The past year in Nicaragua has been marked by protests, violence, and political and economic crisis. Our globalsl blog series last summer explored a key question sparked by these crises:, Nicaragua, Nicaraguita: What is our responsibility as partners even if our students can’t travel?. As part of that blog series, Erin Sabato (Director, International Service and Learning, Quinnipiac University) shared Quinnipiac Global Solidarity Program’s immediate response and longer-term planning steps in her reflection: Working towards solidarity in times of crisis: Partnering in Nicaragua now.    Quinnipiac University and Alianza Americana, a language and leadership institute in Leon, Nicaragua have worked together for 14 years. Each year over 150 Quinnipiac University students have traveled to Leon, Nicaragua through 11 different programs. This partnership has worked with the same 19 host families in Leon since 2004. As Quinnipiac University and Alianza Americana worked to continue partnership during the last year, one opportunity that emerged was a Spring Break trip to Costa Rica…

By Nora Pillard Reynolds 2018 Global Engagement Survey – Full report The Global Engagement Survey (GES) is a multi-institutional assessment tool that employs quantitative and qualitative methods to better understand relationships among program variables and student learning, in respect to global learning goals identified by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U, 2014), with adaptations particularly relevant to community-engaged global learning[1]. The GES therefore considers global learning in respect to the three components of global citizenship, cultural humility, and critical reflection. Drawing on existing research in education abroad, civic engagement, and related fields[2], conceptualizations relevant to global learning are further distilled into eight scales, along with sixteen related, responsive open-ended questions. Scales Cultural Humility Openness to diversity OD Cultural adaptability CA Global Citizenship Civic efficacy CE Political voice PV Conscious consumption CC Global civic values GCV Human rights beliefs HRB Critical Reflection Critical reflection CR At a fundamental level, the researchers recognize global learning as a combination of several…

In our monthly blog L.O.V.E. (Living Our Value of Equity) Notes, we share ideas and stories about equity-based community engagement and fostering L.O.V.E. in our communities. Here, we acknowledge how L.O.V.E., as an acronym, and love, as a way of operating in the world, require relationship-building, vulnerability, reflection, and opportunities for healing. During the 2019 Campus Compact Western Region Continuums of Service Conference, attendees were able to tour the largest collection of outdoor murals in the US at Chicano Park in San Diego. Participants had the opportunity to gaze upon transformative works of community/public art. One such mural (pictured above) was titled “Women Hold Up Half the Sky.” If you look at the image, you can see that the effort of holding up half the sky requires dedication, strength, and determination, but also opportunities for rest and healing to continue the work. In this installment of L.O.V.E. Notes, we want to highlight healing as a tool for equity-based community engagement…