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Strategic Plan for Community Engagement Includes 32 Specific Actions
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) has outlined 32 specific actions as part of its Strategic Plan for 2011–2016. The actions are designed to meet six strategic goals for community engagement at
Articulated in the goals are various initiatives to advance community engagement. At least four specific actions are outlined under each goal.
The theme of the CCSI’s five-year plan is “Creating Community Impact through Experiential Learning and Engaged Scholarship.” In accordance with the IMPACT theme, the CCSI's community partnership development strategy is titled "Institutionalizing Meaningful Partnerships to Advance Community Transformation."
Seven of the actions delineated in the Strategic Plan are aimed at supporting faculty professional development in service-learning, community-based research, engaged scholarship, and other areas of community engagement. Four are focused on “the empowerment and transformation of students as active citizens and agents of positive social change in a diverse democratic society.”
A key strategy is to develop “a Civic Action Plan that articulates institutional commitment and responsibility for contributing measurably to the health and strength of Barry’s surrounding communities – economically, socially, environmentally, educationally, and politically.”
University President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD signed Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement last November. By doing so, she reaffirmed the university’s commitment to the public purposes of higher education and affirmed that Barry’s would join other Campus Compact member institutions in creating Civic Action Plans.
The CCSI began strategic planning for 2011–2016 at a retreat on June 2, 2016, at the Tropical Audubon Society’s Doc Thomas House in Miami. CCSI staff members reviewed the center’s programs, projects, events, and services. They also identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which they considered as part of the strategic-planning process.
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After-School Enrichment Program Designed to Instill Healthy Habits
Barry University’s Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) and the administration at the Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center in Miami recently launched an after-school program aimed at instilling healthy habits in upper-grade students. The program involves weekly enrichment activities such as basketball and football, cheerleading, gardening, and speech and debate.
Upper elementary and middle-school students at the Liberty
“The enrichment activities are designed to create lifelong healthy habits by encouraging physical activity, nutritious eating, responsible decision-making, and active citizenship,” explained CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien.
The Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center is a public school that serves the Liberty
The partnership was initiated through outreach efforts by a former BSC fellow, Mickaelle Celigny. The Barry alumna currently serves as the community involvement specialist at Lillie C. Evans.
Celigny discussed with Principal Dr. Isolyn Hillhouse opportunities for Barry to support the school and arranged for CCSI staff to meet with Hillhouse to explore a new partnership.
Also a Barry alumna, Hillhouse met regularly with CCSI Program Coordinator Ashton Spangler in the summer and during the fall semester to identify community impact goals and to develop the partnership program.
Spangler is assigned the program coordinator role as part of her AmeriCorps VISTA placement in the CCSI. She opted for a second year with the CCSI so she could intensify her contributions to program development and delivery.
Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center was named and dedicated in March 1959. It serves as a permanent memorial to one of Miami's African-American educational leaders. At various times in its history, the school was renovated and extended to adapt to modern conveniences and changing information technologies.
Dr. Isolyn T. Hillhouse, the principal, says the school’s faculty and staff “will work tirelessly to increase the academic proficiency of all learners, instill character and provide avenues for extra-curricular activities and service.”
Hillhouse is a Barry alumna.
Funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service through a grant from Florida Campus Compact, Spangler’s work is focused on building community partnerships that promote environmental and community health and wellness, especially for youth in Liberty
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University to Support PACT in Addressing Community-Level Gun Violence
Barry University will support PACT (People Acting for Community Together) in addressing the issue of gun violence at the community level this year. Students, faculty, and staff will contribute to the research and community action processes that are hallmarks of the organization’s community organizing strategy.
At the PACT Annual Meeting last November, representatives from member organizations voted to address both community violence and immigration issues this year. However, PACT will concentrate on anti-violence work this year and will consider immigration and related issues in due course.
The research process is now underway and will continue through February. Supported by university faculty and staff members, a team of Barry student leaders are contributing to the research. They also will assist with the follow-up action process by participating in the annual Nehemiah Action Assembly in late March, when public officials will be asked to commit to policy recommendations emerging from the research.
