Voter Education & Registration Resources
Washington DC Civic Engagement Study Tour
The FOCUS Initiative (for faculty)
Working together to meet the needs of the community and students
Community-based organizations (CBOs) partner with the health education program to help educate students and meet the needs of the population the organization serves. The resources of both the CBO and the health education program are utilized. By working with health education students the CBO can expand the reach and scope of their community health programs and services.
Importance of Service Learning to Professional Development of Students
While studying community health concepts such as the organization and administration of health agencies and coalition-building, students gain first-hand experience that enables them to connect theory and practice. As an educational strategy, service learning can bring greater depth of understanding and support the development of valuable professional skills. Students complete a "leave something behind" project as part of the course, which has the goal of providing needed service for the community agency and unique professional growth for students.
Examples of service learning experiences students have been completing for the past two years as part of HSC 292: Community/Public Health:
American Red Cross: One student was part of the Armed Forces Emergency Services (AFES) available through the Red Cross. This student was on-call from 4:30pm until 8:00am to take calls from military families who needed to contact a loved one who had been deployed. The student would record the family's information regarding a family emergency (e.g. death or illness in the family), and would then verify that the story was accurate. Upon verification, the student would send the information to the national office so that the deployed individual would be contacted. This student also created a database of the newly deployed soldiers, and a database of hotels and motels that provide discounts during a time of crisis (e.g. home destroyed by fire or natural disaster).
Heartland Head Start: One student translated all of the agencies documents (forms, handouts, etc.) into Spanish for its Spanish-speaking clientele. Many of the families served by Head Start are Latino, so this was a very valuable service.
Ecology Action Center: Many students have been involved in creating educational opportunities for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to earn merit badges. These activities are left with the EAC for future reference, and the students implement the programs during their tenure with the agency.
The Children's Foundation: One student created a Dad's Program. The agency had a lot of information for new mothers, but did not have anything for dads. This student created bags and filled them with information and activities for fathers. The bags were sorted by the children's developmental stages, so that each bag contained age-appropriate material. This was based off of a previous student project that was completed for mothers.
The Baby Fold: A few students created "Memory Books" for the children who receive adoption and foster-care services through the Baby Fold. The students created pages with common childhood memories, and left space for each child to write about his/her memories and to decorate his/her own pages. Thus, when the child leaves the agency, he/she will have memories of his/her childhood that are typically recorded for kids who are not in foster care or adoptive services by a primary caregiver.
Catholic Charities: Many students have been instrumental in assessing the needs and developing after-school programs for subsidized housing communities in Bloomington-Normal. This provides opportunities for kids to be tutored or involved in other structured activities when their caregivers are not home.
Job of Students
Benefits of Service Learning to Community-Based Organizations
Reactions to Service Learning
"This was certainly a new and educational experience for her, but it fulfilled a much-needed service for our agency." ~ A coordinator for a CBO engaged in service learning
"The partnership is working because our organization trusted the university, and the university was willing to have the organization take a leadership role." ~ Community organization leader
"I have learned a lot about setting realistic goals that relate to my community's situation, rather than what I think the community needs." ~ Student
For more information about the Community-Based Organizations & the Health Education Program at Illinois State please contact:
Jim Broadbear, Program Director
Sara Cole, Course Instructor
Illinois State University
Campus Box 5220
Normal, IL 61790-5220
(309) 438-8329
© 2006 Illinois State University • An equal opportunity/affirmative action university encouraging diversity.• Privacy Statement • Mail comments to: americandemocracy@IllinoisState.edu
