The International Blackfoot Research Conference is an event to honor the traditional research process of the Siksikaitsitapi, which includes the Amskapi Piikani (Blackfeet –Southern Piegan), Siksika Nation (Blackfoot), Piikani Nation (Piegan), and Kaiaiwa Nation (Blood).
Blackfeet Community College believes this may be an opportunity for the Blackfoot Confederacy to unite and celebrate educational sovereignty, through the sharing of knowledge among bands, yet under the unification of one nation.
Blackfoot Research Conference will recognize eminent scholars and elders to share knowledge on the traditional research process, which may include oral tradition, language, and our traditional lifeways.
Presentations in other areas may include Agriculture, Arts & Media, Business, Computer Science & Technology, Education, Health Care Fields, Humanities, Human Services, Industrial Services, Law & Legal Studies, Math & Science, or other areas. Work in these areas must be focused on the advancement of the Blackfoot (or Indigenous) peoples and/or research conducted by Blackfoot people.
Thank you to our Montana Campus Compact work-study students for choosing to support the mission of enhancing civic and community engagement across the state. You have been an inspiration to us all. We wish you all the best on your next adventure! 🤗
-Montana Campus Compact Team
🔜 Call for Montana College Grads: MTCC AmeriCorps Applications Open!
The MTCC network just began accepting applications for its full-time, yearlong AmeriCorps positions. These paid positions begin in July, August, and September of 2022 and include a living allowance, (Pell-sized) AmeriCorps Education Award, and other benefits. Explore the benefits of service.
In 2022-2023, AmeriCorps members will serve with a range of schools and nonprofits, including Helena College, the Arlee Rehabilitation Center, the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana, Poplar High School and Fort Peck Community College, and many more!
Interested candidates are invited to learn more and apply!
Our colleagues with Hawai'i Pacific Islands, and the Western Region Consortium are excited to share that the long-standing community-engaged teaching and learning Continuums of Service conference is scheduled from March 14-17, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
The conference theme is "Turning the tides: Renewing our Energy" and the conference promises a deep-dive approach to examining reciprocal, transformational campus-community partnerships.
Please save the date, more information to follow!
🎓Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement
Workshop: Building a Team, Data & Resources
May 10, 2022
The 2024 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement framework has been updated to reflect ongoing shifts within our institutions, and communities, and how we come together to address community-based public problem-solving.
This workshop is designed to assist campuses preparing for both first-time applications and campuses that are re-classifying (those classified in 2015).
The session will include (1) an orientation to both the classification and reclassification frameworks; (2) an overview of the 2024 process; (3) additions and changes to the documentation framework; (4) a review of the documentation framework and complete application; and (5) strategies that have been effective for successful applications.
Time will be dedicated for participants to ask questions of the presenters.
🏫Last Call: Engaged Scholars Initiative Applications Due April 30
In partnership with the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College, Campus Compact is accepting nominations for up to 20 engaged faculty, staff, and administrators to join a virtual collaborative learning and leadership cohort for the 2022-2023 academic year. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2022.
The 2022-2023 cohort will consist of 20 individuals from Campus Compact member institutions across the country who will meet virtually over a year.
The gatherings will include 2 virtual retreats, 2 in-person retreats, monthly virtual meetings, mentorship opportunities, scholarly projects, etc. Gatherings for this cohort will be held virtually and, if possible, in person.
AmeriCorps Expands Commitment Advancing Equity and Racial Justice
National service agency joins Biden-Harris Administration's equity initiatives
April 26, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C.– AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, launched its equity action plan today in accordance with President Biden’s Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.
The order, which called for a comprehensive approach to transform the federal government into a fairer and more equitable entity, directed all federal agencies to advance equal opportunity efforts including equity, civil rights, and racial justice. The order also directed agencies to establish the critical role and responsibility of equity teams to address barriers and advance opportunities for both agency staff and services.
“AmeriCorps has been engaged in a cross-agency initiative to evaluate and deepen our culture and understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for nearly two years,” said Michael D. Smith, AmeriCorps CEO. “We are focused on creating structural and lasting change in our grantmaking, member recruitment and retention, and equity in our workplace. We recognize our mission cannot be fully realized until community and national service embodies the rich diversity of our country and the communities we serve and is accessible to all.”
AmeriCorps’ equity plan focuses on five key areas: advance civil rights; recruit and retain a diverse corps; partner with American Indian and Alaskan Native communities; address limited English proficiency and ensure language access, and increase equity in procurement processes.
Since the release of the executive order in 2021, AmeriCorps’ equity accomplishments include:
A new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer position
Inclusion of racial equity as a funding priority in the FY 2021 grant competitions and program guidance
A new Language Translation Services Project Manager position to support translation and interpretation services for agency programs and grant competitions.
Formation of a Committee on Native American Affairs
Expansion of the paid summer intern partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
An initial increase in living allowances for AmeriCorps members
AmeriCorps has a decades-long commitment to addressing barriers to national service and is guided by its strategic plan, which establishes equity as its foundation. In the coming months, AmeriCorps will engage national service stakeholders and the public to share input on best practices to advance equity and better support underserved communities.
Learn more about AmeriCorps’ strategic plan and equity focus.
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#FEATURED BLOG
Demetrius is an AmeriCorps Leader serving
at Montana Technological University
with The Institute for Educational Opportunities
✍️ A Day In The Life Of An AmeriCorps Leader: Alternative Spring Break
By Demetrius Sudduth-Peterson
As my second blog 4 months into my first term as an AmeriCorps Leader, I have happy adventures to share after climbing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid; Survival, Safety, Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. My first blog post revolved around adjusting and relocating from Chicago, Illinois to Butte, Montana.
