Community Engagement News

Community Agencies Feature Student Engagement at Service Sites

Elements of the service-learning and civic engagement (SLCE) modules are connected to engagement with the Barry Urban Garden, Church World Service, Florida Rising, and College Brides Walk as well as Miami PACT. The modules address food insecurity, refugee resettlement, youth development, and dating and domestic violence as well as the need for “people power,” which are all viewed as social justice issues.

Faculty may assign students to service-learning projects through the service-learning and civic engagement (SLCE) modules being offered this semester. All five SLCE modules have a social justice focus and may include both online and onsite elements.

The modules are listed as Dating and Domestic Violence Awareness, Food Security, People Power, Welcoming New Americans, and Youth Development.

Students participating in the Dating and Domestic Violence Awareness module will support the College Brides Walk initiative while those registered for Food Security will complete part of their engagement in the Barry Urban Garden.

People Power is connected to the work of Miami PACT: People Acting for Community Together. Miami Pact is a “direct action” organization that “uses the power of large organized people to hold public officials accountable to create systemic change in Miami-Dade County.” The organization hosts large community assemblies at which public officials are encouraged to adopt solutions to serious problems.

Welcoming New Americans includes service through Barry’s partnership with Church World Service (CWS) South Florida. CWS South Florida “welcomes, feeds, and clothes newcomers; reunites and strengthens families, and enables resettled immigrants to become self-sufficient and integrated members of US society.”

The Youth Development module includes support from Florida Rising, a Barry community partner. Florida Rising seeks to “build independent political power that centers historically marginalized communities so everyday Floridians shape the future.”

“These modules are not meant to replace any of the service-learning projects usually planned by faculty members,” the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) said in a statement issued to faculty last Friday.

The CCSI defines service-learning as “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates relevant community service with course work and critical reflection to enrich the learning experience, foster social responsibility and civic engagement, and strengthen communities.” The emphasis on social justice reflects Barry’s commitment to promoting social change in marginalized communities.

In last Friday’s statement, the CCSI also said faculty and students may center their projects on established events such as the university’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Furthermore, students may propose their own service-learning projects. Proposed projects should meet the requirements of the course, including the student learning outcomes.

Above: Miami PACT (People Acting for Community Together) is highlighting Barry students’ support on its “Issue Areas” page.

Below: CWS (Church World Service) South Florida continues to highlight its partnership with Barry by featuring a photo with a former Barry Service Corps Fellow (at right) on its homepage.

All schools and colleges on Barry’s main campus have a number of designated service-learning courses. In addition, students regularly seek course enrichment through co-curricular civic engagement.

CWS South Florida continues to highlight its partnership with Barry by featuring a photo with a former Barry Service Corps Fellow on its homepage. Meanwhile, Miami PACT is highlighting Barry student leaders’ support on its Issue Areas page. Miami PACT’s current priority issues are policing and arrests, “caring for creation,” community identification documents, gun violence, affordable housing.

Deadline for Submitting Community Engagement Awards Nominations is Friday, January 28

The deadline for the submission of nominations for Barry’s Ninth Annual Community Engagement Awards is January 28. Students, faculty, and staff members, as well as community partners, are invited to submit nominations by the deadline.

The primary purpose of the awards is to publicly recognize students, faculty, staff/administrators, departments, and community partners for their participation, contributions, and achievements in various areas of community engagement. Each award is designed to encourage excellence in university–community collaboration and to inspire similar achievements by others.

Nominations will be accepted in seven categories: Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community-Based Research, Community-Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.

• The Community Impact Award is presented to individual students and student organizations for exemplary civic engagement—including service, research, and advocacy—that has a measurable impact on the community.
• The Community Partnership Award recognizes exemplary partnerships between university and community constituencies that produce measurable improvements in people’s lives while enhancing higher education.
• The Community-Based Research Award is presented to scholars (faculty members and/or students) who conduct rigorous research with community partners in response to community concerns, issues, or needs.
• The Community-Engaged Scholarship Award is given to faculty members in recognition of significant scholarly work across the faculty roles of teaching, research, and service that addresses community issues.
• The Community Engagement Educator Award honors administrators and faculty member for significant contributions to the institutionalization or enhancement of community engagement at Barry University.
• The Service-Learning Faculty Award goes to faculty members for exemplary integration of community-based or community-focused collaborative service into the curriculum.
• The Engaged Department Award is presented to departments for achievements in advancing the community engagement goals of the university, educating students for civic and social responsibility, and improving community life.

