Community Based Learning (CBL) is a style of education that Portland State University has been developing for years. "The community is our classroom," says Professor Kevin Kecskes, who has spoken internationally on the subject.
What's the big deal? 30% of the grade Professor Kecskes will give each of the 25-30 students in his Fall Introduction to Civic Leadership course will be awarded based on "community interaction." For this class, that community interaction will happen in East Portland's Centennial neighborhood.
Partnership is not a word that Kecskes uses lightly. He enters into a thoughtful relationship with the community members who he works with. They design the course with him and he expects them to become fellow professors—sharing knowledge specific to the community with the students. This happens as Kecskes' partners lead community interaction portions of the course in the target neighborhood.
To set this all in motion, an initial agreement was struck between PSU and Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement. Given a tight timeline, Brian Hoop of ONI connected with Richard Bixby of the East Portland Neighborhood Office (one of seven "neighborhood coalition" offices in Portland) looking for "shovel ready" projects. At a meeting with two PSU professors, two ONI representatives and two EPNO staff, three possible projects were reviewed and a project in Centennial was selected, in part, for its level of readiness.
(Left to Right) Jean Whitford, John Beck, Brian Hoop, Patty Hicks, Kevin Kecskes, Richard Bixby, Mike Vander Veen met at St. Timothy Lutheran Church to "rough in" the flow of the Introduction to Civic Leadership course work.
Entitled "Creating Capacity for Community" the project was a stalled Neighborhood Small Grants project submitted by Pastor John Beck of St. Timothy Lutheran that is getting new life. In two business days PSU, ONI, and EPNO partners met with Pastor Beck, his associate Jean Whitford and Centennial Community Association Clerk Patty Hicks. This group roughed in a plan for involving PSU students in the work of knocking on doors in Centennial to discover what topics people in the area care enough about to join their neighbors in positive action. Two community gatherings will be organized to follow up the door-to-door effort.
Class starts September 30. An answered knock at your door could reveal a PSU CBL student standing next to one of your neighbors. Are you ready to reveal which topics you care about?
This program sounds great! I'm so glad to see these projects moving outward from the central city core to some of our lesser served neighborhoods. Way to collaborate, folks!
Thanks for the comment Sarah. I'll pass on that in addition to classes getting out in the community, individual interns are as well. The Office of Neighborhood Involvement just took on a PSU intern who will be helping ONI develop an internship program.
RIGHT ON! Just 'asking' individuals in the community about their interests will undoubtably spur their involvement.
Yes, Ann Marie, yes! You can follow the story at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025332&id=1008743910&l=6e94e5d94e
Ah, I should also have said two more things in response to Ann Marie's comment. First, posing non-leading questions invites stronger participation. Second, asking people to be involved is The Song of Community: "Join us. We need you."