Oral

What happens when a professor at a HBCU public health program at a HBCU (Historically Black College and University) makes a commitment to engage his class in a service learning projects in two urban neighborhoods for a minimum of 3 years? What academic, community partnership, and practice models are used to guide this transformational learning experience? How is this connected to enhancing community resilience in urban communities? How do faculty, leaders of grassroots organizations, and students reflect on actions used to plan and implement a community based service learning project? To address these questions, our distinguished panelist propose a Special Session in the Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Section that will discuss relevant planning and policy themes to create "Healthy Communities” that can “Promote Healthy Minds and Healthy Bodies.” This proposed session is based on a service learning class experience stemming from a partnership with an accredited public health program and 2 grassroots community based organizations in Baltimore City. For the past 2 years students enrolled in a graduate level Community Needs and Solutions class worked with community leaders on two health related 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. Two models were used to guide this effort, Community Health Approaches to Mobilizing Partnerships (CHAMPS) and a conceptual model for creating community resilience through private-public collaboration. Two of the presenters for this session recently published the CHAMP and community resilience models in a peer review journal and a report disseminated by the National Academies of Science, respectively. In summary, CHAMP guides the process for students to fulfill the academic student practicum requirement, the community resilience model guides partnering and community engagement strategies, and the community based service-learning (CBSL) approach guides practice. This session provides perspectives of academia, community, and student to enhance our understanding of how community based service learning can enhance community resilience

Session Objectives: Describe strategies that guide academic practice experiences and community resilience Describe how community service learning projects enhance community resilience Discuss community service learning in urban neighborhoods through the voices of academia, community leaders, and students