Service-Learning Grant Recipient:  Dr. Amiso M. George

BUILDING RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH SERVICE LEARNING

 

During one of our reflection activities, one of the TCU students who traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico with us mentioned something about their generation being responsible for changing the world.   I felt a smirk developing across my face and the impulse to tell her how every generation before hers had held the same belief.  Fortunately, I caught myself in time to swallow the cynicism and listen rather than offer a discouraging comment.  The more I listened, the more I grew to appreciate these eight students who chose Service Immersion experience for Spring Break, and the more I started believing in what is possible rather than dwelling on what has not been accomplished yet. 

Since the summer of 2004, many TCU students have participated in a Service-Learning Immersion Program in Mexico. Each year, a group of students travel, under supervision of TCU staff and faculty, to Mexico in order to participate in community projects and learn more about Mexican culture.  The trip to Guanajuato is a collaboration between the Department of Social Work and the Center for Community Involvement and Service-Learning. 

Volume 1, Issue 2

April 2, 2007

Questions or comments? E-mail us at CISL@tcu.edu.

Marisa Sleeter, Class of 2007—For a graduating senior like me, nothing is much more important than reflecting upon and evaluating the “college experience.” With my impending graduation in May, I have been spending more time looking back at my TCU career. However, I cannot begin to think about my experiences in college without reflecting upon the extra-curricular organizations I have been a part of...

 

 

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Graduating Seniors Reflect

 

Jessica Searcy, Class of 2007—It would be hard to isolate only one instance to share from my time spent at TCU and in the Fort Worth Community, but I would probably talk about my time spent at the Presbyterian Night Shelter in downtown Fort Worth…The families there, despite their hardships, can find happiness and joy in the mundane, in the ordinary, and in the simple...

Adobe-type ovens, called “lorenas,” made by TCU students

It is important to understand the perspectives of TCU students as they become involved in the community.  Among many students that have been very active throughout their time at TCU, two graduating seniors stand out as models of an engaged citizen.  Jessica Searcy is currently the student facilitator for the Involved Service Network and Marisa Sleeter is the President of the Habitat for Humanity TCU Chapter.  Please read the following excerpts from their reflections and click the link below for their full stories.

The Center for Community Involvement and Service-Learning is pleased to share with you this second issue of our newsletter.  Involved, the concept we chose for our Center’s logo, represents well the level of activity for the past few months.  Space limitations do not allow us to provide details on all of our activities, but these articles  highlight some of the contributions TCU students, faculty and staff have made to strengthen our community connections. We chose to invite some of our collaborators to help us tell our story in order to offer diverse perspectives on service.

Aside from the activities and projects covered in the newsletter articles, we feel proud of the steady progress our Center has been making. 

Director’s Notes

TCU Center for

Community Involvement

and Service-Learning

International Service Immersion Trip

Guanajuato, Mexico

By Rosangela Boyd

*Adriana Bell spent part of the fall semester working with a team of students in her public relations class to design and produce a public relations campaign plan for a local nonprofit organization. While Adriana found the work challenging, she relished the experience, because she was able to apply the theories she had learned in her public relations class in a way that benefited the organization. She learned

Dr. Amiso M. George,

Department of Journalism

about team work, the challenges of working with deadlines, adapting to unexpected changes that occur during the execution of a project, and reflection of her experiences. Adriana was a participant in a service-learning program.  Service-learning combines experiential learning and community service. It is designed to engender mutually beneficial relationships or partnerships between entities. Service-learning meets community needs while providing opportunities for students to gain real world experiences. According to Andrew Furco, a leading authority on service-learning, community service occurs when there is “a balance between learning goals and service outcomes.”                      *Not real name of student

International Service Immersion Trip

Guanajuato, Mexico

By Rosangela Boyd

 

During one of our reflection activities, one of the TCU students who traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico with us mentioned something about their generation being responsible for changing the world.   I felt a smirk developing across my face and the impulse to tell her how every generation before hers had held the same belief.  Fortunately, I caught myself in time to swallow the cynicism and listen rather than offer a discouraging comment.  The more I listened, the more I grew to appreciate these eight students who chose Service Immersion experience for Spring Break, and the more I started believing in what is possible rather than dwelling on what has not been accomplished yet. 

 

Since the summer of 2004, many TCU students have participated in a Service-Learning Immersion Program in Mexico. Each year, a group of students travel, under supervision of TCU staff and faculty, to Mexico in order to participate in community projects and learn more about Mexican culture.  The trip to Guanajuato is a collaboration between the Department of Social Work and the Center for Community Involvement and Service-Learning. 

 

This year, eight students traveled with us.  They came from different departments; some were freshman while some were graduate students.  They were a diverse and powerful group, with different cultural backgrounds, upbringings and world views; but they all came together and delivered a solid performance which should make every member of the TCU community proud.  And, not only did they pass on the opportunity to take it easy or catch up with academic work; they paid to serve.  The lessons they learned and taught each other are probably going to stay with them much longer than their college career, bringing to life the lectures on ethical leadership, civic responsibility and global awareness.   

 

Students were trained by staff from Cuerpos de Conservacion, a non-profit organization that works with rural communities in the Sierra de Santa Rosa focusing on environmental and economic development. This year’s project consisted of helping seven families in Santa Rosa build adobe-type ovens, called “lorenas” - which comes from the Spanish words for mud (lodo) and sand (arena).  The old stoves burned wood, producing a great deal of smoke, which, in kitchens without chimneys or much ventilation, quickly covered the walls with soot.  Lorena stoves are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, cutting on the amount of wood needed; they are also less harmful to the health, as they reduce the inhalation of smoke and tar from the burning wood.   

