USC JEP 2022 Annual Report

2022 ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Greetings from the Director

by Susan Harris, JEP Executive Director

As I write this reflection about the year 2022, I am still basking in the golden glow of JEP’s 50th anniversary gala Nearly 300 supporters gathered on November 3rd at Town & Gown to celebrate this major milestone. There were so many moving speeches and special moments but perhaps most memorable was David Anderson’s (surprise!) presentation of JEP’s newest initiative the Tammara Seabrook Anderson Spirit of Service Award. Named in honor of David’s mother, current Dornsife Associate Dean, and former long-time Executive Director of JEP, Tammy Anderson, the award will provide funding for low-income students to facilitate their participation in unpaid voluntary service programs It was a loving and fitting tribute to a woman who has dedicated four decades of her life to portunities to USC THIS THIS year of events f service to Los d to the field of ervice-learning and community engagement. We kicked off

the year by commemorating JEP’s unofficial “birthday” on January 14th. This marks the day former Los Angeles mayor, Tom Bradley, declared as “JEP Day” in 1980. In February, we worked with the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching to showcase the service-learning pedagogies of prior winners of JEP’s Faculty Award for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research We co-hosted two events with the USC Office of Research in the spring a panel focused on the ethics of community-engaged research and a NSF “Broader Impacts” workshop on effective ways to extend the reach of cutting-edge research. Working with the USC Dornsife Alumni Office and the USC Associates, we planned a Day of SCervice at the JEP House in March to prepare reading and science kits for children who participate in our programs. (Special thanks to Karen Wong and Scott Lee for hosting the event, and I hope readers will join us next year at the 2023 Day of SCervice!) After welcoming back the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and our ReadersPL activities tent in April, We ended the academic year by honoring the extraordinary service of our -

students, faculty and community partners at a virtual ceremony and in-person luncheon for award winners.

THIS In the summer and fall, we ramped up for a full return to in-person JEP assignments and prepared for USC Homecoming Weekend events including the anniversary gala, a Dornsife picnic and an Open House at the JEP House We also anticipated the publication of a children’s book series on “STEAM-powered” careers in science. Published by Room to Read and edited by JEP’s Director of STEM Education Programs, Dieuwertje “DJ” Kast, the series features ten books that tell the stories (in English and Spanish) of scientists with backgrounds and identities similar to the communities we serve. The books were distributed to children attending schools that host JEP’s Young Scientists Program and are available online at no cost.

THIS 2022 was an amazing year a time to reflect on the impact of our collective history and to create many new memories together:

Throughout the year, we captured dozens of “JEP stories” from alumni, students, staff and community partners in a new video and through our “50 stories for 50 years” campaign. After a year spent commemorating the past, I’m feeling especially optimistic about our future. The outpouring of support from friends of JEP was so encouraging and I offer my heartfelt thanks to the individuals and organizations that donated to JEP this year, as well to as our 50th Anniversary Gala sponsors. If you are feeling similarly inspired, please consider contributing to JEP’s legacy and ensuring that our impact continues for another 50 years. To learn more about JEP’s plans and to stay connected to the “JEPhamily,” please visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on social media, and attend our events in 2023.

THIS Thank you for helping to make 2022 an especially meaningful year. Wishing you all the best during the holiday season and into 2023

50th Anniversary Celebrations

by Grace Galante

Our 50th anniversary gala connected JEP students and staff with alumni, former staff, donors and JEP parents. The gala kicked with speeches from President Carol Folt and Dornsife Dean A Miller, and was hosted by JEP alumus and Fox 11 anchor, Elex Michaelson. Special remarks were made by Suzanne Nora Johnson, Julio C Quinteros Jr David Anderson and the even honoree--former JEP Executive Director, Tammy Anderson. T evening featured live music from Thornton students as well a Trojan Marching band, along with delicious food served at To and Gown.

JEP alumni were reunited at the USC Dornsife

Picnic! The picnic welcomed back various USC classes and featured delicious food stations, hand-dipped ice cream, a full bar, family-friendly games, great music, a photo booth with picture souvenirs and giveaways. Following the picnic, JEP alumni went to the football game together where they were able to sit together in the JEP reserved section. Not only did the Trojans win, but JEP students, staff, and alumni were reunited while cheering on our favorite team.

