Theory to Practice: Using Community-Based Service Learning to Enhance Community Resilience in Urban Neighborhoods

The term “resilience” is encountered in many disciplines. Each discipline may emphasize different elements of resilience, but all definitions speak generally to the continued ability of a person, group, or system to function during and after stress. A well functioning community composed of healthy members with a high quality of life is more likely to possess the ability to adapt to adversity. The presenter co-authored a publication on community resilience that was recently published by the National Academies of Science. The conceptual model for this study consists of 6 components that contribute to community resilience. Using this and our Community Health Approaches to Mobilizing Partnerships model as a guide, students enrolled in a graduate class offered in an urban public health program were involved in two projects: one to assist a neighborhood association with planning and implementing an after school program for middle school students and a second project to mobilize art makers to get involved with a social change initiative in their neighborhood. The projects required students to negotiate how to develop and implement an after school program and how to design and implement a focus group study to understand the role of art makers in creating community resilience. The estimated in-kind contribution to this effort over 6 semesters is $50,000. Outcomes resulting from this sustained partnership between academia and grassroots organizations were reported along with recommendations based on lessons learned from implementing this community-based service learning project.