Steps Students Can Take

Service-learning and civic engagement at the University of Memphis, and within higher education, are a critical part of students’ experience. They facilitate students’ participation in and learning about cultures and communities that they may have only read about previously.

The chance to have course readings come alive enhances the information that students take from their class. In addition, students start to think critically about themselves, the different social issues going on around them, and their role in society.

Students can take steps, even as early as their first/freshman year to become an engaged UofM student and engaged UofM student scholar.

• Learn about community engagement through these 5 modules. Through this curriculum students will learn how to:
  1. Work with others collaboratively
  2. Nurture positive relationships with community partners
  3. Deal positively with power and privilege
  4. Negotiate in good faith
  5. Build capacity in self and community partners

• Identify the issues or problems to be addressed. Students can think about creating a win-win-win situation by identifying issues that are important to them, that are part of their studies, and that are important to the community. Remember, outreach and engagement occurs when scholarship is applied directly for the public good and when the relationship between partners is reciprocal and mutually beneficial.

• Find and engage with an appropriate community partner. Students should use their passions and strengths to co-create actions with community partners. To help students do this, The Engaged Scholarship Faculty Committee at the University of Memphis has been linking student and faculty to community since 2002. The Engaged Scholarship Committee helps prepare individuals to assume community leadership roles, provide assistance with issues confronting communities, and emphasize community oriented, multidisciplinary research with a global perspective.

• Increase student capacity, and the capacity of community partners to effectively enact the actions that have been co-created.

• Reflect on engagement experience. How did it help with classroom studies? What did it do for partners and the community at-large? What insights can be carried forward into future work with community partners?