The JEP House has changed a lot over the years, so we invited back our visiting alumni to stop in and see what's new with JEP! All full-time staff were present and loved catching up with former students and seeing where JEP has taken them in their lives and careers In addition to reminiscing about their time at JEP, alumni got to watch our 50th anniversary video, take a tour of the house, take pictures in our photo booth, and even got to eat a special 50th anniversary cake.

Homecoming

FullGallery:

Photos by Steve Cohn

February

October

Release of the "STEAM Powered Careers" Book Series, Book Assemblies at six partner schools, Young Scientists Project Drone Workshop

Core Service-Learning Programs

with Sarah Elmashat - Program Assistant Coordinator

What do you like most about JEP?

I think JEP is a really special place on campus, to be honest. Of course, there are hundreds of organizations on campus that kind of do some similar things. But JEP is honestly the only program that takes things a lot further There's no other service-learning organization on campus that do what we do. The reflective work is so important and I see that not only from people who volunteer with JEP, who are able to progress and learn through the reflective work, but also from our program assistants I've talked to a lot of new program assistants this semester and they’re reading y're able to realize how

important the work we do is and how important reflecting is. They're able to see all their students come from different backgrounds and then able to see their different perspectives. And I think it's really cool that not only are the students able to reflect and learn from their experiences, but us as program assistants are also able to learn as well

What’s your favorite part of being the PA coordinator?

I really like developing a relationship with each of the PAs. It's been awesome to step away from working directly with students and work with our staff here at JEP. We have an amazing staff here and it's been awesome to see their work, and monitor their progress, and create a problem-solving environment with them.

Any fun memories you’d like to share?

At the end of training, I brought all the PAs together to do a scavenger hunt around the hotel. We stayed up all night and got to know each other. So it's been really awesome to start new traditions, and look at the old traditions. We had old PAs and PACs from years past come and visit us during training. So it really just highlights the JEP family as a whole. Honestly, the JEP family is what I think sets apart JEP from pretty much any other organization on campus.

Interview

Community-Based Organizations USC

AJ Moore, JEP Program Assistant

What are some highlights from this year?

So we placed about 40 students at various community based organizations. Some of the students were working with the homeless population. Some students were working with kids and in violence and gang intervention prevention And some students were doing medical volunteering. And throughout the semester, they were supposed to complete about four reflective essays. They attended group discussions led by the grad students that asked them to consider the differences between traditional and critical service learning

How has being a student leader affected you?

What's your favorite part about being a program assistant for community-based organizations?

I really like hearing about the work that students are doing because they're placed at so many different organizations that work with various people with different missions I think it's really cool to see the work that they're doing. I have one student who is writing resumes for individuals who are seeking different job placements. Whereas I have other students who are tutoring kids in high schools, and I have another student who's participating in an after-school program coaching soccer.

I’m majoring in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Social Change, so I'm in the middle of transitioning from having an education focus to more of a medical focus. So I actually think JEP sits at the intersection between those two things in that it's pretty much perfectly positioned for any kind of community involvement opportunity. I think personally in my life, I will continue to be engaged in whatever community I'm in and I’ll also try to do my personal best to be reflective in that.

Interview with

STEM Education Programs

This year, the Young Scientists Program (YSP) brought back the "Make Your Own Lab" (MYOL) lessons. YSP TAs follow a pre-established curriculum for the first nine weeks of the program. At the end of the semester, the TAs designed and implemented a lesson about any topic in the STEM field that they want to share with their students. Many TAs designed their MYOL lessons to incorporate acid base volcano reactions, baking soda rockets, Play-Doh models of the brain, and more.

YoungScientists YoungScientists Program Program

ids experienced two semesters of inspiring kers of diverse backgrounds. One highlight ology unit in the fall, led by PhD candidate ctor, Maya Yanez Maya wrote lesson plans er research and exposed kids to topics like r system, and even the possibility of space lar, the kids loved making an edible model ar system and trying on astronaut helmets!

In order to be more mindful of systemic issues that affect the South-Central community in which Medical STEM Program (MSP) volunteers work, the MSP staff added a reflective component focused on these issues Every week, the entire MSP team discussed topics like representation, food deserts, and cancer disparities. These productive discussions helped the MSP staff to develop greater awareness of the neighborhood context and better understand the issues affecting local residents.

