Themed Living and Learning Communities
A Great Way to Build Connections
Presentation brought to you by Alyssa Moritz,
Resident Assistant, Lister Centre
University of Alberta
Goals and Benefits of Themed Communities
Goals of Themed Communities
To create an environment where like-minded individuals who share a common interest can live togetherTo learn about new and diverse opportunitiesTo develop a strong sense of communityTo promote cohesiveness and friendship
Essential Elements of a Community
Purpose or common interestMotivate others to become involved and increase knowledgeHelps you build a network of contactsPromotes group solidarity
InterconnectednessPromotes involvement within the residence community as well as with the community at largeIncreased sense of responsibility and contribution
Respect for individual differencesPeople have different experiences and backgrounds and themed communities unite people who have a common interest
Essential Elements of a Community
Integrity of the groupPromote a positive image to the post-secondary institution and city/town
Well-being of othersPeople in the community feel included and involved
Increases people’s self-esteem and self-respect
Demonstrates and promotes well-roundedness in non-academic facets
Research and Studies Supporting the Benefits of
Themed Communities
Research to Support Themed Communities
A study by Vincent Tinto:
Increased awareness of individual responsibility to learning and the learning of others
As students learn and engage themselves with others both academically and socially, they experienced higher success rates
Proof that Themed Communities Benefit Students
In a study performed by Lenning and Ebbers (1999), they found that :The benefits to students who participate in learning communities include “higher academic achievement, better retention rates, greater satisfaction with college life, improved quality of thinking and communicating, a better understanding of self and others, and a greater ability to bridge the gap between academic and social worlds”
Examples of Themed Communities
Some examples of Themed Communities
Active Living and Wellness; Bilingual; Volunteer and Community Involvement; Eco-Awareness; Outdoor Adventure; and Service Learning
Steps to Creating a Successful Themed
Community
Create an Idea
Think of an unfilled niche that would benefit your residence
Develop short and long-term goalsShort-term: develop volunteer opportunities
Long-term: Further develop volunteer opportunities into Community Service Learning
Gain support from residents, residence staff, and your supervisors
Advertise your Themed Community
Create bright, attractive, and easy to read posters
Post them in high traffic areas
By doing this as your first step, you enable students already living within the residence to gain an understanding of the new concept
An Example
Advertising Continued
Create a letter to mail to students who have applied to return to residence the following year
Detail the goals and benefits of living on a themed floor
Describe your ambitions and personal goals
Create Confirmation
Actively recruit students through sending out an application formBy asking them to fill out an application form you are gaining commitment from studentsAfter committing to participate in the themed floor, they will gain excitement and anticipation for the year to come
Creating Programs for a Themed Community
5 key areas to focus on when building and creating a themed community:
Diversity
Academics
Citizenship
Community
Wellness
Community: Can include, but is not limited to building a safe and cooperative living-learning environment based on mutual respect, a sense of belonging, and acceptance of all peopleProgramming idea: Encourage residents to become involved on the floor, in residence, on campus, and the larger community through involvement in groups, committees, etc.
Wellness: Helping residents to become more proactive in attending to their own mental, spiritual, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and environmental health
Programming idea: Invite a guest speaker from a volunteer organization, student group, or another organization pertinent to your theme
Academics: Encouraging and strengthening academic skills and goals. Helping residents build faculty connections and develop living-learning communities.
Programming ideas: Exam/essay writing workshop, invite somebody in to talk about applying to Grad school, organize a library crawl
Citizenship: Helping residents become active and responsible members of their communities by developing a greater global understanding and an awareness of their rights, responsibilities, privileges, and place in the residence, city, nation, and world
Programming idea: create a CSL project
Diversity: Helping residents understand, appreciate, and celebrate one’s self and other’s contributions and unique attributes
Programming idea: have a foreign film night or a diversity circle
Development of a Themed Living and
Learning Community
Step 1: Create interest
Step 2: Gather applications
Step 3: Move-In
Step 4: Create a community
Upon move-in, promote cohesiveness and community bondingEncourage residents to come out to various events in the first couple of weeksGet people involved on the floor with various senior positionsBring in guest speakers and facilitate discussions about the theme
Encourage students to become involved on the campus community
Encourage students to become involved in the residence community
Plan a variety of floor activities from movie nights, dinner outings, or a Pancake breakfast
Benefits in the Community
Students feel a strong sense of belonging
Boost in self esteem
Healthier mind frame
Students are encouraging each other to become involved
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