College students – who have the time and energy to serve as well as the desire to learn – are uniquely positioned to advance their education while helping communities prepare for potential disasters, according to a new book co-edited by a Cornell researcher.
The challenge is how to establish partnerships between university instructors and government and nonprofit leaders.
“Service-Learning for Disaster Resilience, Partnerships for Social Good,” co-edited by Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner, a senior lecturer in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and Engaged Faculty Fellow, is believed to be the first to discuss an approach to utilizing service-learning to specifically address the growing need to building disaster resilience in vulnerable communities. The takeaway: This requires building community capacity and strengthening social networks while enhancing student learning.