Group Project Two – Small Wins
CMST& 230 Small Group Communication (Carel Neffenger, Instructor)
Group Members: Ian Bradley, John Woody, Lexy Merryman, Christopher Eugene

Problem Identification

“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime” This quote by Aristotle resonates with how we approached and identified our problem: Automobile related crimes. As criminals become more desperate, the recent rise in car thefts and car burglary should be illuminated for our community due to the necessity of automobiles for every day usage. However, identifying the problem is only the first step.

Problem Analysis

As a group, we started our process with utilizing a research session to analyze data related to our problem. When we looked at public data for automobile crimes in our local community in the Auburn, WA area, there is an extreme disparity. The 2020 crime rate in Auburn, WA is 370 which is 1.5 times greater than the U.S. average. It was higher than 92.6% of U.S. cities (City-data.com Index) By informing the community on methods to prevent car burglaries and thefts as well as the statistics we hope to achieve a small-win.

Solution Criteria

The solution criteria for the Small Wins group project is that it must be the achievement of a goal or task consistent with the definition of a group from our text. That is, the project includes three or more persons interacting who both influence and are influenced by one another. (Rothwell, 2019, p. 24). The Small Wins project must include a community service component, with our group determining what is both our “community” and who is being “served.” However, the project must have an actionable activity that is conducted by all the members.

Further, the project must be accomplished within the provided timeline of four weeks, along with required documentation and support as described in the assignment.

Lastly, the project needs to be consistent with Green River College’s guidelines for the safety and security of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Solution Suggestions

Our first solution suggestions involved ideas such as contacting campus safety to spread information regarding car safety tips via the school e-mail, as well as contacting the Auburn Police to hold a community-based event to help spread information about preventative measures.. Later on, we also had an idea for creating an infographic to post around high traffic areas of the college to raise awareness on how to mitigate care break-ins and thefts. Such as locking your door, hiding valuables, and utilizing car security. (Prevent Car Break-ins: Protect Your Valuables and Vehicle – Nationwide. n.d.).

Solution Evaluation and Selection

While discussing our suggestions, the one that stood out the most in regards to community service was creating an infographic to raise awareness. Upon evaluation, it connected most with the idea of community service; voluntary, beneficial, and directly supporting the community.

Solution Implementation

After we brainstormed and collaborated on our infographic, we planned a day we could meet up to post our solution around campus.. After completing the infographic, we met at the to begin our goal of posting the infographics around frequently trafficked areas and at entrances to raise awareness on how to mitigate break-ins, as well as resources, and statistical data. Due to the campus being closed on a Saturday, we were escorted by Safety to each building we deemed a hotspot for students and staff to walk through. We managed to post at approximately 10 locations around campus.

Conclusions

For our small win we opted to concentrate on the issue of car theft because it is so prevalent in Auburn, Washington. We as a group determined that an infographic was the most effective way to raise awareness of our community project. As a result, we collaborated to create an infographic that offered useful information that can prevent car theft from happening to you. After the infographic was completed, we gathered on campus to start putting the infographic up at bulletin boards to encourage staff and students to observe the information. Overall, we were successful in identifying a problem in our own community and everyone in the group contributed amazing ideas for ways to make this small win a success.

References

Crime in Auburn, Washington (WA): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map. (n.d.). https://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Auburn-Washington.html

Prevent Car Break-ins: Protect Your Valuables and Vehicle – Nationwide. (n.d.). Www.nationwide.com. https://www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/auto-insurance/articles/smash-and-grab

‌Rothwell, J.D. (2019). In mixed company: Communicating in small groups and teams (10th ed.). Oxford University Press.