Community Partnerships

ANTH 3625

Professor Joseph Rubenstein

Community PartnershipsProfessor Joseph Rubenstein

ANTH

Introduction

This course helps sustainStockton’s Community Partnership Initiative, and will be a required course in the newly developing Community Partnerships Track in the Sociology/Anthropology Program. In the future, along with courses throughout the College, it will carry a “CP” (Community Partnership) designation.

  • These courses are related to, but different from traditional Service-Learning courses in that they “aim to bring about structural community improvement, including effective public schools, neighborhood economic development, and strong community organizations” (Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, The University of Pennsylvania, 2007)

The goal of this course is to encourage students to work in local schools and organizations, assisting and supporting their efforts to build and transform their communities. Students will work in teams with community partners to identify “real-world” needs in the school or organization and, with their approval, suggest problem-solving programs or projects designed to address the need. In addition, student teams will be required to write a New Jersey Common Application Grant to carry on their projects.

Our efforts in this course should be understood in two wider, national contexts:

  • The “campus-community collaboration” in which the student, the college, and the community mutually benefit from a partnership that addresses local needs.
  • The “university-assisted community school movement” whereby, in the words of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, “colleges and universities can serve as permanent ‘anchors’ and creative catalysts for change as lead partners for community schools.”

Finally, it is hoped that students will develop a greater understanding of what it means to be a “Community Partner”:

  • How is a partnership created? What does it mean to be a good partner?
  • How is a partnership maintained? How are project roles defined, how are project procedures implemented, and how appropriate is the project for the community?
  • How is a partnership sustained? How is support for the partnership developed and nurtured? What can each stakeholder do to continue the relationship? What kind of feedback and reflection mechanisms are in place to evaluate the relationship?

The Requirements (each requirement is worth 25% of your final grade)

  • Qualitative Team Project Assessment/Reflections (weekly class discussions from field notes, mid-term written summary presentation in-class, final written summary presentation in class)
  • Note: format developed from in-class discussions, and September 29 lecture
  • Mid-term Presentations: Thursday, October 22
  • Final Presentations: Tuesday, December 8
  • New JerseyCommon Grant Applications
  • Note: format developed from in-class grant writing workshops: September 10, 15.
  • Workshop Assignment, Tuesday, September 15
  • Final Presentations: Thursday, December 3
  • ARGO/Press of NJTeam Project articles
  • Note: format developed from in-class discussions Thursday, October 8.
  • Class Presentations, Tuesday, October 20
  • Reading/Writing Assignments
  • Note: Required Readingscitations in Calendar/Assignments below:Required Readings will be distributed in class
  • “Expected Challenges of Being a Student Community Partner,” (2-3 pages, due Tuesday, September 8, in-class, hard-copy)
  • “Further Thoughts on Expected Challenges of Being a Student Community Partner,” (2-3 pages, due, Thursday, September 10,in-class, hard copy)
  • “My Dream After-School Program”(2-3 pages, due, Tuesday, September 22, in-class, hard copy)

