Campus Compact » Program Models Campus-Community Partnerships (And/Or Campus/Corporate/Community Partnerships)

Center for Democracy & Humanity

tdomf_26a6d — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

URL: http://democracy.mwcc.edu

The Center for Democracy and Humanity at Mount Wachusett Community College in North Central Massachusetts envisions a world where the values of democracy are embodied in the daily lives of individuals and communities.

In the fall of 2002, MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino announced the “Decade of Civic Engagement,” a college-wide effort to foster increased civic responsibility among its students, faculty, staff and greater community.

The Center for Democracy and Humanity was recently established to oversee the many programs and services offered by the college as part of the Decade of Civic Engagement. The Center coordinates programs and activities to ensure optimum efficiency and collaboration. In addition to the college’s many outreach programs, college faculty are committed to infusing service learning into their curricula and academic endeavors.

To promote civic engagement within the college and its broader community, the Center for Democracy and Humanity employs four strategies:

Student engagement
Resident engagement
Capacity building and
Systemic change.

In the Classroom

With civic engagement and service learning in the classroom, students gain practical experience that sets them apart in a competitive job market, communities benefit and classroom learning is reinforced. Students also become more knowledgeable, self-confident, active and engaged citizens with effective critical thinking skills. this effort is guided by a team of faculty advisors.

The Center’s Academic Programs

Citizenship Academy – The Citizenship Academy introduces high school students to higher education, civic engagement and community service. While earning college credit, students learn the basics of thinking and writing with clarity as well as how to become engaged in their communities. The academy offers Composition, Economics, Political Science and Sociology courses–all with a civic engagement/service learning component. The academy’s unique curriculum allows students to focus on issues pertinent to their lives and communities.

Service Learning – Service Learning programs involve students in organized community service that addresses local needs, while developing their academic skills, sense of civic responsibility and commitment to the community. by developing reciprocal partnerships, the program strives to serve the community and enrich the students’ educational and civic engagement experiences. Over 1,200 MWCC students have participated in Service Learning experiences, performing more than 7,000 hours of service to the community. In the coming year, faculty mini-grants will be awarded for new and innovative integration of service learning within the curricula.

AmeriCorps Scholars – Through the AmeriCorps, a number of students are chosen each year for the Scholarships for Service program that engages students as part-time AmeriCorps members. The program is designed to both acknowledge and advance campus civic engagement efforts, placing students at the core. Students are required to complete 300 hours of service with a local non-profit organization during the school year as an intensive means of meeting critical needs in education, public safety, health and the environment.

In the Community

Center for Democracy and Humanity Community Development and Outreach Programs:

Community Builders and Project Volunteer – Community Builders is a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC to educate, inform and inspire a greater community involvement through new and innovative strategies. Community Builders’ activities increase community action through volunteer promotion and recognition, and by providing tools, awareness and training to community organizations that depend on volunteers for their success.

Institute for Nonprofit Development – To build a more vibrant North Central Massachusetts, the Institute for Nonprofit Development supports organizations to strengthen their capacity to fulfill their missions and impact their communities. A membership-driven organization, the Institute provides training, technical assistance, resource libraries and coalition building services to nonprofits serving the region.

Molly Bish Institute for child Health and Safety – The mission of the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety is to ensure the health and safety of all children in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To meet this mission, the Institute provides hands-on, practical learning opportunities for parents, caregivers and children, and provides a clearinghouse of child health and safety information.

Twin Cities Latino Coalition – The Twin Cities Latino Coalition is a cross-sector collaborative effort involving local educational institutions, private business, public institutions and non-profits to achieve: increased Latino parental involvement, increased Latino K-16 student educational success and sustainable educatinoal systemic change through the implementation of a strategic plan. The Coalition actively works with Latino young people, parents and multicultural leaders to support parents and children’s independence, academic achievement and active civic engagement.

United Way Youth Venture – Youth Venture aims to change society’s views of youth by catalyzing a mass movement of young people who have the vision and drive to make a difference. Youth Venture emplowers young people ages 12-20 by providing them all the tools necessary to create “ventures” – civic-minded organizations, clubs or businesses to change schools and communities. Unique to North Central Massachusetts is Youth Venture’s partnership with ten schools, which work with educators, administrators and students to integrate Youth Venture into their curricula and achieve a graeter impact across the community.

What’s Next Speaker Series – Born out of a plan to bring several notable experts in the field of social change under a single theme, hundreds of residents have attended the What’s Next Speaker Series – public forums that introduce students, residents, community leaders and decision-makers in North Central Massachusetts to innovative thinkers and doers from around the country and world. The goal of the series is to show change is possible, spark creative problem-solving and inspire action.

