Community-based learning/Service-learning Assignment

Beranda commented on: Group 3 and Group 2
Angie commented on:  Group 1 and Group 3

Beranda completed introduction, case study one, and table.
Angie completed case study two and discussion.

Community-Based Learning: 

Domestic Violence Prevention

Beranda Cantrell

Angela Vanderluit

Ball State University

Introduction

            Community-based/service learning “combines service activities with academic learning objectives with the intent that the activity will benefit both the recipient and provider” (Reed & Marienau, 2008, p. 18). Through service learning or community based learning adults are able to participate in experiential activities that engage their cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions of learning. This allows them to not only grow as human-beings, but it motivates them to participate more often in civic engagement. Susan C. Reed and Catherine Marienau (2008) explain that there are six characteristics of community-based and service learning:

1.      Clear learning objectives that connect the classroom to the community.

2.      Service activities that address a community need.

3.      Community partners who act as co-educators and who contribute to student learning.

4.      The activity benefits both the student and the community, with an exchange of knowledge that strengthens both parties.

5.      Connections to learning goals have to be established.

6.      Consequential assessments that capture student learning outcomes and informs partnership improvement.

For a community based program, or service learning program, to be effective it must contain the above characteristics, allowing the participants a chance to learn and grow through the process.

            As a group, we decided to focus our attention on domestic violence prevention and women’s shelters and how these places utilize community-based learning. The two case studies in this paper offered similar courses to their community that incorporated most of the aforementioned characteristics of community, or service, learning. From studying these cases we are hoping to identify how successful these programs can be in terms of lowering domestic violence, as well as being able to detect domestic violence, in their communities.

Case Study #1

For the first case study Beranda took a look at the Raphael House Education Program. The Raphael House (http://raphaelhouse.com/) is in Portland, OR and is an agency focused on ending intimate partner violence for good. The Raphael House Education Program is designed to enact social change and “prevent domestic violence by engaging our entire community in conversation and by encouraging people of all genders, ages and backgrounds to speak out against violence” (raphealhouse.com). They offer the following presentations and trainings to the community:

Addressing Domestic Violence as a Community

This program gives details on the basic dynamics of domestic violence, warning signs, and the ways a community can respond to domestic violence. The training was made to raise community awareness on domestic violence, as well as promote support to the victims of domestic violence. The presentation is 1-3 hours long.

School-based Presentations: Healthy Relationships for Teens

The Raphael House is a member of TEEN (Teen Education and Empowerment Network). Along with TEEN, the Raphael House offers resources and education to youth to help discuss how develop healthy and safe relationships.

High school and middle school presentations by Raphael House advocates cover state requirements for health education and address:

Healthy versus unhealthy relationships                       Power and control

Promoting respect                                                       Consent

Communication                                                           Supporting friends

Types of abuse                                                            Media literacy

Gender roles                                                                Bystander responsibility

These presentations range from 3-5 hours in length and are typically distributed over a series of 3-5 class periods at local schools.

Healthier Relationships for Your Teen

This training is made for those who live or work closely with teenagers. It allows them the capability to discuss the difficulties and distinctions of healthy and unhealthy relationships. The training covers the best ways to talk with youth about warning signs of dating violence. The topics that are covered are: healthy/unhealthy relationships, warning signs of abuse, technological and social abuse, jealousy, power and control, gender roles, and media literacy. The training lasts from 1-3 hours.

Domestic Violence Hurts All of Us: Make Your Workplace a Safe Place

The Raphael House does offer a free, hour-long training program that is suited to your organization’s unique needs. The staff can give advice on how to create a safer work environment for employees who are experiencing domestic violence.

The Importance of Screening for Domestic Violence in the Medical Community

This training addresses how workers in the medical field are at an advantage to screen for domestic violence. It is one hour in length and teaches the dynamics of domestic violence.

In Her Shoes

This interactive program is from the Washington Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. It places each person in the shoes of a survivor of domestic violence. Each participant receives the story of a survivor and then travels through the various systems that he/she would experience in accessing resources. The activity lasts two hours and can be very emotional. Before starting this activity the Raphael House states that each participant must know and understand the basics of domestic violence and oppression.

The Raphael House also has other programs that help the victims and community learn more about domestic violence listed on their website. With these programs the Raphael House is able to make a great impact on their community of Portland, OR. For some victims, and survivors, it is hard to find the valuable resources that this organization provides. For them to share these resources with the community is even greater (raphealhouse.com).

Case Study #2

Haven of Oakland County, Michigan seeks to end violence in relationships by focusing on domestic violence and sexual assault prevention programs.  Haven’s tactics for increasing peace in our communities cover a wide range of areas and age groups.  The following paragraphs will provide examples of Haven’s community-based education efforts. 

Haven offers community-focused educational programs.  As requested, Haven sends speakers to train different specialized groups about domestic violence and how to respond to it.  Some of the groups include healthcare workers, law enforcement, and religious leaders.  This is important because it increases awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault so that more people are empowered to respond and prevent it within the context of their job when they encounter those affected by abusive situations.  There are also programs tailored for other types of professional and community organizations. 

