As they work together with members of the William & Mary and broader community, students in Civic & Community Engagement programs develop the following skills and perspectives - along with many others - and grow to center and prioritize community now and throughout their lives.
Ways of Being
Ways of Being
Integrity
Aligning actions and values with commitment to community
Implement strategies to align values, actions, and commitment to community throughout my life
Propose and take actions explicitly aligned with with my community-centered values
Model dependable and sustained engagement
Seek and incorporate feedback from others on integrity
Reflect on the alignment of my community values and actions across various elements of my life beyond community engagement
Cultural Humility
Reflecting on one’s own identities and perspectives to more deeply respect the dignity and expertise of others and more effectively challenge bias and power imbalances
Show awareness of my own cultural identities, assumptions, and biases and how they affect my community engagement
Pursue and embrace opportunities to learn from other perspectives, especially those with less cultural power
Select methods in which diverse perspectives inform action
Identify and reduce bias and discrimination in groups and systems
Adapt community engagement based on the perspective and knowledge of others
Civic Identity
Understanding oneself as an agent of positive social change
Proactively deepen knowledge, skills, and values needed to contribute effectively to social change
Regularly engage in critical reflection on civic identity, individually and with others
Make decisions across various realms of their life grounded in commitment to community
Build strong relationships with people and communities that support ongoing civic identity development
Ways of Thinking
Ways of Being
Root Cause Analysis
Understanding the underlying, interconnected conditions and systems that foster or undermine the flourishing of individuals and communities
Develop content knowledge about related systems/structures and connections between civic issues
Demonstrate knowledge of the context, systems, and issues relevant to the communities I am a part of
Evaluate and show awareness of my role in conditions and systems that affect community wellbeing
Participate in efforts to address root causes and/or long-term systems change
Critical Reflection
Examining experiences, relationships, knowledge, and beliefs to better understand and guide future action
Reflect before, during, and after community engagement
Incorporate knowledge, other perspectives, and understanding of systems and power into reflections
Enhance my understanding through reflection
Motivate and inspire others to critically reflect
Identify and initiate community action informed by reflection
Sustainability Mindset
Appreciating the fundamental interdependence between self, others, society, and nature and working to improve the well-being of all
Understand and examine the interdependence of myself, others, society, and the environment
Engage with community in ways which positively impact the wellbeing of others, self, and the environment
Assess the impact of my community engagement on self, others society, and the environment in the short and long-term
Use “both-and” thinking: personal and structural change, short and long-term impacts, parts and wholes
Ways of Taking Action
Ways of Being
Building Community
Fostering relationships that are characterized by mutual respect, care, trust, and shared commitments
Integrate shared interests, commitments, and strengths of community members
Employ strategies to reduce barriers to community building
Evaluate my role in community-building and identify areas for individual and team growth
Embrace opportunities to establish, maintain, and/or deepen relationships within my team and broader community
Engaging Difference
Using inevitable disagreement and discomfort in relationships as opportunities for valuing others’ lived experience and growing together
Analyze situations or concepts from alternate and/or conflicting points of view
Approach conflict and disagreement as an opportunity to learn, improve processes, and generate new ideas
Practice active listening and attend to the perspectives and wellbeing of all participants during disagreements
Take responsibility for my role in conflict, apologizing and committing to change as needed
Learn from a diverse set of perspectives, including those with which I disagree
Democratic Practices
Sharing power and responsibility equitably with others, recognizing that all people have knowledge and capacities to contribute to processes affecting them and their communities
Analyze how the distribution of power shapes community conditions
Utilize approaches that ensure others can contribute their knowledge and capacities
Make decisions and solve problems collectively with those affected
Collaborate with others to improve the status quo underlying community issues
Advocate for fair distribution of power and responsibility within teams and communities
Collective Action
Acting collaboratively within a community for the common good
Prioritize opportunities to set goals, make decisions, and take actions with others
Encourage greater engagement by members of my team or community through inclusive processes
Evaluate and work to improve personal contributions to the group and group dynamics
Increase my understanding of the common good through reflection and the input of others
Collaboratively evaluate progress toward common goals and facilitate adjustments accordingly
Community-Centered Continuum
four column table of the community-centered continuum
Resident
Participant
Reflective Contributor
Community-Centered
Very limited awareness of their role in social issues
Little civic or community participation
Focused on self or care for others they are in direct relationship with
Well-intentioned but not well-educated about social issues
Contributes to community regularly but without deeper engagement
Motivated by desire for healthy communities and belief in positive impact on those who serve and are served
Connects involvement with broader social-political systems and root causes and notices privilege and inequality
Engages in deliberate and/or sustained community involvements
Begins to critically reflect on their own role in community
Community is a priority in their values, actions, and identity
Regularly engages with power, privilege, and perspective-taking to better understand self and community
Utilizes in their own capacity to contribute to social change within a network of others working together
Our Civic Learning & Action Goals were developed in a co-creative and democratic process with multiple rounds of ideating, creating, and editing with students, community leaders, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
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