Community Partner Profile of Jessica Gagne Cloutier: A lesson from the Service-Learning Coordinator
Jessica Gagne Cloutier is the Service-Learning coordinator at East Carolina University. Her main responsibility is to support and serve as the campus liaison for service-learning. Her other responsibilities are providing support for students enrolled in classes that utilize service-learning pedagogy, and assisting faculty with the entire service-learning process (from educating them on what service-learning is and is not, to helping identify course appropriate community partnerships and assisting them with documentation and evaluation of students service experiences.
In her opinion, some of the personal characteristics that come with the job are “I think the job requires a person who is organized, self-motivated, and adept at dealing with change.”
She is not new to volunteering. In fact, volunteerism for started at a young age. “As a child, I occasionally volunteered with my church youth group. Our little cohort made holiday cards for the assisted living/skilled nursing facilities in our community, or we actually went and participated in friendly visitation. I actually took the initiative to become a regular volunteer in college, when I joined the Service-Learning Community, a residential service themed floor for first year students at Elon University. After four years at Elon, I’d completed well over 500 service hours. I decided that a year with AmeriCorps was a natural next step in my professional journey, so I joined in 2004. I spent two years with AmeriCorps, stationed here at ECU with the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center.”
Cloutier has a passion for a few organizations in the Greenville Community. “Personally, I enjoy serving with Give2theTroops, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC at Greenville and the Ronald McDonald House. These are organizations where I can immerse myself in manual labor, which is a welcome break from the difficult strategy and planning that we involve ourselves in day-to-day at the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center. It’s extremely easy to get burned out when you are constantly immersed in long-term projects that don’t show immediate results. Sometimes, I need the instant gratification that comes with 2 hours of sorting potatoes at the Food Bank. Plus, I strongly support the missions of these organizations, and enjoy the social aspect to serving with them.”
Obstacles play a factor in many jobs working for a federally funded university makes some funding options a little easier but obstacles still exist. For Cloutier, exhaustion can be a major factor. “Burnout is always an obstacle. The work at the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center never ends. We’ve collected more than 30,000 pounds of food in the past 18 months, but our agencies are still begging for more. We’ve placed hundreds of service-learning students as tutors, but every semester we’re asked for more. I often find it difficult to balance my work life and my personal life …it’s difficult to say no when the consequences are so great.”
The civil rights movement of the mid 50’s-late 60’s affect Cloutier differently both directly and indirectly than some other community partner executives. “I grew up in a community with no racial diversity and a state with very little racial diversity. My only experience outside what I will call the “white bubble” came inside my English classrooms when reading authors like Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, Amy Tan and Julia Alvarez. Without the civil rights movement, I’m sure my education would have been even more biased toward white literary achievements, which would have been detrimental to my personal growth and cultural awareness.
Her outlook on civil rights and social justice is typical but understands the goal of the bigger picture. A goal that has yet to be reached, for many communities minority groups. “The first thing that comes to mind is Martin Luther King, and the civil rights movement of the 50’s+ 60’s.” Service -learning allows students to work with a multitude of groups. This goal of service is to serve or give time and learn something about yourself and the organization in the process. “I also think of more recent efforts to improve the rights of workers and same-sex couples. Through service-learning, I hope that students become more aware of social issues, and are inspired to become life-long servants/volunteers. I’m not so concerned with the type of service they engage in (whether it’s more advocacy or just donating a book), but rather that they use service-learning as a spring board to find what community issues they’re passionate about, and commit to them.”
The Volunteer and Service-Learning Center is a state-funded center under the umbrella of East Carolina University. Their financial difficulties are existent but are not in the same light of non-profits that rely solely on donations, grants and fundraisers to keep their organizations running. “We partner with non-profits, be we are not a 501(c).” Cloutier was presented the opportunity to work with another organization but was drawn to the intimacy of Greenville. “When I joined AmeriCorps, I had the opportunity of serving with a college in Raleigh, or at ECU. ECU offered a more diverse environment, in a geographic region that was new and exciting to me. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first five years in Pitt County. Greenville has a small town feel, with all of the amenities I need, and the peacefulness of living outside of a larger, bustling city like Raleigh.”
The demand of both service and a need for education makes the service learning a success. These needs make Cloutier’s job a difficult one but one that has more rewards than complaints. “I truly enjoy my workplace, the people in it, and our mission. No two days are alike because the needs of the students, faculty and community are always changing. It is a perfect environment for a person who, like me, thrives under pressure, enjoys a challenge and successfully navigates near constant change. I also love learning, so its fun to explore all of the sides of my job, from promotion, to evaluation, to long-range planning, and of course, the direct service!”
The most effective ways to bring attention or promote action for a non-profit initiative is to personalize it. According to Cloutier, it is important to promote a cause you’re passionate about. It’s much easier to build support for your cause when you can speak about it from your heart. I think that extends to education, recruitment, fundraising and all other initiatives related to work in the non-profit sector. Involvement is a little bit more difficult but it still is about asking and personal investment. “As far as increasing involvement, I’ve had the most success when I personally invite people to work on behalf of a cause, and when I serve with them. I don’t think it’s useful to wait for people to join you, but rather to pound pavement, and rally them around you.”
Finally, you have to stay educated and relevant. It’s great to ask people to give blood, but it’s more effective when you know that 1 in 6 people will need blood in their lifetime, or that every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Knowledge can help you build trust with potential advocates, and can demonstrate why your cause if important. It’s not easy to ask people to give up their time, but if you can show why it’s vital, you’re more likely to keep an audience.
As the service-learning coordinator, she too takes every opportunity to learn about the people she serves, society and herself. “This is my first post-college job, so everyday I learn something new. Most importantly, I think I’ve learned to recognize how vital the co-curricular aspects of my education were to my professional development. Day-to-day, I use knowledge from my leadership positions and service work (as a student) more frequently than any of my academic knowledge. I truly value to emphasis Elon put on the total university experience. It’s certainly made me a stronger employee.” Cloutier has learned that there are still nice people in the world, an attribute she does not take for granted. “I’ve learned one thing about society as a whole. I can say that I am surprised by the generosity of so many of the people I’ve worked with. It’s amazing how much some people sacrifice to help those in need. I’m always being inspired.”
Cloutier advises students especially to volunteering to find a career or job. Many professors advise internships but volunteering usually does not require a pre-commitment. “Volunteer before you choose a career in human services! It is extremely important to realize what the day-to-day realities of the job are. For instance, many persons in non-profit or human service professions work longer than normal hours (50+ each week); have limited benefits, and deal with difficult subject matter day in and day out. On the flip side, it’s also nice to know the positives of the job, so that one can learn how to balance the challenges with job satisfaction. Second, I advise persons in non-profit and human service professions to continue to volunteer outside their job. It’s nice to see other perspectives, widen your professional network, look for collaborations, and give back to others outside your normal service area.”
Jessica Gagne Cloutier is not as concerned with her personal legacy as she is with the legacy of the center. She also hopes that the center has a positive effect on all involved in the initiative. “I think our legacy grows with every new student that walks through the doors. When ECU students serve our communities, they build on the work that the Center does behind the scenes- improving our schools, saving lives through blood donation, feeding the hungry, find new homes for animals- I’m proud to be a part of that. I hope that if and when I move on, the Center continues to be as active and student friendly as it is today.”
Filed under: 2009 Spring, Community Partners