About the Sister Mary T. Clark Center

Our Mission

The Sister Mary T. Clark Center for Religion and Social Justice is the heart of community service/service-learning at Manhattanville. Although not all of Mville's service programs are run by the Sister Mary T. Clark Center, it does coordinate many of them.
The Center serves to facilitate, educate, and encourage student involvement in community outreach, cultural, leadership, and spiritual initiatives across the Manhattanville College campus and beyond. Our service experiences and programs are tightly linked to our academic curriculum to ensure students are building the intellectual framework and acquiring the skills to make them effective and responsible members of their communities.

The Sister Mary T. Clark Center endeavors to create a climate in which all Manhattanville College members will value:

• A sensitivity to appreciate the differences among us
• A heightened awareness and understanding of social justice issues and their responsibility for taking a leadership role in local as well as global community issues
• A deeper sensitivity of, appreciation for, and interest in the components and challenges inherent in being a global citizen
• A deeper understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the spiritual, religious dimensions, and philosophies of life that promote human flourishing and community building
• A critical and creative analysis of their civic engagement experiences and the concerns of the diverse communities to which we serve.
• We aim to provide Manhattanville students with opportunities that actualize the College's mission. The profile of an "ethically and socially responsible citizen" is a student who:
• Is perceptive and cooperative in the area of human relations
• Exhibits a sense of self-worth and encourages it in others
• Desires to learn about and respect differences in people and cultures
• Endeavors to promote unity
• Criticizes, when necessary, in a constructive way and when possible, suggests alternatives or solutions;
• Demonstrates and inspires in others awareness, involvement, and leadership skills through service and civic activities and
• Aspires to support and embody the College's mission.

Leadership and Responsibility

Leadership & Social Responsibility are at the center of our mission and assist students with service opportunities to enhance their effectiveness as agents of change. All of the activities coming from our four core areas and through the Sister Mary T. Clark Center have leadership and social responsibility as individual learning skills to enhance the people and communities in which and with which we work. Our four core area experiences connect voluntary action with global concerns and economic realities in pursuit of conflict resolution, equity, equality, and quality of life for all individuals resulting in all members of society having the same basic rights, security, opportunities, obligations, and social benefits.

The pursuit of leadership and social responsibility as integral to our four core areas incorporates the following elements:

Adequate Training - Student volunteers are adequately prepared for the tasks they will perform. The roles and responsibilities of students, staff, schools, parents, the community, and organizations are clear and agreed upon by all participants. Intended service outcomes are defined in collaboration with those being served.

Meaningful Service - Service performed meets a real need. Community agency staff and/or recipients of service are consulted about the nature and scope of their needs and the way students can address them. The service-learning experience is designed to be sensitive to developmental levels, gender, multi-cultural issues, and individual learning styles.

Leadership Development - Volunteers take responsibility for the development and management of volunteer programs and service experiences. Service integrates individual accountability with cooperative group work through skills development, initiative games, reflection, celebration, and application of learning in new situations to foster an appreciation of all peoples.

Structured Reflection & Recognition - Opportunities for reflection are included throughout the service experience so that students "learn how to learn from experience."

Goals:

• Develop student competencies for effective leadership, organization, and communication skills
• Develop a sense of civic responsibility and commitment to the community through civic engagement
• To understand one's responsibilities and rights when performing service and other activities as a Sister Mary T. Clark participant
• To facilitate students to become Sister Mary T. Clark Ambassadors

Objectives:

• Generate thoughts regarding leadership concepts and styles, goal setting, time management, conflict resolution, ethics, and values
• Train students how to communicate, motivate, and collaborate effectively with peers
• Recruit faculty, staff, and alumni as mentors for emerging student leaders
• Research and implement best practice strategies for student service leadership
• Provide opportunities to attend workshops as well as local and national conferences
• Broaden historical knowledge, so that past events provide a context and foundation for present community-based advocacy and problem solving
• Broaden civic knowledge, including the study of structures and processes of government and the responsibilities of citizenship