Courses

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING: Community Organizing is a means of bringing people together to address problematic social conditions and to collectively participate in cultural and economic aspirations. Organizing is a purposeful, collective and sometimes an individual effort for change . As Organizing is an intentional effort, it requires analysis, political insight, good planning, flexibility, and interactional skills. The course is for students who seek to expand, learn, and refine their skills in building organizational, social, and community power of action. The class will meet weekly for 2.5hr sessions for 5 weeks, with socially distanced and carefully managed in-person sessions.

Wednesdays 4:30-7:00 beginning Fall 2023

This course is not limited to UMBC students and is open to the general public.

GRANT WRITING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: In this five session class, students will learn the fundamentals of grant proposal writing including: ethics, finding and vetting funding opportunities, analyzing Requests for Proposals (RFPs), organizing, writing, & submitting compelling proposals, and the do's and don'ts of teaming with organizations. Throughout the class students will choose one real nonprofit organization to work with (either their own or one provided for them to partner with) and identify, write, and submit a grant proposal for their organization. All assignments will be written exercises that will receive feedback from the instructor and contribute to the ultimate class goal of submitting an actual grant proposal. Bring a passion for an issue you care about, a desire to learn the proposal writing process, and a sense of camaraderie and humor. The class will meet weekly for 2.5hr sessions with socially distanced and carefully managed in-person sessions.

Wednesdays 4:30-7:00 beginning Fall 2023

This course is not limited to UMBC students and is open to the general public.

GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY ADVOCACY: This course will focus on the tenets of grassroots community advocacy at the local level. From stop signs to school funding, local government plays a fundamental role in designing communities for people to thrive. Over this six week course, students will learn about the basic functions of county and city government, how to organize around issues of concern or opportunity, and the best means of organizing to influence local elected officials and others. The class will meet weekly for 2hr sessions for 6 weeks (the last class will meet for 2.5 hours), with socially distanced and carefully managed in-person sessions.

Wednesdays 5:00-7:00 beginning Summer 2022

This course is not limited to UMBC students and is open to the general public.

PLACES AND PLACEMAKING: This course will support students in cultivating a strong sense of place and developing leadership skills and experience in the pedagogy and practice of placemaking. The class will meet weekly for 2.5hr sessions for 5 weeks, with socially distanced and carefully managed classroom and outdoor in-person sessions. Students will critically explore theoretical and applied perspectives about the key concept of "place" through seminar style discussions, written reflections, and other course assignments.

Wednesdays 4:30-7:00 beginning 08/31/22

This course is not limited to UMBC students and is open to the general public.

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES: This course will address the application of restorative justice/restorative practices to community leadership frameworks. Restorative practices is a relational framework grounded in interdisciplinary theories and collective processes. When used to create spaces for engaged learning, inclusive decision-making, and social capital building, restorative practices has the potential to transform communities and systems by allowing community members to maintain and sustain relationships even when harm has occurred. The class will meet weekly for 2.5hr sessions for 5 weeks, with socially distanced and carefully managed in-person sessions.

Wednesday nights 4:30 to 7:00pm, 3/8/23 - 4/12/23, OCA Mocha Cafe Community Room in Arbutus, MD

This course is not limited to UMBC students and is open to the general public.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:The course will teach the concept and guide students through the steps of strategic planning for nonprofit organizations. Strategic planning is an organizational management activity used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, establish agreement for intended outcomes and to assess the organization's direction. Engaging the community in this process is imperative to successful outcomes, trust building and equity. The course will equip students, as community-based leaders, with an understanding of the concept of strategic planning and the value of community engagement to create positive change. The class will meet weekly for 2.5hr sessions with socially distanced and carefully managed in-person sessions.

Wednesdays 4:30-7:00 beginning Fall 2023

This course is not limited to UMBC students and is open to the general public.