LEAD California, IARSLCE and GivePulse are proud to announce our next speaker:
Dr. Colette Ankenman, Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Saint Mary's College of California
Moderator: Dr. Sarah Beth Dempsey, Director of Engaged Learning and Visiting Professor, School of Liberal Arts at Saint Mary's College of California
About our Next Speaker:
Colette Ankenman, Ed.D. is a research practitioner dedicated to positive youth development and community engagement. Her primary research interest is exploring the impact of nonformal service-learning and community engagement youth programming. She recently completed her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California and holds a Master of Science Degree in Child Development from UC Davis, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Development and Family Studies and Consumer and Community Studies from the University of Utah.
Dissertation Topic: Authentic Youth Community Engagement in Nonformal Service-Learning and Community Engagement Programming
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore what programmatic aspects of a nonformal service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) program contributed to youth being authentically engaged in their communities and how youth participants define engagement. The program investigated was a high school leadership program for students who self-identified as women. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, data was collected via surveys and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data found that components of the Emergent Theory of the Role of Context in Service-Learning Practice Model (Fox & LaChenaye, 2016) were positively associated with participants’ engagement. Additionally, four interview themes emerged about what authentic engagement means to participants: applying learned materials, community and connections, empowered to make a difference, and unique times of COVID-19. Based on these findings and past research, three recommendations were created: the power of empowerment, community, and youth voice.