First, a definition: “soft power” is the idea that we bring people to relate to one another through discursive work and relationships; this is in contrast to “hard power” which “creates” understanding through force.
Soft Power Project (SPP) exists to address two needs in the Wooster community: first, we hope to diminish the separation between international and domestic students; second, we hope to better the relationship between the campus community and the broader Wooster community. We hope to accomplish these two main goals through a series of committees, each addressing these issues in their own manners: WooStories, Outreach, and Open Table.
WooStories addresses the need for more understanding of the lives around us; in their own ways, people from our community tell their story in an effort to impact those around them. Outreach, through volunteerism, gives Soft Power a way to meet more people in the community, learn their needs, and address them in any way possible. Finally, Open Table addresses a need on campus specifically, asking people of any culture or background to come together and eat dinner to decrease the separation in Lowry.