Gedam Sefer Action Research and Development Project: A University-Community Partnership
OVERVIEW
This project establishes a new university-community partnership between the Gedam Sefer community, Addis Ababa University School of Social Work, the University of Illinois at Chicago-USA and the Love for Children Organization in Ethiopia, funded by a major grant from the Oak Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland. It builds on action research projects that AAU students and faculty have undertaken in recent years in cooperation with leaders and residents in the Gedam Sefer community. It also grows from innovative efforts already underway in Gedam Sefer that show great potential for strengthening the community. Those projects have begun to document the community's assets, the community's challenges, and promising projects that are already underway. Through a partnership of residents, leaders, graduate students and faculty, this initiative will empower the community to set goals for its improvement and create new projects that improve the lives of children, youth, and families.
Youth Summer Learning Program
June 30, 2008 -- August 8, 2008
Gedam Sefer Community University Partnership
In an effort to meet the community's identified need for a safe and educational outlet for children during the school holidays, the Gedam Sefer Community University Partnership planned and implemented a six-week intensive language immersion program for community youth. The Summer Learning Program (SLP) sought to provide a safe learning environment for promoting academic, social and emotional well-being. Bethlehem School served as the programming site for daily classroom activities.... more...
GOALS
- To organize a stable, diverse core group of community leaders. This group will include local government leaders, men and women who have been active in solving community problems, youth who wish to become productive participants in improving the community, school leaders, business leaders, and others.
- To build the community's capacity to develop and promote sound community revitalization plans in partnership with local government.
- To document and communicate the community's many assets.
- To promote productive roles for families in community building.
- To establish a model university-community partnership that can be applied to other areas of Addis Ababa.
STRUCTURE
- The core group of community residents and l eaders will number between thirty and forty members. It will serve as the participatory body through which community priorities are established and projects will be selected for implementation.
- A larger network of community residents will be invited to participate in the project at forums, planning meetings, in project teams, and in action research projects.
- There will be three full-time staff: a project coordinator and two outreach workers. These staff will be hosted by the Love for Children Organization, the fiscal agent for the project's startup grant from the Oak Foundation.
- A team of AAU doctoral and graduate students will assist with the project's implementation while carrying out action research projects.
- Faculty from Addis Ababa University and the University of Illinois at Chicago will be involved as trainers, advisors, and evaluators.
AREAS OF FOCUS
Capacity building for communities own projects such as microenterprises, development of a community library and community center, child protection projects, youth-led enterprises, and others as they emerge from the community.
WORKING TIME FRAME FOR 2008
- January-April, 2008: Organize initial core group, collect community data, learn about promising projects currently underway in the community, conduct orientation and first training sessions, identify action research projects, and develop capacity for the community's own projects.
- May-June, 2008: Hold community-wide forum about project, carry out detailed assessment of community assets at the individual, family, association, and institution levels, and provide direct support to a beginning, small group of promising projects.
- July-September, 2008: Present results of community assessment to core group and community network, identify priority goals and objectives for 2008-2009, provide ongoing support for promising projects already underway, carry out action research, select teams from community network to identity action strategies for achievement of goals and objectives.
- October-December, 2008: Begin implementation of proposals from project teams, review progress of action research projects, continue support for ongoing projects, conduct and review evaluation of initiative's first year.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Mulu Yeneabat, MSW Project Coordinator (0911-480522) Email: korabageru@yahoo.com
Alice K. Johnson Butterfield, PhD Email: akj@uic.edu