S•L•S: Public Service Pathway, Fall 2015 Workshop

Background

The Public Service Pathway (PSP) is a new initiative of Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS), Georgia Tech’s new Quality Enhancement Plan infusing sustainable communities education into undergraduate students’ learning experiences across campus. SLS is developing academic courses and experiences that combine community engagement with sustainability. Serve-Learn-Sustain will prepare students to contribute their disciplinary expertise to efforts aimed at creating sustainable communities where people and nature thrive, now and in the future, in Georgia, the United States, and around the globe.

Public Service Pathway

The PSP will increase students’ capacity to participate in sustainable community engagement efforts by focusing on civic innovation, design, and facilitative leadership. PSP courses will help students connect disciplinary skills to community challenges and contribute to solutions by working collaboratively with communities. The key method for student education in SLS is service learning, where service and learning take place together and students are embedded in long-term community efforts for social change, benefitting students and communities in equal measure.

Through a generous grant from the Commerce Club Foundation of Atlanta , the PSP is offering grants ranging from $500 to $2500 to support the development of learning experiences for undergraduate and graduate students through Spring 2016 courses or student-led projects. Faculty, staff, and students may apply for funding for curricular or non-curricular learning activities. We will be making an official announcement soon with the details of the solicitation process. In the meantime, you are invited to our upcoming workshop…..

Workshop

The purpose of the workshop is to bring together leaders in civic innovation and design from across Georgia Tech and Atlanta communities to share and develop ideas for experiential learning experiences that link campus learning opportunities with community efforts for social and environmental change. These ideas will form the basis of proposals for funding for Spring 2016 learning experiences, existing or new.

We anticipate a lively discussion and brainstorm. We will work together to help sketch out designs for novel learning experiences that achieve three objectives:

1. 1. Develop partnerships with local civic organizations
2. 2. Support ongoing community efforts for sustainable social change
3. 3. Develop civic leadership in students, staff, and faculty

You are not required to attend the workshop in order to submit a proposal for funding. However, workshop attendance will be considered in evaluating proposals.

Interested but not able to make the workshop?

Please note this in your RSVP and we encourage you to contact PSP Director Carl DiSalvo to discuss your ideas.

Interested but not able to do this in the Spring?

Calls will also be issued for Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Sign up for the SLS listserv to stay informed.