What is Community Extension Service?
Community Extension Service (CES) is one of the three core functions of the University of San Carlos (USC) as a Higher Education Institution along with Teaching-Learning and Research. Hence, Carolinians experience integral development by advancing their academic competencies highly motivated by their active engagements with university partner communities, institutions, and organizations. All Community Extension Service programs, projects, and activities are undertaken by students, faculty, and staff with a three-fold mandate: first, to voluntarily extend one’s professional and academic expertise; second, to engage into prophetic dialogue with the world guided by the Missionary charisma of Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) Spirituality; and third, to empower peoples and communities for social change through a transformatory or liberational approach.
OBJECTIVES
• Extension services are integral to the learning experience and research opportunities of students.
• Faculty members conduct CES as an enrichment to the teaching-research experience.
• Alumni take an active role in the conduct of CES programs and projects.
For USC to contribute to nation building by providing highly specialized curricular programs with extension services that allow students, faculty, and staff to apply the new knowledge they generate by empowering communities, organizations, and institutions through a transformatory approach in addressing specific social development problems.
GOALS
KEY RESULT AREA
• Context-responsive CES programs and projects.
• Specialization-based CES by faculty and students.
• Collaborative and inclusive conduct of CES by academic as well as administrative units.
• Sustainable and outcomes-based CES programs and projects.
• Development of Voluntarism and Missionary Orientation among faculty, students, and staff.
Our Inspiration
SVD Charism and Congregational Directions
As an SVD-run and managed institution, the University of San Carlos subscribes to the Missionary Charism and Congregational Directions of the SVD General Chapter. This intended to guide the spirituality of the university as it dialogues with its context - a contribution of USC to the shaping of local communities. Shown below are the two general chapters of SVD that serve as a guide of its Congregational Directions, the very same spirituality steering the conduct of community extension services to partner communities, institutions, and organizations.
CONGREGATIONAL DIRECTIONS
AD INTRA CONGREGATIONAL DIRECTIONS
SPIRITUALITY
- Trinitarian and incarnational spirituality.
- Sharing in this spirituality across cultural differences that helps promote unity.
COMMUNITY
- Inter-cultural communities need to be consciously created intentionally promoted, cared for and nurtured.
LEADERSHIP
- Commitment to serve that requires an attitude of solidarity, respect and love.
- Participative leadership needs to be the hallmark of our community.
FINANCE
- Commitment to the vow of poverty and simple lifestyle and sharing of resources.
FORMATION
- As Divine Word missionaries, we participate in God's mission through personal growth in the spirit of inter-culturality.
AD EXTRA CONGREGATIONAL DIRECTIONS
PRIMARY AND NEW EVANGELIZATION
- Faith seekers.
- People who are confused in life.
- Promote transformation of the whole community.
- Directed who do not know Christ and does not live in the Christian faith.
ECUMENICAL AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
- Respect, mutual acceptance through ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
PROMOTION OF CULTURE AND LIFE
- Promote and defend the sanctity of human life.
- Promoting the culture of life vs. abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment.
FAMILY AND YOUTH
- Promotion of family bonding.
- Care for the family and youth.
- Witnessing transformation in family structure.
EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
- Promote research that enhances Catholic character of the institution, social justice and interculturality.
INDIGENOUS AND ETHNIC COMMUNITIES
- Formulate and implement programs on pastoral responses, cultural identity, land rights advocacy, health care, bilingual education, human rights and affirmative action.
MIGRATION
- Pastoral care for migrants (internal migration: students from other areas).
RECONCILIATION AND PEACE-BUILDING
- Work for justice and peace and for the progress of people.
- Eliminate instances of ethnic, religious, political and social conflicts.
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND POVERTY ERADICATION
- Commitment to work for social justice and solidarity with the poor.
INTEGRITY OF CREATION
- Promote and protect the environment as God's creation.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES ON THE NATURE OF
COMMUNITY EXTENSION SERVICES
As an HEI settled in a particular locale and community, USC recognizes that it has an undeniable role to its context. The needs of its context must be considered of primary importance in developing a CES Program and in organizing pertinent activities. Data and information must be gathered using valid and reliable tools to serve as bases for the university, through its units, to offer appropriate and relevant response to community needs. All CES programs, projects, and activities must be context-responsive.
In creating a truly appropriate and relevant response, the discipline that can best provide the extension service be tapped and mobilized. This shall essentially provide faculty and students the opportunity to practice their profession in actual and real cases/situations. The competencies are ably executed while at the same time assisting the communities in their needs and problems. Hence, all CES programs, projects, and activities must be specialized-based.
Recognizing the multi-faceted character of socio-cultural, economic and political realities academic and administrative units will be tapped to work together in crafting comprehensive extension initiatives, multi and inter-disciplinary approaches will be used. Also, to ensure the responsiveness of all extension works communities, organizations, and institutions are treated not as beneficiaries only but as partners. The latter are believed to have the capacities essential for making CES programs work, there shall be no denying of their contributions to as partners. Hence, all CES programs, projects, and activities must be collaborative and inclusive.
Since CES undertakings are intended to be programmatic, outputs and outcomes are both tangible and intangible results that must come out of the program, they are to be mmeasured and gauged. These outputs and outcomes serve as guideposts in determining whether interventions have impact to these lives of both partners. Moreover, it is essential to ensure that interventions don't have limited lifespans but one that can continue to serve the purpose as possible. Hence, all CES programs, projects, and activities must be sustainable and outcomes-based.
What is important to underlie all of the above guiding principles of CES is the value of voluntarism, one that defines the character of extension service.
PROGRAM AREAS
PRODUCTIVITY-ORIENTED INITIATIVES
Productivity-Oriented Projects and Activities intend to capacitate the beneficiaries/partners to livelihood and work purposes. It includes increasing the beneficiaries' confidence level to find to work and be gainfully employed. Activities that will lead to the enhancement and financial capacities are reported under this program area.
LITERACY, VALUES FORMATION AND LIFE-LONG LEARNING
Literacy and Education/Value Formation and Life-long Learning include activities where faculty and and students share their expertise in literacy, numeracy and in handling special needs to groups/organizations from both within and outside of USC.
SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES
Social Welfare Services are provision-oriented initiatives that may share the nature of the following initiatives, among others: charity, relief operations, and donations of goods, aid, assistance, gift giving, contributions, and offerings.
HEALTH ADVOCACY AND WELLNESS PROMOTION
Health Advocacy and Wellness Promotion activities are those intend to promote a healthy and fit lifestyle. The undertakings recorded here include: popularization of healthy lifestyle; IE campaigns; safety first trainings and capacity-building; and health-teachings.
ISSUE ADVOCACY AND RIGHTS PROMOTION
Issue Advocacy and Rights Promotion activities are those that underscore the discussion of rights as well as the corresponding obligations of people. The nature of the activities may include: input-driven to a group or an audience; direct legal/para-legal assistance; and advocacy initiatives through various means.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental Sustainability initiatives are those related to advocacies and efforts towards a sustainable ecology. Any and all activities that are material to the promotion of the environment are recorded in this program area.
BUILDING CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES
Activities under the Building Christian Communities Program are those that capitalize the organizing of communities through Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) as well as the conduct of continued spiritual journey inspired by the Carolinian and SVD charism.
URBAN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Urban and Rural Development Program include activities that focus on the physical planning of both rural and urban areas intended to create a more sustainable and livable environment.
HERITAGE CONSERVATION
Heritage Conservation Program refers to initiatives related to the conservation and preservation of built and natural heritage, culture and the arts, both the tangible and the intangible.