“Make the world a better place” : Local leadership as a vehicle for personal and community development

Abstract

Community engagement, defined as the collaboration“between higher educationinstitutions and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, or global)for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context ofpartnership and reciprocity”(Carnegie, 2006), has been positively associated withphysical and psychological health, self-confidence, self-esteem, and the develop-ment of personal relationships (Attree et al., 2011). In this chapter, we discuss onemeans of fostering such university–community partnerships and their ancillarybenefits within the context of a master’s-level course in leadership.