Assignment: Researching Community Partnerships

Case Study Scenario:

You have been hired by XYZ University as a consultant. They want you to evaluate an organization to see if a service learning opportunity would benefit future students and the community. Your initial recommendation is due in week 5 and will be based on the research you collect in your first four assignments.

Task

• Last week you introduced your social issue and an organization where future students might perform service learning.

• Your task this week is to expand your research to community partnerships and volunteerism within the organization.

• XYZ University has required you to find at least three peer-reviewed articles in the EBSCO library to support your research this week. EBSCO Quick Guide.

• You will turn in a 2-3 pages paper following APA guidelines. Click here for the web version of the APA sample paper. Click here for a downloadable version of the APA sample paper.

PAPER REQUIREMENTS:

Complete the following steps.

Step 1: Introduction - Introduce the topic of service learning and community partnerships. What are the benefits for students and the community when partnering in service learning opportunities? Describe some challenges students might face as service-learners in the community. Introduce your organization as a potential community partner. Provide at least one citation from a peer-reviewed article to support your claims in this section. Citation tutorial

Step 2: Community Partnerships - What other partnerships (companies, businesses, organizations, universities, etc.) does the organization have? What are the benefits of these partnerships? What are past partnerships that the organization no longer maintains? Why were these partnerships ended? What additional partnerships should the organization have and why? Provide at least one citation from a peer-reviewed article to support your claims in this section.

Step 3: Volunteers - Discuss how the organization uses volunteers. What are the benefits to volunteers and the community when volunteers give their time to the organization? Describe the difference between volunteering and performing service learning at the organization. Describe the benefits of service learning for the student and community beyond the service performed at the organization. Provide at least one citation from a peer-reviewed article to support your claims in this section.

Step 4: Conclusion - Provide a Summary the organization's partnerships and how they use volunteers. Summarize the difference between volunteering and service learning. Conclude with a summary of the benefits and challenges of service learning for students and the community at this organization. Provide at least one citation from a peer-reviewed article to support your claims in this section.

Step 5: References - On a separate reference page, list all the references you have cited in your paper to support your claims.