OUR VISION:

TO LEAD MEANINGFUL SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH TRANSFORMATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Partnership with community and thought partners is also a focal point of our campus center. We use the constantly evolving model shown below to facilitate our partnerships.

 

Peaceworker Fellows Program Snapshot Video

Plantano y Guineo Digital Story by 2019 Fellow, Shekinah Davis

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Shriver Center Peaceworker Fellows Program

The Peaceworkers Fellows Program is a rigorous, two-year social change leadership program within the Shriver Center at UMBC. Each year, 6-10 returned Peace Corps Volunteers are invited to participate. The three components of the program include:

  • Full-time graduate study in diverse disciplines

  • Part-time service placement with community partner organizations addressing diverse social needs. Partner organizations may be non-profits, government agencies, or campus-based service-learning placements

  • A year round ethical reflection curriculum including seminars, retreats, and events.

In alignment with the TRHT framework, the program has re-evaluated their recruitment process in a way that is more equitable and seeks to understand where applicants are on their journey to deconstruct racism in their lives and communities. Some of the changes involved reimaging how they advertise and promote the program as well as what application and interview questions are asked. Once in the program, fellows take part in an initial TRHT-centered conversation during their summer practicum. This conversation sets the stage for deeper discussions in future seminars.

Lastly, the program has began the conversation surrounding anti-racism with their community partners. By adding the TRHT anti-racism statement in their most recent community partner agreement, they make community partners aware that TRHT principles are important to the Shriver Center's work. They also ensure community partners that they want to build alongside them and continually engage in conversations about racial equity. Each of the fellows are also committed to promoting TRHT work through their own community partnerships

Maryland's Public Scholars Programs

On behalf of the state of Maryland, the Shriver Center at UMBC coordinates four fellowship programs that help Maryland students build the skills to become leaders in the public and social sectors. The four fellowship programs include:

  • The Governor’s Summer Internship Program (GSIP): paid summer internships within the Maryland State Government

  • The Sondheim Nonprofit Leadership Program (SNLP): paid summer internships with Nonprofit organizations within Maryland

  • The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT): paid summer internships within the Maryland Department of Transportation

  • Sondheim Public Service Law Fellowship Program: paid summer internships in public interest law for Maryland's law students

The four components of each fellowship program are:

  • Experience: Fellows are placed at a nonprofit organization or government agency and work full-time under the mentorship of a senior-level professional

  • Exploration: Fellows attend an orientation and frequent seminars to strengthen their understanding of the sector in which they are placed

  • Exposure: Fellows attend field trips, meetings, and networking events, and are given opportunities to connect with Maryland’s leaders

  • Practice: Fellows work together in groups to put their knowledge and skills into practice and present their projects to stakeholders

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Community Engaged Learning

  • Community Engaged Learning engages students in weekly service with a designated service placement. Through this sustained partnership, students build relationships with whom they serve. Service-Learning also allows students the opportunity to engage in formal and informal reflections on their service, which allow students to connect their service with their learning. Service-Learning is a connector program for various Shriver Center and UMBC initiatives.

    The 096 Community Service & Learning Practicum allows for students to engage in weekly service and reflection through the enrollment in a zero-credit, pass/fail course. In FY19, The Shriver Center coordinated over 900 placements with close to 60 different community partners

  • Every semester, the Center collects data from UMBCworks describing the impact of Community Engaged Learning on student development. Students report the impact of their experiences on their cognitive functional competencies (e.g., critical analysis and reasoning, Student/Self Survey, n=845) as well as their professional and affective/personal development (Placement/Site Survey, n=838). Findings from this year’s assessment include:

    96% of service-learning respondents would recommend an internship/work/co-op-research/service placement to another student.

    93% of Community Engaged Learning respondents reported that their interpersonal communication skills increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    88% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that their awareness of civic responsibilities increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    87% of Community Engaged Learning respondents agreed that participating in applied learning helped them to grow as a leader;

    85% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that their ability to solve problems increased as a result of their applied learning experience;

    84% of Community Engaged Learning respondents agreed that their skills in teamwork and collaboration increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    83% of Community Engaged Learning respondents reported increased their intercultural awareness and perspective increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    78% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that their self-confidence increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    78% of Community Engaged Learning respondents agreed that their ability to apply their education to work increased as a result of their applied learning experience;

    73% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that their oral presentation skills increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    70% of Community Engaged Learning respondents agreed that their ability to view their career expectations realistically increased as a result of their applied learning experience;

    68% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that the clarity of their career goals increased as a result of their applied learning experiences;

    67% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that their motivation to continue and persist to graduation increased as a direct result of their applied experience;

    67% of Community Engaged Learning respondents indicated that their applied learning experience related to their major or career goals;

    Staff work closely with students to choose their service sites based upon their passions, goals, interests and availability. Currently, the Shriver Center has community partnerships with organizations that focus on various issue areas that serve diverse populations. These include, but are not limited to, animal welfare, education, the environment, food and housing access, healthcare and mental health.

 
 

Mission statement:

The Shriver Center addresses critical social challenges by bridging campus and community through engaged scholarship and applied learning. Through the work of The Shriver Center, UMBC has become a national leader in applied learning, community engagement, and community-based service delivery.