The Community Engagement Awards Ceremony is scheduled for the last Wednesday of March. Additional information and the nomination forms are available at the CCSI website.

Student Poster Competition Scheduled as Part of Eighth Annual Community Engagement Symposium

The CCSI is accepting entries for the Student Poster Competition scheduled as part of the annual Community Engagement Symposium. The competition is open to undergraduates only.

The design and content of the posters should be based on the theme of the symposium, “Effectively Balancing Community Impact with Student Learning Outcomes.”

As stated in the guidelines, “Successful entries will specify the course or co-curricular project, the social or community issue addressed, the related activities undertaken, and the actual learning outcomes. Entries should also emphasize how the project was designed to be purposeful and how student awareness was translated into action.”

The submission deadline for poster competition entries is second Wednesday of March.

On-Campus Exhibition

Entries in the Student Poster Competition will be exhibited in Thompson Hall, the new home of the CCSI, and prize winners will be announced during the closing session of the symposium. The main prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third places, with consolation prizes for the next four places.

“The poster competition offers students an opportunity to showcase the important work they are doing with the community,” says Dr. Heather Johnson Desiral, the poster competition coordinator. “The visual nature of the poster allows students to grab attention and quickly communicate their knowledge, experiences, and findings on issues that matter to them and the community. Posters allow students to demonstrate the connections between their courses and their engagement with the community.”

Scheduled for March 30, the 2022 symposium will highlight student learning outcomes of community engagement practices in the context of Barry’s first Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) titled “Fostering Personal and Social Responsibility Through Experiential Learning.” Social responsibility is one of the key elements of the 2014 QEP.

For additional information on the Student Poster Competition, contact Dr. Johnson Desiral in the CCSI via email at qep@barry.edu.

Barry Faculty Members Contribute to Latest Issue of Community Engagement Research Journal

Professors Stephanie Bingham and Laura L. Finley have contributed book reviews to the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement.

Several Barry faculty members have contributed to the latest issue of an international journal focused on service-learning and community engagement research.

Volume 9, Issue 1 of the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IJRSLCE) includes book reviews by Stephanie Bingham (Biology) and Laura L. Finley (Sociology and Criminology).

In Article 12, “Creating Transformative Service-Learning Partnerships as a Force for Change in Higher Education,” Dr. Bingham reviews “Service Learning to Advance Access and Success: Bridging Institutional And Community Capacity.” In Article 13, “Showcasing the Wealth of Service-Learning Initiatives in Asia,” Dr. Finley reviews “Food for Thought: Service-Learning Research in Asia.”

Professors Bingham and Finley are members of the Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship.

Other contributors to the IJRSLCE issue include Yamilet Hernandez and Beatriz Calvo-Peña (Department of English and Foreign Languages). They translate, from English to Spanish, abstracts of four articles.

As co-editor of IJRSLCE, Glenn A. Bowen (CCSI) co-authored the issue’s introduction with Jessica Mann (Duquesne University). The introduction is titled “Emphasizing the Impact of Service-Learning and Community Engagement Partnerships Amid Challenges Facing Higher Education.”

Dr. Heidi Whitford (School of Education) is a member the IJRSLCE Editorial Team.

The online journal is published annually by the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE).

Copies of BarryEngage are available from the CCSI.

Contact Emmanuel Ikpuri, Federal Work-Study Community Service Program facilitator, in the CCSI at service@barry.edu.

SERVICE-LEARNING FELLOWSHIPS: The CCSI is offering Service-Learning Faculty Fellowships for the 2022–2023 academic year.

SERVICE-LEARNING DESIGNATION: Course instructors may apply for the service-learning designation at any time during the semester.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM: Faculty and students are urged to make full use of GivePulse, the community engagement platform.

Community Engagement News is a publication of the Center for Community Service Initiatives.

• Email: service@barry.edu
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