National Faith, Justice and Civic Learning Conference Call for Proposals

The conference organizing committee is interested in papers, posters, roundtable discussions and workshops around the fruitful intersection of faith, justice, and civic learning. We encourage contributions from a broad range of perspectives on these topics. By way of example, a proposal for a research paper presentation on the impact of belief vs. non-belief in God, spiritual realm or afterlife on one's level of community involvement would be welcome, as would a roundtable discussion on different theological interpretations of "responsibility to community". Descriptions of service-learning and community service programs that emphasize a particular faith and/or justice perspective are also encouraged, as are workshops on the kinds of reflective practices that encourage an examination of faith and civic-learning simultaneously.

Proposals must be submitted no later than Monday, February 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM CST.

See http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/face/nfjcl
/Documents/CallForPapers-FJCL%2009.pdf for more information.

Symposium on Assessing Students' Civic Outcomes Call for Proposals

Deadline: May 1, 2009
Event takes place May 28-29, 2009.

Please RSVP your intention to participate in the Symposium by December 15th, 2008 to Robert Bringle (rbringle@iupui.ed)

Symposium participants have been invited because of their interest in this topic, prior work, ability to provide critical feedback that will improve the work, and capacity to support the growth of work focused on civic outcomes among students in higher education. We are asking participants to:
1. Submit at least one short paper (maximum of 3 pages) on some aspect of their work related to assessing students' civic outcomes by May 1st, 2009. This could be:
a. a conceptual piece that frames targets for assessment
b. an analysis of work to date in the field
c. a description of procedures for measuring civic outcomes
d. a description of a set of data measuring civic outcomes
e. a proposal for future research on assessment

Participants are encouraged to submit more than one paper, as appropriate.

2. Prepare a brief presentation (5-10 minutes) for each of the short papers that are prepared for the Symposium. This will provide a basis for questions and feedback from other participants.
3. Contribute to Symposium activities that will result in an assessment of what tools are available, what gaps exist in the field, and recommendations for future methods for measuring civic outcomes among college students.
4. After the Symposium, contribute materials that provide descriptions of the status of work, guidelines for future work, research briefs, and compilations of descriptions that can be posted on the CSL/National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Service-Learning Research Capacity Hub and the AASCU web page (and maybe others).
5. Collaborate with other Symposium participants on presentations in other venues (e.g., IUPUI Assessment Institute, International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, American Democracy Project and AASCU conferences, AAC&U conferences).

Evaluating the Community-Based Education Program in the Community

The Trent Centre for Community-Based Education (Trent Centre) and the U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research (U-Links) invite proposals for conducting an evaluation of the "community impact" of the Community-Based Education Program (a.k.a. community service-learning).

The Trent Centre for Community-Based Education (Trent Centre) and the U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research (U-Links) have partnered since 1999 to deliver the Community-Based Education (CBE) Program in Peterborough and Haliburton Counties (Ontario, Canada). The CBE Program is designed to:

• Work with community organizations on community-based research and other identified projects that otherwise might not be completed.


• Provide students with experience in their fields of study and enhance future employment prospects.


• Increase co-operation and partnership between Trent University and the broader communities it serves.

Students receive academic credit while community groups benefit from good information and resources they would not normally be able to access. An evaluation of the program in 2002 revealed that the vast majority of projects were successful, there was significant community benefit, and there was a need for the service.

The Trent Centre and U-Links are interested in conducting a follow-up evaluation focused on gauging the impact of the CBE Program in the community from 1999-2009. A consultant working on this project is expected to:

1. Review the 2002 evaluation report


2. Replicate/adapt the host survey


3. Analyze results and make comparisons with data from 2002


4. Draw conclusions about the impact of the program


5. Make recommendations for improvement

In addition to a follow-up evaluation based on the 2002 methodology, the Trent Centre and U-Links are also interested in a pilot study to measure the economic impact of their work.