Guest Speakers

  • Thursday, September 3: Dr. Reva Curry, Interim Director, Community Partnerships, RichardStocktonSchool of Education: “Working in Community Schools: What to Expect.”
  • Tuesday, September 8: Tara Ronda, Richard Stockton Service Learning Coordinator, “Service Learning at Stockton and Its Relation to the Community Partnership Project: A Brief Introduction”
  • Thursday, September 10, and Tuesday, September 15: Linda Dolan, Grant Writing Consultant, “Grant Writing Workshops”
  • Thursday, September 17: Samantha Kiley, Child Health and Wellness Manager AtlantiCare-Center for Community Health, “After-School Programs: Overview and Implementation”
  • Tuesday, September 22: Amy Hogan and Krista Reale, Child Health and Wellness Educators, AtlantiCare-Center for Community Health “Creating and Sustaining an After-School Program (Part 1)”
  • Thursday, September 24: Amy Hogan, Child Health and Wellness Educator, AtlantiCare-Center for Community Health “Creating and Sustaining an After-School Program (Part 2)”
  • Thursday, October 1: Beth Feehan, Co-Founder, New Jersey Farm To School Network, AmeriCorps Staff Member (farm-to-school, and anti-hunger projects), “Farm Markets and CommunityGardens: Starting, Maintaining, and Sustaining Your Project”
  • Tuesday, October 6: Amy Hogan, AtlantiCare Health Educator, “First Week in the Field” (with Professor Rubenstein)
  • Tuesday, October 13: Amy Hogan, AtlantiCare Health Educator, “Second Week Observations,” (with Professor Rubenstein)
  • Thursday, October 15: Kathy Whitmore, NCLB Supervisor, Atlantic CitySchools, “Understanding the 2008 No Child Left Behind Reports: New York and SovereignAvenueSchools”
  • Thursday, October 29: Alexander Marino,Director of Carnegie Operations/Assistant to the Provost Richard Stockton College - Carnegie Library Center, "Understanding Community Projects in the Context of Atlantic City History”
  • Thursday, November 5: Debra Davies, Ph.D., Executive Officer, ARC of Atlantic County, Sarah Griffith, Chief Executive Officer, Gilda’s Club of South Jersey, Maureen Sherr Frank, Director, Atlantic City Free Public Library, “How to Make a Community Project Work: Lessons from Community Leaders”
  • Thursday, November 12: Linda Dolan, Grant Writing Consultant, “Grant Application Update and Getting Ready for Final Team Project Class Presentations”
  • Tuesday, November 17: Amy Hogan, AtlantiCare Health Educator “Qualitative Assessment/Reflection Update and Getting Ready for Final Team Project Class Presentations” (with Professor Rubenstein)
  • Thursday, November 19: Medina Wilson Peyton, Principal, SovereignAvenueSchool, James E. Knox, Principal, New YorkAvenueSchool, “The Community Partnership: Perspectives from the Principal’s Office”

The Projects

Project 1:

Stockton/New York/Sovereign Avenue After-School Enrichment Program (Pilot phase)

Goal

To develop an enriched after-school program that combines homework/tutorial assistance, with health/fitness and community project activities.

Participants

The pilot program requires 6-10 public school students in each of 3 age-grade cohorts: K-2, 3-5, 6-8

Project Staff

Six 2-person Stockton teams: New York and Sovereign Avenue schools.

Stockton Work-Study Students (trained)

Stockton Student Volunteers (trained)

Title I Homework Coordinators (trained): if available

Supervision

Professor Joseph Rubenstein (on-site/in-class)

Dr. Reva Curry: Director, Community Partnerships (on-site)

Tara Ronda: Stockton Service Learning Coordinator (training, on-site)

Samantha Kiley, Amy Hogan, Krista Reale: AtlantiCare Project Consultants (training, on-site/in-class)

Linda Dolan: Grant Consultant (training)

Staff members (to be named): New York & Sovereign Avenue (on-site)

Time Frames

Student teams will begin work in both schools no earlier than September 29, 2009. They will work for 10 weeks and complete their service no later than December 3, 2009.

Each team will be expected to work after-school (3:30-5:30) at least once a week with their age-grade cohort.

Work Study, Volunteer, and Title I Homework Coordinators (if available) will be trained to work with the Stockton teams, and then on their own, to supplement and support the after-school programs.

Assessment

It is the nature of a pilot project such as this that the After-School Program and its implementation should be the primary focus of any evaluation. Stockton students and supervisory staff will engage in weekly, qualitative self-assessment/reflections both in-class and in writing regarding the efficacy of the structure, as well as their actual experience in the program.

After-school student/participants will be observed utilizing ethnographic method, and when appropriate (with permission of school and parents) interviewed about their experience in the after-school program.

With permission of the school and parents, tape recorders and cameras will be employed to visually document the after-school program.

Project 2

Stockton/New York/SovereignAvenueAfter-SchoolParentCenter Assistance

Goal

To provide assistance to after-school Parent Centers in New York and SovereignAvenueSchools.

Participants

Parents and students in the after-school Parent Centers

Project Staff

Two 2-person Stockton teams: New York and Sovereign Avenue schools.

Stockton Work-Study Students (trained)

Stockton Student Volunteers (trained)

Supervision

Professor Joseph Rubenstein (on-site/in-class)

Dr. Reva Curry: Director, Community Partnerships (on-site)

Tara Ronda: Stockton Service Learning Coordinator (training, on-site)

Samantha Kiley, Amy Hogan, Krista Reale: AtlantiCare Project Consultants (training, on-site/in-class)

Linda Dolan: Grant Consultant (training)

Staff members (to be named): New York & Sovereign Avenue (on-site)

Time Frames

Student teams will begin work in both schools no earlier than September 29, 2009. They will work for 10 weeks and complete their service no later than December 3, 2009.

