Community Development Model

A key expectation of the ResStaff position is that we will support residents and colleagues in their efforts to co-create positive, inclusive and diverse communities. The primary tool for accomplishing this mission is the Community Development Model.

This model centers on the following tenets and as ResStaff members, our role is to:

• Get to Know every resident very well (beyond just name, major and hometown)

• Assist residents in getting to know each other (members of your community should be offered opportunities and encouraged to find creative ways of getting to know each)

• Assess the Needs of the community (spoken [I like to….] & unspoken [e.g., residents are stressed about midterms and you notice this because they are staying up all night studying or spending a great deal of time in the library])

• Develop activities to address the needs that have been identified (Many of your residents have told you they like to go hiking, so you organize a trip to the Arboretum or another outdoor park. For those individuals whom you notice are staying up all night studying and are stressed, you could put together a Community Building Activity [CBA] on “How to Study Effectively”.)

• Assist residents in taking Ownership for their community (e.g., planning CBAs, behavioral concerns, outings, etc.). A resident comes to you and says “Hey I really think we should go to Ben & Jerry’s.” Instead of you organizing the entire event, you might say, “That is a great idea. How about you and I work on that together and get residents to go?” Another way to empower residents is to encourage them to design and complete community newsletters, birthday grams, door decorations, etc.

After reading the above stated responsibilities, we encourage you to think seriously about how you might go about building a diverse and inclusive community in which you are able to accomplish each area listed above.

Based on our experiences in the residence hall, we believe that it is only through physical and emotional presence in the community that you will be able to successfully accomplish the Community Development Model. So, we encourage you to explore the variety of ways you will be able to connect with your residents, building staff and colleagues.

Creatively examining how to really know others and then act on that knowledge is at the heart of Residence Education.