Contact

Lea Ann Erickson
Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs
(978) 630-9322
l_erickson {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Amy Casavina Hall
Director of Civic Engagement and Outreach
(978) 630-9201
a_casavina {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Fagan Forhan
Coordinator, Center for Democracy and Humanity
(978) 630-9595
f_forhan {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Joanne Foster
Coordinator, Institute for Nonprofit Development
(978) 840-3221 x200
j_foster {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Andrea Hart
Program Assistant
978) 840-3221 x197
ahart {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Karin Olivera
Coordinator, Community Builders and Project Volunteer
(978) 840-3221 x201
k_olivera {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Sayra Pinto
Executive Director, Twin Cities Latino Coalition
(978) 840-3221
spinto {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

Rebecca Cyganiewicz
United Way Youth Venture AmeriCorps*VISTA
(978) 840-3221 x203
youthventure {at} mwcc.mass(.)edu

The Center for Democracy and Humanity’s offices are located at

110 Erdman Way
Leominster, MA 01453
Tel. (978) 840-3221 x197
Fax (978) 840-4398

Focus Indiana Internship Scholarship Program

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 11 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Focus Indiana is a collaboration between Indiana State University, private industry, and community leadership aimed at the creation of economic opportunities for Indiana State University graduates. This project is funded by the Lilly Endowment. The Internship Scholarship program is an important component of Focus Indiana. Scholarships support targeted internship experiences that will develop students understanding of themselves and a meaningful career path, provide employers with capable interns, contribute to economic development and promote employment of ISU graduates in Indiana. Eight initiatives in targeted geographic and service areas are included in the program.

www.indstate.edu/focind/

Contact:
Nancy Brattain Rogers
Center for Public Service and Community Engagement
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
812-237-2334

Community-Campus Civic Engagement Projects in Wisconsin

tdomf_26a6d — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

A 2005 publication from Wisconsin Campus Compact includes descriptions of projects across the state:

“”We are finding that successful partnerships are emerging and flourishing in the state of Wisconsin. At the same time, we are receiving extensive feedback that many of you would like more resources on how to develop civic engagement projects. With support from the University of Wisconsin-Extension, WiCC created a resource guide to make the development of civic engagement projects – and sharing of ideas – easier for agencies and campuses.

The resource guide contains a brief introduction to community-campus civic engagement including several models, definitions and rationales. At the heart of the resource guide is a directory, which describes existing civic engagement projects/partnerships and provides contact information. Finally, the resource guide includes sample resources such as forms, manuals, partnership principles and syllabi.”"

Click here to learn more and to download the guide from the WICC website.

Carolina Center for Public Service

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 24 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000

The Carolina Center for Public Service at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was established in 1999 as a unique model among public universities.

The center’s mission is to lead the University’s engagement efforts and service to the state of North Carolina and beyond by linking the expertise and energy of faculty, staff, and students to the needs of the people.

In all our work, the Carolina Center for Public Service seeks to build partnerships throughout the University and the state as we:

– Advance the quality and sustainability of efforts through effective practices
– Recognize and celebrate exemplary service
– Share information, strategies, and outcomes of UNC s service endeavors
– Facilitate community-based scholarship in addressing community issues

As the first public university, Carolina has a proud history of changing lives through educating scholars and leaders dedicated to forging a brighter future for our state, nation and the world. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to expanding its tradition of engagement and responsiveness through the Carolina Center for Public Service.

The center provides a number of programs and services for students, faculty, staff, and the public, including: awards, service fellowships, trainings, and enrichment programs for students; grants and awards for student organizations; trainings, awards, and grants for faculty; an online searchable database of University engagement activities; a weekly listserv of service opportunities; an annual volunteer fair of community agencies; and an annual “”Bus Tour”" of the state for new faculty and administrators.

For more information, visit our webpage: www.unc.edu/cps/

Contact:
Lynn Blanchard, Director
Carolina Center for Public Service
(919)843-7568, ccps {at} unc(.)edu

IUPUI-WESCO Community-University Partnership

tdomf_26a6d — Thu, 17 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Beginning in 1996, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) made a concerted effort to reduce historical tensions between the university and the Near Westside Community (i.e., WESCO). The Office of Neighborhood Partnerships in the Center for Service and Learning supports the relationship between the campus and WESCO and leverages university resources to build upon the IUPUI-WESCO Partnership. In 1998, the IUPUI-WESCO Partnership was awarded a Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) grant from the HUD Office of University Partnerships.

Initially, the IUPUI-WESCO Partnership focused on three areas of work: organizational development, educational policy and programming, and economic development. As the Partnership has evolved, it has branched into other areas allowing faculty, students, and staff from the university with opportunities to work on real life issues that challenge the every day lives of WESCO residents. Project examples include: the Westside Education Task Force which worked with public school officials, community leaders, and residents to leverage the opening of a community school in WESCO (i.e., George Washington Community School); America Reads Tutoring Program that annually places IUPUI work-study students in the community as reading tutors for 350 children; multiple service learning courses that place IUPUI students in WESCO-based organizations (e.g., B104: Intro to Psychology, R345: Crime and Society, P540: Community and Neighborhood Planning); Community Service Scholarships to support IUPUI students while they volunteer their time in WESCO-based organizations; and the development of multiple economic development assessment reports.

Contact: Meg Easter-Dawson, measter {at} iupui(.)edu or http://csl.iupui.edu

Active Learning Project