Initiate (Why)
The second step, Initiate, is important in identifying Why your community partnership team exists. Use the following prompts to guide your thinking about your team’s purpose.
- Establish the Partnership Purpose. It helps to create a guiding question for the partnership to help you keep focused. Use the Purpose of a Partnership Team worksheet to guide your thinking about why your team exists.
- Determine Partnership Type. Think about what type of partnership
would be beneficial for your school and classroom. How would you like partners to
engage with students? For example: student mentoring, guest speakers, presenting
real-world problems, job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships, field trips,
tours, and contests.
- To learn how to engage with university staff and faculty, review the Higher Education Partnership Document.
- Review the Employee Engagement Documents for ideas on how employees of business and industry partners can participate in classroom activities and engage directly with students.
- Identify Current State. Often, identified partners have strategies they are already implementing to engage with the community that may align to the purpose of your partnership team. After your team is formed, talk to your partners about what they already are doing that aligns with your guiding question. Is it successful? How do they know?
- Establish Goals. What are some short-term and long-term goals your team has for this partnership?
