221.640.01
Children in Crisis: An Asset-Based Approach to Working With Vulnerable Youth

Location
East Baltimore
Term
4th Term
Department
International Health
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2012 - 2013
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
Tuesday, 5:30 - 7:30pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Gilbert Burnham
Lawrence Wissow
Course Instructor(s)
Daniela Lewy
Contact Name
Daniela Lewy
Contact Email
dlewy@jhsph.edu
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Description
Exposes students to domestic and international youth welfare issues and interventions focused on violence, juvenile justice, education and refugee resettlement through service learning pedagogy. Emphasizes personal narratives, experienced practitioners, community members, asset-based community development, and direct youth engagement. Highlights commonalities between international and domestic youth challenges. Class sessions feature discussion, youth voices, expert lectures, and examination of existing programs. Also requires students to work with a youth development organization in Baltimore throughout the term to engage with the community, observe issues discussed in class, and reflect on ways to positively impact youth world-wide. Among others, community placements include programs serving refugee youth, juvenile offenders, out-of-school youth and disadvantaged urban students. JHSPH students, together with youth from their placement, deliver a final presentation.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the social, political and economic conditions that place children in crisis situations and perpetuate their at-risk status
  2. Demonstrate how to utilize an asset-based community development model
  3. Define and apply the concept of allophilia as it relates to service learning, community engagement and youth programming
  4. Identify similarities/differences between vulnerable youth circumstances in Baltimore and those in another part of the world while observing the global relevance of working in Baltimor
  5. Recognize best practices in youth interventions from across contexts and explain ways to develop culturally responsible plans to help children currently experiencing crises
  6. Investigate the use of youth voices and personal narratives in the development and improvement of youth programming, and as a supplement to traditional analytical and academic training at JHSPH
  7. Inform, improve, and/or develop a project requested by the community organization by engaging directly with the youth to capture their perspectives and input
  8. Develop a personal approach to working across cultures in the global context and in Baltimore by identifying personal tendencies, stereotypes, strengths and challenges.
  9. Integrate one’s learning through the course towards motivations for intellectual, career, and volunteer pursuits
Instructor Consent
Consent required for some students
Consent Note
Consent required for undergraduates. Undergrad consent will not be granted until the first day of class. Interested undergraduate students are encouraged to attend the first day.
Consent Contact
dlewy@jhsph.edu
Jointly Offered With
Health, Behavior and Society
Special Comments

Students are broken into groups and connected with a pre-selected Baltimore-based youth organization. They work with the community contact person to engage with the youth program in a service-learning project. Each group must visit the initiative/youth at least four times for a minimum of eight hours.