Duke Service-Learning co-sponsored the May 11th Engagement Retreat along with the Duke Academic Advising Center. Read this DukeToday story about the engaging day here. read more about Engagement Retreat, 2017 Edition »
It is such a pleasure to celebrate with our Alden Award winners each year, who exemplify the ideals of service-learning. Left to right, Christina Williams, student, Jehanne Gheith, professor, Denise Waters, community partner, Betsy Alden herself, Laurie Hays Coffman, community partner, and Kristen Larson, student. Christina Williams was recognized for the ways she has demonstrated that community-building and serving the public good are principles that she holds close to her heart through her many co-curricular and… read more about 2017 Alden Award Winners »
Professors Deb Reisinger and Mohamed Mwamzandi's class Voices in Global Health, Swahili gave students a meaningful semester, meeting with Swahili-speaking immigrants to help advance the students' Swahili and the Swahili-speakers' English. According to the service-learning assistant in the class, "It has been a challenging, but very fulfilling journey." Students and families are pictured here. read more about Voices in Global Health, Swahili Outreach »
Duke Service-Learning is delighted to announce our Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award student winners for 2017. Kristen Larson (second from left) and Christina Williams (second from right) were chosen for their extraordinary community engagement during their Duke careers. (Others in the photo are Dane Emmerling, left, Betsy Alden, center, and David Malone, right.) Kristen's nominator, Ana Fernandez, stated, “Kristen’s genuine, generous and committed service is a common trait that she has displayed during her… read more about Two Stellar Students »
Duke Service-Learning invited Rhonda Fitzgerald from the Sustained Dialogue Institute (SDI) to campus in April to lead two workshops, with more than 90 faculty, staff, and students in attendance. The Institute defines dialogue as “a process of genuine interaction through which human beings listen to each other deeply enough to be changed by what they learn." She further explained that dialogue is collaborative, towards a sense of community understanding, as opposed to discussion, which is more … read more about Sustained Dialogue at Duke »
Professor Deb Reisinger's French 270T S-L course recently spent time translating the "know your rights" deportation document for their community partners. The Swahili class worked up a version in Swahili as well that will be sent to Church World Services to distribute to their clients. They also wrote postcards to elected officials about the new refugee cap. According to Reisinger, it was a great exercise in content and language as they discussed the new caps (from 110,000 to 50,000), and how the new order might affect… read more about Service-Learning Students Help Immigrants Learn Their Rights »
The S-L team had a big presence at the Gulf-South Summit in Greensboro March 23rd. Joan Clifford (pictured here with l to r Professor Yan Liu, student Makda Habtom, Church World Service staff Jourdi Bosley, and student Karla Beltran) led a panel, "Working in Solidarity with Language Communities." David Malone, Dane Emmerling and student researcher Michaela Stith spoke about a self-assessment tool for S-L faculty they are developing. And Amy Anderson shared her experiences with co-organizing and co-leading… read more about Service-Learning Team Participates in Gulf-South Summit 2017 »
Tania Mitchell, assistant professor of higher education at the University of Minnesota, and researcher in the field of service-learning, came to campus in February to offer workshops to more than 75 faculty, staff, and students on critical service-learning. Mitchell engaged attendees in a conversation about critical service-learning pedagogy, which attempts to foster a critical consciousness, allowing students to combine action and reflection in classroom and community to examine the historical precedents of social problems… read more about Tania Mitchell Comes to Campus »
Students from David Malone and Jan Riggsbee's Education 111 freshmen seminar worked with students at George Watts Elementary. Here are some photos of the projects the Duke/Watts teams of "buddies" produced. read more about Education Students Work with Elementary School Children »
Students from Deb Reisinger's Issues in Global Displacement: Voix Francophones class partnered with Church World Service to work in a beginning ESL class. They also participated in a workshop on teaching ESL. At another event, Duke students tried learning Thai to help destabilize them a bit and increase their understanding of how their community partners might feel as they attempt to communicate in English. In the fall they hosted a picnic for over 40 French-speaking immigrants, offering face painting, soccer, and pumpkin… read more about "Issues in Global Displacement: Voix Francophones" Students Partner with Church World Service »
