Development of the Service Learning Course

Development of the Service Learning Course Long Island L.E.A.D.S.: Our Families, Our Communities Cheryl A. Camenzuli, Ph.D. Angela Zimmerman, M.P.A. Molloy College The development and implementation of this course were sponsored by a grant from the New York Community Bank Foundation to the Molloy College Siena Women’s Center. The course was administered in collaboration with the Molloy Department of Psychology & Counseling, and the Office of Advancement Family Support Long Island Initiative.

L: Leadership • E: Education • A: Awareness • D: Development • S: Service Long Island L.E.A.D.S.

Course Objectives When students have completed this class they should: • Become familiar with the principles of Positive Psychology within an applied framework. • Become familiar with the principles of Asset Based Community Development. • Become familiar with Developmental theories of family interaction and influences. • Become familiar with principles of cross cultural influences on development, family theory and interaction. • Become skilled with the use of basic interview techniques. • Become adept with principles of civic engagement and community interaction. • Become knowledgeable regarding local government and governmental agencies working with/for families on Long Island.

FRAMEWORK 1. Positive Psychology2. Asset Based Community Development3. Family Support

What is Positive Psychology? • Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play. http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/

Asset Based Community Development? It is the capacities of local people and their associations that build powerful communities…. …In fact, as Margaret Mead notes, it is the only thing that ever does… So, what can we do with what we already have to get what we need?

How do we define family? “Families define themselves. Families are big, small, extended, nuclear, multi-generational, with one parent, two parents, and grandparents. We live under one roof or many. A family can be as temporary as a few weeks, as permanent as forever. We become part of a family by birth, adoption, marriage, or from a desire for mutual support. As family members, we nurture, protect, and influence each other. Families are dynamic and are cultures unto themselves, with different values and unique ways of realizing dreams. Together, our families become the source of our rich cultural heritage and spiritual diversity. Each family has strengths and qualities that flow from individual members and from the family as a unit. Our families create neighborhoods, communities, states and nations…” http://www.earlychildhoodnm.com/index.php/family-engagement/what-are-familes

What is Family Support & Engagement? A shift in human services delivery that encourages public & private agencies to work together and to become responsive, flexible, family-focused, strengths-based, and holistic – and thus more effective. A movement for social change that urges all of us – policymakers, program providers, parents, employers – to take responsibility for improving the lives of children and families…putting children and families first.

What is Brain Drain? • The departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another usually for better pay or living conditions. • http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain%20drain Brain Drain on Long Island

Developing Partnerships

Internal Meetings • Associate Dean of Academic Affairs • Dean of Social Sciences Division • Senior Grants Officer • IRB • Faculty from Psychology, Social Work • Presentation at Social Sciences Division Meeting

External Meetings with Agency Partners • Long Beach Reach • Family & Children’s Association • Hispanic Counseling Center • Glen Cove Youth Board • National Association of Mothers Centers • Littig House Community Center • Jewish Community Center, Oceanside • Rockville Centre Library, Family Place Library • The Early Years Institute • St. Brigid’s Casa Mary Johanna • Suburban Millennial Institute

Agency Questions • What is your Organization’s Mission? • What are your greatest strengths and resources? • What would you say is your organization’s greatest legacy in the community? • Who supports your work – financial, volunteer, public will etc.? • What services and supports do you provide for young families and children? • Describe the families you work with – their strengths, challenges and needs? • How are families involved in the development and evaluation of programs and services you provide? • What do you see as the greatest challenges in raising a child on Long Island? • What do you see as the most critical service gaps for young families? • What messages and recommendations would you like to share with legislators, policymakers and stakeholders in our region? • Anything else you would like to add?

Family Questions • Introduction – why we are here, what we will be doing with the information gathered • Reinforce anonymity of discussion • Questions: • How long have you lived in the community? • What are your greatest challenges in raising a child on Long Island? What are others experiencing? • What supports do you have to raise youth child(ren) – including family members? • What kind of support do you with you could have? • What services do you know of in the community to help families support their children? • What do you feel are the greatest strengths/assets/abilities that you have as a young family? • Each of us is part of a community and has something to offer. How do you feel you do or could contribute more to the development of your community? Why do you feel this is important to the future of Long Island? • What do you like best about the community that you live in? • What do you like least about the community that you live in? • What would make it easier for you and your family to stay here? • What messages and recommendations would you like to share with legislators, policymakers and stakeholders in our region? • Anything else you would like to add?

Topics Grading Take Home Exam (15%) In Class Exam (15%) Portfolio (40%) i. Interview transcriptions ii. Reaction Papers iii. Assignments Presentations (15%) Attendance/Classroom Participation (15%) • Positive Psychology (2) • Asset Based Community Development (1) • Developmental Theory of Family (1) • Family Support (1) • Family Engagement (2) • Behavior in Context (1) • Diversity (1) • Interview Techniques (1) • Applied Development (1) • Facilitation Techniques (1) • Agency Partner Presentations (3) Syllabus

What our L.E.A.D.S. students would want you to know about their experience… • Value the knowledge learned throughout the class and the inter-connection of theory (trans-discipline) weaved seamlessly throughout • Met community providers and families that we might not have otherwise encountered • Tremendous exposure to a diversity of people and perspectives that we did not, heretofore, connect with in our educational experiences • L.E.A.D.S. helped me shift my personal and professional view from a deficit model to a strength-based approach • We feel that our work in the course will make a difference!

A Bone-Deep Longing…Within each person lies a bone-deep longing for freedom, safety, hope, self-respect, and the chance to make an important contribution to family, community, and the world. To live fully, we each need ways to express this powerful, natural longing. Without healthy outlets, the desire for freedom turns into lawlessness, and the need for safety and self-respect degenerates into violence. Without venues to make an important contribution, hopelessness translates into dependency, depression, violence, substance abuse and other forms of self-abuse. No government program or religious group can help people become self-reliant, contributing members of their communities unless it is built on an understanding of this powerful force inside each human heart. - Claire Forest, Director, National Family Development Credential Program

Long Island L.E.A.D.S.: Helping Families and Communities to Help Themselves BECAUSE CHILDREN ARE THE FIRST COMMUNITY IN A CHILD’S LIFE…Contact Information:Cheryl Camenzuli: Angela Zimmerman:ccamenzuli@molloy.edu azimmerman@molloy.edu 516-323-3841 516-323 - 4723

Development of the Service Learning Course