USF Service Learning Leadership Academy

The Service Learning Leadership Academy provides opportunities for students, community members, corporate partners and alumni to receive training and build connections with the Tampa Bay community. We have selected participants and community partners for 2006-2007. We will begin soliciting Community Partners in August 2007. Please check back then for an application or contact Judi Jetson to discuss project ideas.

What is the Service Learning Leadership Academy?

The USF Service Learning Leadership Academy is composed of two elements, monthly forums and community-based action projects.

Leadership Development Forums – Participants in the Service Learning Leadership Academy attend monthly forums designed to provide hands-on, interactive training and discussion led by community experts and faculty. Forums focus on helping participants gain valuable skills (such as inter-personal, group dynamics and project management) while gaining a greater understanding of the many factors that contribute to community and civic engagement.

Community-Based Action Projects – Service Learning Leadership Academy members also participate in year-long community based team projects. Projects are proposed by Hillsborough county nonprofit organizations, USF departments and government organizations. Projects are tangible, capacity building and sustainable in nature. Participants apply for the team project which most interests them.

Why Join?

• Participate in monthly forums on civic engagement facilitated by community experts and faculty.
• Gain transferable servant leadership skills and learn how to manage a project, work with diverse stakeholders and solve problems with a team.
• Learn and apply practical leadership skills in consensus building, lobbying, meeting management and group dynamics that distinguish great leaders.
• Form connections and network with other participants to build relationships which will have a positive impact.
• Make a difference in the community by participating in exciting civic projects with tangible outcomes.
• USF undergraduate students can earn up to 4 credits through participation.

Community Partners

You are invited to join the University of South Florida Service Learning Leadership Academy by proposing a civic engagement project for students, young professionals and USF alums to undertake. The Academy experience brings civically-minded community members together from diverse backgrounds to form partnerships, build relationships, and use their connections and talents to address real world problems.

We are seeking community partners to identify tangible projects which a team from the Academy can work on throughout the year. A team will design a project plan for you based on their skills and contacts, present that plan to you for discussion and concurrence, and then produce the product. As a selected organization, you will receive creative solutions and connections to the University of South Florida and other civic and corporate organizations. The Academy will run from October-March with a final presentation and celebration in April of 2008. Throughout this experience, participants will meet monthly and for training and discussion about community engagement from faculty and community experts. Through this training and hands-on projects, participants will not only learn the importance of civic engagement but will also form lasting partnerships.

Community Partner Applicant Requirements: Civic Engagement Project —We are seeking clearly defined projects that can be completed within six months with a tangible work product. These projects can address, but are not limited to, developing knowledge on an issue, designing a new program, transferring a successful approach from another community, or discovering how to motivate an audience for a specific purpose. Some examples to get you thinking include:

• Designing art to encourage youth to participate in an anti-litter campaign
• Developing an awareness raising campaign about Hillsborough County’s special needs hurricane shelter
• Developing a plan to increase voter pre-registration by 17-year-olds;
• Creating a recruitment plan for seniors to participate in neighborhood-based mentoring programs.

USF Collaborative for Children, Families & Communities
13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, MHC1129 • University of South Florida • Tampa, FL
(813) 974-7318 • Fax (813) 974-7571
Copyright 2007