Each team will be expected to work during or after-school at least once a week for no less than a 2 hour period.

Work Study, Volunteer, and Title I Homework Coordinators (if available) will be trained to work with the Stockton teams, and then on their own, to supplement and support parent center programs.

Assessment

It is the nature of a pilot project such as this that the Parent Center Program should be the primary focus of any evaluation. Stockton students and supervisory staff will engage in weekly, qualitative self-assessment/reflections both in-class and in writing regarding the efficacy of the structure, as well as their actual experience in the program.

ParentCenter parent/student/participants will be observed utilizing ethnographic method, and when appropriate (with permission of school and parents) interviewed about their experience in the ParentCenter programs.

With permission of the school and parents, tape recorders and cameras will be employed to visually document the ParentCenter programs.

Project 3

The Garden Projects

Goal

To assist and maintain gardens at Atlantic CityHigh School with Special Needs students

To develop and maintain a garden at the New YorkAvenueSchool

To develop and maintain a garden at the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City

To develop and maintain a “healing garden” at the AtlantiCareCancerCenter

Participants

Special Needs students at Atlantic CityHigh School, staff (Stockton and Atlantic CityHigh School), and community volunteers

Students and staff at New YorkAvenueSchool, Stockton and community volunteers

Boys and Girls club participants, staff (Stockton, Boys and Girls Club), and community volunteers

AtlantiCareCancerCenter patients, staff (Stockton and AtlantiCare), and community volunteers

Project Staff

One 3-person Stockton team

Stockton Work-Study Students (trained)

Stockton Student Volunteers (trained)

Supervision

Professor Joseph Rubenstein (on-site/in-class)

Samantha Kiley, MPH, Child and Wellness Manager, AtlantiCare-Center for Community Health

Robert Escheman, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science, RichardStocktonCollege

Tara Ronda: Stockton Service Learning Coordinator (training, on-site)

Jessica Cuevas, Teacher, RossSchool, Margate, New Jersey

Cookie Till: Community Volunteer, Founder, Margate Farmer’s Market

Steve Whitford: Community Volunteer, Environmental Scientist, Master Naturalist, and Certified Interpretive Guide

Katie-Anne Conway: Stockton Environmental Studies student

Staff members (to be named): New York Avenue (on-site)

Staff members (to be named): Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City (on-site)

Time Frames

The Atlantic City High School Gardens are developed and will be maintained throughout the year

Groundbreaking for the New YorkAvenueSchool; late summer/early fall 2009; planting and maintenance will continue throughout the year.

Groundbreaking for the Boys and Girls Club; late summer/early fall 2009; planting and maintenance will continue throughout the year.

Groundbreaking for the AtlantiCareHealingGarden; early fall 2009 with an expected opening in spring 2010.

Assessment

It is the nature of a project such as this that the progress of developing and maintaining the Garden Projects should be the primary focus of any evaluation. Stockton students and supervisory staff will engage in weekly, qualitative self-assessment/reflections both in-class and in writing regarding their actual experience in the project.

Tape recorders and cameras will be employed to visually document the garden projects.

Project 4

The Atlantic City Farmer’s Market Project

Goal

To expand, develop, and publicize a summer-long farmer’s market in Atlantic City.

To explore the possibility of developing a “mobile farmer’s market” to support the on-site market.

Participants

Local farmers

Stockton student volunteers and student organizations

Community volunteers

Project Staff

One Stocktonstudent

Stockton Work-Study Students (trained)

Stockton Student Volunteers (trained)

Supervision

Professor Joseph Rubenstein (on-site/in-class)

Cookie Till, Community volunteer;Founder,Margate Farmer’s Market

Beth Feehan, Co-Founder, New Jersey Farm To School Network, AmeriCorps Staff Member (farm-to-school, and anti-hunger projects)

Samantha Kiley, MPH, Child and Wellness Manager, AtlantiCare-Center for Community Health

Time Frames

Planning for The Atlantic City Farmer’s Market Project will begin in fall 2009 with an expected completion date in spring 2010.

Assessment

It is the nature of a project such as this that the progress of bringing a farmer’s market to Atlantic Cityshould be the primary focus of any evaluation. Stockton students and supervisory staff will engage in weekly, qualitative self-assessment/reflections both in-class and in writing regarding their actual experience in achieving this goal.