Interested evaluators are invited to submit a brief proposal outlining how you see yourself performing these duties, including total financial costs by Friday December 12th, 2008.

Todd Barr, Executive Director, Trent Centre for Community-Based Education
toddbarr@trentcentre.ca
phone: 705-743-0523

Heather Reid, Director, U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research
ulinks@on.aibn.com
phone: 705-286-2411

National Summit on Measuring the Impacts of Project-Based Service Learning on Engineering Education

Application Deadline: December 5, 2008

We are seeking applicants who are interested in participating in a 2-day National Summit on Measuring the Impacts of Project-Based Service Learning (PBSL) on Engineering Education. The Summit will take place in Washington, DC, February 19-20, 2009. It is being organized by Kurt Paterson, Michigan Tech; Chris Swan, Tufts University; Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado at Boulder. The Summit is being supported by the National Science Foundation, and therefore travel expenses to attend the summit will be paid by the NSF grant.

The goal of this Summit is to identify the impacts that project-based service learning is having on engineering education. Approximately ten leaders in the implementation of PBSL programs and ten assessment experts will be invited to attend the Summit to contribute to this goal. Specific objectives include:

1. An examination of project-based service learning program participation demographics, trends, and outcomes; comparison of international and domestic PBSL; comparison to project-based programs without service learning; comparison between similar programs


2. Identification of assessment needs for PBSL programs


3. Identification of assessment strategies capable of revealing outcomes of interest for project-based service learning programs


4. Feedback to the National Science Foundation regarding effective assessment strategies for project-based service learning programs, as well as elements critical to the success of these programs that could be infused into traditional engineering programs

The format will be an active one with a mix of sharing, brainstorming, and learning among participants. Participants will be asked to complete a few assignments over the next couple months leading up to the Summit in order to make our meeting as productive as possible.

If you are interested in participating, please send a brief CV highlighting your experiences with PBSL and/or educational assessment (2-page NSF format preferred) and a 1-page letter summarizing your interest in participating. Forward this information to: Kurt Paterson (paterson@mtu.edu) at your earliest convenience, but no later than December 5, 2008.

Service-Learning Showcase Call for Presenters

Showcase Your Service-Learning Project

If your school or organization practices service-learning, you're encouraged to apply to participate in the Service-Learning Showcase at The 20th Annual National Service-Learning Conference. You'll be given table space for a display that illustrates your work and the opportunity to inspire others to begin similar projects. Youth participation is strongly encouraged.

To apply, carefully read the information below and fill out the application form. Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. Central Time, November 24, 2008. Selected applicants will be notified by November 17, 2008. The Service-Learning Showcase will be held at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, TN on March 19, 2009 from 12:15 - 2:15 pm.

See https://programs.regweb.com/metro/NYLC2009/
assets/2009_SL_Showcase_Application.pdf for more information.

Call for Presenters! 2009 DC Conference on Service and Leadership

Deadline: February 16, 2009

Each year Serve DC-The Mayor's Office on Volunteerism brings together community and faith-based organizations in a conference focused on enhancing their organizational capacity to meet growing community needs. Next year, on May 13^th-15^th, the 2009 DC Conference on Service and Leadership will reach and engage hundreds of AmeriCorps program directors and members, Learn and Serve America and Senior Corps program directors, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members, youth, and representatives from community and faith-based organizations in skill-building workshops and learning tracks. The vision for the event is to promote and foster cross collaboration while providing sustainable and tangible tools to solve serious community issues and addressing real community needs, showcased in this year’s theme: "From Nice to Necessary." In addition, the conference will feature the Serve DC Mayor’s Community Service Awards to celebrate the great works of leaders in local communities.

This year's conference is based on three programmatic themes: Leadership, Collaboration, and Sustainability. These themes represent the continuum of growth that leads to healthy and strong communities. These themes will be woven throughout the conference in workshops, plenary speakers, events and materials. Speakers should be prepared to submit workshop proposals that fit into at least one of these three themes.

