Centerfor
Community & Learning Partnerships

About the Center

Our Mission

The Center facilitates and strengthens partnerships that yield transformative educational experiences for students while addressing community interests.

Our Philosophy

The Center is the result of years of faculty, staff, student, and community efforts to create partnerships that address neighborhood concerns while enhancing the educational and professional environment at Wentworth. We focus on formalizing these grassroots initiatives and enhancing their impact on students and the community. For Wentworth, our community includes our most close neighbors in Mission Hill, but also greater Boston, our Alternative Breaks sites across the country, and our international non-profit partners.

At the core of the Center’s operation is the philosophy of focusing on assets and relationships as a means to producing reciprocal and transformative partnerships.  While the Center exists to promote volunteerism and civic engagement, our philosophy is not focused on altruism, rather, the focus of our activities and programs is to create rewarding academic and professional experiences that matter in the real world, and especially in our community.  To that end, the Center brings together students, faculty, and community members as a think tank where energetic ideas meet established principles and practice.  The result is a focused environment that produces transformative student experiences alongside extraordinary community outcomes. 

Founded in 2005, the Center enables students to participate in community service through a range of outlets from nonprofit work with community partners to rebuilding efforts in New Orleans during Alternative Spring Break trips. Faculty members participate as well by running community-based design studios, Service Learning, or their own direct participation in the community. In 2008, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classified Wentworth and the Center for Community Engagement in Curricular Engagement as well as Outreach and Partnerships.

By the Numbers

• Community Work Study: In 2011-2012, 97 students worked with 21 community partners for 5,349 hours with a value of $116,550 to nonprofit organizations throughout Boston.
• lternative Spring Break trips to Kentucky and Pensacola, FL: In 2010-2011, 28 students completed 2170 hours of service and fundraised $16,000
• Over the past 6 years, 133 students have participated in Alternative Spring Break to perform over 8000 hours of service and fundraise $86,000
• Student Leaders In Service: 2010-2011, 16 slots awarded, $23,381 in scholarship available for WIT students
• Service Day:  2010-2011: 103 students worked 772 hours at 10 sites
• Certificate in Community Learning:  22 certificates have been conferred to date, 12 student portfolios are slated for review for 2011