Project 5

The Campus Kitchens Project

Goal

To bring The Campus Kitchens Project to RichardStocktonCollege. The Campus Kitchens Project is a national student-run program that re-distributes surplus food from campus food services to anti-hunger programs throughout the region.

To explore the feasibility of trainingAtlantic CityHigh School studentsso that they may bring The Campus Kitchens Project to the High School.

To support, expand, and publicize sustainable and “green” practices in campus food services.

Participants

Stockton student volunteers and student organizations

Project Staff

One 2-person Stockton team

Stockton Work-Study Students (trained)

Stockton Student Volunteers (trained)

Supervision

Professor Joseph Rubenstein (on-site/in-class)

Heather Swenson, Chartwell’s Marketing at StocktonCollege

Time Frames

Planning for The Campus Kitchens Project will begin in fall 2009 with an expected completion date in spring 2010.

Assessment

It is the nature of a project such as this that the progress of bringing the Campus Kitchen Projectto the campus should be the primary focus of any evaluation. Stockton students and supervisory staff will engage in weekly, qualitative self-assessment/reflections both in-class and in writing regarding their actual experience in achieving this goal.

Project 6

The Mural Arts Projects

Goal

To plan and implement a mural project on an interior wall at the New York Avenue and/or Sovereign Avenue Schools.

To plan and implement a mural project on an exterior wall in Atlantic City.

Participants

Students and staff at New York and/or SovereignAvenueSchools

Community and student volunteers from Atlantic City

Project Staff

One 2-person Stockton team

Stockton Work-Study Students (trained)

Stockton Student Volunteers (trained)

Supervision

Professor Joseph Rubenstein (on-site/in-class)

Eileen Conran, Executive Assistant to the Interim Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs and the Wm. J. Hughes Ctr. for Public Policy, Richard Stockton College

Tara Ronda: Stockton Service Learning Coordinator (training, on-site)

Jane Golden, Executive Director, Philadelphia Mural Arts Project (Project Consultant)

Staff members (to be named): New York and/or Sovereign Avenue (on-site)

Time Frames

Planning for both murals will begin in fall 2009 with an expected completion date in spring/summer 2010.

Assessment

It is the nature of a project such as this that the progress of installing murals both in schools and on a site in Atlantic City should be the primary focus of any evaluation. Stockton students and supervisory staff will engage in weekly, qualitative self-assessment/reflections both in-class and in writing regarding their actual experience in the project.

Tape recorders and cameras will be employed to visually document the mural projects.

The Calendar and Class Assignments

Thursday, September 3

  • Introduction to class
  • Guest Lecture: “Working in Community Schools; What to Expect.”Dr. Reva Curry, Interim Director, Community Partnerships, RichardStocktonSchool of Education:
  • Reading and Writing Assignment: “Expected Challenges of Being a Student Community Partner,” (2 pages, due Tuesday, September 8,in-class, hard-copy), from,Curry Lecture, Engage, Empower, Educate, Annual Report 2007-2008, The Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania, Vision and Mission Statements: New York and Sovereign Avenue Schools, and American Anthropological Statement on Ethics in the Field (Class Handouts)

Tuesday, September 8

  • Project Team Assignments Finalized
  • Class Discussion and Presentations: September 3 Reading and Writing Assignments (above)
  • Reading and Writing Assignment: “Further Thoughts on Expected Challenges of Being a Student Community Partner,” (2 pages, due, Thursday, September 10, in-class, hard copy):from, “Community Voice: A California Campus Compact Study on Partnerships,” Marie Sandy, 2007, and Stockton Service Learning Handbook, 2009 (Class Handout)
  • Reading Assignment (in preparation for September 10 Grant Writing Workshop): Grant Writing Seminar Outline (Draft), “Nickelodeon’s Big Green Grants Program.”
  • Guest Lecture: “Service Learning at Stockton and Its Relation to the Community Partnership Project: A Brief Introduction,” Tara Ronda: Richard Stockton Service Learning Coordinator

Thursday, September 10

  • Grant Writing Workshop: Linda Dolan, Grant Writing Consultant
  • Note: After this 2-part workshop is completed, sections of the final grant application will be due throughout the term. A completed grant application (hard-copy) will be due December 3, 2009 from each project team.

Tuesday, September 15