February 1, 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

• Barry University Formalizes Buccaneer Partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami
• Semester’s Service-Learning Course in Social Work Shaping Up for ‘Great Success’
• Entries Being Accepted for Community Engagement Symposium Poster Competition
• Eighth Annual Community Engagement Awards Scheduled for First Wednesday of April

Barry University Formalizes Buccaneer Partnership With Big Brothers Big Sisters Of Miami

Presidents Sign Agreement During Mentoring Month

By Glenn Bowen

Barry University and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami have embarked on a major partnership that is expected to contribute significantly to youth mentorship while expanding institutional engagement with the community.

Last Thursday (January 28), Barry President Dr. Mike Allen and BBBS Miami President and CEO Gale Nelson signed an agreement marking the official start of the Buccaneer Partnership. The primary focus of the partnership will be the mentoring of youth, including children of incarcerated parents, so they may achieve their full potential and all-around success.

“Today signifies a day of hope, a day of excitement and promise for our future, and especially the future of so many youth right here in South Florida as we launch this partnership,” Allen said. “And the timing is perfect—[during] National Mentoring Month,” he added. 

“I believe in the power of partnership,” Nelson would later declare. “For our community’s health, partnership is the key to success.”

Allen and Nelson spoke in front of a small audience of Barry and BBBS Miami representatives gathered outside Cor Jesu Chapel on the university’s main campus. Faculty and staff members joined in the live-streamed signing ceremony, which Nelson called “a momentous occasion.”

January is National Mentoring Month. Launched in 2002, National Mentoring Month is led by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. MENTOR works to expand the quality and quantity of youth mentoring relationships throughout the United States.  

In his remarks, President Allen also emphasized the value of personal relationships as he referred to “the events of the past year.” He said: “If the events of the past year have highlighted anything, it’s the value of personal connection, the value of relationships, and the importance of working together to see our community thrive. And they’ve also underscored just how much work, collectively, we still have to do.” 

Although BBBS Miami has been a Barry community partner for several years, neither the organization nor the university had begun to reap the real benefits of the partnership. That is about to change, thanks to the reimagined partnership. 

The two organizations are now “doing something very special: the Buccaneer Partnership,” the BBBS Miami CEO said. “We’re setting sail to new horizons for kids—little brothers and little sisters. … We are ready to ignite the power and promise of our youth.”

Starting this year, Buccaneer “Bigs”—faculty and staff members and alumni—will provide mentorship to the BBBS youth participants, who are affectionately called “Littles.” That is only one element of the Buccaneer Partnership—a multifaceted endeavor, encompassing one-to-one mentoring, college readiness programs and resources, internships for Barry students, workforce development for BBBS, and other civic components.

“The partnership has tremendous practical value to both of our organizations,” Allen pointed out. “For Barry faculty and staff, we will have the opportunity to shape and be a positive influence in the lives of young people at critical junctures in their development. Our students will have opportunities to get involved through internships and other collaborations.”

According to BBBS Miami, more than 1,000 potential Littles are waiting for Bigs. Sixty-four percent of the Littles served by the nonprofit organization live in single-parent homes or with non-parent adults, the mentoring organization says at its website.

Among attendees at the partnership launch were four other BBBS Miami representatives: Marianne Weiss, vice president of continuing education; Patrick Lynch, vice president of development; Vanessa Griffin, director of community-based mentoring programs; and Amy Senat, director of marketing.

Barry’s designated representatives at the signing ceremony included Associate Vice Presidents Roxanna Cruz (Enrollment), Dr. Roxanne Davies (Mission and Student Engagement), and Jasmine Santiago (Human Resources). Directors Maritza Riviere-Glover (Extended Learning) and John Moriarty (Career Development Center) were in attendance.

Information Session This Thursday

An information session focused on BBBS mentorship opportunities is scheduled for this Thursday (February 4) at noon. Interested faculty and staff members are asked to reply to the open invitation to the session.

Serving the community since 1958, BBBS Miami is “the premier nonprofit mentoring organization in South Florida.” The organization champions “hope, transformation, and social good, defending the potential of children who most need it.” 

Last year was Barry’s 80th anniversary year. The university is “committed to serving local and global communities through collaborative and mutually productive partnerships,” according to one of the core commitments articulated in its mission statement.

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Semester’s Service-Learning Course In Social Work Shaping Up For ‘Great Success’

This semester’s SW 323, Service-Learning and Social Work Practice, is shaping up to be a huge success in engaging students with the community.

Instructors Preeti Charania, LCSW, and Liz James, MSW, have assigned their students to specific service-learning and civic engagement (SLCE) modules developed by the CCSI.

Charania’s students are expected to complete four of five modules—Environmental Justice, Fair Food, Food Security, People Power, and Racial Justice—to fulfill the 45-hour collaborative service requirement of the course.

Students in the course section taught by James will serve on project teams: Welcoming New Americans, Fostering Resilient Community, and Building People Power.

Team members for Welcoming New Americans will support the refugee resettlement work of Church World Service Miami.

Fostering Resilient Community team members will participate in data collection and dissemination as part of a community-based research project to benefit La Paloma, the neighborhood adjacent to the Miami Shores campus.

Building People Power team members will complete the SLCE module focused on the community organizing work of PACT (People Acting for Community Together) in Miami-Dade County. 

“SW 323 is special since it is a precursor to the field education course, which social work students will be taking in their senior year,” Charania said. “The course will provide an excellent exposure and preparation for future civic engagement, personal reflection, and service to underserved populations.”

James said the “intentional integration of course content and community service” would allow students to engage in deep reflection on their academic learning, personal growth, and civic responsibility. Such engagement would be seen as “a great success,” she said.

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Entries Being Accepted For Community Engagement Symposium Poster Competition

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is accepting entries for the Student Poster Competition as part of Barry’s seventh annual Community Engagement Symposium. Open to undergraduates only, the competition will be a highlight of the event on the last Wednesday of March 2021. 

The design and content of the posters should be based on the theme of the symposium, "Engagement in Purposeful Projects: From Awareness to Action.”

“In relation to community engagement, purposeful projects include experiential learning practices such as service-learning, community-based research, fieldwork, study abroad, capstones, and internships,” the symposium organizers explain. “Entries should address the theme of the symposium and identify the experiential learning practice that was implemented.” 

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 March 15.

On-Campus Exhibition

Entries will be exhibited in Room 112 of the Andreas Building on Barry’s main campus, 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 session 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.”

The annual symposium supports the continued implementation and evaluation of Barry’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Scheduled for March 31, the 2021 symposium will highlight student learning outcomes of community engagement practices in the context of the QEP titled “Fostering Personal and Social Responsibility Through Experiential Learning.” Social responsibility is one of the key elements of the QEP. 

For additional information on the poster competition, contact Johnson Desiral at qep@barry.edu.

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Eighth Annual Community Engagement Awards Scheduled For First Wednesday Of April

Barry’s eighth annual Community Engagement Awards will be held on the first Wednesday of April. Students, faculty and staff members, and community partners will receive awards during the live-streamed event. 

It is expected that awards will be presented in most of the seven categories: Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community-Based Research, Community-Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.

The CCSI will host the Community Engagement Awards Ceremony on April 7, beginning at noon.

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