TCNJ establishes “Place-Based” Learning and Action Partnership with local nonprofit
TCNJ will receive $40,000 from the East Trenton Collaborative as part of its first “place-based” community engaged learning initiative, which aims to direct a number of campus-based teaching and learning resources on a portion of the North Ward in Trenton.
TCNJ will receive $40,000 from the East Trenton Collaborative as part of its first “place-based” community engaged learning initiative, which aims to direct a number of campus-based teaching and learning resources on a portion of the North Ward in Trenton.
“This is a logical evolution for us,” said Patrick Donohue, assistant provost for Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Programs and Partnerships. “Place-based learning is a recognized high-impact strategy in higher education circles, and we are pushing ourselves to increase our impact in terms of student learning and community change.”
TCNJ Bonner Scholars, students working in class-based projects with their professors, Bonner staff, and VISTA volunteers assigned to the College’s CEL programs will work on eight different projects in the area of New Jersey’s capital city that is bordered by Route 1 on the west, Assunpink Creek on the east, Lincoln Avenue to the south, and Mulberry Street to the north.
The CEL projects include a survey of Bodega owners, helping connect local businesses to the purchasing processes of the College, creating a business plan for a group that aims to create an urban farm around the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, neighborhood beautification projects, and refurbishing as well as educating local residents about a historic African American cemetery.
Two TCNJ students from Passaic County, Nick Lauda and David Richards, led a recent service day that mobilized students to help residents refurbish the exterior of some homes and public spaces in the ETC zone. “No matter how much tangible work we do during these community engaged learning days, the greatest and arguably most important part is that the kids and residents want us to stay or come back,” according to Lauda. “We can get a lot done together.”
Through TCNJ’s CEL Program, all first-year students at the College take part in hands-on, service-oriented projects that address issues facing the local and regional community, such as hunger, homelessness, educational reform, and environmental awareness. CEL II classes allow upper-level students to continue to have a positive impact on the community. All of the activities are directly tied to TCNJ’s mission to be “a national exemplar in the education of those who seek to sustain and advance the communities in which they live.”
The East Trenton Collaborative adheres to a holistic model of community development and was born out of a desire on the part of local residents and agencies to have some input into how their neighborhood was redeveloped. In December 1999, Trenton adopted a Redevelopment Plan for the North Clinton Avenue area, the central spine of the neighborhood. The plan included an assessment of neighborhood conditions as well as suggestions for future public investments.
“We’re excited to partner with The College of New Jersey. It is one of the top public institutions in the country and a leader in the field of community and civic engagement,” said Andrew Carten, Project Director for the ETC. “This builds upon past efforts that were successful and recognizes that collectively we can all have a bigger impact—working in collaboration with the residents and businesses in the area.”
TCNJ Sociology Professor Diane Bates added, “Everyone benefits when students learn by working on real projects that build their skills and help those in need.”
Posted on May 22, 2013