Haven offers a wide variety of education for prevention programs in schools in the area.  This helps educate youth at age appropriate levels.  With this knowledge, youth can be empowered to identify unhealthy relationship patterns and violence.  Young people are often witnesses to domestic violence situations.  They need to know where to go and who to talk to when they see it in their homes or other places.  This could be a vital part of saving lives and making our homes and communities safer.  As the age groups get older, the programs Haven offers in schools shift focus to dating relationships, self-image, and mentorship education programs.  Haven has done a good job of working the different needs of school-age youth into special programs. 

Another interesting and effective program that Haven offers is the Survivor Speakers Bureau.  This program features survivors of assault and domestic violence.  The stories that these people share offer valuable perspective because they demonstrate the very relevant nature of domestic violence and sexual assault.  These stories also serve as a way for victims to advocate for change while inspiring others to do so as well.  The Speakers Bureau is especially valuable because speakers will describe the problematic nature of their relationships and experiences.  This program should, in theory, prevent victim-blaming by showing how anyone can find themselves in an abusive situation.  This is also a way for people that have benefited from HAVEN’s services in their time of need to give back to the organization (HAVEN of Oakland County, MI).

Looking at Haven’s body of community outreach and education programs, it seems that they are really effective and influential when it comes to preventing and responding to abuse and violence within relationships and families.  While there is no one solution to these problems, more programs like these will make community members empowered to respond to abuse when they see it.  Instead of ignoring violence because of feeling helpless, trained community members will know what to do and that their role is important.

Discussion

            The domestic and intimate partner violence prevention programs offered by Raphael House and Haven have a lot in common and seem to be well-designed.   This section will discuss the main points of both organizations’ programs and connect them to what is known about community education and adult learners.  Raphael House is located in Portland, Oregon, and Haven is located in Oakland County, Michigan. 

            Both Raphael House and Haven are very flexible with the services that they provide.  This occurs in a few different ways.  What’s most important is that they are able to be reached by those in need in many different ways.  For example, both organizations have websites, phone lines, and physical locations.  This way, those in a crisis situation have multiple different options for getting help.  When we look to the literature, Warren says that “the traditional way of thinking about communities is no longer adequate, if it ever was, to describe American community life” and that a new model should be used for studying the modern community as it is (Warren, 1978, p.2).  Haven and Raphael house have embraced the modern conception of community by reaching out online and being reachable even when they are geographically distant.  Another way that these organizations are flexible is that they offer specialized programs by request.  This way, those in specific professions know how to recognize and respond to domestic violence. 

            Haven and Raphael House offer programs meant to increase understanding of the survivor experience.  Haven has the Survivor Speakers Bureau where real survivors of domestic violence and other forms of abuse speak for an audience about their experience.  Raphael House has In Her Shoes which is interactive and puts participants in the shoes of survivors. 

Haven’s efforts offer a way for people that have been helped by their services to give back by speaking about surviving abuse.  This is a good example of community-based learning’s benefits.  In the literature, Holland and Robinson discuss the benefits of community-based adult service learning (2008).  Those who receive benefits from such efforts are the adult learners themselves, the organizations which receive service learning help.  But what is perhaps most important is the benefit to the community, as these programs bring people closer together and strengthen the community (Holland and Robinson, 2008). 

References

HAVEN of Oakland County, MI. (n.d.) Prevention education programs. Retrieved from              https://www.haven-oakland.org/education-prevention/programs

Holland, B., & Robinson, G. (2008). Community based learning with adults:  Bridging efforts in multiple sectors. ­New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 118, 17-30.

Raphael House of Portland (n.d.). Retrieved from http://raphaelhouse.com/domestic-violence/community_education_and_outreach/

Reed, S. C., & Marienau, C. (eds.)(2008). Linking adults with community: Promoting civic engagement through community based learning. (Num. 118). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Warren, R. L. (1978). The community model.  In The community educator. New York:  University Press of America.

                       

	Providers	Learners, Purposes, learning objectives	How the activities were designed	Main ideas/features you have learned	Suggestions for practitioners
Learning activity 1 – Addressing domestic violence as a community	The Raphael House	Anyone in the community/Purpose is to raise community awareness on domestic violence/ Objective: to learn how to support victims of domestic violence as well as use community resources	It is a one to three hour long training, depending on community needs.	Involving the community gives higher awareness to the problem. Providing training and support to the community allows them to understand better.	As well as teaching about resources and supporting victims, the program should include some background information on what domestic violence is.
Learning activity 2 – In her shoes	Raphael House	Anyone can participate/Purpose is to give participant an idea of what it is like to be a victim of domestic violence/Objective: To better understand what victims go through.	The activity is designed in a two hour time frame using experiential learning.	Activity promotes role-playing to better understand what victims go through.	Provider should also include a reflection period at end of activity.
Learning activity 3 – Survivor Speakers Bureau	Haven of Oakland County	Learners can be anyone/ Purpose is for survivors of domestic violence to share their stories/Objective: Explain experiences so that others may be able to more recognize if they are in the same situation.	Activity consists of survivors of domestic violence speaking (sharing their story of domestic violence) with an audience.	Activity should show community that anyone can become a victim of domestic violence.	Provider should include more information about how to become a participant in this activity.