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Made possible by a generous gift from James Heston, ‘70, the Heston Summer Program -- Communities in Action / Comunidades en Acción -- aims to further Gettysburg College's vision for active engagement in local and global contexts by providing a summer experience to eleven students. Through immersion in Adams County, PA, and the area around Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, students have an extraordinary opportunity to engage in the work of community action.
Positions are available at each location and participating students focus on daily community development, sharpening their understanding of the complexity of social issues. By placing students in local and international contexts, the program offers rich opportunities for learning and action, allowing students to develop strong friendships and learn what its like to tackle some of the world's most challenging problems.
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Program Goals:
DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, applying them to the work being performed with community and the way in which the program participant tells the story of the people with whom they work and the work being accomplished.
These skills include:
• identifying, summarizing (and appropriately reformulating) the problem, question, or issue;
• identifying and considering the influence of context and assumptions;
• developing, presenting, and communicating own perspective, hypothesis or position;
• presenting, assessing, and analyzing appropriate supporting data/evidence;
• integrating issue using other perspectives and positions; and
• identifying and assessing conclusions, implications, and consequences.
CHALLENGING THE MEANING AND ASSUMPTIONS OF SERVICE AND DEVELOPMENT in their traditional, paternalistic sense and moving toward a value of engaging in a larger struggle to improve social conditions and working for social justice.
Indicators/Behaviors include:
• moving from an attitude of service and help to community engagement
• recognizing unacknowledged power and privilege and practicing transparency and responsibility
• setting aside feelings of paternalism and maternalism in favor of reciprocity
• changing the focus of a community effort from product to relationship
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Components:
ORIENTATION IN GETTYSBURG
The program begins with the entire group of eleven participants in Gettysburg. With guidance from professionals at the Center for Public Service, participants will become acquainted with each other and introduced to the experiences that lie ahead.
HOST ORGANIZATION INTRODUCTION
Upon completion of the orientation, students will be introduced to their host organizations and staff to gain a full understanding of the resources, people, and projects currently in progress.
PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
Both program sites feature professional staff to guide students through the experience, assisting in the smooth integration of every student into community and ensuring that each student has the tools to be successful in the program.
REFLECTION
Reflecting upon experiences bi-monthly will enable students to share resources, link the theoretical to the practical, and relax. This will help students deepen their understanding of themselves and the process of community development.
TRAINING
Ongoing education and reflection are key components. Learning about social issues as well as developing professional skills is vital to developing and managing a sustainable work plan.
MINI-GRANTS
Once internships are underway and students have worked with their host organizations to develop a work plan and initiate a needs assessment, each student has the opportunity to develop a mini-grant proposal and receive a grant to support project implementation.
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300 North Washington Street · Gettysburg, PA 17325