Here at Montana Technological University’s Institute for Educational Opportunities, I am now experiencing the rewarding phase of service while serving students that are members of the TRIOS and Upward Bound programs. The past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel with these students and staff to Pocatello, Idaho where we toured the campus of Idaho State University and engaged in some fun STEM experiments and activities.
Day one I was skeptical because I have not met most of the high school students yet. We took a busload, which was a mix of students from Helena and Butte High Schools. The vibe turned out naturally smooth due to the wonderful staff organizing amazing student personalities. The students immediately started to share with me about their high school adventures such as prom and colleges they are ready to commit for admissions.
I then could share with them my high school to college stories, which sort of took me down memory lane. I found myself motivating the students to join as many organizations as college freshman to start meeting new friends. These conversations started to build a bond and before I knew it, I started to know the students by names and their personal stories.
Sarah Meacle age 18 is from County Laoise in Ireland and is a member of a youth program called Comhairle na nOg.
In this talk, Sarah talks about her interest in criminology after her uncle became a victim of aggravated burglary and wants to demonstrate the importance of community in helping victims recover.
She believes that being willing to support one another through difficult times is vital in today’s society. Sarah’s talk will show how community support is essential in helping families affected by crime.
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement - The mission of the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement is to serve as the premier peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal to advance theory and practice related to all forms of outreach and engagement between higher education institutions and communities.
Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education - The Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education is an online, international, peer-reviewed journal for the dissemination of original research regarding effective institutional-community partnerships. Our primary emphasis is to provide an outlet for sharing the methodologies and pedagogical approaches that lead to effective community-identified outcomes.
Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement - Partnerships recognizes that successful engaged learning depends on effective partnerships between students, faculty, community agencies, administrators, disciplines, and more. The articles in this peer-reviewed journal focus on how theories and practices can inform and improve such partnerships, connections, and collaborations.
🎧 Podcasts
Campus Compact Podcast - Bring higher education community engagement on the go with Compact Nation Podcast! Tune in bi-weekly for conversations with leading community engagement professionals and discussions of new research and innovative work in the field.
Hidden Brain- Hidden Brain explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex and changing world.
The Way Forward - The Way Forward features conversations between an array of academic leaders and faculty innovators. The conversations range from visions of engaged, "outside-in" universities committed to their communities, to proposals that center "wicked problems," not disciplinary 101's, at the heart of general education, to stories of successful institutional transformation in the face of fiscal, racial, and health crises.
Stuff You Should Know - If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime, and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Tiny Spark - A podcast that takes a hard look at non-profits, international aid, and philanthropy. Tiny Spark investigates the business of doing good. In-depth interviews and shoe leather reporting from across the globe.
📚Resources and Toolkits
Benefits of Civic and Community Engagement Primer - The Primer on the Benefits and Value of Civic & Community Engagement in Higher Education, was created by the NC Campus Compact Community of Practice, Inquiry & Learning (COPIL). COPIL is comprised of practitioner-scholars interested in being part of the ongoing inquiry that is helping to establish promising practices of civic and community engagement and to build a knowledge base around it.
Campus Compact Knowledge Hub: Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning In the Time of COVID - Campus Compact’s Fusion Course aims to provide critical training and support for faculty as they adapt to online teaching and offers instruction for how to integrate community engagement methodologies into existing curricula to improve the quality of course delivery and foster student engagement.
Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement - The Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification for Community Engagement is an elective classification, meaning that it is based on voluntary participation by institutions. The elective classification involves data collection and documentation of important aspects of institutional mission, identity, and commitments and requires substantial effort invested by participating institutions.
Civic Action Plan Library - Civic Action Plans from Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement initiative. We are consistently updating the CAP Library as new plans are submitted, so check back often to view the bold approaches our member campuses are taking to further the public purposes of higher education.
Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative - Through a network of educational institutions and community organizations, The Collaborative advances ethical, critical, and aspirationally de-colonial community-based learning and research for more just, inclusive, and sustainable communities. The Collaborative is hosted in the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship at Haverford College, and funded through member contributions.
Daily Chatter World Newsletter - Campus Compact is proud to partner with DailyChatter to provide independent, non-partisan, global news for free to our member institutions. We hope that this daily newsletter provides a deeper understanding of global issues and inspires more nuanced conversations about what’s happening in the world around us.
Virtual Volunteer Resource Collection - To help students, we have compiled a collection of virtual volunteering opportunities – this resource includes non-profits, search engines, news articles, research papers, videos, and software links.
🏫Training
Campus Compact Virtual Dialogue Training - Campus Compact is pleased to share this offering for faculty, community engagement professionals, and others interested in using the deliberative dialogue method as an educational tool for building student capacity to engage in thoughtful, constructive, and critical discussions of public questions.
📺YouTube
Campus Compact Webinar Series - Campus Compact’s webinars take the great and varied work happening on the ground around the country and bring it straight to your desk.
TED Talks - TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events to help share ideas in communities around the world.
Story to Share? Send it to Us!
The MTCC Network Office wants to share your good news! Especially those pieces related to campus-community partnership, civic engagement, service-learning, volunteerism, and democracy.
Email your story ideas, or ready-made pieces to Pete Buchanan at buchanan@mtcompact.org to get them included in the monthly newsletter, regularly seen by education and community leaders across Montana.
