BCC Launches Innovative Community-College Partnership to Support Literacy
Students and faculty at Berkshire Community College are engaged in an innovative approach to service-learning, in partnership with Berkshire United Way and Pittsfield Promise. Together, this collaborative is working to achieve Pittsfield Promise’s community-defined goal to increase 3rd grade literacy in Pittsfield to 90% by 2020. The project is using the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) model to create an “asset map” of literacy efforts and resources in Pittsfield. The ABCD model is used in numerous communities in the US, and was founded by John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University.
This unique partnership joining community members and BCC faculty, engages students directly in community-based research and civic engagement. The project is part of BCC’s Civic Engagement Initiative and supported by the MA Department of Education’s Vision project and Berkshire United Way.
After talks over the summer with key leaders at Berkshire Priorities, the project kicked off with an ABCD training at BCC in October. The session was facilitated by Sharon Vardatira of Youth Catalytics, and attended by BCC faculty and staff, human service providers, administrators, parents, community members, and BCC students The cohort learned about the theory and methods of asset mapping. Asset Mapping is the process of cataloging the resources of a community to identify available assets; map them; and promote dialogue, action and community building around issues. Participants drafted survey questions for each asset to be cataloged.
Since the training, Berkshire United Way developed a database to store and organize the information that will lead to the community Asset Map. Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has also been at the table since the beginning, and offered to develop the Asset Map and make this information public and accessible to the community. Service-Learning students engaged in community-based research to identify individuals, neighborhood associations, community organizations, and businesses to be included. The students have begun one-on-one interviews to collect information on the assets and resources these groups offer to the community.
In the spring semester 2013, BCC faculty from Sociology, Psychology, English and Culinary Arts will teach additional service-learning courses incorporating the ABCD approach– to both support the goal of Pittsfield Promise and teach students the value of community and civic engagement.