MedicalSTEM MedicalSTEM Program Program

Wonderkids Wonderkids

USC JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT 2022

by Grace Galante

Book Assemblies

In partnership with several USC schools and programs, DJ Kast edited a series of STEM-themed children’s books to educate elementary school students on a variety of ground-breaking and exciting STEM careers With the goal of creating a collection of informative and illustrative children’s books featuring diverse scientists, the books explored topics ranging from polar science to gastroenterology to nanotechnology. The hope is to inspire young readers to consider STEM opportunities and interests. We distributed over 90,000 books to local elementary school students!

Drone Workshop

Serve LA

Serve LA 2022 was the first joint effort day of service event hosted by the USC and UCLA Volunteer Centers. The event facilitated city-wide service by over 4,000 volunteers at 46 community partner sites throughout LA. The YSP project in particular was held at the 32nd Street School, where volunteers helped the JEP STEM Education team assemble all 21 of the supply kits necessary for YSP Teaching Assistants to teach in our 60 partner classrooms.

Squeals of excitement filled the air along with 15 drones during an after-school workshop attended by 24 fourth- and fifth-grade students from Foshay Learning Center this fall. The goal of this workshop was to teach the science and technology of drones by having the students learn about the parts that make up the typical drone, and how to maneuver a drone. The students even had the opportunity to fly a drone (or two).

Publications & Awards

Our STEM Education Programs were honored with many accolades this year for their great work To read a comprehensive list of the awards and publications about and from our STEM team, please visit usc edu/jep

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, ReadersPL hired a new cohort of tutors to bring into the fold We also returned to in-person work with students at most of our partner schools. While ReadersPLUS celebrated 25 years this in July, it almost felt as though we were starting over and learning together, as if it were our first year. It was a delight to reintroduce in-person training sessions to welcome and prepare our new tutors. It has been refreshing and inspiring to observe the excitement and enthusiasm of the new team While saying good-bye to our graduating seniors is always hard, especially when so many of them have been with us for half, or even all, of their years at USC, there is still a sense of excitement as we wish them well and hire a new Leadership Team to help us continue to rebuild the program.

The Community Service Awards in April were another highlight. Three phenomenal Readers were recognized: Grace Scheg, Kelly Nguyen, and Stacey Lau.

For the first time since fall 2019, we were able to welcome and train our fall student staff for Readers, at an in-person pre-semester JEP Leadership Training Retreat. This three-day retreat away from campus has been a tradition since the earliest days of JEP and is one that professional and student staff alike look forward to each year. This intense time away allows the opportunity to dive deep into all programs and the specific roles and responsibilities associated with each as we prepare students for their work. More than that, it draws us all together to create this sense of JEP Family that has fueled us for so many years.

GraceScheg

aceScheg

StaceyLau

Little Yoginis

What are some highlights from this year?

We just started our afterschool yoga program in the fall semester. Right now we are teaching at two different schools. We do one-hour lessons during our after school program at the elementary schools where we lead the children through typical mindfulness practices. First, we read them a story, then we have a discussion, and then we do breathing practices with the children and go through yoga poses, ending with a final savasana and a meditation.

What do you like about JEP as a whole?

I really like how its mission is to provide volunteer opportunities and services to students and the surrounding community around L.A. I think it allows USC students to make a greater impact in the community surrounding the campus. I also like the opportunity JEP gives younger students to connect with college students.

Any fun memories you would like to share?

Just being able to teach a class with your JEP coworkers is really fun, and seeing how the students in our yoga classes will get really excited about doing a specific pose, or they'll get really excited about the meditation

It's nice to see how the kids are taking in the skills that we're teaching them and they're realizing that they can use them in times when they are stressed. And they really are holding onto that idea of mindfulness and how to deal with stress in their daily lives.

LittleYogi

Interview with Katrina Dang, Little Yoginis Student Head

USC JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Public Service Internship

by Sable Manson

JEP’s Public Service Internship (PSI) Program is designed to give undergraduate JEP students a deeper understanding of nonprofits and other community-based organizations. PSI interns are able to build upon their service-learning experiences by working 10 to 20 hours a week for approximately 10 weeks over the summer, with a community-based organization they’ve served previously as a service-learning student, receiving stipends ranging from $3,000 - $3,500.

