qualities in the agency. When we were helping each other out, we did not look at it as if it were 3 distinct people undertaking a task. We knew that we needed each other’s help and since the three of us are all part of the Shalom community, it was only natural that we assisted each other. This behavior is not only an example of the great rapport found between many members of the community, but proof that the occupational/social status that each one of us holds did not inhibit our productivity nor did it exhibit any role conflicts during the task.

     This experience models of how I have been able to become a cultural translator using language. I was able to use the term “Open-Action” to look deeper into the relationships between guests, volunteers, and staff. The fascinating thins is that while I initially did not feel that studying this relationship was important, in the end, the importance of the relationships between these groups is important to note. Studying this interaction proved that there really is not much of a difference in the statuses and occupations that people hold in relation to conducting non-specific acts of volunteerism for a community. In short, anyone and everyone can be part of an inter- and intra-communal open-action society.
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Sunstein, Bonnie S., and Elizabeth Strater. "Chapter 6 Researching Language: 
       The Cultural Translator."FieldWorking: reading and writing research. 
       3. ed. Boston: Bedford/St. 

       Martins, 2007. 310-311. Print.