Leadership Initiative Paper #2

Melissa Martinez
Dr. Viridiana Diaz, Elizabeth Velasquez, & Mayra Villarreal
September 29, 2014
Ethnic Studies 21 3:00pm-4:15pm

In Gold Workshop Five, another of the seven Cs was covered which was common
purpose. The definition of common purpose given to us by the Gold Workshop Five presenter
was: to work with shared aims and values. It facilitates the groups ability to engage in collective
analysis of issues at hand and task to be undertaken. Common purpose is something that is
shared between friends, family, and classmates. For example, everyone in college essentially
shares a common purpose; that purpose is graduating. The students in the CAMP program also
share multiple common purposes. We all share the requirements for being a CAMP student.
More specific common purposes the CAMP students share is wanting to achieve a higher
education, being able to pass all of our classes, and completing the requirements to achieve our
Gold Certificate.
As a student, common purpose can benefit my education; in my case, the common
purpose would be passing all of my classes. I have a couple of classes with some of the other
CAMP students. Sharing a common purpose with them is the start of beneficial process. With
that shared common purpose, it would be easier for me and the other students to help each other
on homework. We would also be able to remind each other of important dates for tests and
presentations. Finally having a common purpose between groups, would make it easier to form
study groups to be able to achieve success in our fall semester classes.
From the Gold Workshop Five on common purpose, I honestly did not gain any further
understanding about common purpose. My definition of common purpose did not change. I think
common purpose is established from an early age; friendships arise from common purposes since
a young age. The group activity that was done towards the end of the presentation was confusing
and did not make sense. There were five groups and everyone in the groups was given a small
piece of paper. Some of those papers were the same and some were different within the group.

My piece of paper said, Make your airplane as attractive as possible. Everyone in the groups
shared what each of their pieces of paper said to one another. We then came to find out that we
were not supposed to share what the paper said with our own group, so essentially the whole
group activity was messed up. I was very confused with the activitys directions. The directions
that were given to us after we were in groups, and I believe they should have been given to us
before we got into groups since we werent supposed to share the message on the paper. The
outcome of the activity was to make a similar paper airplane as everyone in your group then
compare the flying ability of the airplane with the others groups airplane. My question was,
How was my group going to be able to make a similar airplane with different directions on the
piece of paper? Clarity on the directions for the group activity would have made the activity
meaningful, and I would have been able to complete the two page requirement on this second
Leadership Initiative Paper assignment because I would have had more personal relationships
attached to the workshop.