To obtain an application, email Natasha at natasha.ballentine@dc.gov

Call for Proposals: Pathways of Engagement: Connecting Civic Purpose

Deadline: February 25, 2009

Conference Themes

Discuss the scholarship of outreach and engagement with colleagues from around the country. The focus in 2009 will be on:

The Institution: Providing Institutional Support and Incentives for Doing the Scholarship of Outreach and Engagement

The Community: Building Strong Relationships between Communities and Universities: Access, Reciprocity, and Sustainability

The Faculty: Doing the Scholarship of Outreach and Engagement: Evidence-Based Practices, and the Impact on Faculty Members from Interconnecting their Research, Teaching, and Outreach and Engagement Roles

The Student: Contributing to Outreach and Engagement: Evidence-Based Practices and the Impact on Students from Connecting Student Learning to Work in Communities

Presentation Options:

Oral presentations will be 45 minutes in length. Presenters should develop interactive sessions to share information; 30-minute presentations with 15-minute participant discussion moderated by the session facilitator.

Panel sessions: Some proposals may be grouped together with two other presentations around a central theme. In this case, each of the three presenters will have 10 minutes to present the central theme of their topic, and 15 minutes will be left at the end for participant discussion moderated by the session facilitator.

Posters will be continuously on display between 2 p.m., Monday, September 28, 2009 and noon, Wednesday, September 30, 2009. To encourage networking and discussion about the displayed work, multiple sessions will be scheduled at which the presenters will be expected to be at their posters.

To submit a proposal, go to www.uwex.edu/ics/nosc2009

Call for Papers: Student Learning for Social Change: Interdisciplinary Community-Based Research

Deadline: December 15, 2008

How can higher education most effectively prepare future citizens for the enterprising work necessary for social sustainability and advancement? In this book, we advance interdisciplinary public or community-based research as a transformative higher education strategy to answer this call. Partnerships that involve citizens and public leaders, diverse faculty and students in collaborative community-based inquiry and action hold promise for a unique combination of pedagogical, scholarly, and public outcomes necessary for facing 21st century challenges.

This book will explore and offer models and practical strategies for interdisciplinary CBR projects as undergraduate pedagogy. The ways in which interdisciplinary CBR projects can contribute at once to student learning, community, and scholarly outcomes will be discussed. Special attention will be given to innovative strategies for students' learning in this unique public and interdisciplinary context - including learning contexts (e.g., learning communities, community-campus collaborative networks, novel learning structures, communities as learning contexts), student preparation strategies (e.g., course sequences, orientation approaches, gateway experiences), mentoring approaches to prompt deepening civic development, and techniques for advancing interdisciplinary deliberation and innovation. Illustrative case studies, including an array of academic disciplines, community sectors, and pressing issues will provide readers with diverse examples of the transformative potential of interdisciplinary CBR projects. Student learning outcomes assessment, as well as assessments of community impacts and social change outcomes will be included and reflected upon to inform best practice development. Strategies for planning and implementing interdisciplinary CBR projects will be provided, including perspectives from the different partners in such ventures.

Invitation for Proposals

Proposals (1000 - 1500 words in length) are invited that detail contribution(s) to advancing understanding of interdisciplinary CBR as undergraduate pedagogy and as a social change agent. Invitees are encouraged to share this call for proposals with community partners; collaborative proposals are encouraged.

Contact Tricia Thorme, tthorme@princeton.edu, with any questions.

12th Annual Continuums of Service Conference Call for Proposals

Deadline: December 9, 2008

It has never been more important to bring students, faculty, service-learning and civic engagement practitioners, and community members together to address the critical issues we are facing locally and globally. Given the current global economic climate, and the enormous changes in our world, it is imperative that we use engagement to support and enable our fellow citizens to live, work, access higher education, and improve the health of our society. The exceptional work being done in service-learning and civic engagement, and the partnerships that have been built between campuses and communities, must be nurtured and sustained in order to continue affecting society for the better.

