Community/Neighborhood Meeting Analysis

To ensure that students have an opportunity to observe engagement, assessment, and intervention with organizations and communities, each student is required to attend a minimum of one community meeting or board meeting. Students are encouraged to visit a board meeting from their practicum site. During the first two weeks while students are being oriented to their field agency they should inquire about upcoming board meetings and/or community meetings. Each student is required to develop their own typed permission slip that will be signed by the group leader (or their delegate) and student indicating that you attended the meeting. When possible and available, students should include the meeting agenda as well. A statement concerning confidentiality must be included. Students must prepare an APA formatted typed summary of their observation. The assignment is to be posted in D2L by the assigned due date outlined on the course syllabus. The following points must be included in the typed summary.

• Briefly describe the date, time, and location for the meeting
• State how you learned about the meeting
• List board members /community members and describe the region/district/community they represent
• Briefly describe the composition of the board/community leaders facilitating the meeting (race, gender, sexual orientation (if known), Age, homogeneity, and heterogeneity)
• Briefly describe the demographics of the audience attending the meeting (race, gender, sexual orientation (if known), Age, homogeneity, and heterogeneity)
• Briefly describe some of the agenda items discussed during the meeting
• Did board members/community leaders appear to be concerned or sensitive to how their decisions/votes would impact all stakeholders or where they more interested in specific stakeholders?
• Describe the manner in which board/community leaders interacted with each other and with the audience
• Did they get through the full agenda? How well did the group leaders do with keeping the meeting on track (managing time and content)? What skills strategies, and/or factors helped or hindered this?
• Assess whether or not the physical setting is conducive to the meeting (seating, parking, etc.)
• Provide your overall reflection of your observation. Be sure to discuss how you felt after attending the meeting? Any questions do you have? What you learned as a result of attending the meeting?