CCNYPA’s Fall 2021 Communities of Practice (CoP) – Sep 29

Posted by Campus Compact of New York and Pennsylvania on September 14, 2021

***Deadline Extended to September 29, 2021***

Campus Compact of New York and Pennsylvania (CCNYPA) is pleased to announce three new Communities of Practice this Fall beginning in October. Be sure to read the description of CCNYPA’s approach to Communities of Practice and check out the process for applying for your choice.

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)? It is a learning community, or collegial network, defined as “a group of people who share interest in an area of inquiry and engage in collective learning about that issue as it relates to their work or practice. Through discussions, joint activities, and relationship building, the community of practice develops a shared and individual repertoire of resources, skills, and knowledge to use in their practice.” (MN Campus Compact).

These CoPs embraces and embodies the following equity-based principles that: (a) everyone has knowledge to share, (b) everyone has learning to do, and (c) participants bring many identities and ways of knowing and that such diverse expressions should be encouraged and incorporated into CoP activities. CoPs will:

• Provide you with the space to share, reflect on, and build your knowledge & leadership skills and
• Cultivate a valued “cohort” experience for collegial support as you reflect on your professional practice

Application deadline: 9/24
Invitation to participate: 9/28
Confirmation to participate: 9/30

In the CoP application, please confirm your availability for the specific dates and times for your choices. Given that this is a competitive process, selected participants are required to participate in all CoP meetings. Your commitment to participation is a vital component for forming a learning community. Participants are invited by 9/28 to confirm their availability for the CoP by 9/30. Priority will be given to participants from NY & PA.

CoPs will either meet five or 6 times for 1.5 – 2 hours via scheduled virtual meetings (using the Zoom platform). Resources will be provided by your co-facilitators upon acceptance into a CoP. Additional readings and or/resources will also be recommended. CoP applications are due 9/24 and you will find the application link here.

Beyond the Rhetoric: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Lived Out On Campus
Tuesdays, 11:30 -1:00 pm: 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 11/30, and 12/7
Megan Boone Valkenburg, Wilkes University
Mercedes Franco, Queensborough Community College

In this CoP we will practice structured dialogue and radical listening to support participants’ engagement in unpracticed (a.k.a. “difficult”) conversations around issues of identity, justice, and DEI. Our sessions will include interactive activities and resources intended to assist participants as they identify workplace policies, structures or practices that lead to inequities and as they engage in the development of DEI personal statements and action plans. This CoP is intended to serve as a support network as participants grapple with the topic of DEI in the educational setting.

Community Engaged Learning: Opportunities and Strategies for Success (faculty only)
Wednesdays, 10-11:30am: 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 11/17, and 12/1
Bill Ball, Nazareth College
Vippy Yee, Penn State-Brandywine

In this participant-driven community of practice we will engage with issues that arise from conducting community engaged learning from a faculty member role. We will cover incentives, opportunities, obstacles and pitfalls distinctive to different types of faculty positions. We will also focus on building solid and productive connections to campus-community engagement centers, other staff and academic units, and, of course, community partners. Opportunities for scholarship and other forms of communicating work with the outside world, including student authorship, will be explored. The backbone of this COP will be the drafting of a personal plan of action by each participant around these topics.

Community Building in a Fractured World: A Civics of Interdependence
Fridays, 12:30 – 2:00 pm: 10/22, 10/29, 11/19, 12/3, 12/7
Samantha Brandauer, Dickinson College
Eric Hartman, Haverford College

We often do not understand and embrace our interdependence well enough. Beyond us as individuals, global histories and contemporary international flows affect all of us in interdependent ways all around the world. This Community of Practice will give participants skills and tools to shift our thinking and actions towards building just, inclusive, sustainable communities through the lens of interdependence. We will make connections between personal inquiries into a place-based civics of interdependence, highlighting opportunities for global thinking and action, locally, along with connections to the Sustainable Development Goals, cultural humility, and global engagement. Participants outcomes will include:

• Self-reflection and engagement on civic commitment and action
• Understanding of and capacity to apply open-access tools on local-global, ethical community engagement, and sustainable development goals, featuring opportunities to integrate with courses or co-curricular activities
• Orientation and opportunity to develop locally-rooted additions to the Global Solidarity, Local Actions Toolkit.