The RCAH Engagement Model
The RCAH Engagement Model includes four interdependent parts: 1) Insight – increasing an awareness of ourselves, our communities, and the world; 2) Practice – developing our relationships to communities and the world; 3) Action – effecting positive social change in the community, and 4) Passion – cultivating a sense of fulfillment, wonder, and joy in our relationships with others.
Insight: Increasing an awareness of ourselves, our communities, and our world
- Being self-reflective
- Gaining a sense of one's place(s) and passion(s)
- Learning about power relationships and structures and the nature of civic responsibility
- Learning how to question critically and interpret new information
Practice: Developing our relationships to communities and the world
- Building trust
- Working together in solidarity and with a sense of justice
- Establishing collaborative relationships
- Understanding the nature of place and how to immerse oneself in community
- Understanding and responding to the responsibilities of power and privilege
- Volunteering
- Service learning
Action: Effecting positive social change in the community
- Initiating new projects or programs with and within the community
- Investing beyond the clock
- Connecting locally with national and or international issues
- Building capacity
- Assessing outcomes
- Conducting meaningful research
- Working towards sustainability
Passion: Cultivating a sense of fulfillment, wonder, and joy in our relationships
- Maintaining curiosity and a sense of adventure
- Embracing and celebrating change
- Feeling an inseparable connection to life on earth
This developmental model is not linear. Its component parts continually inform each other. It looks something like the figure to the left.
Some engagement experiences may focus on only one component. Some may be located at the intersections of components. Some may involve the entire Insight, Practice, Action, Passion model.