Student leaders participating in the Barry Service Corps (BSC) assisted PACT leaders throughout the fall 2016 semester with a listening process that culminated in the selection of the two social issues. Known as BSC fellows, the student leaders worked weekly with PACT staff in Miami-Dade
Fellows Kevin Dalia, Victoria Montanaro, Jennifer Sanhou, Felix Vega Pagan, and Jon Sem Victor also involved service-learning and other Barry students in the listening process by facilitating a “house meeting” and other elements of the listening process on Barry’s main campus.
The support provided by the fellows began with their participation in the listening process kick-off in September at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Little Haiti. Andres Quevedo, the CCSI program coordinator who oversees Barry’s relationship with PACT, joined the fellows, who received training for conducting listening sessions alongside PACT members from churches, mosques, and synagogues representing the northern region of Miami-Dade
During the weeks that followed the kick-off, the fellows helped to create invitations for the November Annual Meeting and updated the profile information of public officials such as school board members, county commissioners, and police chiefs.
With guidance from Quevedo and Experiential Learning Coordinator Liz James, the fellows also facilitated a PACT orientation for service-learning students.
The students further supported PACT by serving as translators. They translated personal stories recorded in Spanish and Creole, transcribing them as English documents that were shared digitally at the Annual Meeting.
Approximately 350 people from PACT’s 40 congregations gathered at the Ebenezer
Officials from Miami-Dade
PACT congregations will continue to work with public officials and hold them accountable for previous agreements made to improve access to affordable housing and to reform juvenile justice policies in the Miami-Dade
Founded as a coalition of faith institutions and universities in the 1990s, PACT seeks “to unite, organize, and train leaders from diverse congregations, schools, and community groups to build a powerful community voice and hold officials accountable to achieve systemic change and promote fairness, justice and democracy in
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Barry Students Support After-School Youth Programs in Little Haiti
A group of Barry Service Corps (BSC) fellows facilitated weekly after-school activities at a Little Haiti Optimist Club and Gang Alternative site throughout the fall semester. They did so as members of the BSC Fellows social justice team whose role is focused on youth development.
Seretse Davis, Rajon Wright, Autumn Baker-Peat, and Jessica Darring also led service orientations and reflection exercises for service-learning students who tutored elementary-school children at the Soar
The four-member team designed and led activities that engaged the children in considering health and wellness issues. Darring utilized onsite gardens to impart knowledge about nutrition. Davis, Wright, and Baker-Peat led physical education exercises and games.
The Little Haiti club is affiliated with Optimist International, a volunteer organization composed of more than 2,500 local clubs whose members “work each day to make the future brighter by bringing out the best in children, in their communities, and in themselves.”
A registered nonprofit organization, Gang Alternative organizes a model program that serves only in Little Haiti but also in nearby North Miami. Its mission is to “build character that lasts in children and families through positive alternatives to youth violence and delinquency by offering a holistic approach to their academic, physical, social and spiritual development.”
Davis, Wright, and Baker-Peat led and assisted with activities focused on life skills, citizenship, and other issues that affect teens. In particular, they facilitated discussions about local and national politics and good decision making. Activities took place within GA’s model program known as BLOC (Building Leaders of Character), which benefits some 30 high-school students.
Gang Alternative Program Coordinator Ezra Dieuveille and Little Haiti Optimist Club Site Director Angela Burns partnered with Barry CCSI staff member Ashton Spangler to coordinate the university students’ participation.
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BarryU Women’s Basketball Serves at Miami Rescue Mission
The Barry University women's basketball team took the opportunity over the recent holiday break to serve at the Miami Rescue Mission.
“It's always a positive and rewarding experience every time our women's basketball team goes to the Miami Rescue Mission," Barry head coach Bill Sullivan said. "Our student-athletes worked hard for several hours preparing and serving meals and they did it with enthusiasm, compassion, and most importantly with smiles.
Sullivan said it was “gratifying to see the love and kindness our team displayed as they served the homeless people in our community."
The Miami Campus of the Rescue Mission has served homeless and other needy people since 1922. The administration offices, Center for Men, Center for Women and Children, Jeffrey
An additional building houses 78 men and has a conference center. The combined centers provide 390 beds for residential and emergency services.
