Purposeful Learning

How to Access and Use the Knowledge Embedded in Your Experiences

Challenging and/or positive experiences create powerful

opportunities for learning using reflective practice, the process of witnessing one's own experience in order to take a closer look at it. By developing the ability to explore and be curious about our own experience and actions, we open up the possibilities of purposeful learning -- learning derived not from books or experts, but from our work and our lives.

In this article, Community Science Senior Associate Joy Amulya writes about reflective practice and why it's important to generating learning. Purposeful learning is an important component of Innovating for Social Impact, a new and powerful approach Community Science has developed that is intended to improve the organizational effectiveness of philanthropic, nonprofit and government groups.

NPA Launched  

Community Science Responsible for National Evaluation  

On April 8, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services launched a major initiative to end health disparities with the release of two strategic plans: the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity, a product of the National Plan for Action (NPA).  

The two strategies complement each other.  The HHS plan outlines the goals and actions HHS will take to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities.  The NPA plan provides a set of goals and actions for public and private sector initiatives and partnerships to help racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved groups reach their full health potential. 

Community Science is responsible for the national evaluation and is working closely with the Office of Minority Health and other experts to finalize both the evaluation plan for the NPA as well as a plan to build the capacity of community organizations to access and use data.  To find out more about the NPA, click here. 

A Practical & User-Friendly Toolkit

Measuring, Tracking & Improving Strength of Community

Senior Associate Joy Amulya (seated, 2nd on left) met with the managers of Longmont, Colorado this month to talk about Community Science's Strength of Community Toolkit a user-friendly, practical guide to measuring, tracking, and improving the strength of any community. 

The toolkit is both a assessment and action kit, building on the internationally used Sense of Community Index-2, to help municipalities, neighborhoods, funders, government agencies, and community groups learn how strong a community they have and how to strengthen it even further. For more information about the toolkit, contact David Chavis.

Upcoming Presentations by David Chavis, Community Science Principal Associate & CEO:

Webinar, sponsored by FSG, June 15: "Focusing on what matters: Engaging stakeholders in developing evaluation questions".  David will be a panelist on this webinar, discussing the stakeholder engagement process described in "A Practical Guide for Engaging Stakeholders in Developing Evaluation Questions".  Register here 

Society for Community Research and Action Biennial Meeting 2011, Chicago
Thursday, June 16:  David will be a panelist on a roundtable discussion of: "How does sense of community and social capital contribute to building communities"?  Find out more here 

Saturday, June 18th:  David is presenting a paper "Global Investigations Using the Sense of Community Index-2: Potential and Challenges" as part of a symposium on Advancing Theory and Measurement of Psychological Sense of Community.  Dr. Chavis will be presenting findings on recent research which tests a new measure of sense of community - the SCI-2.   Click here for more information.

Out and About: CS in the Community

Community Science is helping three local non-profit organizations write a proposal to the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation for a program to support middle school aged youth. Associate Zachary Miller is working on behalf of Community Science on a pro bono basis with Arts on the Block, the YMCA and the Gandhi Brigade to facilitate their meetings, create a logic model and provide expertise on community-based work. Community Science is committed to working with local non-profits to strengthen our community. This pro bono work is in addition to our other charitable activities, such as our Day of Service, and year-end donations to each employee's favorite charity.

New Employee Spotlight

Community Science is pleased to welcome Julia Lee as our newest Managing Associate.  Prior to joining Community Science, Ms. Lee worked for a non-profit organization in Georgia as a Research Program Director and Program Coordinator for the Georgia Asian Pacific Islander Community Coalition. In this position, Julia mobilized grassroots organizations on issues that affectd the immigrant community through various advocacy strategies and capacity building efforts.  She will be defending her dissertation this month for a Ph.D. in Community Psychology.

Julia's email address is jlee@communityscience.com.

Save the Date  

Thursday, June 23rd

Evaluating
 Systems of Care: Practical Ways to Support Youth & Family Initiatives  

Join us for a free webinar to discuss practical ways to sustain youth and family initiatives through evaluation strategies.  Look for registration information this week! 

13th Biennial Conference of the Society for Community Research and Action, June 16-19, 2011, Chicago, IL; for information:2011 Biennial  

TEI July 2011 Program, July 11-27, 2011, Washington, DC; online registration form available here.

November 2-5, 2011, Anaheim, CA; for information:  

Evaluation 2011

Further Your Interest in Promoting Social Change

Community Science is growing and currently recruiting for the following two positions:

* Senior Associate - Research & Capacity Building
* Managing Associate - Research & Capacity Building 

If you are a motivated, conscientious professional who can help us take the practice of social change through science and capacity building to a higher level, we want to hear from you.