CSL-Getting Involved and Creating Life-long Relationships
By Natasha Carnali
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Photo by T. Smith, 2009, with subjects' permission. |
In community service-learning or CSL, post-secondary students collaborate with their professors for a hands-on learning experience. During this experience they are able to give back to their community while applying their academic skills to real challenges facing organizations in their communities. The relationships involved in CSL include:
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Teachers with Students
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Students with their Peers
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Teachers with Administrators
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Teachers with Community Partners
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Community Partners with the Community
As you can see, CSL gets complicated, but the benefits to all groups involved are positive and can be life-altering. The relationships that are created, especially for teachers, provide a strong base for future endeavors. For a CSL program or project to be successful, it is necessary to build these relationships so that they are cultivated and structured long-term relationships for all involved.
Where do I start? With Community Partners
The book Unheard Voices profiles the points of view of community partners and their views on their relationships with students and teaching faculty members in past CSL experiences. Edited by Randy Stoecker, Elizabeth A. Tyron, and Amy Hilgendorf, Unheard Voices is based on many interviews conducted on CSL relationships and what could make them stronger and more durable.
Unheard Voices: A Look into Communication and Relationships
In Chapter 6 of the book Unheard Voices written by Elizabeth Tryon, Amy Hilgendorf, and Ian Scott, successful and beneficial CSL experiences are emphasized in the partnerships between all involved in CSL including; teaching faculty staff, students, and community partners. Two essential aspects to successful and beneficial CSL experiences include:
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Clear, concise communications
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Long-term relationships composed of trust and respect
Based on interviews with various community service partners, Chapter 6 highlights that the most important factor in service learning is the relationships between the community organization staff and the education institutions partnered with them. There are many complex levels of relationship development in CSL and Unheard Voices refers to five levels to the relationship development process as put forth by Scheibel, Bowley, and Jones, (2005). These levels include:
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"limited awareness of each other
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limited activities and expectations
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structured involvement
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joint project development
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collaboration based on risk sharing and management"
(Stoecker, Tyron, & Hilgendorf, p. 98).
Successful Collaboration
Once the collaboration has been agreed to, clear communication must be maintained. If all parties involved understand from the beginning the time constraints and full schedules that are common to many community partners, they may be less likely to misconstrue a cancelled appointment or late reply as disengagement on the part of the community partner. Instead, they will continue to be positive and persistent in their approach to the community partner. Likewise, it is vital that the community partner has a full understanding of the faculty and how courses and programs work there. The book’s authors recommend that to have a successful CSL experience, there is a responsibility on both sides to create a strong relationship stating,
“There are certainly service learning projects that manage to carry on even where a strong relationship is lacking, but it’s clear the community partners favor the idea of putting energy into the partnership and being treated reciprocally, particularly from the faculty who exhibit a committed engagement. (Stoecker, Tyron & Hilgendorf, p. 101).”
Some ways to achieve a successful partnership
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Create a document clarifying terms of partnership, expectations and goals
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Make sure community partners have a go-to contact amongst the faculty, not just a student
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Keep each other in the know about available resources
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To save time, keep all content and work in one place
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Allow community partners to express themselves in their own words to students
By keeping these approaches and outlooks in mind, you can develop a more secure and long-lasting CSL relationship.
Other Pespectives Pages
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References
Stoecker, R., Tyron, E. A. & Hilgendorf, A.
(2009). The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service Learning.
[Chapter 6]. Tyron, E. A., Hilgendorf, A. & Scott, I. The Heart of
Partnership: Communication and Relationships. Philadelphia: Temple
University Press.
