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Rhonda Fitzgerald of the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network joined us for the Nashman Center's Conversations on Community Engaged Scholarship Series on Thursday, Oct 17. 
Community Engaged Courses are particularly fertile ground for student observations, reflections, and opinions that may be in conflict with those of other students or the instructor. By design, our classrooms create opportunities for students to share and discuss their ideology, beliefs, and values. Learning to handle "tricky moments" well can create transformational learning experience for students, modeling for them how active citizens can contribute to civil discourse in a diverse democracy. Even faculty who have solid facilitation skills can stand to educate themselves and learn from each other.

...continue reading "Event Recap: Skills for Handling Tricky Moments"

As we approach the 2024 election season, George Washington University is ramping up efforts to keep students engaged and informed. The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service has just announced an exciting new initiative - the Election Hive Newsletter!

...continue reading "Stay Informed, Get Involved! GW Launches New Election Newsletter"

As we kick off the fall semester at GW, there are plenty of exciting opportunities for students to engage in community service and involvement. Here are some key updates:

Upcoming Events:

  • Advisor Meeting Requirement Extravaganza - Friday, September 13th from 10:30am-12:30pm in University Student Center Room 307. Spring 2025 study abroad applicants can fulfill their advisor meeting requirement.
  • A Wider Circle: Direct Service Project - Volunteer opportunity for students to give back to the local community. Check GWServes for more details and to register.
  • French Embassy Chamber Music Concert - Friendship Place is seeking volunteer event support. Great chance to engage with DC's diplomatic community while supporting a good cause.

...continue reading "GW September 2024 Community Engagement Update"

Once again students and course instructors gathered to learn from our community partners about serving effectively and respectfully through GW courses. Students posed important questions about managing their time effectively, learning to use public transportation, and eventually, how service opportunities can create opportunities to work together with equity - across race, gender, and socio-economic status.

Community Partner Panelists:

...continue reading "Welcome to Community Engaged Scholarship"

(Post updated: Oct 24, 2024)

As you finalize your plans for the coming semester, please refer to the information and resources below. The Nashman Center Community Engaged Scholarship team is happy to support you in any way we can. Please reach out to Wendy Wagner, wagnerw@gwu.edu. ...continue reading "CES Courses: Starting a New Semester"

Students in PT 8318: Management of Neuromotor Dysfunction taught by Dr. Karen Goodman work with MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) Adaptive Sports and Fitness Program to develop skills in patient communication, transfer techniques, and adaptive equipment management while also learning about the importance of physical activity and sports in rehabilitation and community integration for people with disabilities. These experiences provided students with hands-on opportunities to work with individuals with various neuromotor dysfunctions, including spinal cord injuries, stroke, and other neurological conditions.

...continue reading "PT 8318: Management of Neuromotor Dysfunction"

Students in PT 8320: Management of the Pediatric Client taught by Marisa Birkmeier engage in community service projects with local organizations who serve youth and families.These projects provide valuable hands-on experience working with pediatric populations and families facing various challenges.

...continue reading "PT 8320: Management of the Pediatric Client"

Students in PT 8311: Foundations of Examination taught by Dr. Rebecca Pinkus partner with organizations like the Foggy Bottom West End Village to conduct community mobility screenings for older adults.

In this course, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students participate in community mobility screenings in partnership with the Foggy Bottom West End Village, an aging-in-place community organization. Students apply their classroom learning to conduct various assessments for older adults, including tests for fall risk, cardiovascular endurance, balance, frailty, and other aspects of health crucial for healthy aging.

...continue reading "PT 8311: Foundations of Examination"

Students in PT 8352: Teaching in Physical Therapy taught by Dr. Erin Wentzell complete a variety of service projects that help community members learn how to live healthy lives and adapt to their unique needs.

For information about Community Engaged Scholarship at GW: https://go.gwu.edu/cesc


Semester Reports


Spring 2024

Projects:

Projects in this course vary, but all focus on providing valuable educational resources and support to community members with specific health needs.

HSC Kids In Action: Yoga program at Children's National Medical Center. Students assisted with setting up and cleaning up yoga sessions, led yoga activities, helped with check-ins, and provided one-on-one engagement with children who needed direct supervision.

Personalized home exercise program. Students worked directly with a community member, researching and developing exercises tailored to the individual's complex needs, helping them readjust to community life.

