Community Scholars Program

For the past 5 years, I have led a community engagement initiative called Community Scholars that equips undergraduate leaders with skills to practice social impact in their communities. While I have built out a solid curriculum over the years that supports students in building awareness of social issues and connecting with leaders in the field, I'm looking for more resources to support the application component of the program. In the past, students have designed and proposed original community engagement projects as their capstone for the program, followed by an opportunity to implement the project the following semester. However, the process of helping them develop an achievable project idea is often messy and time-consuming. I'm hoping that through the Institute, I can refine this model in a way that lets students leave with something actionable whether they continue in the program or not.

I also run other initiatives that would benefit from knowledge gained in this Institute. Currently, my office supports up to 4 faculty members each semester in planning and teaching community engaged learning courses, many of which can benefit from the social action strategies outlined in the Institute description. We also run the University Community Collaborative, a program that engages high school and college student leaders in media-making for social change. These strategies will also be helpful in guiding the project planning resources staff are using to support our students.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to connect with other faculty and staff leading social action work on their campuses. While I've found that building capacity for student-led change work is highly effective, it's not always easy work. Many of us run into the same challenges and questions regardless of our institution or discipline. I'm looking forward to learning from everyone, staying connected, and finding opportunities for collaboration.

Our community co-facilitated Community Scholars Program identifies undergraduate student leaders in community engagement and social impact and guides them through a ten-week intensive, culminating with the presentation of a community-informed project proposal. The curriculum is informed by the interests of student participants and co-taught with a community partner with experience in community outreach. The program includes discussion of urban issues that impact North Philadelphia, where our campus is located, alongside community site visits and community partner-facilitated workshops to build students' connection to the community and their knowledge of collaborative community engagement strategies. To support access and equity, all Scholars and community facilitators are financially compensated for their participation. Students that successfully complete the program can apply to continue as Lead Scholars, receiving guidance and a modest project budget to implement their proposals while serving as peer mentors to the incoming cohort of Community Scholars.

Heather Lewis-Weber

Director, Community Engagement

Academic Affairs

Temple University