What Does CCSR Do?

 

https://medfordccsr.org/index.php/about/  

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

We live in a world with many social issues such as opioid deaths, hatred, prejudice, addiction, bullying, mass murders, climate catastrophes, gender bias, suicide, voting rights, gun control, global warming, pollution, poverty. Many government and private programs attempt to deal with these issues, but most of these programs address the symptoms and not the root cause.

 We believe that K-12 public school education provides us with the most effective place to have a positive impact and influence on students. 

Most traditional public school education is focused on content (academics) and very little on social-emotional learning (SEL).

 In Medford, Massachusetts, we have created an SEL program where K-12 students learn to be responsible global leaders/citizens. To addressThe Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility (CCSR) was established in 2013. The mission of the CCSR is to develop responsible global leaders/citizens that will be positive contributors to society and will work to combat critical social issues listed above and become leaders in our society. We believe that by providing the appropriate learning activities, we can: prevent students from becoming addicted to harmful substances, develop positive self-awareness, encourage teamwork and cooperation, improve self-esteem and develop leadership skills.

 

We believe that incorporating real-life experiences (PBL) for students to work on projects to help others will positively affect their self-image and understanding. Therefore, the Center works with school administration to develop a system-wide initiative to integrate social-emotional learning, citizenship, resiliency, and social intelligence into the district curriculum and activities.

OVERVIEW

Over the past four years, over 1500 students have participated in our mini-courses, clubs and activities, and most importantly community projects. We have a district-wide afterschool program that is dedicated to making the community and the world a better place to live. At each school, there is a CCSR advisor who guides students in the development of Project Based Learning activities, individually and in small groups of 2 or 3 students. The student(s) select a project that they believe will help others or make the community a better place to live. A full list and description of the projects can be found on our project page.

Our public education system is the foundation of our democracy and the cauldron of the “melting pot”. We believe that public and private schools must incorporate social-emotional learning, empathy, compassion, and citizenship in school curriculums to develop students leaders will who combat racism, bigotry, and hate. If we fail to do this, we miss an opportunity to have a profound impact on the kind of world that our children will live in.

Student-created projects are the major focus of the CCSR; however, the CCSR also provides SEL support for the school district. We provided motivational speakers such as Dr. Sanjiv Chopra of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Roberts Brooks, a Clinical Psychologist, and Richard Blanco, a renowned poet, who spoke in the Fall of 2019. In addition, when aligned with our mission, we have provided mini-grants for classroom projects, field experiences, and supplies and materials for students, faculty, and staff.