Personalized health goals for community members. Students conducted interviews with local community members, gathered information, and created resources including exercise routines and nutritional recipes specific to the individual's health objectives and condition.

Student Comments:

"It was amazing to learn how to create a Home Exercise Program (HEP) for a more complex individual and help her readjust to her community."

"I learned how to apply motivational interviewing in a clinical setting."

"It was a great opportunity to work on my interview skills, be able to take in and process information from a real person, not a student reading a case, and then come up with a way to share high level information in a way that can be patient friendly."

"I got to learn more about my community and become connected with our community partner."

"I learned that you need to be adaptable to every child's specific needs because they have varying learning abilities."

Students in PT 8322: Management of the Aging Adult taught by Dr. Jason Dring partner with organizations like the Foggy Bottom West End Village to conduct community mobility screenings for older adults. These screenings provided valuable health information to community members while offering students hands-on experience in assessing and communicating with older patients.

The mobility screenings included a comprehensive set of tests to evaluate various aspects of health and function in older adults. Students assess:

...continue reading "PT 8322: Management of the Aging Adult"

UW1020: Professional Communication in International Social Enterprises: A Community Engaged Scholarship Course in Partnership with Clinic+O, taught by Dr. Jessica McCaughey.

At its core, this course interrogates the question: How does writing allow mission-driven organizations to get work done? This first-year writing class is themed around the topic of international healthcare communication, particularly that of our class partner, Clinic+O, a relatively young organization in West Africa that is “committed to

...continue reading "UW 1020: Professional Communication in International Nonprofits"


BADM 4001: Business Leader Launch is an experiential learning course by Prof. Wendy Wagner, which provides opportunities for students to leverage their business skills with local nonprofit and public service organizations. Students use marketing and communication skills, data analysis, project management and other business skills to help community partners build capacity and impact.

Students complete projects designed by the staff of local community-serving organizations like the Foggy Bottom Association, the Foggy Bottom West End Village, Little Friends for Peace, Raising a Village Foundation, Centronia, Age-Friendly DC, and the GW Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Clinic.

For information about Community Engaged Scholarship at GW: https://go.gwu.edu/cesc


Semester Reports

...continue reading "BADM 4001 Business Leader Launch"

This Public Health capstone course, developed by Sara Wilensky, engages students in research and advocacy projects with local community-serving organizations, such as the Latin American Youth Center.

This senior seminar course was designed as both a writing in the disciplines and a community engagement course. Professor Wilensky has created a capstone experience for public health seniors, focusing on real-world projects with community partners.

Speaking at the 2024 Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health, Wilensky described the key aspects of her course design:

1. Co-creation of projects with community partners, ensuring the work would be useful for them.
2. Flexibility in course design to accommodate real-world challenges and changes.
3. Use of student teams (pairs) for projects, with multiple teams working on each community partner project.
4. In-class work time to facilitate collaboration and provide informal feedback opportunities.
5. Variety of writing assignments, including the main project, complementary papers, reflections, and a learning portfolio.
6. Emphasis on project management skills, providing tools like worksheets and templates.

Professor Wilensky highlighted the importance of being proactive in addressing team dynamics, maintaining open communication with community partners, and being prepared to adjust projects as needed.

Wilensky's community partners have shared that this course strengthened relationships with GW. They received high quality, useful products, and appreciated the opportunity to contribute to students' educational experiences.

Student feedback is also positive, "I think that applying the concepts of advocacy, health education, service learning, and others that we have focused on in depth throughout undergraduate coursework has made this project a significant milestone in my public health work."

For information about Community Engaged Scholarship at GW: https://go.gwu.edu/cesc


Semester Reports

...continue reading "PUBH 4140W Senior Public Health Seminar"

"I worked with the Free Minds Book Club to take poems created by incarcerated members of their club and design expressive typographic works."

From Professor Aasawari Kulkarni:

"Through the Free Minds Book Club collaboration, my students not only worked with real content, but also had the unique opportunity to interact with the authors of the content and learn about the lived experiences that inspired the words. Students' exceptional level of engagement and commitment was evidence that they were aware of the impact their work would have on someone at a personal level. There was a sense of great responsibility and care that students put into this work, wanting to do justice to these extraordinary narratives. Throughout the collaboration, there was a sense of joy, curiosity, and respect developed on both sides, along with an appreciation for unfamiliar perspectives.

...continue reading "CGD 2060 Typography II"