student guidelines for working with a community partner.

As you begin your relationship with your community organization, you will probably be eager to get involved make a difference in the lives of people and in the agencies with which you serve. As a representative of UNO, your actions set the tone for an ongoing community/university partnership of which you are an integral part. Although the following guidelines might seem obvious to you, we include them as reminders because they have often characterized productive and successful service-learning experiences.

Ask for help when in doubt.

Your peers, faculty, community partner, and UNO support staff can assist you in determining appropriate ways to respond in difficult situations.

Be punctual and responsible.

Even though you are not receiving financial compensation for your work, your community partners need to be able to rely on your commitment and punctuality over the entire course of the term.

Respect the privacy of all clients.

In the course of your project, you may have access to confidential information. Confidential information can include organizational files, organizational projects in progress, and even clients’ personal stories. It is vital that you treat confidential information as privileged, and if you are not certain whether or not some piece of information is to be treated as confidential, ask the partner.

Call if you anticipate lateness or absence.

Your faculty, student team, and community partners will expect follow-through on any commitments you have made and will be at a loss if you don’t. Keep them informed of conflicts.

Be aware.

You might not always feel comfortable nor always agree with every aspect of your community project. However, maintaining a high level of awareness of your surroundings and, when appropriate, adapting to those surroundings demonstrates respect for those with whom you work.

Be flexible.

The level or intensity of activity within a community project is not always predictable. Your flexibility to changing situations helps the project to run more smoothly for everyone involved.

Provided courtesy of the Center for Academic Excellence at Portland State University.