UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM

HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

OVERVIEW
Honors experiential learning projects are held to high standards. Each of these elements must be reflected in
your proposal and project:
1. Substantia C!nt"nt an# $uait% &it'in C!((unit% En)a)"("nt T'"("*
Your project should result in substantial learning through which you make progress towards meeting one
or more of the following community engagement learning objectives:
Possesses awareness of purpose of service including need for reciprocity understanding of social
issues and ability to see those issues from multiple perspectives.
!ecogni"es how public policies and practices and power and privilege have an influence on social
issues. Explores ways to alter public policy and#or identify solutions.
!elates communicates and works effectively with others towards sustainable social change.
Participates in community and understands own role as citi"en of community.
Questions to consider as you draft your proposal:
Have you provided a thorough overview of your project so that a reader with no background on this
topic would fully understand your project$s goals and what you intend to learn%
Have you provided specific examples of how your proposed plan meets multiple learning objectives
within the theme% Your proposal should draw explicit connections between your plan and the
learning objectives.
Have you described the intentional steps you$ll take to achieve the learning objectives%
Have you considered the full extent of this time commitment including planning executing and
reflecting on the project% &oes your proposal describe the quality of the hours spent on task 'e.g. not
simply listing the hours#week you$ll spend on the project but explaining how you$ll spend those
hours meeting the learning objectives(%
Your work and learning should be e)uivalent to that of a *+credit hour honors seminar. ,hile the )uality
of the experience and learning outcomes are most important many ask about the time commitment. -s a
general estimate you should expect to engage in at least ./+0/ hours of direct contact and#or
research#reflection#documentation.
1. C!nn"+ti!n t! A+a#"(i+ G!as an# T'"!,i"s
Your project must be related to your academic development 'major general education competencies or
professional interests(. You are expected to connect academic theories or concepts to your experiential
learning work. Your proposal should identify several theories or concepts you plan to explore in your
project.
Questions to consider as you draft your proposal:
Have you identified and named specific theories#readings#courses you$ll use to gain background
knowledge for your project% '2or example a student proposing to engage within a community would
select readings to assist in better understanding the community$s background strengths and self+
identified needs as well as exploring particular models of community engagement. 3o begin
exploring models of community engagement an article such as Citizen Leader: A Community
Service Option for College Students would be helpful.(
Have you discussed why this project is personally meaningful to you%
Have you explained how your academic and personal interests have led you to this project%
Have you explained how this project will contribute to your future academic and professional goals%
'3hat is why is this experience important for a student in your major%(
*. Initiati-". In#"/"n#"n+" an# C,"ati-it%*
You are expected to demonstrate a degree of independence in the planning and design of an honors
experiential learning project. 4ome aspect's( of the project must be self+initiated. 4ome projects will
involve a higher level of independence than others. -dditionally you are encouraged to identify creative
and uni)ue topics activities learning methods solutions etc. for your project.
Questions to consider as you draft your proposal:
Have you taken ownership of some aspect of this project%
Have you explained your uni)ue contribution to this project% 2or instance how is your participation
on this project different from others%
5. R"0"+ti!n 1 2iss"(inati!n:
!eflection leads to higher+level conceptual learning and can take many forms including reflective
essays well+developed blogs journals and more. Your project must have a reflective component
ideally completed throughout the project. Please also see the reflective essay prompt for community
engagement projects for a suggested framework for reflection.
6n addition your work and learning must be disseminated publicly. Examples of dissemination include
posting on the 7niversity Honors pages in 2acebook or 8inked6n a well+developed blog presentations
poster displays published papers or articles video compilations websites scrapbooks etc.
!eflection and dissemination may be combined as in the case of a well+developed blog or published
paper#article.
6f you$re re)uired to maintain an e+portfolio your project must be documented in your e+portfolio.
Projects are
not considered complete until documented in your e+portfolio.
Questions to consider as you draft your proposal:
,ill your planned reflection sufficiently balance recounting details and sharing your learning%
Have you articulated how you$ll reflect throughout the project%
&oes your reflection prepare you to share what you$ve learned to a relevant audience% 6t$s important
to consider how you$ll help others learn from your project.
