Lessons+from+service-learning+and+community+engagement+in+refugee+resettlement

**Lessons from service-learning and community engagement in refugee resettlement** Daniel Amick, Chair, Department of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago [damick@luc.edu] Sarah Masri, Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago; Midwest University [masri.sarah@gmail.com] Samantha Lewandowski, Loyola University Chicago [slewandowki@luc.edu] Ashiyrah Ramirez-Knight, Loyola University Chicago [a.ramirez.knight@gmail.com]



**Keywords:** Refugee resettlement, ethnography, communication, program evaluation

**Format:** Poster presentation

**Track:** Community partnerships and reciprocity

**Date and time:** Thursday 3:20 – 4:30 **Location:** Salon 4/Salon 9

**Summary:** Almost three years ago, undergraduate students from Loyola University Chicago began working collaboratively to assist local refugee resettlement programs. This effort includes dedicated community partners, curriculum, and a service organization. Activities include a befriending program, ELL tutoring, social events, fundraising, material needs support, and promoting public awareness and advocacy for refugees.

This project reviews and evaluates the effectiveness of collaborative service-learning and engaged scholarship in assistance of refugee resettlement programs. In particular, the challenges of collaboration and communication are explored as well as the issues of program sustainability, and participant responses. An ethnographic approach has been used to develop and to assess the success of this program from the standpoints of students, refugee families, and agency sponsors. Each of these stakeholders has a different perspective on the program and this research has attempted to investigate ways to develop better program coherence and improved communication between these different groups.

Recommendations about service-learning assessment from anthropologists (Polin and Keene 2010; Rosing et al. 2010) have played a large role in designing specific tactics for the review and evaluation of this program. Measuring the impact of this work varies between quantitative to qualitative depending on the issue at hand. Satisfaction of clients and agency is assessed by post-placement interviews while student learning is assessed by reflective writing that solicits understanding of the student role and reflection about its successes and failures. Evaluation of civic skills is based on successful design and implementation of group projects.

**References:** Agier, M. (2008) //On the Margins of the World.// Polity Press, Cambridge.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Behnia, B. (2008) An Exploratory Study of Befriending Programs with Refugees: The Perspective of Volunteer Organizations. //J. of Immigrant & Refugee Studies// 5(3):1-19.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Boyer, E. (1996) The Scholarship of Engagement. //J. of Public Outreach// 1(1):11-20.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Colson, E. (2003) Forced Migration and the Anthropological Response. //Journal of Refugee Studies// 16(1):1-18.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Freire, P. (1970) //Pedagogy of the Oppressed.// Continuum, New York. Haines, D. (2010) //Safe Haven?// Kumarian Press, Virginia.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Harrell-Bond, B. and E. Voutira (1992) Anthropology and the Study of Refugees. //Anthropology Today// 8(4): 6-10.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Holtzman, J. (2007) //Nuer Journeys, Nuer Lives: Sudanese Refugees in Minnesota.// Boston: Allyn & Bacon (2nd Edition).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Mezirow, J. (1991) //Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning.// Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Pipher, M. 2002 //The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community.// New York: Harcourt.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Polin, D. and A. Keene (2010) Bringing an Ethnographic Sensibility to Service-Learning Assessment. //Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning// 16(2):22-37.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Rabben, L. (2011) //Give Refuge to the Stranger: The Past, Present, and Future of Sanctuary.// Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, CA.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Rosing, H., S. Reed, J. Ferrari, and N. Bothne (2010) Understanding Student Complaints in the Service Learning Pedagogy. //American Journal of Community Psychology// 46(3-4):472-481.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Smith, B. and J. MacGregor (1992) What Is Collaborative Learning? In //Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education,// by A. Goodsell et al., pp. 11-29. National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. Pennsylvania State University, University Park. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">**Please click here to access a PDF of this page**: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">[|Amick_Lessons from service-learning and community engagement in refugee resettlement.pdf] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">

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