Connecting to Communities: Powerful Pedagogies for Leading for Social Change

Abstract

This chapter explores the use of powerful pedagogies such as service-learning, cultural immersion, and community-based research to enhance leadership development. Four key principles are presented that describe how leadership educators can facilitate community-based learning in a way that creates an optimal learning environment for students, while also engaging ethically with individuals and organizations in the community.

The Multidimensional Benefits of University Student Volunteering: Psychological Contract, Expectations, and Outcomes

“…These included employability and career development (Cunningham et al, 2013; Miller et al, 2018), personal and life skills development (Astin & Sax, 1998), and learning outcomes (Anderson & Green, 2012; Kilgo et al, 2015; O’Brien & Sarkis, 2014). Students also develop global citizenship through volunteering (Wagner & Mathison, 2015) as well as empathy and cross-cultural understanding (Primavera, 1999; Sydnor et al, 2014). This research also showed additional benefits for students, such as social benefits and increased levels of confidence and well-being.…”

“…Volunteer experience can benefit students up to at least 5 years after the volunteering has occurred (Sax, Astin, & Avalos, 1999). Fourth , student volunteering enables the development of positive citizenship values, social responsibility, and service (Astin & Sax, 1998; Sax et al, 1999; Wagner & Mathison, 2015). Volunteering develops students’ understanding of social issues and foster reciprocity, and an appreciation of the voluntary sector (Anderson & Green, 2012).…”

Mentors that Matter: International Student Leadership Development and Mentor Roles

“…In recent years, extensive scholarship has identified a myriad of factors that are important to college student leadership development. For instance, key influences on students' leadership development include meaningful conversations and interactions with peers about differences (Dugan & Komives, 2010;Riutta & Teodorescu, 2014), participation in service learning (Dugan & Komives, 2010;Wagner & Mathison, 2015), development of leadership self-efficacy (Dugan, Kodama, Correia, & Associates, 2013;, and leadership experience through student organizations participation (Garcia, Huerta, Ramirez, & Patrón, 2017;Martin, Hevel, & Pascarella, 2012).…”

Intergroup Dialogue: Engaging Difference for Social Change Leadership Development

“…All four high impact practices shown to influence social change leadership values—sociocultural conversations, mentoring relationships, community service, and memberships in off‐campus organizations—are relational at their core. Whether in peer‐peer interactions, mentee‐mentor relationships, or campus‐community partnerships, IGD‐informed approaches can enrich each of these practices (see Gurin & Nagda, ; Owen, ; Wagner & Mathison, ). Dialoguing about social identities and their impact on the learning experience, and critical reflection and inquiry for meaning making can engage students with greater depth in these high impact practices.…”