The Jandon Center engages faculty, students and community partners on social-change projects that tackle community-driven goals. Through experiential learning and scholarship, students build essential skills in critical thinking while providing significant leadership on urgent, complex issues facing communities and society today. Some of Jandon’s current programs are highlighted below (for a full list visit the Jandon Center’s Website) Click here to set up a meeting with a Jandon Center team member. 

Jandon Programs

  1. Community Engagement and Social Change Concentration: The Community Engagement and Social Change Concentration (CESC) connects community work with academic life by encouraging students to embed community work directly into their curricular studies. Working with a faculty adviser and, as appropriate, a concentration mentor from the Jandon staff team, you will create a pathway that combines interdisciplinary coursework with practical community work.
  2. Community Service Organization (CSO): The CSO is a subset of our center that engages students in long-term or short-term community service opportunities. You can get involved with these opportunities by checking out our partners here or visiting the Jandon Center! Meet our 2023-2024 CSO cohort:
  3. STEM Outreach: Our evolving STEAM initiatives include on and off-campus opportunities in STEAM outreach. Our partner connections span multiple communities, from K–12 educational institutions to adult learning organizations.
  4. Minditch Fellowship: This fellowship introduces students from Smith and other liberal arts colleges to the unique challenges of classroom teaching and its power to change the course of a child’s life. In a one-month apprenticeship in a school or education-related non-profit organization, the program integrates best practices of university-based teacher education and school-based teaching practice. 
  5. Project Coach Fellowship: This fellowship provides an opportunity for aspiring educators and coaches to gain deep, first-hand experience mentoring youth. 
  6. Smith Alliance for Justice & Equity (SAJE) Fellowship: The SAJE fellowship is a one-year experiential learning opportunity for Smith College students and community organizers to promote justice and equity in their communities, involving coursework, community events, site visits, and faculty/fellow research projects. 
  7. Jandon Activist Fellow (JAF): JAF is a paid immersive experience in change-making in the Connecticut River valley. JAF offers students an opportunity to develop and apply their community organizing learning in a real-world setting. The Jandon Center will coordinate placements, provide bi-monthly 1:1 check-ins, and provide an opportunity for fellows to reflect on their experiences upon their completion.  

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