.. A#-is!,*
Projects must involve the guidance of a faculty or staff member mentor supervisor or other person
with whom the student can develop a base of knowledge and receive feedback
3. 4u#)"t*
- budget is not re)uired. However if you would like to apply for an honors grant to support this project
provide a detailed budget listing all of your project+related expenses. 6f you will receive funding from
other sources indicate that in your budget.
HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL 5ORM 6 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
9omplete and submit this proposal in your e+portfolio 'for those with i,ebfolio portfolios( or email to
honors:uc.edu 'if you do not have an e+portfolio in i,ebfolio(.
4asi+ In0!,(ati!n
2ull ;ame: <essica 8ynn =ailey
79 6& >: ?/5@/..@.
79 Email: bailej@:mail.uc.edu
Phone: .A*@A@.@B.
9ollege: ?c?icken 9ollege of -rts and 4ciences
?ajor: Political 4cience
3itle of Project: Colunteering for the !ed 9ross in ;ew York
Expected Project 4tart &ate: &ecember A0
th

Expected Project End &ate: &ecember 11
nd

P,!7"+t In0!,(ati!n
1. P,!-i#" a b,i"0 !-",-i"&8abst,a+t !0 %!u, /,!/!s"# '!n!,s "9/",i"ntia "a,nin) /,!7"+t.
2or my learning project 6 will be visiting one of the areas worst hit by Hurricane 4andy 4taten 6sland to
help volunteer with the -merican !ed 9ross. 4taten 6sland was devastated during the storm and it will take a
long time for these people to go back to life as they knew it. -nything that 6 can do to help them 6 will try to
accomplish. 3his will happen over my ,inter =reak. 6 am hoping to provide aid to those who need it through
delivering supplies and providing care. 3his will happen during the daytime. &uring my off time 6 will be
researching ways in which government programs provide aid for those affected by disasters. 6 will look into
ways that government programs such as 2E?- '2ederal Emergency ?anagement -gency( work and find out
ways to make it more efficient. 6 could do this by seeing how 2E?- has helped the state governments that
have been affected such as ;ew York ;ew <ersey or 9onnecticut and how it could be different to make it
more efficient. ?y research will be done in many different ways. 6 will interview people directly affected by
the storm interview first responders and do research in the library and on 2E?-$s website.
:. C"a,% stat" '!& "a+' !0 t'" 0!!&in) ""("nts &i b" "9'ibit"# in %!u, &!,; <,"0", t! t'" 0i,st t&!
/a)"s !0 t'is #!+u("nt &it' t'" 0u #"s+,i/ti!n !0 &'at is "9/"+t"# in "a+' !0 t'"s" a,"as=.
A. 4ubstantial 9ontent and Duality within 9ommunity Engagement 3heme
Hurricane 4andy ravaged through the East 9oast of the 7nited 4tates on Ectober 1@
th
after hitting parts of
the 9aribbean. -fter all was said and done the hurricane killed at least AF. people in the 9aribbean ;ortheast
7nited 4tates and Eastern 9anada. -long with the many fatalities the storm also caused roughly G./ billion
worth of damage throughout all the places it hit. -t the conclusion of the storm thousands of people
throughout the region were left homeless and without power. 3he -merican !ed 9ross has been working to
help get people back on their feet and making sure people have shelter and food. 3he !ed 9ross is the largest
volunteer led organi"ation that helps provide relief in disasters. 6t is funded by donations from the -merican
public. 3he work that 6 do in 4taten 6sland will help people living there get back on their feet and return to
normal. 3he -merican !ed 9ross has already contributed much time and money to these people.
,hile working in these areas 6 hope to work with the people who have been directly affected by the
hurricane and find out what it was like to live through the storm. ?y insight from this will directly help me in
my own reflection as it will help me understand the fear the people felt. 6 would also like to find out what
people think about the way that disaster relief was provided to them and whether it was successful or not. 3his
will give me some personal insight into my research. 4howing solidarity with these people will help me to
understand them better as well. ,orking side by side with these people will create bonds between us and will
definitely help me feel more accomplished.
