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| Subject: Community Projects: The New Colonialsim? | |
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Author: Mark Tirpak |
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Date Posted: 09:20:29 10/06/06 Fri In reply to: Mark Tirpak 's message, "Teaching & Learning Resources" on 11:58:31 09/28/06 Thu Wow - hot subject line, I know, but CRPers might find the two stories below (from The Guardian) interesting. While the stories pasted below explore, specifically, growing skepticism about the value of the volunteer work that British youth perform during their "gap year" (a non-compulsory year off between high school and college), the points these articles make about the potential limited community benefit (compared with.the student and/or institutional value) of academic-related community-based work should have special meaning for CRP students and faculty members. This is especially true as use of community-based project work as a teaching approach grows within the CRP program and throughout the UTSOA (see Architecture Team travels to Venice - http://www.utexas.edu/opa/news/2006/07/architecture27.html). The first article urges students, when reviewing an academic-related community project assignment, to "check what training they will receive, whether local people are involved in running the project, what proportion of their fees go to the communities they are helping and whether the project delivers lasting and sustainable benefits." It also offers this resource for critically examining community-based projects http://www.ethicalvolunteering.org The second article warns of the danger of poorly-planned or managed community projects leading to community partners being treated as "guinea pigs" - and/or the community itself being "laboratized," for the sake of student learning and/or institutional gain (this might raise some questions about at least the language of the UTSOA's recently launched Dallas Urban Lab program - http://www.soa.utexas.edu/urbandesign/dallaslab/). The second article also suggests that the low level of leadership and participation in decision-making that students are often granted back "home" (including in other aspects of their course of study), compared to what is required of them by community-based project work, can negatively impact the ability of students to develop the learning partnerships with community members needed to elevate academic-related community-based project work above "'exploitative and dehumanising relationships." For ideas on how universities can foster more equitable relationships with students before they head to the field, check out this resource from Campus Compact (UT Austin is now a member) "Students at Colleagues: Expanding the Circle of Service-Learning Leadership" http://www.campuscompact.org/publications/detail.php?viewpub=163 CRPers interested in increasing the value of academic-related community-based project work for community partners should also consider this resource: "Community Benefits Agreements: Making Development Projects Accountable." http://www.californiapartnership.org/downloads/CBA%20Handbook%202005%20final.pdf#search=%22community%20benefits%20agreements%22 In sum, the articles below suggest that the "best" community-based projects are those "researched in advance in which the local people participate and ask for what they want" and where students and community partners are engaged in project leadership and shared learning in the field and beyond. The articles also indicate that, in terms of community-based project work, an academic program / institution cannot rely merely on "good intentions to assure the quality of its work." More formal agreements with community partners and students about the goals, benefits, responsibilities, and assesment of community-based project work - along with more open and nuanced discussion about the organizational philosophy, vision, and strategy driving the use of this learning approach - might be worth consideration. Hope these resources are helpful and generate some good discussion as we begin another semester! Mark Are these the new colonialists? http://society.guardian.co.uk/aid/story/0,,1852853,00.html Mind the gap: why student year out may do more harm than good http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/gapyear/story/0,,1037642,00.html [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| UT Extension - Odyssey Program | Mark Tirpak | 16:57:00 11/05/06 Sun |