Professor Joan Clifford's Spanish 308 student mentors work with Latinx 8th graders in the Enlaces program at Durham School of the Arts with a focus on facilitating conversation around politics. The photo with adults is from Urban Ministries. Students here led Spanish classes to help volunteers and staff communicate with Spanish-speaking clients. read more about Spanish 308 Students Mentor 8th Graders »
Students in Charlie Thompson's Doc Studies class, Politics of Food: Land, Labor, Health & Economics, presented the profiles they have created of the passionate and inspiring local people involved in the Durham Farm and Food Network (DFFN), their community partner. The profiles will be a part of a new website for the organization. read more about Students Create Profiles for New Website »
The S-L class Performing Sexual Health did a performance about, what else? - sexual health - Wednesday, Nov. 16 at The Ark on East Campus. It was a funny and moving performance featuring urgent sexual health issues. read more about Students Give Performance Regarding Sexual Health Issues »
Students from Susie Post-Rust's Doc Studies 209S showed their semester's work documenting 6th grade students to the delighted students themselves at KIPP Durham College Prep Public School. Check out their completed projects at http://www.picturingthepride.com/ read more about Doc Studies Students are "Picturing the Pride" »
Students from Spanish 204 facilitate activities in the Learning Juntos session at Watts Montessori. Learning Juntos provides structured activities to help Latinx parents build literacy skills for their elementary school aged children. Parents discuss different strategies to develop the children’s writing and oral storytelling skills. Meanwhile the kids participate in activities related to these topics. The session ends with parents and children implementing together what they have just learned and practiced separately.… read more about Spanish 204 Facilitates Activities in the Learning Juntos Session »
Students from Professors Riggsbee and Malone's Education 111FS work with children at George Watts Montessori Magnet School in Durham. Sometimes there are cupcakes! (Thanks for the photos David Stein.) read more about Freshmen Visit Watts Elementary »
Duke Service-Learning hosted its annual Context and Connections tour on October 7th. Context and Connections offers new Duke faculty and staff interested in deepening their own knowledge of and relationship to Durham’s communities an opportunity to explore connections with their teaching, research, and service. Service Learning once again was honored to have Sam Miglarese (Director of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership), Mayme Webb-Bledsoe (Neighborhood Coordinator with the DDNP), and Barbara Lau (Director of the… read more about Context and Connections Meaningful for Participants »
Our Service-Learning workshop, Connecting Community Partners with University Resources, led by Nicholas School Professor Liz Shapiro-Garza and her co-teacher from the non-profit world Calvin Allen, was full of ideas and strategies they have developed to ensure students and partners have successful and productive relationships during projects in their course, Practicum in Community-Based Environmental Management. Shapiro-Garza and Allen discussed what makes an authentic partnership, noting that authentic… read more about A Model for Connecting with Community Partners »
“When David Malone [Director of Duke Service-Learning] told me we were going to be talking about ‘the arrogance of help,’ I said I am in, I am all the way in,” said Dean of Arts and Sciences Valerie Ashby. Ashby was on a panel convened Dec. 7th to probe the many aspects of service. Malone moderated the conversation, which was in fact entitled The Arrogance of Help, and invited Dean Ashby to open the conversation with personal observations. “I'm not going to talk a lot about help, but I am going to talk about arrogance,” she… read more about I Am All The Way In »
Joanna Welborn, Assistant Director, Student Action with Farmworkers "We've been fortunate to have worked with Duke Service-Learning almost since its beginning. In the last two years, we have been particularly thrilled with the compelling courses created by the faculty and the engaged participation we saw from students in learning about farmworker issues. And the final projects that the students produced were really outstanding. We couldn't be happier with the way these partnerships have… read more about Testimonial - Student Action with Farmworkers »
When Duke Service-Learning Director David Malone told Trinity College Dean Valerie Ashby he wanted her to talk on a panel about “The Arrogance of Help,” Ashby knew what she wanted to discuss. “I said I am in, I am all the way in,” said Ashby in introducing her remarks. “I'm not going to talk a lot about help, but I am going to talk about arrogance,” she said. “There was a time when I thought I knew a lot, and I thought I knew a lot about you before I even knew you, or I thought I knew a lot about a situation just because I… read more about In Service Learning, A Discussion About The Arrogance of Help »