6 would hope that through my contribution 6 will have helped at least one person affected by Hurricane
4andy. 6 am hoping that 6 will have made life at least a little bit easier on someone. Colunteering will also give
me a first+hand look into what relief has been given to this area so far and how government programs have
helped or hindered the rebuilding of the area. ;atural disasters like this don$t happen very often but when they
do it is up to the rest of the -merican people to step up and help our fellow -mericans. 6 feel compelled to
help out as 6 am big on doing community service. 6 believe that helping others is one of the most important
things that can be done in life and 6 can$t think of another place that needs more help right now.
1. 9onnection to -cademic Hoals and 3heories
-s a political science major 6 am very interested in how the government interferes with disaster relief. 3his
has been a controversy for )uite some time with people of both political parties disagreeing on how the
government should handle disaster relief. 4ome people think that institutions like 2E?- do good things for
disaster ravaged areas while others believe that 2E?-$s responsibilities should go to the states. -s a person
studying political science 6 would be interested in seeing how people actually in these areas think about it and
how they personally have responded to the aid given. 3hese )uestions have really come to a head amidst the
presidential election and also in the wake of one of the worst tragedies the country has seen. 6 do believe that it
will continue to linger in the minds of everyone even after the election is over and once more work can be done
to help these areas.
=esides just learning more about the government$s role in disaster aid 6 am also very much into service and
helping those in need. 6 think it would be )uite beneficial to be able to go to the areas most affected by the
storm and really try to make a difference there. However 6 will definitely have to research 4taten 6sland the
!ed 9ross 2E?- and everything else connected with my project in order to get a broader understanding. 3he
!ed 9ross and 2E?- websites will allow me to do this along with books and many other websites. 6n order for
this project to be successful 6 need to go into it with a broader understanding of what 6 actually will be doing.
8ooking forward to my academics 6 believe that this project will have a very positive impact on my future
goals. 6 believe that it will give me the chance to expand upon my knowledge of how the federal government
works and allow me to further expand my knowledge on the fact. 6f 6 go on to work in the public sector 6
would have to be well+versed in public works like this and the first+hand experience will really help me to be
get a clearer understanding.
*. 6nitiative 6ndependence and 9reativity
6 would be travelling to 4taten 6sland an area which 6 am not familiar withI to help out people 6 don$t know.
6 think this will be a good opportunity for me to be able to enrich my independence. 6 think a successful part of
this project will be through me conducting my own research into the government and 2E?- and making real
life connections to my life and my area of study. 3his project will allow me to step out of my comfort "one and
put my own needs to the side to help others in need. =esides just solely concentrating on the service aspect of
it this project will allow me to see how different aspects of life come together and are connected in one event.
5. !eflection J &issemination
2or the reflection 6 am planning on writing a reflection essay both describing my work in 4taten 6sland and
the research aspect of my project. 6 plan to incorporate stories of those affected by the storm and how 6
specifically helped in the area. 6 want to really focus on the people affected and how they are recovering from
the storm. 3hese people are the main reason why 6 am travelling to help and 6 think it is important to make
them a big part of my reflection. En the other hand 6 want to write about everything 6 learned about 2E?- and
people$s opinions on it. 6 would include all the research 6 conducted while on site and formulate my own
opinion on 2E?- and its necessity. ?y reflection would be put on my blog to allow others to read it and gain a
better understanding on what is happening over there. 6f possible 6 would also like to present my project to my
peers in order to allow them to understand how the government is involved in disaster relief and the origins of
the differences of opinion between different parties.
.. -dvisor 'list the person$s name title and contact information(
Patricia ?ann 4mitson !egional 9hief Executive Efficer of the -merican !ed 9ross .A*+.B@+*@*.
0. =udget 'if applicable(
-irplane 3icket from 9CH to <2K 6nternational -irport: G1/*
4helter and food provided by the -merican !ed 9ross