Fulfilling the democratic promise of equity, accountability and effectiveness requires the participation of an “organized” citizenry able to formulate, articulate, and assert its shared interests effectively. Organizing, in turn, requires leadership: accepting responsibility for enabling others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty. Last revised 3/25/16 2 Organizers identify, recruit, and develop leadership; build community around that leadership; and build power from the resources of that community. In this course, students will study leadership through the lens of community organizing in order to develop the critical knowledge and skills necessary to work in teams to achieve specific outcomes in the pursuit of a shared purpose. Students will “practice” leadership by developing a strategy and producing artifacts to mobilize members of a constituency to work together to achieve specific outcomes in pursuit of a shared purpose culminating in the submission of a capstone portfolio that chronicles their work.

The traditional model for alternative spring break trips and community service in general tends to focus on what needs to be “fixed” or what is “broken” within a community; what is missing rather than what exists. Seeing the limitations in this traditional type of service John Kretzmann and John McKnight developed Asset-Based Community Development. Last revised 3/25/16 2 This model changes the way we view the communities we serve. Rather than focusing on the needs and deficiencies of a neighborhood, the ABCD approach allows us to look deeper into a community’s assets. In this project driven and experiential learning course, students will challenge traditional service models, learning how to creatively and effectively work with communities to construct relationships that result in sustainable change. Students will bring these practices to life as they work alongside local and global communities on their Alternative Spring Break trips, through Capacity Inventories and Appreciative-Inquiry. Leaving students with an understanding of their own assets and how they can continue to be agents of change in the future.