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Barry Students Provide a Day of Activity for Foster Children
While their adoptive parents and caregivers participated in a symposium, dozens of children were treated to a day of fun-filled activities at Barry two Saturdays ago.
It was FAPA Field Day, a major event of the Miami-Dade County Foster & Adoptive Parent Association. Nearly 200 children and youths came to campus with caregivers and program administrators.
Barry student-athletes, a group of science students, and Barry Service Corps (BSC) fellows facilitated art projects, sports and games, and other activities organized by the Center for Community Service Initiatives and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in the
The 139 participating athletes – including members of the men’s baseball, soccer, and tennis teams and the women’s golf, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball teams – led sports activities for children 7 years old through high-school age. Forced inside by the wet weather, the participants enjoyed indoor games such as table tennis, jump rope, basketball, and an obstacle course.
Dr. Bridget Lyons, senior associate director of athletics, and Amanda Knight, assistant director of athletics for compliance and special events, coordinated the sports activities. Andy Havens, intramural coordinator for the Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness, assisted with the games.
As part of a science experiment, children of elementary- and middle-school ages learned about the DNA of strawberries. Dr. Leticia Vega, associate professor of biology, and Barry students who are members of the STEM Learning Community showed the children how to extract, isolate, and observe the DNA of a strawberry in a matter of minutes.
There was a college-readiness session for youth in high-school age group and a science activity for children of elementary- and middle-school ages. Younger children were supervised in a play area.
Caregivers attended workshops on human trafficking, home safety, and post-adoption services. Lauren Schwal, an instructor in Barry’s
According to Marcel Rivas, Our Kids director of program operations, caregiver support can be crucial to the well-being and happiness of foster families.
Barry senior Donté Roberts conceived the event as part of his required project for the BSC Fellows Program. A sports management major, Roberts wanted to provide children who had been neglected or abused with a day of fun and meaningful activities.
“Everyone needs help,” Roberts said. “That’s why I do community service. But these kids need us the most.”
FAPA Field Day is on the list of 75 Acts of Service, an initiative coordinated by the CCSI to mark Barry’s 75th Anniversary.
For the purposes of this initiative, an act of service is a community service project or event, or a community service activity as part of a larger project or event.
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Community Engagement Awards Nomination Deadline is January 29
The nomination deadline for
The categories of awards are Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community-Based Research, Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.
Coinciding with the Community Engagement Symposium, the Community Engagement Awards will be held on March 30 on Barry’s main campus in
For additional information, contact the Center for Community Service Initiatives at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.
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Community Partner Appointed to QEP Implementation Committee
Rev. Richard Clements, Jr., director of music and ministries at the
Clements replaces Sibyl Brown, former volunteer coordinator at Feeding South Florida.
Two community partners serve on the committee, which is charged with planning, coordinating, and monitoring the implementation of the QEP entitled “Fostering Personal and Social Responsibility through Experiential Learning.” The pilot phase of the QEP implementation is underway.
Saliha Nelson, vice president of URGENT, Inc., is the other community partner appointed to the committee.
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Forum Focuses on Plight of Children Migrating to the United States
The most recent forum in Barry University’s Deliberative Dialogue Series focused on the plight of unaccompanied children migrating to the United States.
They come mostly from
“Coming to
Panelists were Julio Enrique Calderón, access to higher education organizer at the Florida Immigrant Coalition; Dr. Jose R. Cruz, executive director of the Peter Pan Border Operation; Fabio A. Naranjo, a faculty member in Barry’s School of Social Work; Phillip Rincon, resource developer at Church World Service; Elizabeth Ringler-Jayanthan, a Barry student; and Elizabeth Sanchez-Kennedy, Esq., supervising attorney for the minors program at Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami. Cruz and Rincon are Barry alumni.
Calderón came to the
Courtney Berrien, associate director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), facilitated the forum. Berrien holds a certificate in refugee law from the
Participants considered several follow-up actions. These included viewing Children on the Run, a documentary about the exodus of the children and family members from
“Sexual Violence on Campus: Are We Propagating a Rape Culture?” is the topic of the next forum in the Deliberative Dialogue Series. It is scheduled for February 11, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., in Room 112 of the
For further information, contact the CCSI at cberrien@barry.edu or 305-899-4017.
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Mathematics Course Designated as Service-Learning
A mathematics course has been added to the list of courses designated as service-learning. MAT 213-01: Calculus III will be identified as a service-learning course in the WebAdvisor schedule and ultimately in students’ transcripts. Dr. Sanja Zivanovic, assistant professor of mathematics, is the course instructor. Her students will serve as tutors in an off-campus program.
According to Zivanovic, “In this course, the purpose of service-learning is to get young students excited about math, to broaden their vision of the usage and importance of mathematics, and to help them overcome difficulties they encounter in class.”
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Faculty and Students Contribute to Book on Peace and Social Justice Education
Several Barry faculty members and students have contributed to a just-published book on peace and social justice education.
Co-edited by Dr. Kelly Concannon of
A chapter entitled “Service-Learning for Peace and Social Justice: Reflections from Faculty and Students” is coauthored by Finley, Christian Schlaerth, Dr. Pamela Hall, Dr. Celeste Fraser-Delgado, Tamedrea Mason, Karla Rivera-Torres, Eugenia Carioni, and David Zaret.
Dr. Glenn A. Bowen and Courtney A. Berrien are coauthors of “The Potential of Deliberative Dialogue to Advance Peace and Social Justice.”
Here is the publisher’s overview of Peace and Social Justice Education on Campus: “This book provides important reflections by and for peace and social justice educators working on college campuses. Importantly, it also integrates the voices of students. More than a feel-good compilation of success stories, however, it illustrates the complexities inherent in teaching and learning about and for peace and social justice. Chapters in the book provide critical assessments of institutions, pedagogies, and practices, making visible the messy but very real spaces in which education and learning occur. Written by faculty and students from many disciplinary areas, the contributions discuss in-class and outside-of-class actions, providing a deeper understanding of best practices and challenges faced by both groups. Albeit in different ways that are reflective of the many different pedagogical approaches to peace and justice education, each chapter integrates ideas, concepts, and reflections from both faculty and students. The conclusion and appendix offer recommendations for future and additional resources for college and university faculty and students interested in learning more about peace and social justice.”
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Student/Farmworker Alliance Reports on March in Support of Fair Food
The Student/Farmworker Alliance (SFA) has reported on the recent public action called Uniting for Fair Food.
In a report at its website, the organization notes that hundreds of students and youth took part on the pubic action in
“The community of Miami showed up in full force, as scores of students from Barry University, St. Thomas University, Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, the Dream Defenders, WeCount!, and Miami community members united with dozens of CIW members,” SFA reports.
“The two-mile, 150-person strong march took off with a jolt of energy,” the report continues. “First up was the Wendy’s restaurant along famous Calle Ocho. Though the Wendy’s manager refused to accept the letter from the delegation, the march continued on as animated as ever. As the march reached Publix, the delegation was approached by both a Publix representative and a manager who stood in silence as each member of the delegation took turns explaining why they were uniting with farmworkers to call on Publix to join the Fair Food Program.”
According to SFA, “During the report back at
The Student/Farmworker Alliance is a national network of students and young people organizing with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to eliminate sweatshop conditions in the fields and build a food system based on justice and dignity for farm workers.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : December 14, 2015
