Deepening Student Learning and Community Impact through Intentional Community Partnerships

As a professional in higher education civic engagement, my work centers around developing and managing community programs that engage students in meaningful ways while encouraging personal, professional, and civic growth. I encounter questions about running successful community-based programs regularly in my interactions with colleagues across campus, but the question that most challenges me—as well as other civic engagement professionals, is, “What impact are our students actually having in the community?” This question is difficult for many reasons, but one of the significant challenges is that in developing service opportunities for college students, this question is often an afterthought, rather than the driving force behind our work. I would like to advocate for more intentional reflection on this critical question, and offer a model that has proven successful in strengthening the impact of community-based programs at Binghamton University’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE).  

In many traditional community service programs, program development considers the student first and foremost. Programs are designed to accommodate student schedules, interests, and needs. Community organizations are assumed to simply be grateful for the “free” help. Service is transactional: students deliver some service to those in need, and the community organization and its clients are passive receivers. Assessment typically includes counting the number of students involved, hours served, and basic outputs such as number of donated items. Positive outcomes for the community are assumed inherent.

Of course we have an obligation to offer opportunities that are meaningful and appropriate for students and that help them learn and grow in a variety of ways. However, I would challenge institutions to consider whether we are doing a disservice to our students by not more intentionally involving community partners in the development of service opportunities, as a community partnership model can allow for deeper student learning while also having greater community impact.

In a true community partnership, community organizations and community members are active participants in identifying needs, developing solutions, and assessing success. Program development is primarily driven based on community need. Campus and community partners collaborate to design programs that meet student needs and interests and are also impactful for the community. In this model, community organizations have an equal voice and see more results for their investment of time and resources. Students benefit from sustained partnerships, which allow for more structured, ongoing participation with opportunities for deep learning and reflection. Students learn how collaborative community change really happens and actually start to see the impact of their work. 

I would offer the CCE’s Community Schools & Youth Programs initiative as an example of a successful community partnership in action. Through this initiative, the CCE partners with local school districts to connect student volunteers to address high priority needs. This work addresses a challenge identified by the schools: while they have a need for volunteers, they do not have the capacity to coordinate them. Through a partnership with Broome County Promise Zone (a university-assisted community schools initiative housed in the College of Community and Public Affairs), three graduate assistants (GAs) are co-located in the CCE and a local school district and are co-supervised by CCE and Promise Zone professional staff. GAs work with school staff to identify needs and develop programs and then recruit and coordinate student volunteers to address those needs. This model has ensured that both student and school needs are addressed, as GAs have accountability to both the CCE and the school district. It has provided student volunteers greater access to unique school-based opportunities. It has also allowed for innovative solutions to challenges, such as transportation agreements between the University and school districts.

Even if you are not ready to launch a full-scale partnership such as this one, there are small changes you can make now. Take time to actively listen to community organizations, and advise students to do the same. Ask for feedback on whether programs are meeting community needs. Shift your language from traditional “community service,” to “community partnership” and “community change.” It takes more time and resources to develop and sustain collaborative initiatives, and you will face obstacles, especially early on. But the benefits to both students and the community far outweigh the challenges.

Questions:

•  How do we assess the impact of community partnerships? How do we capture community outcomes in addition to student learning outcomes?
• How do we balance and prioritize the needs of students and the community? Who are we accountable to?