CBL FAQ for 2020-21

• Decisions about sending students into the community should be made in conjunction with the leadership of your departments, units or programs and your Dean. 
• Currently, the university recommends an evaluation of community-engaged placements that are required for graduation, certification, or licensure (see UW-Madison guidelines here) to see whether face-to-face experience could work safely if community partners are comfortable with face-to-face interactions. Any physical community engagement must follow CDC guidelines including physical distancing, masks, and cleaning protocols.
• If face-to-face experiences are not necessary for graduation, certification, or licensure, we strongly recommend virtual engagement. To better support virtual engagement, we’ve developed a matchmaking page as a resource to find volunteer opportunities, as well as share what your students can offer.
• We also encourage instructors to think outside the direct service framework, including exploring the Pathways of Public Service model developed by Stanford, which you can learn more about on our COVID resource page: https://morgridge.wisc.edu/covid-19/.
• Examples of indirect, research-based, or advocacy-based service-learning include:
  • Advocacy within the university community, including working with students on civic engagement projects, voting engagement (the Morgridge Center may have further opportunities around this), or projects that raise awareness or take action on issues of inequity in higher education and at UW-Madison specifically
  • Research, assessment, or evaluation in collaboration with a partner organization
  • Deliverables created for a partner organization, such as digital media or social media content, print materials, logos, or handbooks
  • Creating virtual educational materials such as webinars or educational modules or streaming a presentation or performance
• Examples of direct service offered in a virtual or contactless setting include:
  • Tutoring or mentoring through video conferencing platforms
  • Delivering meals or conducting well checks over the phone
  • Hosting or assisting with a virtual event for a partner organization
  • Allowing students to locate and select their own virtual service opportunities 
• There are many pressing community priorities and we have an opportunity and obligation to be as responsive as possible. Think creatively about how to use our university resources in service of community priorities.

Yes, students can volunteer on their own. Please see the following guidelines below.

As a student volunteer, and a representative of the Madison community when I am engaging through a course or UW-sponsored program, I understand that my actions and attitudes while volunteering affect the outcome of my experience for myself and the organization and community I serve. Before volunteering, I have acknowledged and agree to the following:

• I am a representative of UW-Madison if I am engaging through a course or UW-sponsored program, and my actions and attitudes reflect on the university community overall
• I want to volunteer from a genuine desire to respond to community priorities to the best of my ability and learn about the community, not solely for my own benefit
• I understand that nonprofit organizations may need to make changes and adapt to situations in their community, which may affect my volunteer assignment; I will take this opportunity to learn to be flexible and adaptable, and will keep an open mind to lessons I can learn
• I will be consistent, honest, and direct in communicating with the organization and fellow volunteers
• I will approach any volunteer experience as an opportunity to learn from the expertise and experience of nonprofit staff and community members; everyone I interact with has something to teach me
• I will encounter people who have life experiences, perspectives, and views different from my own, and I can learn from this diversity; I will be open-minded and respectful when interacting with and listening to people who are different from me
• I will do my best to communicate the limits of my time, experience, or skill to the organization and avoid committing myself to responsibilities I may not be able to successfully fulfill

I also understand that we are currently living in a pandemic, and MUST follow all designated policies and procedures to ensure the safety of myself and others from COVID-19. If I choose to volunteer in person with an off-campus nonprofit organization, I will take the following precautions:

• I WILL follow all university safety protocols AND the safety protocols of the organization with which I am volunteering.
• I WILL NOT  attempt to volunteer if I have any of the symptoms identified by the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health. (Symptoms found here).
• I WILL NOT volunteer if I live with or am in frequent contact with people in higher-risk categories for the virus.

• I WILL ask about any risk that may be associated with the task. I WILL NOT take part if I feel uncomfortable with the risk level. 
• I WILL follow the CDC recommended precautions, which are as follows:
  • Clean and wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after volunteering (or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol when unable to wash hands).
  • Avoid close contact with others, and maintain a physical distance of six (6) feet from others. 
  • Cover nose and mouth with a face covering when around others. 
  • Cover nose and mouth with a tissue or inside of the elbow when coughing or sneezing, then clean hands by washing or using hand sanitizer. 
  • Avoid touching my eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 
• I WILL learn about and commit to following the organization’s safety precautions before volunteering. 
• If an organization will need to screen all volunteers before the experience,  I WILL arrive early to the site to give enough time to complete the screening process. 
• I WILL use my own personal protective equipment or personal protective equipment that the organization offers me while I volunteer. 
• If up to seven (7) days after volunteering I experience any symptoms or test positive, I WILL notify the organization.

