Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

Exploring The Relationship Between Nonprofit Management Education Programs And Their Local Nonprofit Sector, Elise L. Kieffer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This study sought to explore the relationship between nonprofit management education programs at institutions of higher education with nonprofit organizations in their local communities. Using a pragmatism methodology, I conducted interviews with directors of nonprofit management education programs and with corresponding nonprofit partners in their local communities. While research exists exploring the impacts and influences of nonprofit academic centers on their local sector - specifically regarding the training of practitioners - there is much less available in published literature exploring the actual effects of nonprofit management education programs on their local communities. This study begins what must be a more …

Staying Engaged While Staying Home?: Service-Learning, Writing, And Covid-19, Christopher Iverson

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

As an approach to writing instruction that has traditionally required students to engage in in-person community projects, service-learning has also traditionally involved risks. For example, students engaging in service-learning without proper support often do not approach community partners with the appropriate respect, and when university stakeholders fail to make clear what their side can offer in a partnership, they can leave community partners in the lurch when the semester ends and students finish their community-engaged coursework. These risks can be mitigated through education and reflection for instructors and students alike. The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing social distancing orders, however, left …

Pushing The Boundaries Of Healing, Alankrit Shatadal

VA Engage Journal

This paper explains a summer volunteering opportunity at a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a home environment for low-income families coming to city hospitals for intensive pediatric care. The importance of social determinants of health during the healing process is explored through examples of services provided by the Ronald McDonald House. These services range from meeting basic human needs to emotional care of pediatric patients. In addition, routes to potentially ameliorate observed challenges associated with pediatric hospitalization are discussed.

In fall 2020, Alankrit Shatadal will begin her senior year at Washington and Lee University, where she is pursuing degrees in …

Community Initiatives Multiply University Partnerships, Christopher Lafontaine

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Christopher LaFontaine is a senior studying psychology and sociology at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW). He has concentrated on community engagement and service learning as areas of focus for the past year. He plans to pursue a career in applied sociology and he has been involved with applied research among vulnerable populations. Christopher has worked with homeless veterans in Fort Wayne and has studied health conditions in a rural county that ranks low in health outcomes. In this article, he describes his experience with service-learning partnerships between community organizations and an institution of higher education.

Community Engagement In A Conflict Environment: Reflections On The Work Of The International Fund For Ireland 1986-2011, Paddy Harte

The ITB Journal

The International Fund for Ireland, which was set up by the British and Irish Governments in 1986 under the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985, was funded by the United States of America, the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The International Fund enjoys the support of 31 countries, which is truly remarkable. It is one of the most successful examples of the Irish Diaspora at work in a very tangible way; a point ably captured in the Fund’s 2002 Annual Report where Hon Russell Marshall from New Zealand notes “As a member of the Irish Diaspora, New Zealand was delighted …

Libraries + Irw = Big Read Success!, Jan Coates

Maine Policy Review

Jan Coates presents a case study of how Island Readers and Writers collaborated with local libraries in the Mt. Desert Island (Maine) area to encourage reading and community engagement through two "Big Read” events.

Advancing Science And Improving Quality Of Place: Linking Knowledge With Action In Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Damon Hall, Linda Silka, Laura Lindenfeld

Maine Policy Review

The authors give an overview of how research carried out through Maine’s Sustainabilty Solutions Initiative (SSI) improves traditional models of science by providing a fuller picture of the interaction between social and ecological systems. They provide examples of university-community research partnerships, where there is a continuous communication and feedback process that identifies problems and develops projects with a solutions-oriented focus. SSI projects, they argue, “focus on issues that may make lasting improvements to Maine’s quality of place.”

Local Food For Lewiston: Exploring The Role Of Food Assessment As Part Of Broader Work In Community-Engaged Food Systems, Kirsten Walter

Maine Policy Review

Kirsten Walter’s case study discusses the community food assessment in Lewiston, Maine and the recommendations stemming from it.

Finding Community At Home, Katherine M. Greenleaf

Maine Policy Review

In the Margaret Chase Smith essay, Katherine Greenleaf reflects on communities and the sense of community. She presents several ideas for supporting the development of communities of interest and of place.