Center for Community Partnerships
At UMN Morris’ Center for Community Partnerships, we offer a wide range of ways for students to make a difference, from short-term engagement to full-time paid positions.
Green Level Community Engagement Opportunities
Description:
- Less than two hours of training
- Short-term commitment
- Often a group project
- Short group reflection
- Unpaid volunteer
Examples:
- Fall Day of Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Day of Service
- Spooky U
- Pop Up Service Projects
- Morris Community Meal
- Presents from Pounce
- Bread ‘N Bowls
- Student organization, residence hall floor, and athletic team service projects
Knowledge and Skills Needed to Engage:
- An interest in learning about the regional community
- An interest in working with others on a community project
- A willingness to reflect with others on what you have learned from the project
Community Outputs:
Additional outputs will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the project.
- Students engaged in green level opportunities will better understand the regional community, its assets, and its challenges; this understanding is necessary for future engagement.
- Students engaged in green level opportunities will better understand one or more community organizations and their mission, vision, and community work
- Students will meet a specific, immediate community need identified by community partners
- Students will determine interest in and opportunities for deeper engagement
Morris Student Learning Outcomes:
*Additional outcomes will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the project.
- Career-Ready Scholars
- Practice oral/written communication: Actively listen to team leaders and peers; ask questions/check understanding during preparation phase; communicate as needed during the project to ensure project success; actively listen and communicate during the reflection phase; assist with note taking during reflection.
- Community Contributors
- Practice key elements of teamwork and collaboration: Understand the roles of team members; listen to and follow directions from team leaders; ask questions as needed; work effectively with peers on a project; reflect with your team on the project outcomes and your engagement.
- Practice a key element of wellbeing: Connecting with others with similar interests and working toward a meaningful goal.
- Practice key elements of civic engagement: Understand the assets and challenges of a community; understand a social issue; understand the mission, vision, and work of one or more community organizations.
How to engage: At least one month before each green level opportunity, a sign up sheet will be distributed to students through tabling in the student center, social media, posters, and emails. To be sure you don’t miss out, email us to join the ummvolunteerism listserve and engage with us on social media.
Maroon Level Community Engagement Opportunities
Description:
- Three to twelve hours of training/preparation
- Regular reflection (3-6 meetings per semester)
- Commitment of 5-10 hours/week
- Typically paid or credit-based
Examples:
- Community-Engaged Learning classes at 1000 or 2000 level
- Students in Service (entry level positions at community organizations for Federal Work Study eligible students)
- Tutoring, Reading, and Empowering Children (TREC) Tutors
- Community English as a Second Language (ESL) Teaching Assistants
- Recurring volunteer placement with a community organization, such as the Stevens Community Humane Society, Someplace Safe Thrift Store, or Pomme de Terre Foods
Knowledge and Skills Needed to Engage (in addition to Green Level knowledge/skills):
- An understanding of the context of your engagement, including the mission and vision of community organizations involved; demographic and other information about the community involved; an understanding of the community’s assets and challenges; an understanding of the underlying social issue(s) addressed by the organization.
- An understanding of how the work in which you will engage is informed by its rural location and context
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- An interest in growing as a leader
- An interest in growing in your understanding of equity and inclusivity
- An interest in understanding your role and potential future leadership opportunities in rural communities
Community Outcomes:
Additional outcomes will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the project.
- Students will build mutually beneficial relationships with leaders, organizations, and people in the regional community
- Students will address ongoing, data-driven needs identified by community leaders
Morris Student Learning Outcomes:
Additional outcomes will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the project.
- Creative Problem-Solvers
- Practice flexibility and problem-solving by engaging with immediate challenges as they arise
- Apply knowledge and skills learned in classes to the work
- Career-Ready Scholars
- Practice oral/written communication: Engage in ongoing written and oral communication with team members, supervisor(s), and peers during training, engagement, and reflection.
