Without Adult Supervision:

Re-thinking Campus-Community Partnerships Through Examples from the

Campus YMCA Movement

Ayla Arsel WilkM.S. Student, Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech

Warm-up Questions

Why should Student Services partner with local non-profits and community groups?

With whom (in your community) do you (or might you) partner?

What are the qualities of a successful campus-community partnership?

Historic Partnerships Rise of the Campus YMCA Movement Mission, purpose, & activities 1870 - 1970

Current Partnerships Campus YMCA’s 1970’s – today Who we are What we do

New Directions Working with campus Y’s to enhance campus services Working with campus Y’s to coordinate student activities Working with campus Y’s for meaningful service-learning

Discussion Why partner? With whom? How?

Bartlett Hall, maintained by students, functioned as “a common

gathering place for the whole college…. [where] members of all fraternities can meet on common

ground devoted to the interests of the student body (Finnegan &

Alleman, 2005).

“There is no question but that when you come from amidst the safeguards of home life and take up your position as students at the University, some agency should exist to which you can look for encouragement and sympathy. The Y.M.C.A. at the University of Maryland is animated with the desire of doing all that it can to smooth away the various difficulties, and to point out the dangers that beset the path of the new man” (Baltimore YMCA, in Finnegan & Alleman, 2005)

Historic Partnerships Rise of the Campus YMCA Movement Mission, purpose, & activities 1870 - 1970

Current Partnerships Campus YMCA’s 1970’s – today Who we are What we do

New Directions Working with campus Y’s to enhance campus services Working with campus Y’s to coordinate student activities Working with campus Y’s for meaningful service-learning

Discussion Why partner? With whom? How?

Campus YMCA Partnership Mission:“Campus YMCA programs are focused on teaching the importance of

volunteerism and cause-driven leadership by providing students a variety of service opportunities both on their respective campuses and their neighborhoods. Collectively, we are working to transform the adolescent teenager who enrolls as a first year student into a socially responsible young adult, ready to make a positive impact and positioned to take on the challenges and opportunities that face them (as a college graduate). Students provide the leadership, organization, and facilitation of most campus-based YMCA initiatives, engaging them in unique and meaningful ways that empower them to propel (the YMCA) movement forward (Campus YMCA Partnership, 2014).”

Historic Partnerships Rise of the Campus YMCA Movement Mission, purpose, & activities 1870 - 1970

Current Partnerships Campus YMCA’s 1970’s – today Who we are What we do

New Directions Working with campus Y’s to enhance campus services Working with campus Y’s to coordinate student activities Working with campus Y’s for meaningful service-learning

Discussion Why partner? With whom? How?

Partnering for Service-LearningVirginia Tech Civic Agriculture Minor

The Hale Y Community Gardens, managed by the YMCA at Virginia Tech, is an integral part of the CAFS minor's fieldwork experience. Jenny Schwanke, YMCA Gardens coordinator and CAFS community partner liaison, collaborates with community partners, students, and faculty to oversee the progress of students in their fieldwork and maintain relationships between the community and university. Schwanke also plans service-learning experiences at the Hale Y Garden site for interested student and community groups.

“The Hale-Y Community Garden is not just a place to grow food — it is a place to

grow community.” (Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, n.d.)

Partnering for Student Activities The YMCA at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne

“Since 1873 the University YMCA has sponsored programs, organizations and activities dedicated to fostering ethical leadership dedicated to building a better world, human relations and care for Earth.”

Student Organizations apply for campus recognition vis-à-vis the University YMCA, overseen by a student board supervised by YMCA staff and board of directors.

http://www.universityymca.org/student_programs/ (The University YMCA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, n.d.)

Partnering for Student Services YMCAs have begun working with smaller colleges to

provide health, fitness, and child-care services on campus:

Ferrum College:Franklin County Family YMCA

Southwest VA Community College:Four Seasons YMCA

Historic Partnerships Rise of the Campus YMCA Movement Mission, purpose, & activities 1870 - 1970

Current Partnerships Campus YMCA’s 1970’s – today Who we are What we do

New Directions Working with campus Y’s to enhance campus services Working with campus Y’s to coordinate student activities Working with campus Y’s for meaningful service-learning

Discussion Why partner? With whom? How?

Why Should We Partner? Provide services to local organizations and groups

Strengthen services by pooling resources Provide hands-on experience for students Encourage civic engagement Connect “campus to community”

(Gazley, Bennett, & Littlepage, 2013)

Who Do You (or Could You) Partner With? Campus Ministries + Local Churches Adult Civic Organizations Community groups Local government Local non-profits

What makes Partnership Successful?

To transcend transactional activities and create transformational relationships, Partners must build trust in one another to the point where they can jointly design programs that accomplish all partners’ missions (Bringle, Clayton, & Price, 2009; Enos & Morton, 2003 in Gazley, Bennett, & Littlepage, 2013).

And don’t forget…

“Campus Compact provides ample evidence of the vigor that student-initiated and student-led

programs can display (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996).”

It’s about Student Leadership!

References Finnegan, D. E., & Alleman, N. F. (2005). Without adult supervision: Campus

YMCAs as an ancestor of student affairs. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of The Association for the Study of Higher Education, Philadelphia, PA.

Campus YMCA Partnership. (2014). Strategic Plan Draft 1. Unpublished Microsoft Word Document.

Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. (n.d.). CAFS Community Partners. Retrieved November 15th, 2014, from http://www.cals.vt.edu/prospective/majors/civic-ag-minor/partners.html

The University YMCA at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (n.d.). About the University YMCA. Retrieved November 15th, 2014, from http://www.universityymca.org/about_us/

Rill, C. (2014 November 14th). [Personal Communication]. Gazley, B., Bennett, T. A., & Littlepage, L. (2013). Achieving the

Partnership Principle in Experiential Learning: The Nonprofit Perspective. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 19(3), 559-579.

Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1996). Implementing Service Learning in Higher Education. The Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 221-239. doi: 10.2307/2943981

Photo Credits (in order of appearance) Y-logo: YMCA of the USA www.ymca.net George Williams: http://www.ymca.net/history/founding.html Boston YMCA: http://goodoldboston.blogspot.com/2012/06/ymca-ymcu.html Cumberland YMCA building: http://www.cumberland.edu/library/moreinfo/archives Murray Hall: https://www.princeton.edu/~oktour/virtualtour/korean/Exp07-MurrayDodge.htm Barnes Hall: https://www.cardcow.com/454585/barnes-hall-cornell-university-ithaca-new-york/ Performing Arts Building – courtesy of YMCA at Virginia Tech “Camp Hokie” – courtesy of YMCA at Virginia Tech Intercollegiate (Butler) – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Intercollegiate-YMCA-Indianapolis/220647551434634 Springfield 1 - http://www.springfieldcollege.edu/resources/#.VGfHZfnF-nE Wash U. 1 - https://www.facebook.com/wucampusy Toledo - https://www.facebook.com/UnivYMCA?ref=br_tf VT Students – Courtesy of YMCA at Virginia Tech Springfield 2 - https://www.facebook.com/springfieldcollegeyclub Wash. U. 2 - https://www.facebook.com/wucampusy Gardens - http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/innovation/2012-09-03-minor/civicag.html Ferrum - http://www.franklincountyymca.org/locations/ferrum/ SWCC - http://fsymca.org/cms-view-page.php?page=swcc-branch YMCA Students – courtesy of YMCA at Virginia Tech Hillel - http://www.jconnect.org/home/students/hillels Rotary - https://twitter.com/RotaryChocolate