Collaborative Service Initiative

(Formerly the Advocacy Clinic)

Making A Difference By Directly Serving Community Organizations

AUNE environmental studies students, Sarah Harpster and Katie Stoner, help Keene businesses reduce carbon.
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The Collaborative Service Initiative (CSI) is part of a faculty-supervised capstone service-learning course for students working together on real projects for real organizations. While Advocacy students may opt to do a master's thesis or an individual master's project to fulfill their capstone requirement, most choose to take part in the CSI to expand their practical fieldwork experience in a team setting.

CSI participants provide pro bono advocacy work on behalf of CSI clients—organizations at the local, state, national or international level working for environmental sustainability, corporate accountability, democratic governance, community renewal, and social justice. CSI students work together to pursue purposeful results for clients that gain access and provide voice in the decision-making process, change power relations and serve the public interest. The CSI capstone brings the community into the classroom and the classroom into the community.

Grounded in their substantive knowledge of environmental science and advocacy skills gained in their first year at Antioch University New England, CSI students provide advocacy research, public policy critiques and analysis, strategic planning, issue and corporate campaign materials, action planning, and communications and membership development plans to our organizational clients.

“We have worked with University programs before, but have never experienced such a well-rounded team of high caliber student work and professionalism, with direct and active supervision. The work produced by the students, including international legal and environmental filings, shareholder letters, financial research, and communications with experts, organizations and others was essential to the success we achieved in maintaining Western Shoshone and indigenous rights issues at the forefront of social responsibility in the extractive industries sector. ...What began as our 'wish list' for corporate engagement and international advocacy strategies for the semester was not only completed, but in some areas surpassed, leaving us with a strong foundation for moving forward over the summer and into the next year." — Julie Ann Fishel, Director, Land Recognition Program, Western Shoshone Defense Project

Last Updated: 11/16/10