Youth

Mentored Storytelling - Swinehart:  This Capstone partners with two schools in Oregon - Walt Morey Middle School in the Reynolds School District and Wilson River School in Tillamook, Oregon. PSU students will provide creative mentoring to students to help them express themselves through storytelling. The course will examine issues of social justice; power and privilege in our society, community and classrooms; holistic learning; the power of empathy and being vulnerable in a leadership role; and what creates self-advocacy. PSU students will critically engage with relational pedagogical practices including story exchanges, interviews and personal narratives.

Queer Rock Camp is an annual summer camp that works to engage LGBTQ-identified youth through performance and musical self-expression, as well as empower youth of diverse backgrounds in peer alliance and community building skills.  Students in this Capstone will examine contemporary social issues related to the lives of LGBTQ youth.  Students will also participate in Queer Rock Camp volunteering, programming & the creation of a final communication plan that will document camp activities to secure on-going community support and sustainability for the camp.

Convening Diverse Groups to Resolve Community Issues  Creating sustainable solutions to the most critical and pressing issues confronting our communities is only possible when diverse stakeholders are able to come to together to collaborate.  This course is designed to give students an opportunity to gain essential knowledge and skills to work effectively in collaboration with others, and to understand how that same collaborative process is successfully being used to solve our most pressing community problems.  Local leaders can play a critical role serving as "conveners" t