Here are some guidelines the Morgridge Center developed about doing virtual engagement with youth.

Many in-person engagement opportunities with youth and/or K12 students are no longer available and are being changed to virtual engagements. Following the guidelines of the community organization and/or school is the top priority for all university constituents. This document will outline good practices in working with youth in virtual engagement opportunities to supplement any guidelines provided by the community organization/school. 

Here is information from the Office of Precollege and Youth Program Compliance – this may or may not be relevant information for your program.

All program staff (UW-Madison employees, volunteers, and contractors) are screened and trained before they are allowed to work with minors in a program. Requirements for program staff include:

• Screening: UW–Madison policy requires criminal background checks for employees, volunteers, and contractors who hold positions of trust. This includes people with direct access to a vulnerable population such as minors. Employees, volunteers, and contractors who work with minors in precollege programs are subject to a criminal background check every two years.
• Training: Program staff are required to complete safety and youth protection training before the start of a precollege or youth program. This training includes courses in CPR, first aid, preventing sexual harassment and sexual violence, mandated reporting of child abuse or neglect, and youth mental health first aid. All precollege programs also conduct staff training in emergency procedures and communications.
• Supervision: UW–Madison policy outlines minimum staff-to-participant ratios that programs must maintain for all age groups. Ratios depend on the age of the participants, whether programming takes place during the day or overnight, and the level of risk associated with specific activities (for example, water-based activities). The policy also prohibits one-on-one contact between an adult and a minor, provides guidelines for privacy, and forbids inappropriate use of technology.

Planning

• Accessibility 
• • What access to technology do your students and the K12 youth have? Pick ways of engaging and opportunities/projects that are accessible. 
• Community priorities and expectations
  • The community best knows what its priorities and needs are. Your engagement, now more than ever, should be focused on supporting their priorities.
  • Follow the organization’s guidelines and expectations.

Training

• Background/reference checks and additional training may be needed. Please work with your community partners to fulfill all training requirements in advance of service.

Policy

• Follow the organization’s/school’s guidelines, and supplement them with your own code of conduct for meeting in the virtual environment, including what is appropriate or inappropriate in conversations and behavior. This may be formalized with an MOU.
• Get consent/registration directly from parents/guardians for youth you’re working with, if asked to by the organization/school. 
• Trained UW students/instructors and registered youth and/or their parents should be the only people on the call.

Working with parents and guardians

• Provide information about the online learning platform and privacy/safety features. 
• Share the instructor/program’s contact information to parents to communicate with questions. 
• Share goals or expectations openly with parents and ask parents to do the same. 
• Provide opportunities for parents to connect with program activities. 
• Get feedback from parents about what is working and where additional support is needed. 

For virtual meeting spaces

• Use a password for virtual meeting spaces.
• Private chats should be disabled, as well as whiteboards, annotation of shared screen, and file transfer (educational considerations should be considered when enacting this practice).
• Remind everyone involved to be aware of background settings for privacy reasons.
• Develop appropriate communications channels for UW students and youth – e.g. in Zoom rooms only, or via generic email that instructors have access to.
• Record sessions to make available to instructors/parents/guardians, and make sure all parties know how these recordings will be stored, for how long, and by whom.
• UW students and youth cannot connect on social media or exchange personal contact information.
• Encourage at least two UW students working with each youth, or consider pairs of youth working with pairs of UW students (discourage 1:1 conversations)
• Have instructor/CBL intern circulating through Zoom rooms

Tips

• Use more activities and less lecture, if possible. 
• Work with youth to create group norms and expectations. 
• Energize the group by taking breaks (ex. stretching, dancing).
• Provide opportunities for youth to engage with each other. 
• Focus on relationships and reflection.
• Focus on mental health, and encourage UW students to reach out to their community supervisors and instructors with any concerns or questions about youth.