I began my senior project intending to answer the question, “How can communities stay engaged during a global pandemic?” and thinking about how my own experiences will help me understand this broader question. While that has happened over the course of my senior project experience, I have also been answering the question, “How can I stay engaged in my communities during a global pandemic?” through this project. The work I’ve been doing for jGirls magazine, planning and running events for editors and submittors, is not only for the community, but also for myself and keeping me interested in what I’m doing and connected to my peers. Planning activities and projects for the younger kids at my synagogue’s Hebrew school was not only to keep them busy, but also so I could continue practicing my leadership skills. I experimented with setting up weekly times to hang out with my school friends and daily workouts with the same people I would’ve done weekend workout classes with to see how that helped me remain connected with important people in my life. While I began my project thinking using my own experiences would help me answer the broader essential question “How can communities stay engaged during a global pandemic?,” I think considering the broader ideas actually helped answer this question for myself.

I never expected to come out of this project with a concrete answer to my questions, and it seems like communities are still grappling with it themselves. However, I did expect to have a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t work when engaging people virtually. I think I was successful in doing that. After reflecting on my own experiences and speaking with others about what they’ve done during quarantine to stay engaged with their communities, I’ve gathered some useful insights into what’s effective and what pushes people away. 

Firstly, it’s important that virtual meetings with other people should include socializing and connecting with the others participating–similarly to the ways we chat with our classmates before class starts, there needs to be time to be with each other.  For example, when I meet with my jGirls departments, we chat first and ask each other how we’re doing or just talk about random things, and then move on to the work. This always feels more enjoyable and I am more motivated to pay attention and contribute. However, during the full editorial board meetings, when we are mostly listening to someone give us information in a larger group, I am more distracted and it’s much easier for me to check out. 

Another aspect of community engagement during this pandemic that I learned is that the functions of many groups have had to change as the world does. In the interviews I conducted, many of my peers shared that their extracurricular groups are more focused on maintaining community and less about the actual purpose. My friend who is a stage manager said that her theater company is more about connection and less about putting on a show. I don’t compete on my track team but we still meet to maintain track culture and stay connected. I’ve experienced some groups growing from this and becoming more active (jGirls) while others have kind of fizzled out (Project Chaverim). 

Overall, I think my senior project experience has allowed me to document how my connections with others have shifted during a significant historic moment, and will help me continue staying connected as it keeps happening.