Leta Hallowell was recognized for the ways she “embodies the ideal leader in her humble actions, her deep reflection, and her brave choices,” and for the way she has “sustained her commitment to working with refugees through service-learning courses, service and scholarship in her thesis project.” The Service-Learning Program is happy to announce the 2016 Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award winners. The Awards recognize graduating seniors, one faculty member and one community partner for their… read more about Leta Hallowell Wins 2016 Alden Award »
Two students won an Alden Award in 2016. Yvonne Lu impressed the selection committee with her sustained commitment to service-learning through participating in four service learning classes and by the thoughtfulness and compassion she showed in her reflections. The Service-Learning Program is happy to announce the 2016 Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award winners. The Awards recognize graduating seniors, one faculty member and one community partner for their outstanding commitment to the ideals… read more about Yvonne Lu Wins 2016 Alden Award »
This year’s faculty recipient of the Alden Award is Deborah Reisinger, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Romance Studies. Her nominators, Leta Hallowell, Joan Clifford and Lou Brown, praised her commitment to all aspects of service-learning as a service-learning instructor, a previous faculty fellow and a member of the Community Based Language Initiative. She was acknowledged for her “attention to building sustainable relationships and supporting the academic experience with the critical reflection… read more about Prof Deb Reiseinger Wins 2016 Alden Award »
This year’s community partner recipient of the Alden Award is Alison Hester from Endeavor Charter School in Wake Forest, NC, in recognition of her long-standing partnership with Duke through a Chemistry Outreach class. Her nominator, Ken Lyle, praised her “love of science and ongoing commitment to the academic and personal development of her students. She has helped introduce her students to Duke’s campus and created powerful learning opportunities not only for her students, but the Duke undergraduates who… read more about Alison Hester of Endeavor Charter School Wins 2016 Alden Award »
To celebrate the end of spring semester, the Service-Learning Program met as a “Book Group” to discuss the wonderful new book about Pauli Murray and Eleanor Roosevelt—The Firebrand and the First Lady. Barbara Lau, who has led the efforts to bring Pauli Murray’s story to light in Durham (see http://paulimurrayproject.org/) joined us, as we reflected on our many points of resonance with Pauli’s story. A graduate of Hillside High in Durham in 1926, Pauli went on to be a tireless advocate for civil rights, working… read more about Pauli Murray Book Group »
On April 7, 4:30-6:00 pm in Soc Psych 127, Professor Annie Abbott, from the Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, discussed community service learning. Whether you are in the midst of building a community partnership or sending students to a well-established setting, our goal in community service learning (CSL) is to help students understand the complexities of the community--and their roles in it--in multiple ways. Students' participation and observations in the community are an… read more about Annie Abbott Talk »
The Non-Profit Cultural Institutions class taught by Dan Ellison had two trainings at the Nasher Museum to learn to do audio interpretation of the visual arts for people with visual impairment. Provided by Arts Access, NC, the training was with Debbie Hippler and Fred Brack. For the second training session, two people who are blind, Rollin Hippler and Judge Craig Brown, joined them to provide feedback. On April 18, the class is also participating in an Accessibility Workshop put on by the Durham Arts Council, in partnership… read more about Making Arts Accessible »
Rebecca Ewing's Advanced Intermediate Spanish class works on family literacy and math activities for Spanish-speaking families at Morehead Elementary School. Four times during the semester, they facilitate activities between parents and their kids, adjusted for each child's level. After completing a number of activities, they have a meal together and get to know one another a bit better. read more about Working on Family Literacy »
Students from Spanish 307S met with first-generation-to-college students at Durham School of the Arts to get to know them as they begin working as mentors. They are working within the framework of FOUNDATIONS, which is a program initiated by Heather Chambers (a high school counselor at DSA). They will discuss the DSA students' academic progress and help them develop objectives so they can have a strong portfolio to apply to colleges. read more about Spanish 370S Meets with Students »