Community Partner Profile: PeaceJam / PeaceJam Northwest

PeaceJam, a year-long international education and leadership program for youth, directly links high school-aged students with Nobel Peace Laureates. Eleven peace prize winners sit on the board of directors. Their goal is to teach skills in peacemaking, leadership, and conflict resolution, in order to empower youth to bring real change on a global scale.

The PeaceJam Northwest Conference (PJNW), held annually on the Oregon State University campus, is a two-day event convening high school-aged youth from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Hawaii. Participants develop leadership skills, network with like-minded peers, take part in a service project, and connect with adult mentors who can assist them in planning and implementing community engagement efforts in their community.

Oregon State is one of 15 PeaceJam affiliates around the world, only three of which are housed at universities. The work of PeaceJam NW embodies the mission statement of the University: “Oregon State University, a land grant institution, promotes economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for people across Oregon, the nation, and the world.”

This year's PJNW will be held on April 25 and 26. 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi will work directly with about 250 youth and their college mentors, telling her personal story, working beside them on service projects, and hearing what work they are doing to make the world a better place. Ebadi will also present a public talk open to the community on April 24 at 7:30 in the OSU Memorial Union Ballroom.

Each  year, in preparation for the conference, about 40 OSU students train in the curriculum and process of engaging the PJNW participants. These trained OSU students work in pairs with groups of 10 participants for the entire conference weekend, helping the teens engage in thoughtful discussions and plan for meaningful civic engagement once they return home.

Additionally, the service project that participants will take part in was organized by OSU’s Service Center. Through this project, PJNW anticipates between 600 and 800 hours of service to be logged. The PeaceJam conference committee works closely with the OSU Service Center to create a university-wide service initiative that can link the volunteer activities of students with the Nobel Laureates’ Global Call to Action.

Launched in 1996, PeaceJam is the only foundation worldwide to have such a large number of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates (currently 11) working together continuously on one cause, empowering youth.

The goal and spirit of PeaceJam and the PeaceJam Northwest Conference is to inspire today's youth to peacefully transform their local communities, themselves, and the world. To find out how to get involved as an individual, organization, or educational institution, or to sponsor a student participant contact the PeaceJam NW office at peacejam@oregonstate.edu or (541) 737- 3172 at Oregon State University.

Community Partner Profile: International Partnership for Service Learning and Leadership

The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership (IPSL) is a not-for-profit educational organization serving students, colleges, universities, service agencies, and related organizations around the world by fostering programs that link volunteer service to the community and academic study.

Today, IPSL offers 9 undergraduate service-learning programs in 7 nations—programs in which nearly 3,000 students from more than 400 universities or colleges in the U.S. and 25 other nations have participated.

Additionally, beginning in 2009/10, the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Focus in International Service-Learning & Leadership (MAIS) program will be offered with a revised curriculum through Portland State University.

Resulting in a recent relocation to Portland, Oregon, IPSL’s relationship with PSU and the Pacific Northwest is based on sharing “similar service-learning missions… as a way to develop shared programming, research, and student services."

“Portland State University has distinguished itself as a leader in the field of service-learning and has been recognized nationally for implementing a campus-wide engagement strategy that involves students and faculty in service-learning activities. We are thrilled to announce this new partnership,” IPSL Board of Trustees Chair, Margaret Pusch, stated in Spring 2008.

The MAIS program integrates rigorous academic study with substantive volunteer service in two nations, giving students opportunities to test theoretical knowledge through hands-on, practical experience in different cultures.

IPSL furthers service-learning and fosters communities that are civically engaged, inter-culturally literate, internationally aware, and responsive to the needs of others by:

- Sponsoring international conferences;

- Conducting research on the effect of service-learning on students, educational institutions and communities;

- Offering consulting and technical assistance in all aspects of creating and maintaining service-learning programs;

- Publishing curricular and other materials related to service-learning;

- Conducting workshops & training seminars for faculty members and administrators; offers international networking and learning opportunities through membership in IPSL;

- Helping to develop partnerships between colleges/universities and service agencies, both locally and internationally.

