ETHICAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Appalachian Center for Civic Life

Lets get started
What do you hope to learn today?

Today, well cover

Ethical dimensions of student engagement
Ethical dimension of community relationships

Discussion
Students Cultural Humility
The world in which you were born is just not one model of reality. Other cultures are not
failed attempts at being you. They are unique manifestations of the human spirit.
Wade Davis

Competency vs. humility whats the difference?

Willingness to suspend what you know, or what you think you know, about a person based on
generalizations about their culture. Rather, what you learn stems from being open to what they
themselves have determined is their personal expression of their heritage and culture...
Nuanced awareness of own cultural background
Genuine respect for others cultures
Develop skills for effective and appropriate intercultural work
Students Power and Privilege
Peggy McIntosh:
Unearned benefits conferred upon members of mainstream or dominant groups (in the US, these
include male, white, heterosexual, affluent, young, able-bodied, and/or Christian) at the
expenses of others. Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to
others simply because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything theyve
done or failed to do.
Visible and Subtle Privilege
Individual and Systemic Privilege
Exploring privileged identities and systems encourages self-awareness, sensitivity,
and combating inequity on societal scale
Students - Professionalism
Skills for citizenship and professional life
Private and public life Justine Sacco
Increased self awareness

Time management and accountability

Awareness of bias

Humility

Respectfulness

Flexibility

Collaboration and team-work

Students Risk and Well-Being
Physical and Emotional Safety
Appropriate tasks for skill-level and training
Coverage one-on-one situations and supervision

Triggering experiences

Consciousness of context and student identity

Community Democratic Engagement
Community Respect & Autonomy
Stakeholders on equal footing
Agencies/communities and college faculty/staff have
shared ability and responsibility to shape project
Recognition and utilization of diverse experiences and
knowledge
Academic and community interests of equal importance
Colleges goals cannot overshadow goals of the
organizations
Shared Decision-Making
Balancing all stakeholders needs and expertise
Community - Consent
Project designers and potential recipients
Ensure those potentially impacted/served by project or
initiative have the ability to give consent before project
is finalized
Special attention to vulnerable populations
Agency for traditionally marginalized groups
Community Reframing Boundaries

Challenging the town and gown dynamic

Location
of events
Community professionals as educators
Work done with and not for

Attention to language
Jargon
Us and Them
College as part of ecosystem of community
Relational
and localized
Shared knowledge and investment in community
Questions and Discussion
What existing practice was reaffirmed?
What existing practice was challenged?
What support do you need?
Resources
What is Cultural Humility?
Duke University Responsible Engagement
Toolkit for Preparing Students
Helping Students Explore Privileged Identities
How One Stupid Tweet Ruined Justine Saccos Life
Democratic Engagement White Paper
Campus Engage
Community Campus Partnerships for Health