RAP Stands for Reflection, Action, Partnership
As part of the Collaboration and Community Building reflection, all Scholars are required to attend at least one CESP Session (RAP Session, Processing Session and/or Community Meeting) during their time in the program. RAP Sessions, in particular, provide a space for scholars to discuss social issues that they care about with other Scholars. Topics for RAP Sessions can range from the education gap to housing and homelessness. During each RAP Session, scholars reflect on an issue, discuss root causes, explore action steps to make changes, and make connections with other scholars who are actively working to combat this issue or similar issues.
While all RAP Sessions have these three components, session formats can range from a movie screening to a (virtual) neighborhood tour. RAP Sessions are led by scholars in the program, so they can take on any shape and size. RAP Sessions are a great way to meet other scholars and make meaningful connections while in the program. While scholars are required to attend one CESP Session, we highly encourage students to attend as many as possible. Oftentimes, RAP Sessions will count towards multiple reflection themes, aside from Collaboration and Community Building.
2022-2023 RAP Sessions
CESP invites you to propose to lead a RAP Session during Fall 2022 and/or Spring 2022.
CESP will support any and all who would like to facilitate an in-person, remote, or hybrid RAP Session this year. As a reminder, we recommend that you attend at least one RAP Session prior to facilitating, but it is not required. In addition, leading a RAP Session will count towards the completion of your Agency reflection, if you are a CESP scholar.
CESP Processing Sessions and Community Meetings
This idea was developed by current Scholars and Peer Advisors working in the Center for Community-Engaged Learning in response to COVID-19, the uprising for racial equity, and recent political upheavals. CESP Processing Sessions and Community Meetings are different from CESP RAP Sessions in that they ask Scholars attending each session to bring their feelings, insights, and resources with them, as opposed to hearing from one or two Scholars about a topic of interest. Attending these sessions are meant to be more collaborative in nature. They will be largely unstructured, but will always be supported by a CESP staff member (either by a student staff member or full-time staff member).
We welcome you to sign up for sessions and meetings and also propose topics that you feel would be important for our community to discuss and take action on. These sessions can be counted towards the Collaboration & Community Building reflection and/or the Agency reflection (if you propose a topic and facilitate) for CESP. However, the goal here is not to offer something that will simply "meet a requirement", but to connect, process, build, and offer support to one another so that we can eventually take sustained action in and across our communities.
- Hello! Please check back during the spring 2022 semester for a new offering of CESP Sessions! Interested in facilitating a CESP Session? Check out one of the proposal forms at the bottom of this page. Email [email protected] with questions. Take care.
Lead a CESP Session
If you've already attended one CESP Session and are looking for more ways to build community with other Scholars, the next step is to a CESP Session! This is a great leadership and facilitation experience and it can fulfill the Agency reflection for CESP.
CESP staff are here to support you through planning and facilitation. Interested, but not sure what your topic will be? Please reach out to Program Coordinator, Basanti Miller ([email protected]). Ready to start planning? Submit your ideas below! You can fill out either a RAP Session proposal or a Processing Session and/or Community Meeting proposal.
