Purpose
The purpose of the Family Centered Community Building Practicum (FCCB) class is to provide students the opportunity to apply the principles of family centered community building to a specific setting. The FCCB approach is based on the premise that families and communities are complex and dynamic systems. Successful applications of FCCB principles require the understanding of the relationships of families and communities, how family relationships within a community develop and change over time, and the mutual interdependence that exists between families and communities. This approach recognizes that for community building efforts to be successful the community must own them, and efforts to assist communities with this mission must be done with the community and not for the community.

Course Readings
Readings have been selected for each session to provide background on the topic for that particular class session, and to connect concepts across sessions. Additional readings have been suggested for some sessions for those students who are particularly interested in exploring a topic in greater detail. Additionally, readings have been selected related to the specific FCCB project to provide background and context.

Course Requirements
In addition to attending and participating in the sessions and completing the readings, each student is expected to complete a FCCB application/field experience project.

Goals
The application/field experience offers the student an opportunity to effectively use the principles of FCCB in a family-community based project and to reflect upon the application experience in the context of a specific community. The project requires the assessment of community needs and the work of community-based organizations. It also requires students to integrate FCCB principles with the concepts of service, social change, citizenship, and leadership needed to support strong family and community relationships. Students become more adept in affecting and sustaining FCCB systemic changes.