The focus of this presentation is on the positive effects that service learning has on our Child Development experience at Humboldt State University. We start by explaining the environment that our service learning took place in and the core beliefs of the center. Next we will discuss the reasons why we chose to participate in service learning and what challenges we encountered. We also explain the strengths and knowledge that we have gained while participating in service learning. Finally, we discuss how service learning enhances the child development experience. We experienced many connections between theory and practice in the short time that we participated in service learning.

The Y.E.S. House is a student run club that has multiple groups, which provide services and activities to youth and elderly alike. From tutoring to playing musical instruments, the Y.E.S. House does tremendous things for the community in Humboldt County. Two of us are at JHRP and one of us in L.E.A.P. The JHRP program works with youth, who are incarcerated. During their recreation time, we engage them in playing games and sports or talking. L.E.A.P. is a program that works with youth to build self-esteem, leadership, and teamwork skills. We propose to present a poster that consists of these two groups: JHRP and L.E.A.P. and their in depth working.

This poster presents the experience of working at a local preschool in the area. I have gained a lot of knowledge on what it is like to be in a preschool classroom setting. Before starting my service learning, I did not know what to expect, but now I can say that this experience has allowed me to direct myself to a future career that might be gratifying. I got to experience hands experience working with children for a couple of hours each day and see how the teachers interacted with children. I learn about some of the practices that are being used to meet the unique needs of each child. This experience has helped me improve my communication skills and confidence, explore future careers.

The CSU system is the largest public university system within the US. Purpose of this study is to assess the financial condition and viability of the system, as well as individual campuses. We examined four years of independently audited financials presented in a standardized format. Using financial ratios we identify trends, establish benchmarks, and highlight areas of concern. In our analysis, we attempt to identify causal determinants of stronger financial performance, including controllable activities and non-controllable. This study seeks to understand the role management structure and related controls play in the long-term financial condition and solvency of public institution.

There are currently a variety of nonprofit organizations operating in and serving the needs of Humboldt County. The purpose of this project is to assess the financial needs of these organizations and develop a report to help them expand their capacity. We conducted an extensive literature review of best financial practices at nonprofit organizations, reviewed three years of IRS 990 forms for local nonprofits, and analyzed survey results from a previous local study. Using the best practices we identified during our literature review and the data from our two analyses we developed an action plan for local nonprofit organizations.

Music and Mindfulness is a project created in partnership with Trinidad Elementary School to assess the efficacy of using therapeutic drumming and mindfulness for substance abuse prevention. This project combines research from Trauma-Informed practices, Relational Theory, and emotional awareness to assist students in building healthy relationships and increasing self-esteem.

There is limited research on demoralization in college students. Most research in this domain has focused on medical populations, such as persons with cancer (Mehnert et al, 2011; Mullane et al, 2009) or other health-related problems. The most used measure of this construct is the Demoralization Scale (DS; Kissane et al, 2004). The 24-item DS includes components of dysphoria, feelings of incompetence and loss of meaning, with good reliability and validity in clinical samples (Kissane et al., 2004; Pei-Ling et al., 2015). The current study examined the reliability and validity of the DS in college students.

With the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria’s Ts’ Denoni Youth Program, I developed a curriculum that covers cultural teachings such as ceremony protocol, regalia, Tribal histories, gender roles, etc. This curriculum focuses on the following: (1) for youth and their families to familiarize themselves with the local Tribal histories, ceremony protocol, regalia, basketry, etc., (2) to help Native youth and families become more comfortable in their own cultural knowledge and identity, and (3) provide a foundation of local cultural knowledge that our youth and families can pass down to the next generation, to help create a cycle of healing.

This Peer Counseling program was dedicated to creating a healthy community culture through mentoring younger students, youth advocacy, and peer education. Peer mentors received training in topics including communication, conflict resolution, cultural humility, and self esteem building. Throughout the program peer mentors met several times a month for seminars to process their experiences and receive additional training. Peer counselors also created presentations for middle school classrooms, volunteered at Healthy Start Family Resource Center events and were called upon by the wider community for participating in youth advocacy radio, drug free community focus groups, and more.

The complexity of the Child Welfare System has left Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF) incarcerated parents voicing their confusion of the system specifically regarding how to reach case plan objectives in an institution that offers limited family reunification services. The collective project, Parents Before Prisoners: Maintaining Connection Throughout Separation, aimed to address this matter by creating a resource guide for HCCF parents, that not only explains the child welfare system, but also contains a curriculum that can be used to reach case plan objectives.