Community Engagement News

Civic Learning and Leadership Program Being Revitalized for Next Academic Year

Jocelyn Flores, Valentine Thomas, Virginia Rivas, and Joseline Bucumi are expected to be mentors to the new cohort of Barry Service Corps Fellows.

The Barry Service Corps (BSC) is being revitalized and the recruitment of members for the 2023–2024 academic year is in full swing.

Targeted to undergraduates, the BSC is a civic learning and leadership development program created by the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI). The program supports students in developing and applying their knowledge and skills to address social issues.

While serving the community through nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local government agencies, BSC members develop interpersonal, teamwork, and other career-related skills.

Some elements of the program are being changed and new incentives will be offered to prospective members, the organizers have said. Details of the changes will be announced before the beginning of the new academic year.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has lagged, and the number of members in the leadership group – BSC Fellows – dwindled this academic year.

BSC Fellows are carefully selected students who receive specialized training aimed at the development of civic leadership skills. The fellows explore pathways to social change, practicing advocacy, activism, and community organizing while also supporting the work of community partners.

Students who accept Federal Work-Study Community Service placements are enrolled in the Barry Service Corps.

The four BSC Fellows who persisted in the program this year will serve as peer mentors to next year’s cohort. Jocelyn Flores, Valentine Thomas, Virginia Rivas, and Joseline Bucumi are expected to guide student projects focused on specific social issues.

Most students participate in the civic learning and leadership program through Federal Work-Study Community Service. Eligible students receive federal financial aid while serving the community through the program.

The CCSI is urging students who are eligible for Federal Work-Study to apply for community service placements. Students who accept such placements will be enrolled automatically in the BSC.

Additional information on FWS Community Service is available from the CCSI via email at bsc@barry.edu.

CCSI Offering Support to Faculty for Service-Learning Courses in Fall Semester

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is offering support to faculty who will teach designated service-learning courses in the fall 2023 semester.

The service-learning modules, which were created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will no longer be offered. Faculty members are therefore being encouraged to resume teaching their service-learning courses as designated, based on established criteria.

In an email to faculty who usually teach designated service-learning courses, the CCSI thanked them for their “enduring commitment” to engaging their students with the community. The CCSI also asked the faculty members to indicate how best the CCSI can assist them as they prepare for the fall.

For information on Barry’s the service-learning program, contact Dr. Glenn Bowen in the CCSI via email, gbowen@barry.edu.

Looking Back at Some of the Academic Year’s Community Engagement Events:  A Pictorial Report

Community Engagement News will take an early summer hiatus. This is the final issue for the 2022–2023 academic year. The next issue of this newsletter is scheduled for August 21, 2023.