Addressing the heart of poverty

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Addressing the heart of poverty

• Through experiential education

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background

• 5th Year Associate Director of the Center for
  Social Concerns _at_ Notre Dame
• Direct Urban Plunge
• Co-Direct Minor in Catholic Social Tradition
• Teach CBL course Poverty Politics
• Worked in Chicago DC beforehand
• Connect the 2 Feet Need both

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Center for Social Concerns

• 26 years learning becomes service to justice
• Facilitates community-based learning, research
  service thru CST
• Over 15,000 participants in seminars

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Goal

• Through experiential education, assist students
  in developing proposed solutions to the systemic
  problems of poverty

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Objectives for workshop

• Provide a replicable model of community-based
  learning in higher education
• Provide a mechanism to engage alumni networks in
  summer internships
• Engage creativity in more deeply engaging
  non-profits

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Mechanisms for Addressing poverty

• Community-based learning research
• Community Partners
• Summer Internships
• Alumni Networks

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Seminars addressing Poverty

• Poverty Politics 3 credit
• Over 20 courses internal - 1 credit
• Urban Plunge
• Appalachia
• Children Poverty
• Border Issues
• Around 100 cbl across curriculum 3 credit
• Summer Service courses 3 credit

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Poverty Politics

• Why so many poor in the U.S.? Why care?
• Seek solutions to causes of poverty
• Interdisciplinary humanities, arts, social
  sciences
• Team taught focus on developing oral skills
• Students participate weekly in 1 of 4 non-profits
  addressing poverty
• Community-based learning coordinators

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Community-Based Learning Coordinators

• 6 in local partner agencies
• AIDS Ministries/AIDS Assist
• Center for the Homeless
• La Casa de Amistad
• Logan Center
• Robinson Community Learning Center
• Sr. Maura Brannick Clinic
• Pay part of their salary depending on volume of
  students
• Help students find placements w/ agencies
• Meet needs of students agencies
• Assist faculty in creating cbl opportunities
• Individual course-related placements
• Trying to develop courses research out of
  agency needs

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Summer service learning program

• 8 week service learning course
• Over 240 students to over 110 sites nationally
• 3 credit 2,300 tuition credit
• Funded through alumni clubs alumni contact
• Orientation/Spring Reading Writing w/
  Immersion/Summer Follow-up Session/Fall

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International SSLP

• 8 week summer service learning course
• 42 students in 12 countries in so. Hemisphere
• 3 credit 1000 stipend travel covered

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Questions

• What models are you using to address poverty
  through experiential education?
• Are there similarities or differences?

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Discussion

• What did you hear at your tables?
• What further questions did you have?

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Thanks