The 12th Annual Continuums of Service Conference aims to highlight ways in which engagement can address critical community issues we are facing locally, nationally, and globally. By sharing insights and experiences, and by discussing key questions, participants will build knowledge and form new alliances in order to strengthen our campuses, our communities, and our shared world.

For more information and to submit a proposal, go to http://www.wacampuscompact.org/conference/index.shtml

2009 Annual EPICS Conference Call for Proposals

The 2009 EPICS Conference on Service-Learning in Engineering and Computing will take place August 3-4 in Austin, TX.

Deadline: January 30, 2009

The purpose of the Annual EPICS Conference is to bring together the community involved in integrating the educational needs for realistic design experiences with the technological needs of the local communities through service-learning.

Conference attendees include faculty, staff and corporate partners of current and prospective EPICS programs. However, the conference is designed for a broader audience that includes all educators, community members and industrial partners who work with and/or are interested in design education, multidisciplinary teams, community-based design and service-learning.

For more information, see https://engineering.purdue.edu/EPICSNational
/Conferences/Conferences/2009
/call%20for%20presentations.pdf

Break Away: The Alternative Break Connection Proposals

Break Away is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity open to schools across the country. Break Away: The Alternative Break Connection will be taking proposals (through January 12^th, 2009) for locations to host our 2009 summer Alternative Break Citizenship Schools (ABCs).

The ABCs combine the synergy and networking opportunities of a national conference with the personal and team growth aspects of intimate leadership training. All activities are presented within the dynamic atmosphere of a quality alternative break experience.

It is an experience like no other; it combines workshops, service projects, community interaction, speaker panels, team-building, and reflection. Participants synthesize knowledge and skills gained during workshops with educational contact from the local community; as well as student and staff leaders from campuses nationwide.

If your school or entity is interested in hosting this event you will have the opportunity to send up to four participants at no cost to your program.

For more information, go to http://www.alternativebreaks.org or email breakaway@alternativebreaks.org

National Conference on Volunteering and Service - Proposals Due November 15

The National Conference on Volunteering and Service is the world's largest annual gathering of service and volunteer leaders. On June 22-24, 2009, we will welcome thousands of conference participants to the beautiful and dynamic city of San Francisco.

The 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service is seeking workshop proposals that engage participants in new skills, practical tools, innovative ideas, and cutting-edge information in four strategic focus areas.

1. Service as the Solution - Volunteering and service are the most effective interventions in tackling some of our toughest social challenges. This focus area offers insights on how service and volunteering address critical issues such as illiteracy, high school dropout prevention, poverty, homelessness, health care, elder care, environmental degradation, and disaster.

2. Innovation and Entrepreneurship - For the sector to thrive and grow, we need new ways of doing business, new technologies, and new/adapted models. This focus area will showcase innovative public/private partnerships, collaborations, social networking, Web 2.0, and international trends important to service and volunteering.

3. Best Practices for Success - Today's volunteers demand challenging assignments in well-managed programs that capitalize on their experience. This focus area will provide operational best practices on topics that include recruitment and retention, fundraising, financial management, leadership, and other nuts and bolts of effective program management.

4. Advancing the Sector - The service and volunteer movement has unprecedented support and momentum. To seize this momentum and build a true nation of service we need new policies, more stakeholders, better data, and stronger public support. Here we will offer updates on the latest research, policies, legislation, and strategies to advance volunteering and service.

If you are interested in presenting, visit our website at http://www.volunteeringandservice.org to submit a proposal. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, November 15, at noon (12 pm) EST. Note: We will only accept online submissions.