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Post-MLK Day Civil and Human Rights Event Underway on Campus
A Civil and Human Rights Awareness Campaign is underway on Barry’s main campus. The purpose of the campaign is to educate students about the rights provided by the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As campaign organizers, the CCSI is disseminating information through social media and on fact sheets posted on Barry’s main campus in Miami
Events taking place within the context of the campaign include a Saturday of Service benefiting refugee families, a Deliberative Dialogue forum that will explore the issue of LGBT rights, a facilitated conversation between law-enforcement and individuals representing communities of color, and the annual College Brides Walk.
Student leader Quayneshia Smith is playing a key role in coordinating the campaign. A senior social work major, Smith is a fellow in the Barry Service Corps. She recently served as a counselor at a Peacebuilders camp in Americus
“My experience at Peacebuilders made me question whether Barry students were aware of their rights,” Smith said. “We all should know about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the rights we as students and citizens of the world are all born with – and work to uphold those rights.”
The Civil and Human Rights Awareness Campaign is taking place within the traditional 40 Days of Peace, an annual observance that begins on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. During the 40-day period, organizations and individuals strive to build peaceful communities through service to others and individual acts of peace.
Barry’s observance is funded partly by a grant from Service for Peace, a strategic partner of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
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CCSI Registers Three Organizations as Community Partners
The CCSI recently registered three new community partners. The French Heritage Language Program, Miami Shores Presbyterian Church, and North Miami Beach Public Library join a growing number of partners engaged with Barry administrators, faculty, and students.
The Miami-based French Heritage Language Program is designed to support and enrich the teaching and learning of the French language, literature, and culture for students of Francophone background. The primary aims of the program are to help the students develop proficiency in French reading, comprehension, writing, oral expression, and other literacy skills. Another important goal is help students maintain a connection to their respective cultures and identities while increasing opportunities for success in their environment.
Miami Shores Presbyterian Church provides tools and guidance to help youth develop and articulate a relationship with God. As part of its youth program, the church organizes middle- and high-school youth groups to deal with social and developmental issues in a safe space.
The City of North Miami Beach Library serves over 36,000 patrons. In addition to books, magazines, local and national newspapers, DVDs, books, and music CDs, the library provides educational materials in Chinese, Creole, French, and Spanish languages. Assistance is available for voter registration, financial aid, and tax preparation. Patrons may also take free courses on financial planning, small business development, and identity theft as well as alternative medicine, living wills, and art classes.
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Symposium Proposal Submission Deadline is This Friday
The proposal submission deadline for Barry University’s fourth annual Community Engagement Symposium is this Friday (January 20). Proposals are being accepted for concurrent presentations during two sessions of the symposium. Relevant topics include service-learning, civic engagement, community-based research, community-focused fieldwork and internships, community-engaged scholarship, and community partnerships. Session formats are: 60-minute oral presentation, panel discussion, roundtable, and poster presentation.
Scheduled for March 29, the symposium will highlight community-focused dimensions of experiential learning. Successful proposals will emphasize aspects or features of experiential learning activities that engage faculty, staff, and/or students with community partners at the local, regional, state, national, and/or global levels.
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Nominations for Community Engagement Awards Close on January 27
Nominations for Barry
The categories of awards include Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community Engagement Educator, Community-Based Research, Engaged Scholarship, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.
Scheduled on the same day as the Community Engagement Symposium, the 2017 Awards Ceremony will be held on March 29 on Barry’s main campus in
For further information, contact the CCSI at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.
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Faculty Learning Community to Meet on January 30
The Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship (FLC) will meet on January 30 for an engaged scholarship seminar. The seminar is scheduled for 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the CCSI, Adrian 208.
Engaged scholarship is shorthand for “the scholarship of engagement,” the term used in 1995 by Ernest Boyer, then president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This kind of scholarship integrates faculty work in the areas of teaching, research, and service that addresses community needs, issues, and priorities.
Any faculty member may join the FLC and attend engaged scholarship seminars throughout the academic year.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : January 17, 2017