THIS We still encountered challenges related to the on-going impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, compelling many of our community-based service sites to continue to offer only fully remote internships, while other organizations were able to provide hybrid

hybrid options (part remote/part inperson). Union Rescue Mission (URM), SoLa Community Peace Center (SoLa) and Parent, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action (PESA) were able to offer hybrid/in-person service placements while Bet Tzedek, California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC), Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), and Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AAAJ SoCal) remained fully remote. Regardless of the service context, PSI participants were able to develop professional skills, make meaningful connections, and provide needed services to their respective communities.

KELSEY DEWOLF

Kelsey DeWolf worked with SoLa and appreciated being fully immersed in the teaching experience through Peace Camp, helping her to also learn from her students

AIDEN FULLWOOD

Aiden Fullwood (CARECEN) fostered a supportive community between volunteers and supervisors, where everyone appreciated each other’s professional help and showed interest in each other's personal lives

LILIA KAZEROONI

Lilia Kazerooni interned with CHMC where she developed various informative resources for hospital staff to address the issue of miscommunication with patients due to language and cultural barriers

ISABELLA WELSH

The most rewarding experience for CARECEN intern, Isabella Welsh, was witnessing her first student’s journey and helping her student eventually pass her citizenship interview to officially become a U.S. citizen.

CANDICE LEE

KIALI SACRAMENTO

Kiali Sacramento shared that making deep bonds with her peers and colleagues was her favorite part of working with Bet Tzedek Legal Services

NITYASHRI SANKARAN

Nityashri Sankaran, who also worked with Bet Tzedek as an Intake interviewer, felt most accomplished when she was able to help callers identify the important details of their legal issue

SARAH KIM

Through PESA, Sarah Kim met some wonderful coworkers, made friends, and connected with California Senator (District 26) Maria Elena Durazo's office to acquire a future internship

YEHUDA POTASH

Yehuda Potash worked at URM where he learned about non-profit management

His internship experience has strengthened his desire to pursue a future career in non-profit service work.

Candice Lee gained a lot from her position with AAAJ SoCal because she was able to interact with clients in a meaningful way and learn how attorneys support clients

THIS YEAR'S PUBLIC SERVICE INTERNS

Pre-Professional Programs

“We have 15 interns total who are at separate public service-oriented law firms, including Bet Tzedek and the L.A. County Bar Association. They've been doing a really great job. Some of the interns are returnees, and so they're able to continue with the same site or transition to another site to explore different sectors of the legal field. Overall, I'm just glad that they have the opportunity to work with clients and embark on the really special projects that I think really help them understand their local community. I like how our service-learning model emphasizes the reciprocal relationship where someone isn't just doing a service like clocking in and clocking out and not having any thought about it It encourages them to reflect on it and grow from the experience. I also value that the students both get to work with and serve the amazing community that is so often under-appreciated while at the same time gaining work skills and becoming a better student and a better person overall.”

- May Song, Pre-Law Project Director

Pre-Law-Project

“This is the first year that we've gone back fully in person-not only for our program but a lot of JEP programs, as well We've tried to reestablish full relationships with all the volunteering sites we have with the hospitals and clinics around L.A. County, and so far we've established relationships with six hospitals where we've sent over 40 volunteers this semester. That's been a really great thing to see that we're going back to what we used to do before the pandemic.”

- Kelvin Nguyen, Trojan Health Volunteers Director

SUPPORT JEP

Established in 1972, the USC Joint Educational Project is one of the oldest and largest service-learning programs in the United States. Based in USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, JEP integrates university-level academic coursework and community service in the Los Angeles area, with a strong presence in the university’s neighboring community

Mission Statement

In collaboration with campus and community partners, the Joint Educational Project develops service-learning activities for USC students that address community-defined needs, complement coursework, and encourage critical reflection on contemporary social issues.

How you can help JEP

To help support our efforts, please donate via our website: https://dornsife.usc.edu/joint-educational-project/donate/ or reach out to learn more about specific funding opportunities:

Susan Harris, JEP Executive Director, 213-740-1837, scharris@usc.edu

Lorri Grubaugh, Dornsife Senior Executive Director of Development, 213-740-4991, grubaugh@usc.edu