First-Year Civic Engagement: Sound Foundations for College ...

from people different from themselves. They develop greater selfesteembecause they help people whom they believe to be moreeducated, and are recognized for this work by their neighbors.The promotoras also receive from the students concrete practicalassistance and general information about mainstream society andthe world around them.The home visits also have a positive impact on the promotoras’children, who often develop strong personal relationships withcollege students that continue even after the students graduate.The children assist with the students’ language learning, servingas “walking dictionaries” and interpreters of the nuances ofboth English and Spanish, and come to value their bilingualismas a bridge between two worlds. Although, before, they had notthought about it, now all the children wish to attend college.They also gain the confidence to speak openly with Anglos andother groups and come to re-evaluate common ethnic stereotypes.Some begin to share the values of the visiting students, becomingvegetarian or developing a concern for the environment.ReferencesGelmon, Sherril B., Barbara A. Holland, Amy Driscoll, AmySpring, and Seanna Kerrigan. Assessing Service-Learningand Civic Engagement: Principles and Techniques. Providence,Rhode Island: Campus Compact, 2001.I. Contributor’s Name and Contact InformationEthel JorgeAssociate Professor of Spanish andLatin American Cultural StudiesDirector, Community-based Spanish ProgramPitzer College1050 N. Mills Ave.Claremont, CA 91711Phone: 909-607-2802Fax: 909-607-7880Email: ethel_jorge@pitzer.eduII. Institutional Descriptiona. Pitzer College, Claremont, CAb. Four-year baccalaureate collegec. Privated. Residential campuse. 936.4 FTE undergraduate students; 229 first-year studentsf. 948 residential students; 10 commuter students;229 residential first-year students,0 commuter first-year students.Supplemental MaterialsLink to Learning Goals for Students: Chart of Goals, Indicators,Methods, and Data Sources http://www.pitzer.edu/spanish/