 

Throughout this immersion experience students worked alongside residents from this small rural community called Hacienda de Arriba.  Age, gender, physical build did not matter; we all worked hard, taking turns axing to gather soil from the hillsides to put into the LORENA mix,  shoveling the mix to get to the right consistency,  or carrying  adobe bricks from the far side of the village to create the stove hearths. Later in the day, we often visited with local leaders or went to community agencies to learn more about the culture and social issues in Mexico. Aside from long hours of work in the heat, many had to adjust to language and cultural changes.  And after a long day of community work and site visits, it was time for reflection! 

 

Contrary to what some may think, students did not regard this work as charity.   During reflection, it became clear that students were receiving as much as they were giving.  They quickly picked up on the different ways to look at poverty, challenging our modern notions of what makes for a happy life.  They noted how this small community might not have running water or sewage, but was rich in their strong family ties and willingness to share their food and homes with strangers.  They also showed incredible maturity when they questioned social justice in terms of choice and access to basic resources, delving into the reasons for inequalities.  They understood that their biggest contribution might not have been the final product; by being there they silently protested against injustice in the most powerful manner- with action! They saw how by traveling far to lend a hand, they showed the community members that others do care, mobilizing them to work even harder to better themselves.  And as the week progressed they came up with more questions and ideas for generating interest in service among their peers upon returning to TCU. 

 

And this is why I was so glad to have silenced my cynicism and given them the opportunity to look for their own answers.  This is why I am proud to have met each one of these young leaders, who I am sure will continue to put their actions where their beliefs take them.  This is why I came back re-energized, thinking that maybe this is the generation that will indeed change the world…

 

Kudos to:    

 

Jacob Bloch,                               

Mary Bauman                             

Rebecca Claudat

Katilee Fender

Barbara Fernandes

Alriah Pereira                              

Hunter Shelburne

Margrethe Thiesen

 

who helped build more than stoves…

 

 

 

Service-Learning Grant Recipient : Dr. Amiso M. George

BUILDING RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH SERVICE LEARNING

 

*Adriana Bell spent part of the fall semester working with a team of students in her public relations class to design and produce a public relations campaign plan for a local nonprofit organization. While Adriana found the work challenging, she relished the experience, because she was able to apply the theories she had learned in her public relations class in a way that benefited the organization. She learned about team work, the challenges of working with deadlines, adapting to unexpected changes that occur during the execution of a project, and reflection of her experiences. Adriana was a participant in a service-learning program.  Service-learning combines experiential learning and community service. It is designed to engender mutually beneficial relationships or partnerships between entities. Service-learning meets community needs while providing opportunities for students to gain real world experiences. According to Andrew Furco, a leading authority on service-learning, community service occurs when there is “a balance between learning goals and service outcomes.”

 

In this brief essay, I describe how I used a journalism course, Public Relations Campaigns, as the conduit to develop a reciprocal relationship between public relations students at two institutions and local community organizations. The course goal was two-fold: students were expected to research, plan and execute a public relations campaign for a community based non-profit organization. Secondly, participating organizations must sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be full partners in the program, and be willing to evaluate the effectiveness of campaign efforts.

 

The Public Relations Campaign course usually has an enrollment of between thirteen to seventeen seniors. Prior to enrolling in the class, the students would have completed the introductory course in public relations and public relations case studies. As a recognized capstone class in most public relations programs, the PR Campaign course is designed to provide students with experience-based learning in the research, planning and implementation of an organization's messages. It affords students the opportunity to integrate theory with practice. This incorporation of theory and practice prepares students to work on specific PR problems or challenges upon graduation. This course focused on teaching students how to apply theories learned in class to solve real life public relations problems for a community organization. Most importantly, it provides opportunities for the development of a mutually beneficial relationship between the university and the community.

 

The course is divided into five sections that focus on public relations campaign strategies, theory and research, planning, adaptation, implementation and evaluation. The first two weeks of the course are devoted to discussing campaign strategies, course management, contacting clients, and forming teams. Teams of five to seven students are formed based on complementary skills of members, such as writing, research, organizational, and creative skills. Each team is assigned to a community organization client. The clients are asked to designate a liaison to meet with the students on a regular basis (at least once a week) to ensure that the campaign is planned and executed in ways that meets both the goal of the class and the organization’s goals.

 

The student teams study other campaign theories and strategies. They research the needs or situations of their client and adopt goals and objectives for the campaign. The teams then map out appropriate public relations tactics, (such as media events and publicity materials) to draw attention to their campaign. Each team organizes and executes a special media event to draw attention to their campaign. By using this approach, the students learn how to think with promptness and confidence in analyzing some of the ethical and logistical challenges inherent in planning and executing a public relations campaign. The final phase of the class is the evaluation of the campaign, and the completion and presentation of a written report in lieu of a final examination. The instructor, client and peers evaluate students. Students also evaluate the course and their team members. This practice and pedagogy of service-learning provide opportunities for student-faculty interaction, student-community organization interaction, teamwork, and respect for varied talents and learning styles. 

 

What Worked?

In an audience analysis conducted at the beginning of the course, students were asked to list their expectations for the course. Among the responses were “to gain a better understanding of planning a public relations program for a client from beginning to end,” and “to work in a real-life setting with a nonprofit organization.”  The responses indicate a willingness to engage in the building of reciprocal relationships with community-based organization. Most importantly, they highlight students’ interest in applying the theories they learn in a realistic situation.

 

At the conclusion of the course, students were asked to revisit the expectations described at