The Draper Center for Community Partnerships
The Draper Center for Community Partnerships fosters mutually beneficial exchanges among community members, students, faculty and staff in order to support educational outreach initiatives, community based research and learning and other community engagement activities.
On campus, the experiences, ideas and new perspectives that emerge from college community connections can expand the classroom; enhance critical thinking; encourage students to view themselves as change agents; develop student leadership; support the recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty and staff; establish mentoring networks among diverse individuals; and help students refine the values and skills that will support lifelong practices of social responsibility.
Off campus, these activities support the College’s responsibility and commitment to contribute to the surrounding communities in which we live and from which we receive intellectual, academic and staffing resources. The Draper Center reinforces existing ties and forges new ones between the College and other community organizations ensuring dynamic, mutually educational and constructive partnerships. Current educational outreach programs include America Reads, the Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS) and Pomona Partners. Community engagement programming includes alternative fall and spring break trips (Alternabreak) and episodic, weekly volunteer opportunities. An example of community based learning is the course: Theater for Young Audiences, a partnership between the Draper Center, the Department of Theatre and Dance and Fremont Middle School in the Pomona Unified School District.
The Draper Center for Community Partnerships was founded with a generous gift from Ranney E. Draper ’60 and Priscilla Draper and the Draper Family Foundation. |
