Dissertation Dish: Authentic Youth Community Engagement in Nonformal Service-Learning and Community Engagement Programming – May 14

Posted by GivePulse on March 31, 2026

The Dissertation Dish is a collaboration between the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), LEAD California (formerly California Campus Compact) and GivePulse. Dissertation Dish webinars are meant for all audiences, from seasoned scholars to practitioners to graduate students, as well as journal editors or conference organizers seeking scholars to present the most current and innovative research.  Dissertation Dish will highlight quality emerging research in the field of service learning and community engagement by providing a platform for recent doctoral degree recipients to share their work more broadly. We invite you to join us!

The purpose of this study was to explore what programmatic aspects of a nonformal service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) program contributed to youth being authentically engaged in their communities and how youth participants define engagement. The program investigated was a high school leadership program for students who self-identified as women. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, data was collected via surveys and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data found that components of the Emergent Theory of the Role of Context in Service-Learning Practice Model (Fox & LaChenaye, 2016) were positively associated with participants’ engagement. Additionally, four interview themes emerged about what authentic engagement means to participants: applying learned materials, community and connections, empowered to make a difference, and unique times of COVID-19. Based on these findings and past research, three recommendations were created: the power of empowerment, community, and youth voice.

Date and Time: Thursday, May 14, 2026, 2-3:30pm (CT)

Learn more and register.