Community Partner Profile: The Black Parent Initiative

Committed to addressing challenges facing black families and children in the Portland area, the Black Parent Initiative (BPI) establishes strategic community partnerships, providing parents with the resources needed to encourage growth and success for their children. Perhaps the most vital of these community connections is their relationship with Concordia University in Northeast Portland.

Since 2006, BPI and Concordia have worked together to identify barriers that affect local families and address these needs by developing resources and strengthening assets.

The Concordia Teacher Corps, a program connecting Concordia’s College of Education students with opportunities to tutor K-12 students through after school programs, is a direct result of this relationship. A need was identified and community impact that changes lives ensued.

During the 2007-08 school year, over 340 K-12 students received support from Teacher Corps tutors at 16 tutor sites throughout North and Northeast Portland neighborhoods. While the impact on K-12 students and families is obvious, Concordia students also benefit from the opportunity to serve as tutors by “moving ideas out of the classroom and into the world.”

According to Gary Withers, Concordia University Executive Vice President and BPI Board Co-Chair, creating the Concordia Teacher Corps, in response to the needs of BPI students and families, has laid the groundwork for a strong a meaningful relationship. “We want to identify the challenges, craft the solutions, and become a part of the solution… to respect, honor, and support this diverse community.”

Another BPI program launched at Concordia, the Moses Harris Math & Science Academy, emphasizes the hands-on exploration of math and science concepts while promoting creativity, teamwork, and parental engagement in education.  In the Summer of 2008 the Academy introduced 19 local High School students to career and educational opportunities, provided support around completing and understanding math and science assignments, and connected students with insightful on-campus guest speakers.

Concordia’s Dean of the College of Theology, Arts, and Sciences Dr. Chuck Kunert, along with other Concordia Faculty, Staff and Students helped to make this program a success.  In the Summer of 2009, the program will return and expand.

Other BPI initiatives include Homework Help, a program aimed at helping students stay engaged and raising their self-esteem through assistance with homework assignments and adult mentorship, and support for parents to become early childhood and school-based neighborhood advocates.

Additional Information:

Link to Gary Withers, Concordia University Executive Vice President, External Affairs and BPI Board Co-Chair, speaking at the October, 2008 BPI Fundraiser

Link to Oregonian article written by BPI Executive Director, Charles McGee.

To get involved, visit The Black Parent Initiative Online.

Community Partner Profile: Oregon 150

February 14, 2009 marks Oregon's sesquicentennial (150th birthday) and Oregon 150 wants to help you celebrate! Oregon 150 was created to "remember Oregon's past, celebrate the present, and inspire people to dream of the future." And with over 70 community partners, the support of political and community leaders state-wide, and an extensive calendar of activities, celebrations and service events, Oregon 150 is working to establish "a robust, sustainable future by knitting the entire state together as one community."

















Visit www.oregon150.org for more information and to get involved!

Community Partner Profile: The National Teach-in on Global Warming Solutions

On February 5, 2009, the National Teach-in (headed by professor Eban Goodstein of Lewis & Clark College in Portland) will engage students, faculty, community members and political leaders across the nation in a solutions-based dialogue around clean energy and action steps toward solving the climate change crisis.

From the National Teach-in Website:
“Continued growth of greenhouse gas emissions, for just another decade, practically eliminates the possibility of near-term return of atmospheric composition beneath the tipping level for catastrophic effects.” — Hansen et al. 2008

We stand at a unique moment in human history. The window for action on global warming is measured in months, not years. Decisions that we make—or fail to make—in 2009 will have profound impacts not only for our children and grandchildren, but for every human being that will ever inhabit the face of this earth from now until the end of time.

February 5th, 2009, at the beginning of the first 100 days of the new administration, the National Teach-In on Global Warming will engage over a million Americans in solutions-driven dialogue. As educators, students and citizens, we owe our nation a focused conversation about the critical decisions that will determine if our descendants will inherit a prosperous or an impoverished planet.

To learn more about getting involved by launching a webcast or hosting an event on your campus, visit www.nationalteachin.org.