Autonomous Service Learning Domestic Violence Outreach Program, (An)

This paper analyzes the dynamics of a student-run domestic violence outreach program which was based upon an enhanced service learning model. With faculty acting strictly in the role of consultant, students in the Mental Health and Human Services Program at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York, designed and implemented a program to educate the college community and the wider community about domestic violence. This strategy of giving students the responsibility for planning and running the program was based on the principles of humanistic psychology. Giving students the responsibility for creating their own program liberated and empowered the students to become self-reliant and self-initiating. Furthermore, this strategy unleashed a flood of student enthusiasm, creativity, commitment to empowering others, and professional growth among students in the program. This paper describes what was done, how the effectiveness of the student-run domestic violence outreach program was evaluated, and what was learned. It also suggests directions for future modifications of the program.