Rights and Responsibilities

Rights of Community Involvement

• To know about the community organization/partner, its policies, people and program
• To have guidance and direction
• To do meaningful and satisfying work
• To have a voice in activities and planning
• To be given proper orientation and training
• To be aware of safety concerns and risky behaviors
• To be supported in work done at the site
• To have access resources and training workshops to support and enhance community involvement work

Responsibilities of Community Involvement

• To be open and honest with leaders, community partners, and community members
• To make realistic commitments and fulfill all commitments
• To prepare before working with the community by attending orientation and attending ongoing training and reflection sessions
• To commit to continued learning about the community partner and challenging oneself to be a better participant through dialogue, reading, and training workshops
• To enter into service with humility, enthusiasm, commitment, openness and a willingness to learn
• To ask questions, treat people respectfully, listen and learn
• To appropriately seek guidance and direction
• To be prompt and dependable
• To respect confidentiality and privacy and the individual circumstances of community members
• To be an appropriate role model, particularly when working with children
• To be flexible
• To ask for help when you need it
• To realize that you are not the only one giving

Suggestions

• Dress comfortably and appropriately
• As in any metropolitan area, use common sense (e.g., don't leave personal belongings unattended, recognize your comfort zones and find support to challenge your boundaries)
• Make a genuine effort to get to know people at the community site (e.g., community members, staff, building personnel, etc.)

Civic Engagement would like to thank Civic House, a community service and learning collaborative at the University of Pennsylvania, for the use of their material.