Through a Civic Lens: Strengthening Higher Education from Classroom to Community

Vermont Campus Compact's Statewide Conference
April 1, 2009
The University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont

On April 1, 2009, faculty, staff, administrators, students and community partners will gather in Burlington, Vermont to examine the ways campuses can use service, service-learning and civic engagement to enhance various outcomes in higher education regarding such topics as student learning, diversity, residential life, retention, global citizenship, community building, sustainability, alcohol use, student engagement and more.

Please consider sharing your perspective and expertise on these topics at Vermont's 2009 statewide conference. Faculty, staff, administrators, students, and community partners are invited to submit workshop proposals.

Please visit http://www.vtcampuscompact.org/
2009_State_Conference.php to access the Call for Presenters Form and additional information on the conference. Workshop proposals are due on December 12, 2008.

Please send proposals and direct any questions to Cheryl Whitney Lower at clower@middlebury.edu.

Call for Papers: Proposed Volume on Engaging Culture and the Arts: Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Service-Learning

Due date: Jan 1, 2009

Do you teach service-learning courses about culture and the arts - or - courses that use direct engagement with culture and the arts as gateways to other topics? Might you be interested in writing an article about it for a collection on service-learning for civic engagement?

The Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Service-Learning series from Stylus Publishing is a groundbreaking collection of reference books on service-learning organized around specific community issues rather than disciplinary boundaries, thus demonstrating how different approaches and/or collaborative efforts can contribute to shared goals.

As of today, there's a commitment from the publisher to produce five volumes. But I believe we should make the case for at least one more - on culture and the arts!

I invite you to join me in an effort to convince the series editor to propose another volume to the publisher. If we can collect 8-10 strong proposals, then he has committed to me to seek publication with Stylus as part of the series. If that doesn't work, I'm personally committed to taking those strong strong proposals to however many publishers I need to in order to make this happen. For now, all it requires of you is a page or two of effort. Let's shine a light on all the extraordinary work you are doing (see the call for abstracts below).

The target audience for the series is the growing legion of faculty in higher education who are exploring the power of the service-learning pedagogy for teaching community engagement. The series will be suitable for faculty across all types of institutions and should be a useful resource for course development in all undergraduate years.

The prospectus should contain the following elements:

1. Your name(s) and title(s)

2. Your discipline(s)

3. Contact information (department, campus/organization, address, email, phone) 4. Abstract (500-1500 words) a. Learning objectives and outcomes - what will the chapter attempt to address, what are the multiple discrete objectives for engagement with arts and culture, and what are the outcomes long and short term? What are the big ideas you are trying to convey to students?

b. Methods / process - how did you approach the learning objectives (include community partners, specific projects/placements, student preparation, reflection activities) c. Assessment - How do you measure qualitative changes through the process?

d. Future directions (ex: questions to ponder, resources to explore, activities to pursue, suggestions for others who are involved in community-based teaching and research) 5. References - a brief bibliography

Please send the prospectus to (electronic is preferred, subject line: Engaging Culture and the Arts):

Sandra Posey

Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary General Education Interim Director, Center for Community Service-Learning California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

3801 W. Temple Avenue
Pomona, CA 91767
sposey@csupomona.edu

Calling All Green Families!

Do you know a family that has worked together on a project that helps the environment? FamilyFun Magazine wants to hear from you! Maybe the family you know started a recycling program in their school or turned a vacant lot into a community garden. You can nominate them for the 2009 FamilyFun Volunteers Contest: Green Edition and tell FamilyFun all about it. Five families chosen by the editors and HandsOn Network will each win $5,000 for the nonprofit of their choice, courtesy of The Walt Disney Company. FamilyFun also wants to hear about families' best, most creative and most successful Green Tips: simple ways families have changed their lives to reduce their impact on the planet, such as switching to reusable lunch containers or starting a "walking school bus" to get kids to school.

The 25 families whose green tips are chosen for publication will each receive $100. Go to http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/learn/activities/feature/volunteers-contest/ for official rules and submission instructions. The deadline is November 30, 2008.