- Practice critical thinking: Consider how your work relates to the mission and vision of the organization and strive to improve your practice
- Community Contributors
- Practice key elements of teamwork and collaboration: Work effectively in an ongoing way with a team of community members by understanding your role and completing assigned tasks, and communicating about the work completed
- Practice a key element of wellbeing: Engage in meaningful work that will benefit the community.
- Practice key elements of civic engagement: Assist a community organization in meeting its mission and vision; commit to ongoing work, even when it is difficult or tedious; reflect with others on the community and learning outcomes of the work
- Through practice and reflection, learn about how equity and inclusivity are present in the work, and how your positionality relates to equity and inclusion
- Understand the ethical issues related to the work and engage in ethical practice
- Build leadership skills by practicing commitment, curiosity, and communication
How to engage:
- Apply for most Maroon Level opportunities here
- Applications will be reviewed regularly.
- Take a 1000 or 2000 level Community-Engaged learning class
Gold Level Community Engagement Opportunities
Description:
- 12+ hours of training/preparation
- Regular retreats (biweekly or monthly) and written reflections
- Commitment of 10+ hours/week
- Paid and/or credit-based
Examples:
- Community Engagement Co-Curricular Student Leaders
- Rural Intercultural Education Initiative Student Leaders
- Stevens County Food Systems Initiative Student Leaders
- Center for Small Towns Internships
- Lead TREC tutors
- Community ESL Lead Teachers
- Community Engaged Learning Classes at the 3000 or 4000 level
Knowledge and Skills Needed to Engage:
- An understanding of the context of your engagement, including the mission and vision of community organizations involved; demographic and other information about the community involved; an understanding of the community’s assets and challenges; an understanding of the underlying social issue(s) addressed by the organization.
- An understanding of how the work in which you will engage is informed by its rural location and context
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Demonstrated leadership skills, including curiosity and commitment, and an interest in further leadership development
- A demonstrated ability to work across difference and an interest in growing in your understanding of equity and inclusivity
- A demonstrated understanding of ethical engagement
Community Outputs:
*Additional outputs will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the project.
- Student’s engagement helps to shape and improve community outputs and outcomes
- Student assists with both planning and executing projects that meet data-driven needs in small towns of 10,000 or fewer
- Student develops a plan for future career and community engagement opportunities that will ultimately benefit small communities
Morris Student Learning Outcomes:
Additional outcomes will vary from project to project, depending on the nature of the project.
- Creative Problem-Solvers
- Practice flexible, multi-dimensional problem solving by researching social issues that will be addressed and understanding them from multiple perspectives; reflecting on the work as it unfolds; voicing ideas for ways to work more effectively and efficiently; play a key role in planning and execution of a project.
- Apply knowledge and skills learned in classes to the work, including research skills, artistic expression, and/or quantitative and qualitative research skills
- Be able to articulate the ways in which the experience is an example of integrated learning by calling on multiple streams of knowledge and skills learned during your liberal arts education.
- Career-Ready Scholars
- Utilize written and oral communication to plan and execute a community project.
- Practice critical thinking to plan and execute a project and to make adjustments as needed along the way.
- Draw on broad knowledge in multiple disciplines and the in-depth studies in your major to plan and execute the project
- Use technology effectively to support the project
- Use information effectively to support the project
- Community Contributors
- Serve as a lead or co-lead on a team, and support other team members in their work
- Practice a key element of wellbeing: Engage in meaningful work that will benefit the community and articulate how the project contributed to your and others well being.
- Practice key elements of civic engagement: Lead or co-lead a civic engagement project.
- Articulate the ethical challenges and what constitutes ethical engagement in the context of the work.
- Practice leadership skills, including setting and following agendas, tracking multiple tasks and outputs, and assessing outputs and outcomes
- Provide outreach to stakeholders about the project at each phase
- Ensure that the project engages promotes equitable/inclusive practices
How to engage:
- Apply for Gold Level opportunities
- Applications will be reviewed regularly.
- Take a Community Engaged Learning course at the 3000 or 4000 level.