Concept Cue
Reflect on previous involvement in the community. How has the learning at SLCC shifted your understanding of community? How did your experience with civic engagement relate to the learning in the classroom? How did your experiences support and/or conflict with course content? Please upload appropriate multimedia onto your e-portfolio along with your response.
Being a student at SLCC has completely changed my understanding of community. Had it not been for taking a CEL course, I wouldn't have begun working with Volunteers of America and my life would've taken a very different path. I use things that I've learned in the classroom on a daily basis, especially things from my Honors Humanities course. I was just reflecting on how much the topics of intersectional feminism, immigration and refugees, and human rights are central to the work I do at the shelter. In a discussion post I wrote for that class I said, "In my current role at the Women's Resource Center downtown, I am over hiring and "special projects" that work to improve the overall experience for the clients we serve and staff. As a part of my role in overseeing the initial onboarding and training of new hires, I work to educate staff on the racial and gender disparities the homeless population experiences; I help trainees to understand that domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and that people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community are far more likely to be disadvantaged in housing and employment spheres. It is vital that my organization work towards supporting racial and gender justice because we need to understand some of the key contributing factors to the issues we are working to combat. I think education on these issues is essential. I am also trying to bridge communication between our organization and others that overlap with the members of our community that we serve, like the YWCA (SLC's primary DV shelter) and AAU (Asian Association of Utah who works with immigrants, refugees, and trafficking survivors). It is important to be educated on the racial and gender dynamics that result in oppression, and it is also extremely important to understand what services are available for those communities and how we can connect people to them." I am constantly learning new things in the classroom that make me a better member of my community.
Community Organization Report
What is the name of the community organization?
What is the organization's mission?
What societal issues are they providing resources to?
The pathway for this module is Community Engaged Learning and Research; how is this approach explored by the community organization
Volunteers of America Utah
Mission Statement: Volunteers of America, Utah provides community-supported paths for those who are vulnerable to improve their lives and increase their self-reliance.
VOA is a human services nonprofit organization with over 300 paid staff who serve more than 7,000 people across the state each year through programs addressing homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence. Thousands of volunteers and partners join with us to accomplish our mission to reach and lift those in greatest need.
VOA explores the path community organization by offering a variety of volunteer opportunities across their various programs so everyone can find something that fits their unique skills.